Personal Tech

The Washington Post's Rob Pegoraro was online to answer your personal tech questions and discuss recent reviews of laptop computers and security software .

A transcript follows .

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Rob Pegoraro: Greetings, fellow computing victims! Today's chat will cover Internet security software, the subject of yesterday's column--or, at least, that's how the chat will go until somebody asks questions about another topic. And that, knowing how these things work, should only take about 30 seconds. Let's get started...

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Washington, D.C.: Not including PC-cillin Internet Security in this comparison was a huge mistake. The only good example of and all in one security package that people should consider. (yes, I have tried the other two). This software is easy to use and integrates with Windows XP SP2 security improvements much better.

washingtonpost.com: Fast Forward: Security Suites Are Rife With Problems

Rob Pegoraro: I only reviewed Symantec and McAfee's suites because a) their software comes preinstalled on so many PCs, b) they own a huge chunk of the market, and c) there was no way I could work in an evaluation of a third suite and still fit into my budgeted number of column inches.

I do plan on including the anti-virus component of PC-cillin in the upcoming roundup I mentioned at the end of yesterday's column, though.

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McLean, VA: After a recent Zone Alarm Pro "upgrade" I have started having difficulties accessing some sites. I receive a message from the sites stating that I need to enable cookies. I have not turned off cookies. When I disable zone alarm and enable the Microsoft firewall, there are no problems accessing the sites. I have not found a way to contact zone alarm about the problem. I'd prefer to keep using zone alarm as my firewall because I believe it to be a more complete solution. But I need help in getting it to permit me to visit the sites it is suddenly blocking. Help (!)please.

Rob Pegoraro: This is what I don't like about after-market security software--too often, it winds up being another way for things to break without actually providing any extra security. Here, I would say that you don't need to be spending money on ZoneAlarm unless you have reason to think that you already have malware resident on your machine--if you don't, the Windows XP SP2 firewall provides the same defense against worms as ZoneAlarm but is far simpler to use, precisely because it doesn't try to take over your Web browser's job.

If you do want to keep ZA, though, try using another browser and see if that solves things. (Many security apps' browser-specific features only work in IE.)

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Charlotte, NC: Please recommend a source (online, by phone, by email) for quality support help with MS Windows o.s. & MS Office applications on home systems. Anything other than microsoft.com.

Rob Pegoraro: Try the microsoft.public.* family of Usenet newsgroups (you can read them at groups.google.com or support.microsoft.com/newsgroups). Knowledgeable, experienced users (the "VIPs" you'll see in those chats) and even some Microsoft employees regularly participate in those forums.

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Napa, CA: Hi Rob, I work in the IT department industry as a basic tech support, and always have been told that Norton was light years ahead/better than McAfee, but never knew why. So was wondering why specifically Norton was better than mcafee??

Rob Pegoraro: Well, you gotta read the review to find that out :) But to condense things, I thought that Symantec's default settings made a lot more sense--it just deletes a virus when it shows up, while McAfee asks what you want to do with it. Also, McAfee's manual-download and tech-support features show a hideous ignorance of how people use the Web--they only work in IE, require that you download an ActiveX program *and* disable pop-up blocking.

If McAfee was so dense as to not notice that about 10 percent of Windows users have dumped IE for Firefox, that many others no longer trust ActiveX controls and that many if not most people also run pop-up blockers of one kind or another, what else did this company miss in designing its software?

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Anonymous: HP came out with the "LX" series of palmtops in the early 90s. They stopped at the 200LX. It was the most marvelous(Dos based) puter I ever saw and I stocked up when HP went in a different direction.

There was a worldwide following and during my international travels I noticed people using them in many parts of the world. One could do anything (just like a desktop) with a 200LX.

HP's discontinuance of this model was akin to VW discontinuing the Bug.

Anything like this on the horizon?

Thanks and regards,

Leo

Rob Pegoraro: Here's the first non-security question. I do remember the LX series, but I don't think HP will be coming out with anything like it anytime soon. From what I can tell, HP these days is much more attuned to trying to compete with Dell in the existing markets than in trying to pioneer any new ones. (It's far from the only company to scrimp on innovation, though.)

