One Flew Over the Internet

[Sandra Annette Rogers]

Dear Participants,

 

To be straightforward, I'm referring to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. For the past 7 days, I haven't been able to access Yahoo Groups or this Ning, even worse, my university eCollege course from my computer.  I kept getting blank pages, forever spinning downloads, like they didn't exist, like I wasn't a member of the free world.  However, I was able to access these sites from my husband's computer in the next room.  Crazy!

 

What did I do to deserve this?  No one had unfriended me, sent me a virus, spammed me, or closed the accounts. It all started with my participation in the SecondLife EVO Village where my avatar would suddenly disappear repeatedly!  I have high-speed Internet and great bandwidth. I could access other sites, even score tests online.  Absurd cyber reality. 

 

What kept me flying over the Internet?  Unable to participate in my new twitter account @teacherrogers.  Unable to share my remanufactured blog/portfolio at http://teacherrogers.wordpress.com/.  I was even unable to post comments on the EVO Moderators/Mentors YGs.  Wanting to share all my new efforts with my fellow participants and the EVO moderators.  I was there hovering.

 

Three trojans? That's all my Internet security discovered.  1069 potentially harmful files?  Maybe.  Or was it the renewal time frame of my subscription with McAfee, an Internet security program?  I downloaded a renewal subscription with McAfee and things continued to go slowly with eCollege--one minute to login, another minute to go to one of my courses, another minute to go to my desired location, et cetera.  I ran speed and bandwidth tests. My computer was clocked at 4.0 MB per second, akin to dial-up!

 

My husband came across a report that indicated that running too many Internet security programs can slow down your computer.  After 7 days of rebooting, defragmenting, deleting unnecessary files and programs, scanning for viruses, purchasing a system booster and tweaker, and running a PC check from Dell, I finally uninstalled McAfee and my computer runs fine!  I thought I'd share my trapeze act, so that you can avoid any dastardly mishaps on the net.

 

Sandra Annette Rogers

 

 

[Natalya Eydelman]

Hello Sandra—

 

Thanks for your story! Can you imagine that as I finished reading it my computer froze, and I had to restart it three times in a row as each time it would freeze right after I rebooted it. I do too have MaCafee installed, and ‘yes’ it seems to be slowing down the computer. What anti-virus software do you recommend then?

 

Thanks

 

Natalya Eydelman

[Sandra Annette Rogers]

Hi Natalya,

 

I forgot to mention the free solution!  I downloaded Microsoft's Security Essentials.  My computer continues to run smoothly.  I was able to get a refund from McAfee.  My university supervisor says he doesn't like McAfee either. 

 

Best of luck with your computer!

 

Sand

[Natalya Eydelman]

Thanks for the information:) Actually, I used to use Simantec as my antivirus software but had to start using McAfee while studying in the UK last academic year. I had to switch to it because Simantec started causing me the same kind of problems you described McAfee had started causing you. What does your supervisor dislike it for? The kind of problems you had?

[Natalya Eydelman]

Forgot to ask what are the advantages of the Microsoft's program you have installed?

[Vance Stevens]

I recommend Avast! Antivirus.  It's free to individuals, they say they benefit from feedback from numerous users.  I've never had a problem in the years I've been using it.

 

I downloaded some software via Download.com on another computer and failed to notice that I had to opt out of the free McAfee (what would you call a package that attaches itself to your free download, a trojan?) that then started coming on and wanting to scan my hdd.  I always tell it to bug off. I've had similar experiences with Norton/Symantec, but Avast! has been great.

[Sandra Annette Rogers]

Natalya,

The advantage of using a Microsoft product is that it would be compatible with the software that I run on my computer.  Also, it's free and from a trusted source. 

 

As for McAfee, you're right, my supervisor said it caused problems with the computers at the univerisity. They used Norton.

[Natalya Eydelman]

Sandra and Vance--

 

Thanks for sharing your opinions about antivirus software:) Quite a lot of food for thought. I suddenly feel scared of uninstalling McAfee. Don't know why because judging by what you have said both products you have mentioned are better than McAfee. Shall I go for Avast!?

[Vance Stevens]

Avast! has been excellent for me.  It updates virus signatures daily.  I am now and then asked to renew my registration but this is quick, easy, infrequent, and a LOT less intrusive than the hassles I used to get from both Symantec and McAfee. There's a good article on Avast! in Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avast! which explains the registration system, as well as the development of the program, and awards it's won.  There's a review of it at download.com http://download.cnet.com/Avast-Free-Antivirus/3000-2239_4-10019223.... but I don't recommend you get it from there, or if you do, be vigilant against other software it might offer to install (I got a troublesome copy of McAfee once that piggybacked in on something else I was getting from Download.com when I just clicked ok, ok, so be careful).