Round 5 - Free Anti-virus face-off. Free AVG vs Avast Free vs Microsoft Security Essentials.

Today is the final day of the Free Anti-virus face-off. The combatants, AVG, Avast and MSE have performed well, but some of the challengers performed well and managed to bypass their defences. We also saw CA (Computer Associates) and OzEfilter perform well.

Let's begin round 5.

A total of 17 emails containing malware were received with 7 being unique in terms of the email subject and the attached file. Two emails with different subjects had the same attached file. The files information_audictionary.zip and data_audictionary.zip shows the virus writers dynamically change the file names based on the email addresses they are sending to, and thus the actual number of unique malware files is less.

Subject / Attachment

Your friend invited you to twitter! / Invitation Card.zip
You have received A Hallmark E-Card! / Postcard.zip
Re: approved / information_audictionary.zip
Re: Re: my data / data_audictionary.zip
Jessica would like to be your friend on hi5! / Invitation Card.zip
excuse me / nomoney_swimmingpool.zip
Re: important website / website.zip

Outcome

CA missed 0

AVG missed 0

MSE missed 0

Avast missed 1

Postcard.zip

OzEfilter missed 0

At the end of round 5 as a result of the free anti-virus face-off the results for the free software are:

Ranking

1. MSE

2. AVG

3. Avast

Of the free software option the winner is Microsoft Security Essentials.

MSE being the winner is based on it being able to detect and clean all viruses it saw and that could have infected the computer. We think it could be better as it allows people to receive and forward malware without any warning, which would be better for the community. But for the user, what is important is they are protected from infecting their computer and MSE does that well.

CA (Computer Associates anti-virus/anti-spyware) performed very well. It did miss a couple of viruses at the start. We know that all virus manufacturers take up to 48 hours to release new signature files so this is expected behaviour, although not ideal. The ideal is there be no delay, but that is not possible. Once CA had released the new signature files it then had a perfect score, even finding a malware which whilst benign, was not found by others.

OzEfilter takes a different approach in it helps users delete emails at the mail server before the malware even reaches the computer. OzEfilter did let the benign email through, but that is because we want to receive emails from the mail server so we can receive emails which bounced because of email addresses which no longer exist. The mail server really shouldn't be passing the email on because it isn't an email it generated. OzEfilter also stops spam and other forms of malicious emails such as phishing attempts from reaching a computer. Using OzEfilter and MSE would be a very good option. Using OzEfilter with any of the anti-virus software package would reduce the chances of a malware infection to very low.

This face-off however was about the free anti-virus software packages. To the victor which in this case was Microsoft Security Essentials goes the trophy and our congratulations.

If should be noted that no one knows how any of the anti-virus packages will perform with new malware packages. All we can say is for the malware received over the past week, MSE performed best.

The free anti-virus face-off is now over. In the future if there is interest I would be happy to have a face-off with the leading commercial anti-virus packages. In this face-off we would see how CA (Computer Associates) matches up to Norton anti-virus 2010, Trend Micro 2009 and McAfee. Now that would be an interesting face-off.

I hope you've enjoyed the face-off and it helps you make better decisions as to which anti-virus program you use so your computer remains a joy to use.

- Kelvin Eldridge

Round 4 - Free Anti-virus face-off. Free AVG vs Avast Free vs Microsoft Security Essentials.

Today there were quite a few more nasties arriving than usual. There was some unusual activity which I'll explain later.

The following are the unique malware received since yesterday.

Subject / Attachment

DELIVERY FAILED / onlineconnections.com.au

Mail delivery failed : returning message to sender / Message Part>ilh.zip

Jessica would like to be your friend on hi5! / Invitation Card.zip

Your friend invited you to twitter! / Invitation Card.zip

You have received A Hallmark E-Card! / Postcard.zip

Shipping update for your Amazon.com order / Shipping documents.zip

Re: message / message_audictionary.zip

Re: Developement / document09_audictionary.zip

Re: your data / data_audictionary.zip

Your internet access is going to get suspended / user-EA3911X-activities.zip

Your illegal internet activities are being logged / user-B41642-activities.zip

Congratulations! / list.zip

Returned mail: Data format error / audictionary@onlineconnections.com.au.zip

Here is it / ranking.zip

Delivery Status Notification (Failure) / Message Part>screensaver.zip

hi / winmail.dat>Documents and Settings\MyDocuments\Readme.doc .exe

Delivery failed / .zip

Mail delivery failed: returning message to sender / Message Part>message.zip

Your Pay Pal Account May Be Compromised / account-1407A4-report.zip

The unusual activity was with the following malware.