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Gaithersburg, MD: Your comments on Symantec and McAfee struck a familiar cord with my own dissatisfaction with these products. They have both caused me hours of grief and get the award as being the most trouble prone software known to man (except Windows of course.) My latest frustration was after installing the latest McAfee Suite, I found that "Privacy" component disabled the Google Desktop search software. I called customer support and insisted that I should not have to pay support for an installation issue. I was told that I would receive a reply to this request within two days. It has been five days and no response.

In any case, can you recommend other security software for Windows that may be less problem prone than those from Symantec and McAfee? Many thanks.

Bill Fish

Rob Pegoraro: This example is exactly why I think you should limit your use of third-party security software to anti-virus--the one area where you get capabilities not already available in Windows (the firewall in XP SP2), from Microsoft (the Anti-Spyware beta) or your browser (IE 6, Firefox, Opera... i.e., any browser).

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Clifton, VA: What do you recommend when Norton tells you have a virus (ex. Vundo) but when you go to their website and download solution does not find it? If there an alternate path to solve this dilemma?

Rob Pegoraro: Not sure if I'm following this... Norton is finding the virus but can't remove it? Please expand on this (also, tell me what version of NAV you're running).

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Reston, VA: Why does the D-Link Wireless G Router require ZoneAlarm to be installed? Is there something between these two companies? Thanks,

Rob Pegoraro: I cannot think of *any* technical reason why anybody's router should require installing anybody else's firewall. Sounds to me like ZA is greasing D-Link's palms to get their software on more desktops. There ought to be a custom-install option to opt out of ZA, or you can toss it with Add or Remove Programs later on if you decide you don't want it.

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MLP, MD: How long before we get an Intel chip in a Powerbook? I've been wanting to upgrade from my 12 inch Powerbook 1 ghz.

Rob Pegoraro: Not until the middle of next year, and that's assuming Apple hits its target ship date.

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Granite Falls, NC: Need help - my computer is hooked to a hp all-in-one and it has stopped recognizing my computer when I attempt to print from the computer - I get a message: "RTL unable to start driver for hpoid407.exe" - what do I need to do?

Rob Pegoraro: Hit HP's Web site, download the latest drivers for your model, and install them. That upgrade/install process should cure whatever issue has set in with the existing (and almost certainly older) driver software.

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Louisville, KY: Rob,

I tried switching from FireFox Beta 1.5 to FireFox 1.0.7, and it just hasn't worked. I've uninstalled and reinstalled, but to no avail. In my frustration, I switched to Opera, and am loving it so far. Do you know of any major security issues concerning Opera that I should be aware of? Thanks.

Rob Pegoraro: No, I don't. Opera's had a very good track record at security.

BTW, Louisvile's story should be a useful reminder about the perils of trying out beta software when the developer clearly suggests you think twice about doing so. To quote the Mozilla.org site: "This is not the final release of our Web browser, it has been made available for

testing purposes only

, with no end-user support. If that sounds scary, you'd probably be better off with the latest version of Firefox 1.0."

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Philadelphia, PA: Hi Rob,

Have you tested AOL's "Saved on AOL" feature for email? It seems like it might serve as a good email backup scheme (at least for those of us who can't wean our parents from AOL).

"You can permanently store e-mail messages in a special online folder called the Saved on AOL folder. It can be accessed from any computer via AOL@ail on the Web or via the AOLCårvice, even if you aren't using your own computer."

Rob Pegoraro: Yeah, I tried that out when I reviewed AOL 9... when was that, last year, two years ago? It does work as advertised.

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Naples, FL: I have many classic LPs that I would like to convert to CDs using a turntable and computer. Is this possible and if so, how do I do it? Many thanks for the advice.

washingtonpost.com: A Closer Look: Digital Transformation Revives Old Records (March 6, 2005)

Rob Pegoraro: Thanks for link!

