[Rhodes22-list] Reply to Herb and Marc

[Herb Parsons]

Sounds like a reasonable assumption to me.

I would be interested in knowing specifically what information or error message you got when you tried to access the secure web sites. 

Herb Parsons

S/V O'Jure
  1976 O'Day 25
  Lake Grapevine, N TX

S/V Reve de Papa
  1971 Coronado 35
  Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana Coast
>>> ekroposki at charter.net 10/11/05 11:21 AM >>>
Herb and Marc:
	I am not a programmer but a user.  Last Tuesday or Wednesday, my
computers received a Microsoft update.  It was not to windows, most likely
it was to the Beta Spy ware, which I have been using since it first came
out.  
	Since my wife teaches on line, I have to run all he security I can.
I use Norton Works as my base.  Up until less than two years ago, I used
MacAfee.  However, during a barrage of viruses, worms, et. al., I had some
problems.  I tried to contact MacAfee and there was no way they were going
to respond to a user.  I had previous experience with Norton so I cleaned
out MacAfee and went to Norton.  Norton has done its job.  I can first
report that Norton will respond to a user and that they trouble shot their
areas of concern proving that it was not their product.  
	A secure site troubleshot the problem from their side, including
tracing.  They were not the problem.  The cable company, Charter, trouble
shot their network with negative results. Therefore, the problem had to be
my equipment.  I use two different computers configured somewhat differently
with certain programs on one but not the other.  A quick comparison showed
three common programs, two of which probably did not have anything to do
with security on 128-bit sites.  
	I removed Microsoft Spy ware from one, and whala.  I had tried
disabling the agents but that had no effect.  I ran registry cleaning and
file cleaning programs.  Now both computers are working just like last
Tuesday.  The only change was getting rid of the MS Spy ware.  The
technicians on the other side were surprised also.  Apparently, it was
acting like a firewall on sites where information is going back and forth.  
	Again, I did not see a recent upgrade to IE, but there may have
been.  However, I believe there has been a recent upgrade in MS Spy ware.
In fact, they are saying a new version is coming out.  As to which sites had
problems, none of the regular type-sites without the lock.  Only, but not
all of the sites with the security lock on the screen.  When I told Norton
what I found, they said they had not heard of this problem, only firewall
problems.  They took all the particulars.  I was talking to an upper level
program troubleshooter.
	After it all was straightened out, it was my opinion that it was
typical MS type behavior.  I do not intend to relate this to MS, but if
somebody is in contact with them, I have no objection of them knowing.  
	Unfortunately, my wife needs windows to mesh with the teaching
computers at this time.  They use Outlook Express with special folders and
newsgroups transferring files and data back and forth.

Ed K

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