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Is Mercury still retrograde? If so, I know why last night went the way it did. I goofed off until about 9, watching Project Runway (bad Keith, no donut!), then I went upstairs, got online, and got an alert from McAfee Security Center that I should download their latest upgrade. So I did, and tried to install it. And it deleted my old version of AntiVirus and Firewall, and then refused to install the new versions. Nor would it give me back my old ones.
I got in the queue for their online chat help because I refuse to pay for (aka can't afford!) phone help, and waited for an hour for someone to come on and help. Finally got a tech, and after some back and forth he decided my old versions must not have uninstalled correctly so he had me download some programs that were supposed to do it right. I dutifully ran all four of them and rebooted after each one, then tried to install the program. Still wouldn't work. So I ran all the programs AGAIN (rebooting 4 times), manually deleted the McAfee file the instructions told me to try deleting, changed my default browser to IE (!!?? they said that could make a difference though I can't imagine WHY) and tried again. This time it actually did install Security Center, but it's pretty useless as it only installed the SC shell, and not the AntiVirus or Firewall. When I tried to download those separately, I ran into the same issue I'd had before.
By that point it was well after midnight and I was beyond frustrated so I gave up and went to bed. I'll have to mess with it more tonight. Then after I finally got to sleep, my cat Riku, normally Mr. Standoffish, was in about 8 times meowing and waking me up to pet him and cuddle him. Which was sweet, but damn it, I wanted sleep. I had a horrible time getting up this morning and was five minutes late to work, which I hate. Gah.
I got in the queue for their online chat help because I refuse to pay for (aka can't afford!) phone help, and waited for an hour for someone to come on and help. Finally got a tech, and after some back and forth he decided my old versions must not have uninstalled correctly so he had me download some programs that were supposed to do it right. I dutifully ran all four of them and rebooted after each one, then tried to install the program. Still wouldn't work. So I ran all the programs AGAIN (rebooting 4 times), manually deleted the McAfee file the instructions told me to try deleting, changed my default browser to IE (!!?? they said that could make a difference though I can't imagine WHY) and tried again. This time it actually did install Security Center, but it's pretty useless as it only installed the SC shell, and not the AntiVirus or Firewall. When I tried to download those separately, I ran into the same issue I'd had before.
By that point it was well after midnight and I was beyond frustrated so I gave up and went to bed. I'll have to mess with it more tonight. Then after I finally got to sleep, my cat Riku, normally Mr. Standoffish, was in about 8 times meowing and waking me up to pet him and cuddle him. Which was sweet, but damn it, I wanted sleep. I had a horrible time getting up this morning and was five minutes late to work, which I hate. Gah.
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Yike...
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Re: Yike...
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Sorry you're having trouble though. Sometimes the anti-virus programs and their purmutations are more of a pain than getting the damn virus.
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And hey, congrats on the new abode!
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try two things, the first easy, the second more complicated:
look in the start menu under something like "accessories/systems tools." there SHOULD be a "system restore" function that should walk you through what to do - just pick a date, when you're prompted, that precedes your download of the mcafee update.
(this should NOT affect your hard drive, just your computer's system settings.)
if the function doesn't seem to be in the start menu, try going into the system settings when you boot up. getting into them depends on the computer, but usually hitting either F10 or F2 (i think - you may want to google it for your particular computer) works. getting into those settings should take you into a screen where one of the options is "restore settings to earlier date" or something like that. same deal as above.
and if you can't find the option in either of those places, let me know. good luck :).
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I'm back in the queue again, currently at position 17, after being in chat earlier tonight with someone and they suggested trying it in safe mode+networking, which still did not work. : P I am about to give up and install AVG and ZoneAlarm, though someone else I know recently had some serious problems after installing ZA so I am a little leery about that one.
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Yuk.
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Yeah, BTDT with a work computer once. That's why I switched to McAfee, which is apparently taking lessons from Norton now.
On a totally unrelated note, that is a Sappire and Steel icon, isn't it?
Yes it is! :D Not too many people recognize it.
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AVG & Zone Alarm
AVG is a breeze to set up, and though you can pay for more advanced, bundled versions, I've found the AVG free version to be more than adequate with all the essential components available. You can download the free version from Download.com (http://www.download.com - then search downloads for AVG) or from the Grisoft site (http://www.grisoft.com) which makes and sells AVG.
For a firewall to use with AVG, I recommend the free verson of Zone Alarm (again, avaiable from Download.com aka CNET.com). They work together well, and Zone Alarm is easy to configure. Also, CNET.com has a well-written guide to using both AVG and Zone Alarm, though finding the guides can be a bit of a pain; search using the whole site and they should turn up. There are versons of Zone Alarm that you can buy, but I find the free version gives me what I need.
Add in Ad-Aware and Spybot (both free versions) and you're all set. Though Spybot isn't as good at it once was, I've yet to try out alternatives but there are some free ones that look promising; reviews at CNET or ZDNET or PC World will give options.
Re the system restore points, IF you are running Windows XP, you should be able to find it by going to the start menu, then clicking on the control panel, then clicking on Performance & Maintenance, then looking at the left hand column under See Also (in category viewing mode, not classic viewing mode). Click on restore system, then pick a time closest to BEFORE you installed the McAfee upgrade.
System Restore won't affect any saved work (like a Word or Excel file) or delete any new Favorites, etc. System Restore will restore the previous computer settings, which may make it easier for the computer to find the correct connections with installed software. However, System Restore does NOT uninstall nor reinstall software - it only restores settings and connections. So if you've thoroughly uninstalled the original program (and it seems by this point with all that you've done, that you must have uninstalled the McAfee version that was working before the upgrade), well, System Restore won't fix the problem.
After painful experience, I'm compulsive about setting a new System Restore Point before installing any new software, and making sure that I have a copy of the existing working program saved elsewhere in case I need to reinstall it. Then if the new version or upgrade fails, I can uninstall that, restore settings using the previously created System Restore Point, and if needed, reinstall the original working version to at least get back to where I was. It's a bit of a hassle, especially when I'm adding more than one program at a time, but nothing like the hassle of spending several weeks trying to recover from a botched upgrade/install.
And I've only seen one episode of Sapphire and Steel, but I know the basic premise and both McCallum and Lumley are quite distinctive looking. Sapphire and Steel has been on my Want List for ages, and I think it's now out on DVD, so one day when things aren't so tight financially, I shall acquire it.
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Re: AVG & Zone Alarm
Regarding S&S: it's a very strange little show. The effects are ludicrous and it moves at the speed of a racing glacier, but it's still incredibly compelling. Especially the 2nd series, 'The Railway Station.' Very chilling.
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Re: AVG & Zone Alarm
RE AVG, be sure to set a System Restore Point before installing AVG, and than another after installing it, before you install anything else. If anything goes wrong, those will help, though you shouldn't have a problem. And while I've not had problems with Zone Alarm, I understand your uneasiness if a friend has had them. Try looking at the CNET reviews of firewalls for other options; they've done several round-up reviews and I know there are more free options out there if you don't want to try Zone Alarm.
CNET - Downloads for firewalls - reviews linked off specifc products
http://www.download.com/Firewalls/3150-10435_4-0.html?tag=nav_dir
CNET - Security overview and review
http://www.download.com/Security-Starter-Kit/1200-2023_4-5159800.html?tag=nav_dir
CNET - How To Guides & Tips
AVG - http://www.download.com/How-to-use-AVG/1200-2023-5158759.html?tag=morehowto
Zone Alarm - http://www.download.com/1200-2023_4-5157528.html
Good luck!
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