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Reston, VA: Hello Rob,

Why are laptop computers less reliable than desktop computers?

washingtonpost.com: Next-Generation Laptops Take Small Too Far (October 2, 2005)

Rob Pegoraro: They employ miniaturized versions of the components of desktop PCs, all of which must be fit into much less space--which, in turn, means a lot more heat inside, which can itself affect the longevity of the hardware. Then you can add in all the insults a typical laptop receives during its lifespan--scratches, drops, dents, etc.

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Frederick, Md.: What is the best Virus scan, Firewall, and Spyware?

Do Firewalls need to be updated? If yes, how often?

Rob Pegoraro: I haven't tried all the third-party anti-virus apps out there, so I can't answer the first part of your first question beyond saying that "Symantec was better than McAfee." Best firewall is what's built into XP SP2. Best spyware, somewhat to my surprise, has been Microsoft Anti-Spyware, even though it's in beta.

Firewalls need updates, but only occasional bug-fix releases, not the daily downloads of new virus data that anti-virus utilities require to allow them to spot the latest epidemics.

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St. Paul, Minn.: Do you know if there is a child-safe software that allows the parent to, among other things, block access to web pages based on words appearing on the page, and the parent can select the words that are verboten?

Rob Pegoraro: Based on words *in* a page? No, and I'm not sure such a thing exists--or, if it does, that it could be made to work very well. Ever notice how much spam gets by even a good filter? That's a *much* simpler problem to solve than screening out pages by what's in them.

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Vernon, Ala.: I was taking HP online and it suggested using Office XP 2003..... I have MSOffice XP Standard for Students and Teachers 2002 version...well ignorantly I "downloaded" the free trial.... now I am having trouble with my Office 2002... what did I do wrong.. I reloaded my CD for Office..and it seems to give trouble...Question: What do I do to correct mistake? thanks...Sandra Carter

Rob Pegoraro: You've uninstalled the trial version and reinstalled the new one, and things still don't work? Use System Restore to take your PC back to the state it was in before you installed the Office 2003 trial: Go to the Start Menu, select All Progams, scroll up to Accessories, then select System Tools.

(Obligatory user-interface complaint: The Start Menu should never force people to navigate more than two levels deep--oh, this is annoying as hell, the entire Start Menu, with submenus open all the way to "System Tools," just froze on my screen for a few seconds in front of every other app. Perfect demonstration of why Microsoft needs to rearrange the thing so it doesn't take up half the screen in use.

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Paris, France: Hi,

Regarding the article about anti-virus, I'd like to know what to you think of free AV, such as AVG (in which Intel recently invested), Avast, Antivir and so on.

Thanks.

Rob Pegoraro: That's for a future column. AVG will definitely be included; other freebie anti-virus apps that automatically download updates could make the cut too.

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Chicago: My business network currently utilizes Symantec for anti-virus and GFI Mail Essentials for Spam (because it has an excellent white list feature), but we are still using Microsoft's antispyware on all computers individually. We need a network solution for that. Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks.

Rich

Rob Pegoraro: Nope--sorry, I don't handle office-computing topics like that. I have enough trouble keeping up with home computing!

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Alexandria, VA: Just read your preview of Office 12 in your e-mail newsletter. When will it be released? Do you think they will actually call it Office 12? I think the release year is a better choice in the name. But at least no one uses Roman numerals like the Super Bowl.

washingtonpost.com: Sign up for Rob's weekly e-letter here .

Rob Pegoraro: Nah, they should swith to switch to binary numbering--Office 12 can be renamed "Office 1100."

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Washington, DC: Hey, Rob. It wouldn't be a tech chat without an iPod question, so here are two:

First, when will better cases be available for the Nano? I've thought about getting one, but I've dropped my current iPod too often not to know the value of a neoprene case. Two years, and not a scratch on it. Second, how long do you think until Apple will be able to get the 20G model down to the size of a Mini?

Rob Pegoraro: I have complete trust that the capitalist economy will serve up a rich variety of iPod nano cases within a month or two. (Ever tried to guess the profit margins on things like those?)

Your 20-gig nano-size iPod will probably be on sale within two years.

