Looking for some help

[girlyswot]

Prompted partly by nineveh_uk's recent post about her virus problems and also by sherylyn's post about useful downloads, I have just downloaded and installed Comodo firewall. It's brilliant. It doesn't let my computer go anywhere dangerous. Especially not the internet - ooh, no, that's a bad place full of all kinds of nasty viruses and things.

Huh. The only way I can get online at the moment is to disable the stupid thing.

So go on. What am I doing wrong? It's recognised my network - I know because I filled in a form and gave the network a name. I've tried posting in their help forum but that's a very scary place where, when I looked at the FAQ's, I didn't understand a word of any of them - not even enough to work out which FAQ might be relevant. Maybe someone will take pity on me. We'll see.

Comments

[amamama.livejournal.com]

I don't have Comodo, but I have had experiences like it. Does your windows firewall run too? Are they in conflict? When I looked at the Comodo site it looked like you should be able to specify different levels of access - have you tried all possible folders to see if there's a small x in a place that stops it all? It's very frustrating - and in a way comforting. To me. Because that means it's not only me who suddenly look at the screen and say "huh?"

So, I don't have much help to offer, unfortunately, but I'd like to hear more about it when you've used it a while. We've got AVG, but if this is good then maybe I'll switch. Used to have Norton, but we had so much trouble with the latest version that we binned it.

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

AVG is a virus scanner which is a slightly different thing (I think). I have disabled the windows firewall so it shouldn't be conflicting. I've tried everywhere I can think of. Firefox is set as a Web Browser and all the things underneath it are allowed.

It's just irritating to me that the default settings for these things are so clearly not what you'd want them to be, and in fact are set so that the only natural reaction is to turn the stupid thing off.

[amamama.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's true. Both regarding AVG (but then we have a really good firewall in the router) and the default settings. It would be nice if setup wizards actually let you choose and were like "pay attention now - what do you want this program to do? Make sure you choose wisely." I always opt for advanced installation - not because I'm such a wiz, but because it lets me browse through everything. And I imagine that after a while I learn something... Though that may well be pure imagination and not rooted in reality at all.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

That is not logical...

Now I'm trying to work out what is preventing my new anti-virus software downloading updates. And why the hell is Google finding things and not actually opening that page? I fear I am not yet out of the woods.

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

Nope. I've given up, actually and am trying something else.

[sherylyn]

That is sooooo annoying when something *supposedly* "easy" and/or helpful just won't cooperate in what most users would think is an "normal" manner! :-P

When we were in NY a couple weeks ago, I basically was unable to get online at all, and I'm pretty sure it had to do with my McAfee anti-virus. I then got home and found our AOL wouldn't run on our main PC at home -- and it had run perfectly fine before I left home and turned it off while I was gone. I started up the PC when I got home, and bam! no AOL. I had all sorts of issues with it before I finally remembered they'd once told me a small thing to "un-check" in McAfee... I looked up what those instructions had been, and voila! Back to being just fine. *headdesk* I'm almost positive that was the same thing that interfered w/my web access at the hotel, but obviously, I didn't find that out till I wasn't at the hotel anymore!!

So... that may not necessarily help you right now, I know, but at least you definitely have *plenty* of company in your misery! :-P

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

Yup. I've uninstalled it now and when I was asked why I chose 'Too hard to use/understand'. Maybe that'll teach them!

[peverell.livejournal.com]

Good for you!

[alkari.livejournal.com]

I share your frustrations, and only wish I could offer a solution!

I recently spent several frustrating hours trying to download an update to my security software - only to have the same software apparently block it each time! I finally emailed the supplier, and got a message back - which included the delightful comment that "users of Netscape and Firefox sometimes have problems with these downloads".

Meantime, I resolved the download issue myself (by using IE instead of Firefox), but my return email told the company in no uncertain terms that if their software didn't work easily with Firefox, then THEY had a real problem, because millions of users were refusing to limit themselves to Microsoft products! Given the popularity of Firefox these days, it's incredible that standard security suites don't work with it easily - or at least include easy, up-front instructions for the downloads. Serious GRRRR.

[megan29.livejournal.com]

I've no advice to offer this time. Neither does my much more knowledgeable husband. I've fought my own fight last night with McAfee. Well, not so much McAfee, as the helpful web hints about what to do with the particular virus that McAfee found on my laptop. Apparently, Windows XP may have backed up the virused file in a place where McA can't erase it. I was advised to uncheck the Backup Option, reboot, and tell McA to scan in the backup dir again.

Uhuh, except either that dir doesn't exist, or, more likely, it is not readable by anyone. Diggin deeper, I found out sound advise on how to deal with the automatic backup dir. First, disabling the backup from the menu doesn't do a blasted thing. It still keeps backing up. Second, you have no rights in that dir, and can't delete it. You need to reboot *from a CD* and give yourself rights. And finally, if you erase the backup, "you do so at your own risk."

Not that this is particularly relevant to you, but:

1. While you may think you disabled Windows Firewall b/c you checked a box, that may not necessarily be true. You might have to chant naked under the full moon before it actually disables.

2. You're not alone. You are the silent - well, not 'majority' - I'll go with 'unanimity.' Even the people who write firewalls scratch their heads at some of the things Windows does, not to mention what other firewall/anti-virus vendors do. Join the Microsoft-hating club. I'm putting in for President-for-Life.

nineveh_uk: I had the same issue last night, re: antivirus updates. The failure message said I had to start another McAfee service first. If you see the same message, go to Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services, find the service you need, right-click and Start it.

Ah, well. Sorry for the long rant which says a lot of nothing.

[peverell.livejournal.com]

I can't help you either but I share your frustration. We've binned both Norton and McAfee and now run Avast! for anti-virus and (I think?) firewall but I know just enough to run the software to check for 'stuff' and screw my sytem up periodically.

Not that this information is any use to you but I thought I'd add my voice to the unanimity that Megan mentioned.