what? No Windows Sub-forum?

[Ziox]

no Windows Forum available?

[neilp85]

Are you crazy, that would degenerate to total flaming in about 2 seconds.

[kostkon]

IMO a Windows sub-forum would be full of Windows and Microsoft bashing. I believe the majority of the threads would be created just to say something funny-bad about Microsoft and the ec etera, thus being not so much useful.

[richbarna]

Actually, I think that as many of us dual-boot or have to use Windows at work, or have family members that use windows there wouldn't be a problem.

It's normally the newbies that feel they have to bash windows just because they are on a linux forum. The rest of us will joke about it as an OS but there isn't anything malicious in that.

I would be glad to help a fellow UF member with a windows problem, I have actually seen posts here that were answered, at the end of the day we are a community helping eachother with pieces of plastic and metal. Let's face it guys, Linux isn't perfect either, so the bashing is pointless.

[peabody]

I think it would only be fair to have a windows forum. A lot of people simply have to deal with windows on a day-to-day basis as a fact of life in the tech-biz industry. Also, it might give people like me who only run Linux a look into just what's been going on in the Windows world.

I can understand there would be flames, but couldn't that behavior be stopped by a moderator?

[Ziox]

I can understand there would be flames, but couldn't that behavior be stopped by a moderator?

LOL, Unless the Moderators also dislike Windows, but I doubt that's true :D

This is some interesting discussions...I was really (and some what pleasantly) surprised when I visited the Other OS Talk Forum, that Mac OSX is here and Windows isn't. I am dual-booting Windows this very second, and a Windows sub-forum would provide great assistance to me (and I would imagine to other people who have trouble with windows from work and such...)....

is it possible to start a Windows Sub-forum? (and not be murdered by Linux Fanatics ;) )

[RAV TUX]

The Windows Sub-forum is here with this thread...(just not dedicated)

Only limited space was given to subforums and that decision of which OS's to include, I believe was decided by Ubuntu-Geek...

I actually think 2 dedicated sub-forums should be added...

1. BSD
2. Independently developed Linux Distros (Beyond Debian, SUSE, etc)

actually BeOS would be nice to add also....

but these all exist and are up for discussion as threads here in other OS discussion...

Unless a change is made, I think Windows Technical discussion is great, right here in this thread.

Unfortunately I would be of little help, I use 3 OS's...Ubuntu, Knoppix, and OS X....

My wife does use Windows Tablet Edition OS...but she wants me to load Ubuntu on it....

I have been reluctant to do it, she is very territorial with her Fujitsu Convertible and got angry at me when I put icons on her desktop...she hates icons....I was wrong for doing it I know now, but I am not ready to load Ubuntu yet....

I would like to see Ubuntu to come out with a Tablet Edition: Tabuntu?

Anyway, yeah...about Windows here is a classic question...which is the best Internet Security to use?

I used to use Bitdefender 9 Internet Security....which for the most part worked great...but seemed to slow done after time, this may be normal?

I liked Bitdefender, because they also make their own Linux distribution security CD....listed on Distrowatch but I never used it....

I did load their virus scanner on my Ubuntu computer once but it wasn't easy....well at the time when I was new to Ubuntu.

so which is the best complete Internet Security system for Windows....

I am not interested in adaware, or any other free applications...I would rather have a complete Internet security system like BitDefender offers (Firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam, anti-phising, an all-in-one-system with Heuristic scanning in a Virtual Environment, parental controls not needed....

Also not interested in McAfee, Norton, or Panda...will consider Kaspersky...if anybody has good experience with it?

So Windows support discussion should proceed here:

which is the best all-in-one Internet Security tool for Windows (preferably with Heuristic Scanning in a Virtual Environment)?

[Klaidas]

I agree there should be a windows sub-forum
However, I guess there would be lot's of "weendoz sock leenooks rock@@@!!! like, OGM!!" threads :/

[bluenova]

Well as we get all the windows sucks threads anyway, if we had a forum for them they could all be kept in one place and it would enable users to hide the forum from their searches etc.

[Ziox]

The Windows Sub-forum is here with this thread...(just not dedicated)

Only limited space was given to subforums and that decision of which OS's to include, I believe was decided by Ubuntu-Geek...

I actually think 2 dedicated sub-forums should be added...

1. BSD
2. Independently developed Linux Distros (Beyond Debian, SUSE, etc)

actually BeOS would be nice to add also....

but these all exist and are up for discussion as threads here in other OS discussion...