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Reston, Va.: Why do companies do boneheaded web redesigns that exclude certain browsers? I'm a Mac user who just discovered that Old Navy, The Gap and Banana Republic's sites are all apparently off-limits to Mac users now, unless they start using Firefox or Netscape. I can understand not being compatible with Safari, but who designs a website that doesn't work in IE? AUGH!

Rob Pegoraro: I think lots of Web sites no longer test against IE for Mac, but it is silly to put up a site that breaks in Safari--what operating system do you think the graphics people at those companies are using? Then consider the added cost to make sure that the site functions properly in Safari--it should be nothing if you've paid any attention to designing to Web standards.

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Baltimore, Md.: Hi Rob. Given the recent article you wrote about the iPod Nano's potential screen flaw, should I hold off on buying one until Apple fixes the defect? I am pretty active and I just know I'll end-up dropping the thing sooner or later.

washingtonpost.com: Fast Forward: Is Screen Glitch the IPod Nano's Fatal Flaw? (Sept. 28, 2005)

Rob Pegoraro: Go ahead now if you want--Apple says this defect applies to "less than a tenth of one percent" of nanos produced, and if yours suffers from it, bring it in for a refund. (That said, try not to drop it; no company that I've heard of covers damage caused by that sort of pilot error.)

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Chantilly, VA: How come there isn't a more appealing device in the OQO-range? Something cheaper (under $500) with WiFi/Bluetooth, 2-5GB flash storage, built-in browser and IMAP/POP3 mail client, and a JRE for custom apps?

Rob Pegoraro: Your best chance of getting something like that would be to buy a high-end Palm or Windows Mobile handheld, then get an external keyboard.

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Arlington, Va.: "Perfect demonstration of why Microsoft needs to rearrange the thing so it doesn't take up half the screen in use."

I'm guessing you haven't gotten a chance to use (or see) Vista yet.

Rob Pegoraro: I have seen it in a couple of demos, but I haven't used Vista--the current betas are available only to registered Microsoft developers. When there's one that regular folks can download, I'll give it a spin.

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Columbia, Md.: You have said nice things about the XP firewall. How can you justify that when it leaks information out of the sytem where ZoneAlarm does not?

Rob Pegoraro: What information? Please expand on this.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Rob - I always get a message about how I shouldn't just disconnect hardware (USB Drive, SD Card) from my Windows machine when I unplug something - but when I go to the "Eject Hardware" button, my item doesn't show - it only shows my CD/DVD player. Am I hurting my computer or my devices by just unplugging them?

Rob Pegoraro: Removable drives like those might not show up under that tray icon. Open My Computer, select the icon for the drive or card, and right-click it and select "Eject" (or click on the "Eject" link in the task list to the left.

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NW, DC: Two questions concerning "Tivo"ing web radio streams.

First, the short review on Webradio did not mention if the software can work with stations that use their own webradio players (usually overlays of Windows media player with ads). Several favorite stations now use such players, which frustrates recording with Replay Radio by Applian.

Second, is it true that the Windows Vista O/S will have safeguards that will foil use of software that records streams, like Replay Radio or Webradio?

Rob Pegoraro: Don't know the answer to your first question, but as for the second--those "safeguards" were in XP from the start. They go by the name of "Secure Audio Path," but I don't know that anybody's ever exploited them. (The next time Windows XP crashes, freezes or gets infected, think about how Microsoft might have been able to fix the bug you just stumbled across if it didn't have so many engineers busy developing copy-control features that no customer wants, but which Hollywood insists on.)

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Honolulu, HI: Is there any known problems with the MS Media Center Edition of XP? Or does it operate like any other software on XP, e.g., Word and is not part of the OS.

Rob Pegoraro: Media Center Edition is basically XP Pro with an alternate user-interface included.

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RE: HDTV/DVD/BLURAY etc.: How bad or how crippling will digital video "rights protection" have to get before there is any hope of an effective consumer revolt?

Rob Pegoraro: I guess we'll see when these "standards" arrive in the market...

