- Thread starter
- #21
R
Roger Fink
glee wrote:
> "Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message
> news:eh2EkWJzHHA.4276@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>
>>
>> PCR wrote:
>>> Roger Fink wrote:
>>>>> You are welcome. Let us know what your final decision is. I
>>>>> hesitate
>>>>> to offer...
>>>>>
>>>>> http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html Avast (free)
>>>>>
>>>>> ..., because it does have a problem (though avoidable) with some
>>>>> of
>>>>> Windows's icons. Also, although avast! behaves well otherwise &
>>>>> has
>>>>> many wonderful functions & settings-- it DOESN'T get into every
>>>>> archive file during its On-Demand scans! On the plus side, there
>>>>> are
>>>>> some archives it DOES get into that even WinZip will not try.
>>>>> However, archives are harmless until opened. At that point, it is
>>>>> avast!'s On-Access scanner that matters-- & there's no reason to
>>>>> think it won't work!
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Emphatically agree, but would add that with 98, 98SE, you need to
>>>> deal with this:
>>>> http://www.avast.com/eng/webshield_issues.html#idt_6869
>>>>
>>>> which you can do by viewing these:
>>>>
>>>> http://www.avast.com/files/tutorials/ws_ieproxy.htm
>>>> http://www.avast.com/files/tutorials/ws_ffproxy.htm
>>>>
>>>> Of course, now that I've high tech'd it to W2K, it all just
>>>> magically
>>>> works without tutorials or even human input. To borrow from the old
>>>> Alka Seltzer ad, I've traded my headache for an upset stomach, but,
>>>> on balance, I'll take it.
>>>
>>> I DIDN'T have to do any of that, either, in Win98 SE-- not manually,
>>> anyhow.
>>>
>>> At "Internet Options, Connections tab, LAN Settings button"...
>>>
>>> "Automatically detect settings".......... is checked.
>>> "Use automatic configuration script"... is unchecked.
>>> "Use a proxy server for your LAN"....... is unchecked.
>>>
>>> At "Internet Options, Connections tab, NetZero, Settings button"...
>>> NONE of those three is checked!
>>>
>>> I'm abashedly unsure whether it was all like that before, but I
>>> believe what was necessary was done automatically, when I selected
>>> to
>>> install the avast! WEB Shield Provider. Could be things have been
>>> reversed-- it was the NetZero setting that was checked before,
>>> possibly. So far as I always thought, I do not have or use a LAN.
>>> And
>>> it looks like I'm using one now!
>>>
>>> It's possible... yea, I think I did have to state my smpt & pop3
>>> servers somewhere along the line, though. I appear to have said they
>>> were... smtp.netzero.net & pop.netzero.net... respectively. Even IF
>>> I've actually left out a "3"-- looks like all is working with that.
>>>
>>> HOWEVER, soon I will start a thread on what I should allow Kerio to
>>> allow IN & OUT for avast!-- above & beyond what I already have
>>> done! I
>>> think I've almost got it right now!
>>
>> PCR - When I first installed Avast I thought Webshield was
>> operative. The
>> reason was because when I opened up the display, it said so!, as it
>> did for Internet Mail and Standard Shield. But I soon noticed that
>> this wasn't being reflected in the statistics in the box, because
>> for Webshield (only) the
>> scan count was always zero.
>>
>> You may indeed have a fully working installation of Webshield, but I
>> would confirm it by checking the statistics, i.e. the "scanned
>> count", to make
>> sure Webshield is really doing anything, irrespective of the
>> feel-good news ("The provider is currently running") at the top of
>> the box.
>
> Good links, Roger. You're correct about Avast WebShield not actually
> doing anything in Win9x unless you manually set the proxy settings in
> each browser used, to localhost and port 12080
>
> However, in my admittedly limited testing of WebShield used this way
> in Win98SE, I found that installing the module, enabling it, and
> setting my browsers as described slowed down my broadband connection
> on that computer, by sometimes as much as 50% and generally about
> 30%....using Roadrunner cable from Time-Warner.