Unless a change is made, I think Windows Technical discussion is great, right here in this thread.

Unfortunately I would be of little help, I use 3 OS's...Ubuntu, Knoppix, and OS X....

My wife does use Windows Tablet Edition OS...but she wants me to load Ubuntu on it....

I have been reluctant to do it, she is very territorial with her Fujitsu Convertible and got angry at me when I put icons on her desktop...she hates icons....I was wrong for doing it I know now, but I am not ready to load Ubuntu yet....

I would like to see Ubuntu to come out with a Tablet Edition: Tabuntu?

Anyway, yeah...about Windows here is a classic question...which is the best Internet Security to use?

I used to use Bitdefender 9 Internet Security....which for the most part worked great...but seemed to slow done after time, this may be normal?

I liked Bitdefender, because they also make their own Linux distribution security CD....listed on Distrowatch but I never used it....

I did load their virus scanner on my Ubuntu computer once but it wasn't easy....well at the time when I was new to Ubuntu.

so which is the best complete Internet Security system for Windows....

I am not interested in adaware, or any other free applications...I would rather have a complete Internet security system like BitDefender offers (Firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam, anti-phising, an all-in-one-system with Heuristic scanning in a Virtual Environment, parental controls not needed....

Also not interested in McAfee, Norton, or Panda...will consider Kaspersky...if anybody has good experience with it?

So Windows support discussion should proceed here:

which is the best all-in-one Internet Security tool for Windows (preferably with Heuristic Scanning in a Virtual Environment)?

Here's a list of top security suite as tested by PC World:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,125857/article.html

I personally prefer to use free individual security software. Simply because that I don't believe any software can do things really well if it tries to do too much. Here's my list of software:

Firewall: ZoneLab: Zone Alarm (free)

Anti-Virus: AntiVir Virus Scanner (free)

Anti-Spyware/Anti- Adware: Windows Defender + Adaware SE (both free)

Register Cleaner: RegSeeker (free)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's a Wiki that gives separate software that you can roll it up into your own security suite:

http://wiki.castlecops.com/Roll_your_own_Free_Security_Suite

[RAV TUX]

Here's a list of top security suite as tested by PC World:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,125857/article.html

I personally prefer to use free individual security software. Simply because that I don't believe any software can do things really well if it tries to do too much. Here's my list of software:

Firewall: ZoneLab: Zone Alarm (free)

Anti-Virus: AntiVir Virus Scanner (free)

Anti-Spyware/Anti- Adware: Windows Defender + Adaware SE (both free)

Register Cleaner: RegSeeker (free)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's a Wiki that gives separate software that you can roll it up into your own security suite:

http://wiki.castlecops.com/Roll_your_own_Free_Security_Suite

Thanks for the link....the first top 3 are ones I dislike the most on the PCWorld list...

I remember why I dislike windows so much....

(grumble)

[Rumor]

so which is the best complete Internet Security system for Windows....

Also not interested in McAfee, Norton, or Panda...will consider Kaspersky...if anybody has good experience with it?

So Windows support discussion should proceed here:

which is the best all-in-one Internet Security tool for Windows (preferably with Heuristic Scanning in a Virtual Environment)?

I'll give a recommendation for Kaspersky. I used their anti-virus software for years and years before looking for a freeware solution.
Their internet security package is very, very thorough. And, it has a free trial, so you've nothing to lose giving it a whirl.

[K.Mandla]

So long as we're making suggestions for Windows, and not just bashing it ...

I always liked the free AVG Antivirus (http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1) by Grisoft. I've also worked with avast! (http://www.avast.com/), but I found it a little confusing to control (there seem to be a lot of control menus).

SmartFTP (http://www.smartftp.com/) is tops for me, for FTP clients. I know there are plenty, but that one always seemed most intuitive.

You can't beat O&O (http://www.oo-software.com/en/) for a defragger, and TuneUp Utilities 2006 (http://www.tune-up.com), when I needed it, was great for tweaking and cleaning out Windows.

By the way, I wouldn't mind a proper Windows sub-forum. I realize it would be a real pain for the admins to mind, but nothing says we're open-minded and helpful like extending a hand to those who prefer the alternative OS. :)

[Ziox]

So long as we're making suggestions for Windows, and not just bashing it ...

I always liked the free AVG Antivirus (http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1) by Grisoft. I've also worked with avast! (http://www.avast.com/), but I found it a little confusing to control (there seem to be a lot of control menus).