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LCD or Plasma?: All I want to do is buy a 32-in or smaller TV, but trying to decide LCD vs. plasma is driving me nuts. Just tell me which to choose, please!

Rob Pegoraro: That's easy--nobody makes plasma TVs smaller than 37 inches. So it's LCD for you.

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Annapolis, Md.: I can handle my car if it breaks down but I turn into jelly trying to figure out my computer. Apparently, my hard drive has died and I never backed up my 300 songs and pics of my baby. Is there anyway to recover those? Who do I call about this? Thanks!

Rob Pegoraro: You can try calling a data-recovery outfit, which may be able to scrape the old data off the drive. DriveSavers is one (www.drivesavers.com), and OnTrack is another (www.ontrack.com); fortunately, I have yet to require the services of either (knocks on wood...)

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Orlando, FL: I'm still in the dark ages running Windows 98 SE, however, my question may apply to upgrading to new platforms: After having been hit with viruses/malware, I was able to clean my system and have it back up and running again. I archived files on a smaller HDD, as well as CD-Rs. How do I get Outlook Express to read my old e-mails (I have accounts for my wife and daughter, too.) I find it hard to recognize the OE file structure and it doesn't automatically open these files even when I point it that way. I am using OE with two mail accounts, as is my wife, but we would love to open old mail! (Saved letters from friends/family, even some - probably now expired - gift certificates)

Rob Pegoraro: Have a look at this Help File item I wrote a while back.

Falls Church, this might answer your question as well...

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Baltimore Maryland: Any idea of what the pricing will be on Plasma TV's during Black Friday/Christmas shopping season?

Also, I am convinced that this is the next big consumer product. What companies supply components to this industry that might make for good investments?

Rob Pegoraro: My guess--it's not more than that--is that we'll see name-brand 37-inch HD plasmas going for $2,000 by then. Maybe even 42-inchers, although I can't guarantee you that the second guess isn't just my own gadget-greed talking :)

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West Milford, NJ: Some experiences with the latest upgrade for Zone Alarm Pro (which only proves what a pain it is to have to run these things):

When Zone Alarm Pro told me there was an update available recently, Foolish me installed it. I immediately started having internet connection problems. I also noticed ZA had added some features I didn't want--no use having it and Norton Anti Virus both checking my email among other things.

I uninstalled ZA Pro and started using the Windows firewall. Checking out the user forum at Zone Labs I found out that there were problems with the install routine and they were recommending a clean install--this, of course, means you can't save your old settings and you'll be asked for weeks about allowing access for the programs you're using and you'll have to redo all the settings for your local network--a nuisance to say the least.

But I did it anyway and went right back to having connection problems (I also noticed that my internet connection speeds from some of the reliable speed tests showed my speeds had been cut in half--yes I'm one of those people who keeps checking to make sure that my cable company is telling me the truth about how much faster than DSL they are).

I uninstalled again. This time I noticed that connection speeds were down even after uninstalling. I finally found instructions for completely uninstalling Zone Alarm which, in addition to running the uninstall routine, required manually deleting some files and the Zone Labs directory. This fixed my connection speeds and connection problems.

They've supposedly fixed the problems with the new upgrade, but I'm gun shy and, at least for now, I'm still using the Windows firewall--even though I recently renewed my Zone Alarm Pro subscription.

Oh for the days when all you needed was a competent anti virus program (I didn't even use one of those until I started using Windows 95).

And on the subject of Anti Virus programs, will you try and review some of the free ones?

Rob Pegoraro: Wow, ZA is really taking a beating here today...

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Rockville, Md.: RE: ZoneAlarm

In the category of "things that sounded good but are really a nuisance", the latest version of ZoneAlarm has something called OS Firewall that's defaulted to on. This thing supposedly monitors "suspicious" OS activity but in practicality causes virtually every program to come to a standstill while ZoneAlarm asks you whether to allow the program to do whatever it is you wanted.

Rob Pegoraro: (here's another example of how...)