>
> I have found it not worth installing the WebShield module at all,
> since I am fairly strict about what I allow to run in my browser, re:
> Javascript, ActiveX and so forth. YMMV.
>
> What type of Internet connection do you have, and do you see a speed
> difference when enabling WebShield? I am using
> www.speakeasy.net/speedtest to compare.
Hi Glen, great link - I didn't know that service was available.
I use the basic Poor Man's Broadband, Verizon low end, which according to
the Westell modem site maxes out at 864/160, although the service is so
variable that often when I check it there it reads half of that, and I've
even seen it at 32kb. Moreover, there are usually 1-2 hours during the day
when it's down altogether. If you are not at an ideal infrastructure
location, broadband over unmaintained copper is Hell. A year ago I lived 25
miles away from here - same service, no problems at all.
But I apologize for digressing - tonight the service is consistent and was
read by Westell at 864kb download/160kb upload, so I went to speakeasy.net
and tried it both ways, running W2K:
With WebShield: 737kb/135kb
Without " : 706kb/135kb
Obviously you don't pick up speed with WebShield I'm sure that the increase
was due to the fact that a small amount of time elapsed between the two
readings. But it appears that in my particular set of circumstances enabling
WebShield doesn't slow things down either. I try not to do anything too
stupid on the Internet but I admit that I'm spooked enough so that I'm not
comfortable without on-access protection.
A couple of things I should have added previously: the Avast scanned file
count reverts to zero once you close the browsers and email/newsreader
programs, so anyone who monitors the scanned file count from the Avast GUI
after opening up is going to see zero files scanned. You can leave the GUI
open, say on WebShield, and it will change in real time as it is put to use.
If the count doesn't change, then it's not set up right.
Avast deserves credit for going the extra mile on those two flash
presentations on setting WebShield up manually, but unfortunately, in the IE
one,
they state the port number correctly (12080) and the animation types it in
correctly, but the number that remains is 2080. The Firefox tutorial doesn't
have that problem.
> "Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message
> news:eh2EkWJzHHA.4276@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>
>>
>> PCR wrote:
>>> Roger Fink wrote:
>>>>> You are welcome. Let us know what your final decision is. I
>>>>> hesitate
>>>>> to offer...
>>>>>
>>>>> http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html Avast (free)
>>>>>
>>>>> ..., because it does have a problem (though avoidable) with some
>>>>> of
>>>>> Windows's icons. Also, although avast! behaves well otherwise &
>>>>> has
>>>>> many wonderful functions & settings-- it DOESN'T get into every
>>>>> archive file during its On-Demand scans! On the plus side, there
>>>>> are
>>>>> some archives it DOES get into that even WinZip will not try.
>>>>> However, archives are harmless until opened. At that point, it is
>>>>> avast!'s On-Access scanner that matters-- & there's no reason to
>>>>> think it won't work!
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Emphatically agree, but would add that with 98, 98SE, you need to
>>>> deal with this:
>>>> http://www.avast.com/eng/webshield_issues.html#idt_6869
>>>>
>>>> which you can do by viewing these:
>>>>
>>>> http://www.avast.com/files/tutorials/ws_ieproxy.htm
>>>> http://www.avast.com/files/tutorials/ws_ffproxy.htm
>>>>
>>>> Of course, now that I've high tech'd it to W2K, it all just
>>>> magically
>>>> works without tutorials or even human input. To borrow from the old
>>>> Alka Seltzer ad, I've traded my headache for an upset stomach, but,
>>>> on balance, I'll take it.
>>>
>>> I DIDN'T have to do any of that, either, in Win98 SE-- not manually,
>>> anyhow.
>>>
>>> At "Internet Options, Connections tab, LAN Settings button"...
>>>
>>> "Automatically detect settings".......... is checked.
>>> "Use automatic configuration script"... is unchecked.
>>> "Use a proxy server for your LAN"....... is unchecked.
