Serious security flaw found in Internet Explorer (Experts urge IE users to switch browsers)

BBC ^ | December 16, 2008 | Staff

[vigilante2]

Thank you for all that information, I’ll look into it!

V

[conivorous]

Once you get comfortable with it, you can customize it so that it looks identical to IE.
You’ll probably want to set it as your default, you can easily access IE anyway. You can put IE on your FF tab, so you don’t have to close the window to access it.
FF is WAY superior to IE, I urge you to stick with it...it’ll grow on you quick!

[Aliska]

Well, it's pretty intuitive, think it will be fine. If I can combine FF and IE7 and it still has IE7 as my default, it will be fine. I will still keep my mail and newsgroups in Netscape. But if Norton doesn't recognize IE7 as my default browser after combining them, NAV will not work.

I'm glad I finally have the FF option. Now to get rid of that da!n AOL folder. On my old computer, a tech just told me to delete it and I did, can't find an uninstaller, and it's not showing on my Add/Remove programs. I hate it when programs won't do a clean uninstall and think some of them must do it on purpose.

If I just delete the folder, it could mess something up like shared dll's or something.

Thanks for all the help, feel I at least accomplished quite a bit today and sure glad I saw that thread, sent it to friends and family.

I usually hardly ever have to call EL techs, but when I do, it often ends up in a huge hassle.

[kc8ukw]

We have two Linux Mint computers, one Windows Vista. Opera works on both, and has a synchronizing feature that allows us to keep the bookmarks updated betwixt them.

[Big Giant Head]

If I were in your position, I’d say it’s time for a clean operating system install. BUT that’s me, the guy that installs Linux Operation systems in virtual machines for fun. Sounds to me your problems are building up, like a trashy registry. You might want to spend some time backing up files and important stuff, just in case it gets worse, especially since you’re having trouble with System Restore! Your machine is old enough I’m guessing you have an actual XP restore CD.

Aliska, do you have a router, or other hardware firewall? One should only run one software firewall at a time, so don’t try to run Norton and Windows firewalls simultaneously.

Speaking of Norton....Grrrrr. Norton is why I’m asking if you have a hardware firewall. I HATE Norton and McAfee. When i work on computers around here, those are the first things to get wiped. That’s usually the problem. I view them as viruses.

Like AOL, which is another crap-fest. Do you have CCleaner? It’s a good program for cleaning up the hard drive, the registry, and has tools for startup and some other options. You really ought to get this too.

http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/

I personally believe that a hardware firewall is enough as long as you surf safe. I ran my brand new Vista machine with no AV, no anti-spyware of any sort, no firewall turned on, basically naked, behind my router for 3-4 months with no attacks or infections of any kind. My linux machines run naked behind the router always, and have for a year.

I’m sorry to ramble far away from the subject at hand, which is browsers, but I think it’s all related. IE is the tip of the virus iceberg.

[Big Giant Head]

Opera works on both, and has a synchronizing feature that allows us to keep the bookmarks updated betwixt them.

That's good to know. I like Opera, but most of my Linux distros come with firefox, and I want to retain my bookmarks, so there I am. I haven't tried to import bookmarks in Opera, from firefox, but if I can, I may start using it more. I can see me running Opera AND FF both with sync'ed bookmarks!

[Aliska]

I think you're probably right. A total reinstall would be an absolute nightmare with all the software I need and use. It's not just reloading but configuring it. Some I wouldn't reinstall, so the best thing to do is get another passport external and backup more files and just let it crash. I have tons of space with my contract so I could upload a lot for an extra backup that way. Hate to buy a new computer if this one is still ok operationally, everything checks out except the A:\ drive went bad way back. I need more ram, 2 much larger hd's and more processing speed. I'm still going to be stuck with limitations of phone line unless I go satellite or change providers and go to cable. I've always been pretty happy with Earthlink despite glitches because they are so reliable, hardly ever down plus they support usenet still, and many are dropping that.

I just remembered. I can't reinstall winzip which I need and use because my A:\ drive went bad, guess I can get an external and use a USB 2 port, probably make them.

I can't even get a traditional mouse with the wheel any more without getting the optical one. The double click function on the wheel went bad, but I clean the inside regularly.

If I do a format C and reinstall windows from the CD, I'll have to run all those updates again! But I dread Vista because it doesn't support some handy tools & software I have.

Thanks much for the input, I think you are on to what needs to be done. Norton virus scans come up clean but there could be something that got past it plus I agree that the registry has probably become corrupted and there may be more conflicts.

I have to rely on Norton's firewall because my router lost the connection, could not get it back, and the shop kept the cd that probably came in the box which I have. So I had the phone co install a jack, am on my second modem, has been pretty reliable overall.