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Tina in Falls Church, re: messenger: GRRRRRRRR. Hate it, even with the Adaware Stop Messenger tool it wants to "call home"! I have it disabled TWICE yet when I have to restart the computer I have to go through two days of ending it by way of the task manager. I see it trying to connect w/home by the hourglass icon while I'm doing something else. If I block it on Zone Alarm I get umpty attempts to connect...like 1300 tries in 10 minutes. That clogs my computer more. After two days of ending it by way of Task Manager it will finally stop. Makes me avoid a restart at all costs. Any suggestions? Thanks, Tina

Rob Pegoraro: What "messenger"--Windows or MSN Messenger (the IM programs), or Messenger Service (the useless office-network feature foolishly left active in XP, but killed in SP2)? The first is a nuisance but not a threat per se, but if you have not installed SP2 by now on an XP machine you are asking for trouble.

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Fairfax, VA: I need help with my computer from hell. I had Windows ME on it, and it started freezing up. I tried upgrading to XP, still freezes. I formatted the hard drive, installed Windows 98 (thinking ME was the problem) - it seems to work ok, although it seems to be missing a lot of drivers. I try to upgrade to XP from 98, freezes. I reinstalled 98, and tried installing Linspire, that freezes too. Disk space, memory are not issues. I ran diagnosis software which claims that there are no hardware issues.

Any ideas? I'm all out.

Rob Pegoraro: I don't mean to sound like a shill for [insert computer manufacturer here], but when multiple versions of Windows *and even an entirely different operating system* fail on the computer, odds are the PC is about ready to start pushing up daisies.

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NY, NY: Hi, Rob, a Firefox question:

I recently installed the new version of Firefox. I was replacing the first version, and realized only afterwards that there is no obvious way to import my Bookmarks from the earlier version of Firefox - I thought that would be automatic. And the only support I could find was on importing from Internet Explorer, no help. Any ideas? Thanks.

Rob Pegoraro: Try running a file search for bookmarks.html, the name Firefox assigns to its bookmarks file. Wherever you find it, you should be able to import it into your new copy of Firefox. (Is this 1.07 or 1.5 beta 2?)

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Bethel, Maine: Even after a lot of googling, I can't find a useful answer to this question: "Is there a way to determine if my computer is being used as a zombie?" All the sites I go to tell me how to avoid getting infected (I do all that), but none tells me how to determine if I am, in fact, infected. I keep an eye out on the activity lights on my DirecWay modem to see if there is a lot of activity not generated by me. Anything else I can do?

Rob Pegoraro: Looking at the lights on your modem is one way. Any good third-party firewall can tell you in a sec--if you start seeing messages about random apps you've never heard of asking if they can go online, that's your cue. Running an anti-spyware utility is even better (as it will actually remove the pest, not just contain it.) But that shouldn't be necessary at all; if you have a firewall active, keep your anti-virus up to date and use a non-IE browser, you shouldn't be picking up that kind of trash anyway.

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Washington, D.C.: I heard something about how HDTV will be required by the government in 2007, or something along those lines, thus making older TVs and TiVos useless. Is this right?

Rob Pegoraro: No, not even close. Analog TV broadcasts will go off the air at some point--earliest realistic figure I've seen is 2009--but even then, TVs, TiVos, VCRs and other video hardware hooked up to cable or satellite boxes will still work fine.

In case you were wondering, the frequencies once used by analog TV will either be auctioned off for other users (for example, wireless data) or reassigned for use by cops, firefighters and paramedics.

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Laptop for roaming the house?: Can I get away with a bare bones laptop (upgrade to 512 MB RAM) for roaming the house? If my desktop has the larger hard drive and the back-up external drive, would the size of the laptop's hard drive really matter? I just want to surf the net and send e-mail from the laptop.

Rob Pegoraro: For those uses, you're thinking along the right lines--buy the minimum of computer needed for the job. (Which, these days, will still be a highly capable machine; it's pretty much impossible to get a WiFi-enabled laptop without at least a CD-RW drive and a 40 GB hard drive.)

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Arlington, Va.: Just got the go ahead from the wife to buy home theater unit. I was think about the Bose 391 GS Series II DVD home entertainment system. Any problems with that. I would love the Bose 48 or 38 but they are way to expansive.