SmartFTP (http://www.smartftp.com/) is tops for me, for FTP clients. I know there are plenty, but that one always seemed most intuitive.

You can't beat O&O (http://www.oo-software.com/en/) for a defragger, and TuneUp Utilities 2006 (http://www.tune-up.com), when I needed it, was great for tweaking and cleaning out Windows.

By the way, I wouldn't mind a proper Windows sub-forum. I realize it would be a real pain for the admins to mind, but nothing says we're open-minded and helpful like extending a hand to those who prefer the alternative OS. :)

I've also used AVG for a long time, but recently I found AntiVir. To me, AntiVir has a smaller footprint than AVG, and I've stopped using AVG when it missed couple viruses :shock:

For defragment, I use PerfectDisk, I've also tried Disk-Keeper, but found that PerfectDisk does a better job. Though now, I will try O&O...

TuneUP is very neat, combining several functions into one. I've often use that combined with System Mechanics. Very useful indeed...:rolleyes:

[coffeecat]

Not in any way wishing to criticise Windows (:wink:), I can't help but notice that the technical recommendations given in this thread are dominated by mentions of antivirus and defragging software. :roll: But helpful nonetheless.

[Ziox]

Not in any way wishing to criticise Windows (:wink:), I can't help but notice that the technical recommendations given in this thread are dominated by mentions of antivirus and defragging software. :roll: But helpful nonetheless.

Well, people can't tweak Windows too much, and most of them only use Windows for work and such, so tweaking is limited...but I think as we have more people talking about windows, I bet some tweaks will start appearing...

[RavenOfOdin]

As long as we're on the subject of Software. . .

Tiny Personal Firewall Pro and AVG Antivirus would have to get my vote.

A lot of FW and AV applications I've used on Windows have either had compatibility or functionality issues that prevented me from really
getting the most out of them. I remember using Agnitum's Outpost firewall and Warcraft 3 at once. Every time I'd try to tab out of WC3, I
was running the risk of blue screening my system.

I seem to remember hearing about a firewall called Sidewinder, but also that it was only available to government agencies. Too bad. It would
have been nice to try out.

For random applications in general:

Miranda IM worked fine as an instant messenger.
LiteStep and WindowBlinds are decent customization apps.
Dev-C++ (Bloodshed Software) was good. Almost like Anjuta for Windows.

[eccentricity]

For those that are interested, FOSS is all you need for windows. I still use windows. I have two systems linked with a KVM switch and I use xp on the first for games and the UbuntU box for everything else. Just a click away ---click **click **click

http://www.ttcsweb.org/osswin-cd/

TTCS (Trinidad and Tobago computer society)

On the site it's a 660MB ISO. It's IMHO the most complete collection of free software. Its updated once a month with the latest versions. Everything is laid out in an installable menu broken up into categories (apps, educational, games, graphics, internet, server, sound and video, and utils).

Screenshots
http://www.ttcsweb.org/osswin-cd/slideshow/index.html

I requested it at linuxcd.org and ztechshop.net for those on slow dial up connections like me. :-D

[cptnapalm]

I think that the "Other OS" for which the forum is named *is* Windows. The others are just there so that others can find their stuff without being swamped in Windows posts.

LiteStep... I used to use that WAY back in 1998 or so. I so comepletely customized my setup that noone other than me knew how to use. "Click the boobies to open Netscape" :biggrin:

[FineE]

A Windows sub forum is a must if we have sub forum for another propriety OS. I can understand and would support a policy that had a sub forums only for other Linux distros or only for other Open Source (free as in speech operating systems), but if we allow Apple in why do we discriminate against Microsoft?

My suggestion is either include Windows as a subforum or restrict the Other OS Talk sub forums to only Open Source operating systems.

[Ziox]

A Windows sub forum is a must if we have sub forum for another propriety OS. I can understand and would support a policy that had a sub forums only for other Linux distros or only for other Open Source (free as in speech operating systems), but if we allow Apple in why do we discriminate against Microsoft?

My suggestion is either include Windows as a subforum or restrict the Other OS Talk sub forums to only Open Source operating systems.

I agree (duh) ;)

[ubuntuman001]

i guess that ubuntu-geek included mac os x, because it is a *nix based OS, like all the other OS's in the sub-forum. maybe thats why he didnt include MS WIn

[Snorri]

The Windows Sub-forum is here with this thread...(just not dedicated)

Only limited space was given to subforums and that decision of which OS's to include, I believe was decided by Ubuntu-Geek...

I actually think 2 dedicated sub-forums should be added...

1. BSD
2. Independently developed Linux Distros (Beyond Debian, SUSE, etc)

actually BeOS would be nice to add also....

[/B][/I]

Sun Solaris?

[K.Mandla]

no Windows Forum available?
There might be. The consensus seems in favor of it.

http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=257991

Speak your mind. It could happen.

[Ziox]

mean while I'm waiting for the Windows Forum to be created, I have a question of my own. I've been searching for a comprehensive, free spyware application, and after receiving my PC World Magazine, I think I might've found it. The application is called Spyware Terminator, which offers "free real-time protection" So I'm wondering if anyone has ever used it, and it is very effective?

Another thing, ST's creator, Crawler, used to have ties with IBIS, which I believe to be an adware-producing company. Though Crawler have now state that they have no connection with IBIS at all, I'm still dubious about their software. :( Any input on this? Should I trust them or not trust them?

[magnoliablossom]

I have a couple of issues with Windows I'd like some help with but all of the help forums I've been to concerning them have been useless.

As for security, I use Zone Alarm Firewall (free edition), AVG Antivirus (free addition), and Spybot Search & Destroy for spyware. All of them work well enough for me since I rarely boot Windows anymore anyway. The only complaint I have is with AVG which on occasion will find a trojan or virus, but do nothing to correct them. It just basically says "hey, you got this virus here so you might wanna do something to fix it."

I'd love to see a Windows forum here though because I seem to get better and more understandable help here than anywhere else. Most people here seem to have more patience with the newbies than other forums do.

[cunawarit]

mean while I'm waiting for the Windows Forum to be created, I have a question of my own. I've been searching for a comprehensive, free spyware application, and after receiving my PC World Magazine, I think I might've found it. The application is called Spyware Terminator, which offers "free real-time protection" So I'm wondering if anyone has ever used it, and it is very effective?

I've never used it, I use Ad-Aware ( http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/ ), seems good.

I am very anal about not using Explorer (I use IE7 for certain sites that don't work well with Firefox/Opera, that's it), keeping Firefox up to date, not installing random stuff and/or viewing attachements that I don't exactly know what they are. I also run OpenOffice at home instead of MS Office, which should make it more secure too.

[Ziox]

I've never used it, I use Ad-Aware ( http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/ ), seems good.

I am very anal about not using Explorer (I use IE7 for certain sites that don't work well with Firefox/Opera, that's it), keeping Firefox up to date, not installing random stuff and/or viewing attachements that I don't exactly know what they are. I also run OpenOffice at home instead of MS Office, which should make it more secure too.

I also use Ad-Aware in addition to Spyware Terminator...after a full scan by Ad-Aware, no spyware/adware/malware turned up, so I assume ST is clean :p

[AlphaMack]

I'm curious as to what you all think of the following on a XP Home box:

- Windows Firewall
- Ad-Aware Personal SE
- Spybot Search and Destroy
- SysInternals Rootkit Revealer
- ClamWin
- Firefox (as default browser + AdBlock, AdBlock Filterset.G Updater, Fasterfox, User Agent Switcher, SwitchProxy)
- Thunderbird (as default e-mailer)
- Privoxy

I realize that these preferences are quite subjective, but is this sufficient for helping to secure a 'typical' friend's box from malware?

[aysiu]

I'd add in NoScript as a Firefox extension.

[AlphaMack]

I would definitely recommend NoScript if it weren't for the fact that some friends would not know how to white list the web sites they visit often. I know that many of us see it as a drop-dead simple method of clicking on the NoScript icon at the bottom and whitelisting the domain, but you'd be surprised what technical knowhow (lack thereof) your friends may have when you fix their boxes for them.

With Privoxy I typically set up a quite loose user.action file with several typical sites whitelisted including those they usually visit (I usually ask). If it's too much trouble for them, I'll leave Privoxy off in FF but keep it in MSIE.

[aysiu]

That's the real problem, though, isn't it? There's a delicate balance between security and convenience, and most users tend to err on the side of convenience.

I don't really see it as that big a deal to whitelist sites I visit often... as once they're whitelisted, they are forever until you change the settings. My wife, on the other hand, finds it annoying, so she doesn't use NoScript. If she were using Windows, I'd be a bit more concerned.

[dillbertdabomb]

And why do you want one?

ps nice avatar!