Timeout. Will just coast for now, do a few more backups, have a dead battery in my car, weather awful here, more coming tomorrow, and walks will need attention again.

[Aliska]

I dl'ed the cc cleaner setup but am hesitant. Says it runs in 1 sec? How can it do all that in one sec? Maybe I misunderstood something there.

It didn't give me a chance to save to a dl file, just started dl'ing and put a shortcut on my desktop, evidently that starts the installer, maybe pulls it off the hippo site the way Norton installs.

Norton gives me fits but I'm used to it now. I need that firewall, don't want to install Zone Alarm (had it once) because of potential conflicts I sure don't need at this point. And I don't want to mess with that router again, at least now.

[Aliska]

Sorry to keep bugging you, was poking around my new Firefox and see why it downloaded to my desktop. I changed it, deleted the one on my desktop, and downloaded it to a folder. I keep all my downloads in case I need them again and don’t like to clutter up my desktop.

[Big Giant Head]

I think that’s correct. It downloads the downloader, sort of. If you downloaded it in Firefox, the default setting is download to desktop, unless you change it. You can drag and drop it to where you want of course.

Here’s what I typically do:

* Back up files
* Delete files I want gone
* Run CCleaner ( I don’t clear all, I save passwords and cookies)
* Run Ccleaner registry cleaner ( it will give the option to save registry files in case something screws up-create a file called Ccleaner registry files to put it in, and thereafter it will always save to that file)
* Defragment the drive.

I would still investigate alternates for Norton. There are free substitutes that do a good job, but Norton is a name brand, that costs money, and brand loyalty is hard to overcome. People feel that stuff they buy has to be better, but it isn’t necessarily so....

Be aware that if you do decide to replace Norton, it’s a bear to delete. I think there’s a “Norton removal” tool out there to help.

But first things first. Back up stuff. Your computer is old enough to have a hard drive failure. This is what I’m thinkging about when you mention system restore problems. Thats a protected partition on the hard drive that should have an image of your C: drive.

[Aliska]

Your routine is what I usually do unless I'm in a hurry. Just ordered a 250 GB external, that will hold everything on both drives. I already have most of them backed up on smaller external drives, but one has no more room. It copied most of Windows but I got some kind of error when copying that so don't know what I didn't get, see a lot is there.

Plus I can find the directions for backing up the registry before I start.

As old as this computer is, I don't like to go through format C:\ and reinstall all that because there could be a hardware problem or whatever.

So I'll start scrubbing what I can and wait for the new external. I just defragged within the last 2 weeks and it needs to again! I only have about 25% free space on my C drive, and one file is so big it can't break it apart to make things more efficient. Just keep files on E 2nd internal hd to keep it clean from registry problems, etc.

At least I got my photos on backup tonight, was behind on that. They take up a lot of room.

But I have so much scrubbing to do, so many files to go through it almost makes me ill. At least we got my car jumped and son took it to Wal Mart for a new battery. Ice storm coming, supposed to be bad, and I'm dreading it because I have one very old, huge tree and more, plus if I lose my power and/or phone, that will be difficult. Will try to think positive.

I don't even want to think about Christmas after all this.

[Aliska]

The patch is now available, tools>windows update will get you there. It is KB960714. Just downloaded and installed, hope it doesn't have a bug in it since it was rushed.

I know this probably won't affect most who have posted to this thread.

Mod, you might want to change the header to reflect the updated info and availability of the patch.

[Aliska]

Do you have CCleaner? It’s a good program for cleaning up the hard drive, the registry, and has tools for startup and some other options

I cancelled my subscription to PC Fine Tune and installed that CCleaner, waited a couple days, analyzed, looked at what it came up with, finally decided the heck with it, let 'er rip.

You would not believe how much space it freed up.

Now the only thing I've noticed wrong since I did that last night is that my mail won't give me ding notification or download. But I can still send.

So now I have to troubleshoot that, isp on overload with calls; it's really complicated how I have my mail configured and don't mess with it enough to remember from one time to the next what to do, checked all my settings. Something has to do with the darn EL total access toolbar; ugly thing so I hid it and now can't remember how to unhide it, think I have to tinker with something there. Googled, nothing relevant, and I found it a few weeks back, very frustrating this stuff.

But if that CCleaner keeps on working otherwise, it's great, don't even have to defrag now; B4 I'd run dfrag and would do an analyze and it would say I needed to defrag.

So thanks much for that tip. Now I'll wait until I check what it can/will do about the registry.

I'm waiting for a new modem, dsl lines keep cutting out again. If that doesn't work, I will change providers. Always something with these beasts.

[SweetCaroline]

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