Rob Pegoraro: We had a writer try it out, and he didn't find its simulation of surround-sound to be too convincing. (The one my writer did like was a compact Denon unit that used a new technology called Dolby Virtual Speaker to create a pretty good illusion of six-channel surround sound from just two speakers and a subwoofer.)

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Linux Lan, ND: Hi Rob,

What laptop would you suggest if I want to run linux? Nothing wild, just the usual apps, but I'm thinking in terms of compatability, particularly with a wireless card, which seem to be problematic in Linux. And would you recommend that setup over an IBook, when my real desire is to avoid the Windows monolith/security issues?

Thanks

Rob Pegoraro: WiFi is the big gotcha (well, so are modems, but if you've already got a wireless network at home, the odds are strongly against you using dial-up). Linux support for Centrino WiFi setups is still on the sketchy side, even though Linux has apparently done the right thing and provided active support for this effort. Laptops with non-Centrino wireless, OTOH, should be functional under Linux right away.

If you've got the time to pore through a long list of first-person reports, the Linux on Laptops Web site (http://www.linux-laptop.net) can be a useful resource as well.

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Columbia, Md.: It is my understanding from running Leak Test, http://www.grc.com/lt/leaktest.htm, that information can exit your PC without your approval, e.g., trojan, etc. But with ZoneAlarm you must agree to let it access the web.

Rob Pegoraro: Thanks for the link. The site is actually talking about essentially the same point that I made in the review--the firewall built into XP bars programs from coming in, while third-party firewalls also regulate all outbound communication. (Which in turn, I wrote, means a major increase in complexity without providing any more of a defense against break-in attempts.)

to summarize the articles on that site, author Steve Gibson says that Zone Alarm offered more security because it computes a signature for every installed application on a computer to make sure that some other program hasn't renamed itself, say, "winword.exe," thereby fooling the firewall into thinking that it's only Microsoft Word trying to communicate with the Internet.

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Vienna, VA: In your column today, "Security Suites Are Rife With Problems", you did not mention another problem with Norton Internet Security 2005 which I and others have had -- it makes one's computer slow to a crawl (unlike the 2004 edition). So I'm back to Zone Alarm. Zone Alarm and Norton seem to have problems or outright defects in alternating years, so I end up having to buy Norton in even years, Zone Alarm in odd years.

Please comment on Zone Alarm's pros and cons, and are there any other firewall or anti-virus programs that you would recommend?

Thanks.

Rob Pegoraro: I've gotten many complaints about NIS's effect on performance, but I didn't see that in my own testing.

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Tampa, FL: Do Mac users still not need security software? I use OS 10.4 and left the firewall on. So far this seems sufficient.

Also, once Apple starts using Intel chips, will Mac users be able to dual boot into Linux?

Rob Pegoraro: With the OS X firewall on--plus a current set of security updates, and common-sense discretion about installing random third-party programs, especially those that ask for an admistrator program--yes, you should be safe. There are anti-virus programs for OS X, but without any OS X viruses, their only utility is stopping you from accidentally forwarding Windows viruses to friends using PCs. (We reviewed one such program, the free ClamXav, a few weeks.)

If you want to run Linux on a Mac, you don't need to wait--PowerPC-based distributions have been available since 1997 or 1998.

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Re: Linux: But how about an Ibook vs. Linux? Obviously quite different animals, but what would be your pick?

Rob Pegoraro: Very complex question, but I'd break it down like this (try to visualize my answer in flow-chart form):

If you have a perfectly good Windows PC that you don't want to get rid of *and* you've got a fair degree of technical savvy *and* that computer doesn't feature any hardware that might not work under Linux (with resources such as that Linux-laptop site I just mentioned), then Linux could work very well for you.

But if any of those conditions aren't met, you'd probably be a lot happier with an iBook, Mac mini or other Apple computer.

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Alexandria VA: How do I get over the 60-second limit of Windows Recorder? Are there any programs that would allow me to record line-in input and streaming audio?

