*wannabee
December 12th, 2003, 08:59 AM
#401: Back Arrow Author: wannabee, Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 8:07 am
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Don, wanted to mention my back arrow is working again. I assume this is something you worked on since glitch. Tanks! I'm curious? When posters post a web sight to be opened for what ever reason, is there any chance that they can contain a Virus? Hesitant to open another web sight espcially if from guest. Hope you understand what I'm asking. Also can you touch on what is a firewall??Pertaining to virus protection. TY
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#423: Author: dkerr, Location: Ottawa Canada Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 10:31 pm
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When you leave this site onto an outside site , I can't personally know what the contents of that site are. But the outside links to articles outside of our that I linked on the site should be considered safe as they worked ok for me and i always have an antivirus program running on my computer. Straight html code is usaully safe , embedded objects or active x components that certain sites use could potentially cause problems, I would like to think however that on most part people producing sites do not put code in that will harm people using their sites.
It is always best to run a firewall and good antivirus software on your computer. Firewalls basicly monitor data coming to yoru computer, what it checks for a a request for data to your computer that you haven't initiated or requested. If you lets say click on a link, your browser sends out a request to pull data from the address / ip, thence since you requested it, the firewall will allow it to pass. Lets say however a request is received to get '/ monitor / perhaps seek personal info, or whatever, this request was not as a result of request from you. Then the firewall is supose to stop it from passing and executing that request. Depending on the firewall sofware in use, it may work slightly different, but it all on the same principal , not to allow anything to pass /request / execution that was not given permission by you to pass or been requested by you as a result of an action by (i.e. clicked on a link)
There are tousands of possible ports that someone could try to gain access to your computer, a firewall will will prevent access to any port not specificly required for the internet applciation you are using and only while that application is being used. If your browser is closed then the ports used by the browser shoudl not be accessable.
An antivirus prograqm can monitor the code coming in form websites, email, and compare it to the virus definitions in has on file and spot the problem code before it can do damage to your computer system, in other spot it before it replicates itself , or manipulates files . Since their are idiots out that are constantly writing new code (virus) , it is very inportant that yoru anti-virus software always has the latest definitions updated. A virus is nothing more than code written & often embeded with another program, and if unspotted and allowed to execute, will do unwanted , and undesirable, malicious actions on yoru computer, it can destroy files, damage files. Viruses cannot damage the hardware on your computer but could render the operating system and personal data useless to the point where a total hard format and system re-install may become neccessary in some circumstances. The only way I could see a vrus causing hardware problems, is if the code where to flash the bios, I haven't head of any instance of that happening
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Don, wanted to mention my back arrow is working again. I assume this is something you worked on since glitch. Tanks! I'm curious? When posters post a web sight to be opened for what ever reason, is there any chance that they can contain a Virus? Hesitant to open another web sight espcially if from guest. Hope you understand what I'm asking. Also can you touch on what is a firewall??Pertaining to virus protection. TY
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#423: Author: dkerr, Location: Ottawa Canada Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 10:31 pm
----
When you leave this site onto an outside site , I can't personally know what the contents of that site are. But the outside links to articles outside of our that I linked on the site should be considered safe as they worked ok for me and i always have an antivirus program running on my computer. Straight html code is usaully safe , embedded objects or active x components that certain sites use could potentially cause problems, I would like to think however that on most part people producing sites do not put code in that will harm people using their sites.
It is always best to run a firewall and good antivirus software on your computer. Firewalls basicly monitor data coming to yoru computer, what it checks for a a request for data to your computer that you haven't initiated or requested. If you lets say click on a link, your browser sends out a request to pull data from the address / ip, thence since you requested it, the firewall will allow it to pass. Lets say however a request is received to get '/ monitor / perhaps seek personal info, or whatever, this request was not as a result of request from you. Then the firewall is supose to stop it from passing and executing that request. Depending on the firewall sofware in use, it may work slightly different, but it all on the same principal , not to allow anything to pass /request / execution that was not given permission by you to pass or been requested by you as a result of an action by (i.e. clicked on a link)
There are tousands of possible ports that someone could try to gain access to your computer, a firewall will will prevent access to any port not specificly required for the internet applciation you are using and only while that application is being used. If your browser is closed then the ports used by the browser shoudl not be accessable.
An antivirus prograqm can monitor the code coming in form websites, email, and compare it to the virus definitions in has on file and spot the problem code before it can do damage to your computer system, in other spot it before it replicates itself , or manipulates files . Since their are idiots out that are constantly writing new code (virus) , it is very inportant that yoru anti-virus software always has the latest definitions updated. A virus is nothing more than code written & often embeded with another program, and if unspotted and allowed to execute, will do unwanted , and undesirable, malicious actions on yoru computer, it can destroy files, damage files. Viruses cannot damage the hardware on your computer but could render the operating system and personal data useless to the point where a total hard format and system re-install may become neccessary in some circumstances. The only way I could see a vrus causing hardware problems, is if the code where to flash the bios, I haven't head of any instance of that happening