Mail delivery failed : returning message to sender / Message Part>ilh.zip

MSE did not detect the virus because it was text in the message. Because it was text it couldn't be downloaded as a file. Avast picked it up and tried to delete it, but it didn't delete and Avast kept trying each time we clicked on the message. AVG missed the malware. CA identified and fixed the malware. OzEfilter also missed the malware.

The reason the anti-virus products missed this malware is it wasn't an attachment, but it was text which would have been the raw form of the original data. This form is usually not seen by the use. It took us a while to work out what had happened. I'll explain.

Somewhere a computer sent out a fake email with malware using our domain. The receiving email server saw the malware and sent a copy of the malware as text in an email message to the mail server I use, thinking it was that mail server that sent the message. My mail server saw this rejection of the message and passed it back to me. Now since I send out emails to people on my mailing list and sometimes people's email addresses no longer exist, I need to accept these emails from the mail server. I could just delete them, but this information helps me to keep my mailing list clean. That is why OzEfilter didn't flag the email. It was from the mail server and I want those emails. MSE had nothing to work since it was text in an email and not an attachment. AVG missed it, Avast saw it and got stuck on how to handle it. Only CA treated it correctly. Although since the virus was now in the form of a text message as raw data, there is no way the virus could infect a computer. Thus, whilst this was very interesting the analyse, from a users point of view it would have been a benign email that was just junk to be deleted.

OzEfilter works differently to other approaches. I set the conditions so OzEfilter knows who I receive emails from and then it only shows me the emails from people I don't know. This approach is called exception handling and saves quite a bit of time. I only need to review the emails from people I don't know before accepting them or not. Emails from people I now I always want to accept. I am presented with a screen which shows the total number of emails and how many emails are from people I don't know (the To filter value on the screen image belowe). Most emails from people I don't know are spam or malware. I receive 70-100 emails a day and around half are unwanted. All of the unwanted emails are deleted at the mail server and never reach my computer. When I review the emails I see the subject, who the message is from, and around half the time I see the country the email has come from. The country of origin is a great indicator as to whether or not the email will be wanted.

Results

CA missed 0

AVG missed 1

Message Part>ilh.zip

MSE missed 1

Message Part>ilh.zip

OzEfilter missed 1

Message Part>ilh.zip

Avast missed 2

Postcard.zip

Shipping documents.zip

One other thing that I noticed was the MSE signature file had not been updated since the 6/10 and it was now the 9th of October. Before checking for malware I perform an update of all the packages. However in the real world this would not be the case. The user would turn their computer on and within a few minutes check their email. If an update had occurred then the software would have the latest protection. If not the users protection reduces. The next round will be done without manual updating.

Another thing that MSE did that was strange is when I went to save ranking.zip to the computer MSE stopped me. That means MSE does recognise some malware in a zip file. This isn't what I've seen before.

For MSE to be a better product in my opinion it should automatically check zip files without the files being extracted. Microsoft should at least have their own products (Outlook, Winmail, Outlook Express) check the attachments on incoming emails as they arrive. That would in my opinion put MSE ahead of the pack.

AVG performed very well today. It placed malware into a separate folder without fuss.

Avast has been slow recognising the malware others now recognise. One thing I didn't like about Avast is when receiving emails it would stop if it found malware and wait until I took action. With dozens of malware that was quite time consuming. With the other anti-virus software I could leave the computer and do others things. I had to interact with Avast and it was quite time consuming and tedious.

Ranking

1. CA

2. OzEfilter, AVG, MSE

3. Avast

The winner of today's round is CA. That's a pretty impressive effort from the CA team. At this stage CA is out front because it is having the best outcome and scans email attachments as they are received.

Until tomorrow.

- Kelvin Eldridge

Round 3 - Free Anti-virus face-off. Free AVG vs Avast Free vs Microsoft Security Essentials.

Ready to face another day, AVG, Avast, CA, MSE and OzEfilter have had a good rest. The combatants today face the following enemies.

Subject / Attachment

Returned mail: Data format error / onlineconnections.com.au.zip
Re: List / my_list01.zip
Jessica would like to be your friend on hi5! / Invitation Card.zip
Your friend invited you to twitter! / Invitation Card.zip
Mail delivery failed : returning message to sender / Message Part>mryw.zip
Shipping update for your Amazon.com order 254-78546325-658742 / Shipping documents.zip
You have received A Hallmark E-Card! / Postcard.zip
Delivery Status Notification (Delay) / Message Part>screensaver.zip
Returned mail: see transcript for details / letter.zip

All the combatants except Avast had a good day.

CA missed 0

AVG missed 0

MSE missed 0

Avast missed 2

OzEfilter missed 0.

I did notice with CA that somewhere between around 8:07pm and 10:24pm last night the anti-virus software updated and malware it didn't previously find in round 2, it now found and removed.

CA removes the malware in the email and provides a text attachment letting the user know the malware was been removed.

AVG puts malware into a separate folder which is a pretty neat way of handling malware.

Avast removes some malware and provides a notice in the email, but for others as the email comes in it asks if you want to block them. Then later when you click on the email it asks if you want to delete the email. I thought this was an extra and unnecessary step. The sound file is certainly a good warning to users, of course, if you receive too many emails with malware the warnings could become annoying.

MSE whilst is has shown to be the best at finding malware with a perfect score so far, the problem is you receive the emails with the malware attached but don't know. You can send the malware on to others and wouldn't know. You can save the files to your hard disk and you wouldn't know they contained malware. It is only when you save the attachment to your computer and then extract the malware file from the zip file that MSE takes action. I can't complain about the action because it is certainly working. If you can work this way then MSE is a good product.

OzEfilter works for me. I wrote the program. It allows me to check my mail at the mail server and delete unwanted emails at the mail server before they ever reach my computer. I receive 50-100 emails a day and half of those are spam and malware. OzEfilter helps me to delete spam and malware so I never receive the emails. OzEfilter isn't an anti-virus program and you should still install an anti-virus/anti-spyware program in case you receive a malware infected email. Using MSE and OzEfilter together would provide an excellent solution to my needs and probably the needs of many people who use pop based email accounts. OzEfilter doesn't help if you are using web mail.

For those just using web mail, MSE could be a good solution as it will detect and remove any malware you download and so far it has been 100% in its detection.

AVG, Avast and CA have all missed malware. AVG and Avast are free for personal use. MSE is free for personal and business use. CA is a commercial product. In this round CA pulled ahead of Avast, but so far there hasn't been much difference between AVG, Avast and CA.

This round has also shown it can take a up to 48 hour for the anti-virus software developers to update their software for the latest threats.

Outcome for round 3.

1. CA, AVG, MSE, OzEfilter

2. Avast

Overall today has been a very good outcome for the combatants. Four with perfect scores and with Avast only missing two. Except for MSE not being integrated with the email client, MSE would be a clear leader at this point in time. That is pretty impressive. Only the future will tell if MSE stays in the number one position.

OzEfilter has performed to expectation. It isn't an anti-virus program, but more a helper to help stop unwanted emails before they reach your inbox. So far it would have stopped all of the unwanted emails from reaching your computer.

CA, Avast and AVG have all let malware into the computer and whilst they perform pretty well, letting email with malware into a computer will result in infections. It is only a matter of when, not if.

- Kelvin Eldridge

Use the Energy Cost Calculator to save money on power bills?

I'm quite excited about three new items I have available as we are now all very aware of how important it is to save energy. Two of the items I've already purchased myself and the third I'll be purchasing shortly. To me the best recommendation for a product you can get is from someone who uses the product.

The first product is an energy meter which enables you to get a reasonable idea of the watts an appliance uses.

Lights are easy because the wattage is written on them. However for many of the appliances around the home the best way to get a an idea of the energy they use, is to measure their energy use. I've found some very interesting results. Once you measure how much energy an appliance uses, you can determine the best approach to saving money. (Whilst the power meter has other functions, I only use it to measure the watts.)

