Michael,

The best (and most restrictive, tamper proof) firewall I've found is from a company called NetVeda, and the product is SafetyNet. Setup is not trivial, but it's not so hard you can't figure it out. (Hint: If something's not working right, check App Trust.)

The thing won't let ANYTHING out without your specific approval. That means even if you contract something malicious just by surfing, it can't call home without your express permission. A password can be set, so that only you can change the settings.

I think it was Norton I had that was altered by a bug, but I caught accidently it before any damage was done.

A product I use on my FreeBSD box is fwbuilder. You build the firewall yourself. I intend to try it on Windows, since it doesn't try to be a catchall like Norton or the others. You specifically allow or deny what can and cannot get into your computer.

With respect to virus software, a recent report I read indicated that most of those were as vulnerable as the machine they're trying to protect!

I use AVG, the free edition. The only virus' I've had are those I got when I was downlo--er, I was doin' stuff I oughtn't.

I also have a hardware router that doesn't have built in virus protection, but the network address translation effectively shields my computer from drive-by crap.

I've been toying with the idea of putting together a cheap report explaining what needs to be done BEFORE surfing with a new or reloaded computer. Root Kits, trojans, emails, viruses, and the "Storm Botnet" thrive because of what people "think" they know.

But who am I kidding? Most people very proudly proclaim their ignorance, or just as proudly declare crap that's just . . .

Well, didn't mean to get on my soapbox.

Hope the stuff before the rant helps.

marye