>>>
>>> At "Internet Options, Connections tab, NetZero, Settings button"...
>>> NONE of those three is checked!
>>>
>>> I'm abashedly unsure whether it was all like that before, but I
>>> believe what was necessary was done automatically, when I selected
>>> to
>>> install the avast! WEB Shield Provider. Could be things have been
>>> reversed-- it was the NetZero setting that was checked before,
>>> possibly. So far as I always thought, I do not have or use a LAN.
>>> And
>>> it looks like I'm using one now!
>>>
>>> It's possible... yea, I think I did have to state my smpt & pop3
>>> servers somewhere along the line, though. I appear to have said they
>>> were... smtp.netzero.net & pop.netzero.net... respectively. Even IF
>>> I've actually left out a "3"-- looks like all is working with that.
>>>
>>> HOWEVER, soon I will start a thread on what I should allow Kerio to
>>> allow IN & OUT for avast!-- above & beyond what I already have
>>> done! I
>>> think I've almost got it right now!
>>
>> PCR - When I first installed Avast I thought Webshield was
>> operative. The
>> reason was because when I opened up the display, it said so!, as it
>> did for Internet Mail and Standard Shield. But I soon noticed that
>> this wasn't being reflected in the statistics in the box, because
>> for Webshield (only) the
>> scan count was always zero.
>>
>> You may indeed have a fully working installation of Webshield, but I
>> would confirm it by checking the statistics, i.e. the "scanned
>> count", to make
>> sure Webshield is really doing anything, irrespective of the
>> feel-good news ("The provider is currently running") at the top of
>> the box.
>
> Good links, Roger. You're correct about Avast WebShield not actually
> doing anything in Win9x unless you manually set the proxy settings in
> each browser used, to localhost and port 12080
>
> However, in my admittedly limited testing of WebShield used this way
> in Win98SE, I found that installing the module, enabling it, and
> setting my browsers as described slowed down my broadband connection
> on that computer, by sometimes as much as 50% and generally about
> 30%....using Roadrunner cable from Time-Warner.
>
> I have found it not worth installing the WebShield module at all,
> since I am fairly strict about what I allow to run in my browser, re:
> Javascript, ActiveX and so forth. YMMV.
>
> What type of Internet connection do you have, and do you see a speed
> difference when enabling WebShield? I am using
> www.speakeasy.net/speedtest to compare.
Hi Glen, great link - I didn't know that service was available.
I use the basic Poor Man's Broadband, Verizon low end, which according to
the Westell modem site maxes out at 864/160, although the service is so
variable that often when I check it there it reads half of that, and I've
even seen it at 32kb. Moreover, there are usually 1-2 hours during the day
when it's down altogether. If you are not at an ideal infrastructure
location, broadband over unmaintained copper is Hell. A year ago I lived 25
miles away from here - same service, no problems at all.
But I apologize for digressing - tonight the service is consistent and was
read by Westell at 864kb download/160kb upload, so I went to speakeasy.net
and tried it both ways, running W2K:
With WebShield: 737kb/135kb
Without " : 706kb/135kb
Obviously you don't pick up speed with WebShield I'm sure that the increase
was due to the fact that a small amount of time elapsed between the two
readings. But it appears that in my particular set of circumstances enabling
WebShield doesn't slow things down either. I try not to do anything too
stupid on the Internet but I admit that I'm spooked enough so that I'm not
comfortable without on-access protection.
A couple of things I should have added previously: the Avast scanned file
count reverts to zero once you close the browsers and email/newsreader
programs, so anyone who monitors the scanned file count from the Avast GUI
after opening up is going to see zero files scanned. You can leave the GUI
open, say on WebShield, and it will change in real time as it is put to use.
If the count doesn't change, then it's not set up right.
Avast deserves credit for going the extra mile on those two flash
presentations on setting WebShield up manually, but unfortunately, in the IE
one,
they state the port number correctly (12080) and the animation types it in
correctly, but the number that remains is 2080. The Firefox tutorial doesn't
have that problem.