Anti-Virus software package

[LochnarITB]

I'm still going to check into AntiVir though, because it's been recommended to me so many times.

I'm currently using AVG. However, I think I'm going to give AntiVir a try. A couple weeks ago I received an email from a unkown address. When I looked at the details of the email, I noticed that the envelope address didn't match the return address. The envelope address was, in fact, a known address. Red flag! Virus! There was an attachment but AVG didn't flag it as infected. I didn't trust that though. I scanned with an online scanner and it was infected - a Bagel variant. I kept the file knowing not to open it. I also grabbed McAfee's Stinger. It caught the worm. Even with the latest virus definitions, AVG still doesn't recognize it. If AntiVir recognizes the infected file, then it will take AVG's place on my system.

Hm.. wow. The Sygate website is cryptic. I don't remember having so much difficulty finding it the first time. Anyways, here is a direct link to it's firewall product page. The free, personal edition is at the very bottom.

The download link to the free personal edition brings me to this Tocows.com page. Scratch that -- I just tried it again and it was linked to this Download.com page. I tried it yet again and I was linked to another mirror. How deep down the rabbit hole can we go?

[disjointed lip sync on] Listen closely, grasshoppers. Strive for knowledge you must. Only when you are able to snatch the download from this website may you be called Web-Fu masters. [disjointed lip sync off]

I didn't remember having such troubles finding the Sygate Personal Firewall so I thought I would have a look again. Three clicks and I was to its page and one more and I was ready to download the file. I went to www.sygate.com. On the right side of the page is "Sygate for... HOME OFFICE" (click 1) On the next page, left side we have "HOME/SMALL BUSINESS" (click 2) The menu opens up and we have "Personal Firewall" (click 3) We are now at the info page for Sygate Personal Firewall. From here, we can request further info or use "Download Now" (click 4) The download now link does end up redirecting to a couple different possibilities to spread the load, I would assume. I got redirected to download.com and Simtel a couple times I tried but they all were offering the same version so it shouldn't matter. Look where one little misstep can send you. :lol:

If you do try Sygate, be aware of something. Several features are not useable in the free version, only in the Pro version. The review in the above mentioned previous thread was for the Pro version. The free version doesn't necessarily stack up as well against other firewalls, although I can't find any reviews of the free version that say one way or another. The pages that I did find seem to say that trojan protection is only in Pro but there is an option to enable Anti-Application Hijacking. I am not really sure if there is a difference between trojans and application hijacking. I am probably going to try Kerio for that reason. Their site does say that the free version handles trojans and the Sygate review also mentioned Kerio and Tiny as the firewalls that caught the test trojan. Also be careful with the options you use with Sygate. I turned everything on and one of them was DLL authentication. There is a checkbox with that feature for it to Automatically allow known DLLs. I have it checked but I still get alerted several times each time any app starts, often for ones that I already approved. When grabbing video or audio off the net, it really goes nuts with DLL alerts. I am amazed by all of them that show up and many are from programs other than the one starting. They usually make sense though for other stuff running on my machine so I give them the OK. Since I don't know if I am really gaining much security by the DLL monitoring and it doesn't seem to remember which ones are OK, I will probably end up turning that feature off if I come back to it after trying Kerio.

BTW, DeeBye, STOP IT! I got all confused by your upside down avatar and sig. When I tried fixing it, the mouse and camera fell off my notebook. Typing was almost impossible too so I finally said "Heck with it - let him stand on his head if he wants to! I don't feel sorry for him in the least!" :lol: