I never use anti-virus programs. They rob performance. However, whether you decide to use one, or not, you should consider installing a router between your ADSL "modem" and your computer. The network address translation in the router will protect from most types of hacking. If you then set your email program to use the highest security settings, you will be protected against most email viruses.

In Outlook Express:

Tools -> Options -> Security Tab -> "Restricted sites zone (More Secure)"

Then go to Control Panel, Internet Options and click on the Security tab. Click on the "Restricted Sites" icon and then click on the "Custom Level" button. Set every control to either "disabled" or "prompt."

You can still get an email virus with these settings, but you have to really work at it (i.e., you have to click on warnings not to continue).

Thanks a lot MyST
This forum is really great

I just posted my thanks to MyST when your post came in.
yes I´m behind a router but will follow your advices johnmeyer
Aje

Jus to be clear, the basic idea to protect your email is to have your email program use the highest security settings possible, where all automatic or scripted operations are disabled.

The interaction between Outlook and the Control Panel Internet Options changed in XP and is more automatic. The instructions I gave were based on Windows 98/ME. However, the same idea still works; the steps you will have to take will be slightly different under XP.

I do not trust Norton(any product). It look like the program attempt(and many time succide) to control my computer. I use PC-Clin it really does good job and do not mess up my computer. Then again-it is matter of opinion.
Have a fun

I would second that emmotion. PCcillin is great and I have seen too many people have the computers work like a 486 from ten years ago just due to their overzealous virus software. I have never used a virus program, and I have never had one virus. I have done way more on the internet that I like to admit, ask my wife. The secret is mainly not opening any attachments that aren't scanned. If you use an email program like yahoo its simple. If you use outlook its hard. I would just open the program to scan my attachments before opening them, then close it back down again.
Carson Calderwood

youve confirmed my suspicions that Norton AV is taxing my CPU resources.

My ISP offers email Virus scanning for $1 per month, that might be a better way to go.

cheers
JC

I use Norton with a minimal (if any) decrease in performance.

I would recommend a router with a built in firewall between the dsl line and computers. Mine has been in place for almost three years and have never had an issue with hackers. I think it was like $20 more than a standard switch.

We thought we had a firewall operating at work until last week (the service charged $20 a month for it). We got hacked with terrible results. Found out someone at somepoint in time had turned off portions of the firewall.

Background processes are a killer. NAV can take 10-15% (the older versions took far more). The Windows XP indexing service is truly evil and MUST be turned off. I have seen more than a 2:1 performance hit from this on other people's systems (when they give me permission to turn it off, their system starts to fly).

True, indexing a relic from old version of Microsoft's Office is a bumb and next to worthless anyway with today's faster drives.

But Norton anti -virus 2004 has a very small footprint. Check in Task Manager. Unless it doing something it takes no CPU cycles. Right now for my system it takes only 1156K of memory out of 1 GB so next to nothing.

For the person that asked it gets along fine with Vegas. I even have mine set to automatically update. A little yellow box pops up saying its updating, a few seconds later its done.

I use Mcafee Antivirus v6. Don't get v8. Why? Well in verions 6 & 7 you have the option to:
1) enable system scan (on access scanner)
2) outlook scanning (i use netscape mail anyway)
3) download/e-mail scan (scans all attachments & downloads and your e-mail in almost all-mail programs)
4) net filter (very nice, blocks bad java/activeX)
and
5) HAWK for outlook (never used, don't use outlook)

Version 8 doesn't give you all the options anymore, so it's eigther all on or all off (and v6 & 7 include firewall for free). Also, you don't have to pay for updates when your year of free ones expire: you pay for auto-updates. You can download them manualy for free from their site (and they still install).

I disabled the on access scanner (system scan), have the download/e-mail & net scanners on, and have my computer scaned (all drives) every day at 2am. It takes up 0% cpu unless i'm scanning. I even leave it on while capturing (not 1 dropped frame).

Even if you don't think you will get a virus, you still should get a scanner. You don't even need to open attachments to get virus anymore: some infected websites can send them to you over ports 80 & 21 (http & ftp, which firewalls don't stop).

Also, DO NOT use outlook or ie if you don't plan on getting a scanner. They have to many security gaps and are a risk (Valve software used outlook/ie/windows servers and had an entire project stolen by not following this non-written rule). Get netscape or mozilla. Both are nice. :)

Of course you could always buy a cheap $500 e-machine for net access, and only xfer stuff over cd or zip disk to your editing computer. Trust me, if one virus gets through and you loose everything, you'll wish you did something. :) I make monthly backups of everything important onto cd. Very useful.

Hey John,
How do you turn that XP indexing service off?
thanks,
Carson

Norton AntiVirus is an excellent product. Right now it is running (in auto-protect mode, by the way) along with, let's see..., 56 other processes on an XPpro system with an AMD XP2000. Average CPU usage for everything is a bit over 3%, according to TaskInfo2000.

In other words, there is plenty of power to run everything, even when doing a render.

The folks at PC Magazine and PC World are pretty emphatic that you need two things to protect yourself these days:

(1) an antivirus program, with fresh virus definitions, and

(2) a firewall such as Zonealarm (free) to watch over both incoming and outgoing data. The one built into XP only looks at incoming stuff, and it won't even do that unless you turn it on.

If you don't want the antivirus program to automatically do its downloads, fine. The only way it could possibly screw you up would be if you were doing a capture from DV tape and it happened to choose that moment to go out for fresh definitions and possibly caused a dropped frame. I personally have my Norton AV program on "manual," so it doesn't go out to the mothership unless I tell it to.

How do you turn that XP indexing service off?

Start --> Control Panel --> Performance and Maintenance --> Administrator Tools --> Services --> Select "Indexing Service" -->

(Double Click) Disable and Stop the Service

Also, see this site:

Black Viper

and scroll down to Indexing Service. Be aware that this guy is a hard core performance addict. Some of his tweaks are a bit over the top.

Hi this is my 1st post, hello to all the comunity, I live in Portugal, Lisbon.
In my opinion the best way is to have two PC's, one for work and one for fun. The 2 nd one doesn't have to be a super PC, but an old/cheap one were you can test software and put as many junk you can get, the other just for work only and if you want, you can connect them both. This is how I have my system and I never had a problem.

Welcome to the forum. I'm over here in Oregon.

I would not use NAV on the computer. Especially the 2004 version. It will zap system performance worse than its predecessors. You should really have a computer just for video editing. That will minimize the need for a lot of resource robbing software. You will only need to connect to the internet for updates and downloads.
If you did that you could get away with Zone Alarm free edition as a firewall and use an on-demand virus scanner such as this one:


http://www.nod32.com/home/home.htm

It consistently one of the highest rated and fits on a floppy disc.

For a free version I would recommend this on-demand scanner:

http://www.free-av.com/

In either case do not install the memory resident "shields" that come with the programs. Also be aware that some AV programs will not make it easy to use Zone Alarm (a non-system hogging firewall) because they have their own (resource hogging) firewall.

As an alternative to the above, you can try an online scanner (NOT HOUSECALL!!!) such as Panda Activescan:

http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/

It requires the installation of an Active-X control.

John