How do I know that freeware is free of add-on unwanted software?

Rob Pegoraro: 1. Try Audacity (audacity.sourceforge.net).

2. First, only download from known, trusted sites. Pledges from some random developer that its products are "spyware free" mean nothing unless other people have confirmed that--when in doubt, run a Web search on the name of the application in question.

Second, if you really want to be sure that a program is legitimate, look for open-source programs, in which anybody can inspect the entire source code (Audacity is one such application). You'll know if a program is open-source if its site includes a link to download the source; the license you're presented with when you install it should also spell that out.

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Reston, VA: Rob, do you have any experience with PrevxHome? I was having a problem last week with windows spontaneouly minimizing, expanding and switching positions. I ran AdAware and NAV to no avail, then discovered PrevxHome freeware. It seemed to have alleviated the problem.

Rob Pegoraro: Hadn't heard of it, but thanks for the suggestion!

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Minneapolis, MN: Hi Rob, I love what you do. I have a Gateway computer I bought in July 2000. It has served me very well. I am running Windows XP Home (upgrade). It has a Pentium 4 processor on an Intel Monteray board. I've picked up on the attitude that a computer 5 1/2 years old is ancient. Can you give me an idea what advantages a new computer would give me? I am drawn to the Apple ibook as a replacement for it, but can I justify it?

Rob Pegoraro: The big benefits of a new computer will be more storage and better connections to peripherals (meaning USB 2.0 ports that run *way* faster than 1.1 kind on your PC). But... you can also put a bigger hard drive and a USB 2.0 card into your Gateway for relatively little money, if it's a desktop.

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Reston: NIS versus ZA. As a corporate IT person, I have had nothing but problems with ZA in laptops that are signed out for travel. The system routinely blocks users from accessing the Internet or even a VPN, even when the settings are "Internet" for any new network connections. NIS may be difficult to configure for some, but I have never had a problem with connectivity from multiple hotel rooms.

I have also never seen a slowing in performance with NIS, but have seen such with ZA and McAfee.

Rob Pegoraro: Thanks, Reston.

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Mason Township, ME:

Rob -Contrary to some advice, I am running both the XP f and Norton firewalls. I haven't experienced an problem so far. Any comment?

Rob Pegoraro: Two firewalls--unlike two active anti-virus apps--can coexist peacefully. But you're only making yourself do more work without adding any security. If you want to ensure that any malware resident on your computer can't phone home, use a third-party firewall and shut off what's in XP. Otherwise, stick with the XP firewall.

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Baltimore, MD: I recently purchased an iBook and an iPod. Neither came with fire wires. My colleagues thought I had to be mistaken on the iPod. It turns out that Apple stopped including them in February and they must be purchased separately (about $20.00). Although I had no response to an e-mail complaint, the Apple Customer Support phone representative was as surprised as I by the absence of a valuable cable that can really only cost Apple a few dollars when the customer has spent hundreds, or in my case, over a thousand dollars for equipment. Fortunately, I had also purchased a LaCie external drive and was able to use that Firewire to transfer programs and files to the iBook. Customer Support shipped an iPod firewire in response to my complaint. What is Apple's rationale for aggravating loyal customers with such a stingy policy?

Rob Pegoraro: I'm kina surprised that Apple actually coughed up a free set of FireWire cables... the company's rationale for going USB 2.0-only is that all new computers ship with those ports, while many PCs don't include FireWire connections.

But Apple seems to be forgetting how it was the *last* major manufacturer to add USB 2.0, and how it still ships machines with fewer USB ports than just about everybody else. If Apple thinks this technology is so great, why has it supported it so half-heartedly in its own computers?

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Bethesda, Md.: Are any of the wireless router companies better at customer support than others?

Rob Pegoraro: Not that I've heard. If anybody has recommendations, please let me know (in e-mail, as I've gotta wrap this chat up...)

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Rob Pegoraro: That, in fact, will close things out today. Thanks for all the questions; hope my answers were helpful, or at least entertaining. See you here in two weeks or so... until then, be careful out there...

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