Category: General

Fixing Norton 2006 File and Print Sharing Problem

I’ve long been recommending clients avoid antivirus programs that include an “internet suite” such as Norton Internet Security because the included firewall software makes it very easy for the unwary to accidentally block network traffic. For most residential computer users, a router acting as a firewall tends to offer better protection with less chances of networking issues.

However, I’ve been running into a number of client who use Norton Antivirus 2006 with issues attempting to share files and printers on their local area network. The culprit, I’ve found, is NAV06’s Internet Worm Protection. This feature can mistakenly identify an incoming file or print sharing request as an attack on your computer, leading Norton to automatically block all access from that LAN IP address.

The solution I’ve found is to go into the configuration settings for the Internet Worm Protection feature and create a “Permit” rule that allows full access on ports 137, 138 and 139, which Windows uses to share files and printers on the local network.

Sometimes, a client’s protection software can be too protective.

Skype Reunites Family Virtually

I had a computer support service call today that involved me setting up the free Skype program today for a client.  Skype is designed to allow any one user to talk another user anywhere in the world for free using Voice over IP technology.

Since both the client and his brother located in eastern Europe have high-speed internet connections and webcams, they were able to connect to each other instantly with both voice and video feeds.  Both families haven’t seen each other in several years due to the travel costs and restrictions, so being able to communicate so easily was very exciting for them.

As I left the two families excitedly chatting through their new video connection, I felt pretty good that my support skills were able to bring them together through a free program, an inexpensive webcam and a DSL connection.

Microsoft Group: Some Spyware Not Worth Fighting

eWeek.com has an article online in which Microsoft’s Security Solutions group program manager Mike Danseglio states:

“When you are dealing with rootkits and some advanced spyware programs, the only solution is to rebuild from scratch. In some cases, there really is no way to recover without nuking the systems from orbit.”

Danseglio’s comments came from a presentation at the recent Infosec World conference.

While it’s true that many of the more advanced types of spyware can be difficult to remove, they’re not impossible to get rid of. In the end, however, the end-user must keep in mind the cost in time and effort to remove spyware in an existing setup, versus doing a full system restore, update and then data recovery.

Danseglio recommended end-users make use of free antispyware programs such as Spybot Search & Destroy, RootkitRevealer and of course Microsoft’s Windows Defender to protect themselves.

One thing to remember, however, is how many of these programs are primarily designed as reactive scanners, designed to remove spyware after it’s already infected your machine. Windows Defender does, however, run in a proactive scanning mode similar to that of your average antivirus program.

In my experience, however, Microsoft’s antispyware program has allowed just enough borderline spyware through due to legal concerns that I generally recommend Webroot’s Spysweeper for the average consumer’s desktop or laptop.
And, as always, get into the habit of backing up important documents to media that you can keep safe, such as a thumbdrive, CD/DVD or external harddrive.