The second item is a four port power board with a remote control. This item allows you to turn off the individual pieces of equipment plugged into the power board.

For example, I've found a TV plus a DVD when in standby consumes around 25W. That adds up to about $38 a year if the item is left in standby and never used.

My aim is to use the four port power board with the TV/DVD/Entertainment system. I can power down all the devices, or if I want to record something on the DVD recorder, I can leave that powered on. My father-in-law uses this unit with his computer so he can power down his computer, monitor, printer and ADSL modem without having to get under the desk.

The last and I think the most exciting item is the remote control with three power packs. (I call them power packs.) You can plug the power packs in different places around the home and power each unit on or off separately as you go around the house. (I get a feeling I'll end up buying two of these so I can use them with the computers as well.)

For example you can power off the TV/DVDs you have in different locations around the home. For me the payback for power packs will be around four months. There isn't many things you can buy which pay for themselves in just four months.

To help everyone work out the energy cost of an appliance over a year I wrote an Energy Cost Calculator. You can use the calculator in two ways.

1. To find the energy cost for an appliance over a year.

All you need to enter is the watts the appliance uses and the amount of time per day the appliance is on for. Hit Submit and you'll get how much the appliance costs a year.

2. To find the payback period.

A really handy feature of the calculator is when you are trying to work out if it is better to keep the old inefficient light, or to purchase that more expensive low energy light. I wrote the payback feature because whilst it felt good about purchasing the low energy lights, they are much dearer than normal lights and I wanted to know the payback period.

As an example I was looking at replacing two 40W normal screw in globes with two 8W low energy globes. The 8W globes were expensive at around $7. Price varies quite a bit from store to store. The good thing is if you look around, often you will find specials. I picked up two low energy globes for $9 for the pair on special. 

Using the Energy Cost Calculator I entered the two globes as one to give 80W for the old globes and 16W for the new globes. I estimated the light was on for around two hours a day. It could be more, but this is a good estimate. The calculator showed me the payback period would be 13 months. Since I expect the globes to last three years or more, after the first year I'm saving money. To keep using the old globes doesn't make sense.  

TIPS:

1. Check around for the price of globes as you do your normal shopping. You'll find the price can vary quite a bit from store to store.


2. Work out what you want and then take your time to buy. I find there are often specials on lights.


3. Think about how you use your lights. A small change of habit can save money without replacing any lights. You may change some lights now that you use more often and that gives you the biggest saving.


4. Don't assume the energy a device will use. We've been very surprised by how little energy some devices use and how much others use. The best decisions are made based on real knowledge. The power meter has helped us make better decisions. I could say knowledge is power, but in this case, less power.

If you are interested in purchasing any of the above devices please feel free to contact me. I can organise shipping anywhere in Australia. You can find the pricing on the Electronic Cost Calculator and if you click on the image on that page you can see a larger image.

- Kelvin Eldridge

Round 2 - Free Anti-virus face-off. Free AVG vs Avast Free vs Microsoft Security Essentials.

Round 2 of the anti-virus face-off didn't go as expected. I found the issue with emails where the emails weren't kept on the server for all the computers to retrieve. Completely my fault. I have multiple email accounts and one of those accounts would clear the server. All though is not lost. The challenge continues.

For this round I retrieved all the emails using the computer with CA installed. For the emails containing malware that CA did not detect, I forwarded them on to all the other computers. In addition instead of listing every malware infected email, I've decided to list only the unique emails.

The following are the emails received:

Subject/Attachment

Jessica would like to be your friend on hi5! / Invitation Card.zip
You have received A Hallmark E-Card! / Postcard.zip
Stolen document / your_document_audictionary.zip
Shipping update for your Amazon.com order 254-78546325-658742 / Shipping documents.zip
Re: Re: website / website.zip
Canada immigration / winmail.dat>Documents and Settings\MyDocuments\Readme.doc .exe
Error / msg_audictionary.zip

Results

Total unique malware 7

CA missed 3

Invitation Card.zip
Postcard.zip
Shipping documents.zip

Because the emails were collected it is not possible to see if the other combatants would have missed malware CA detected. All we can now do is check to see if the three malware missed by CA were handled by the others.

AVG missed 3

Invitation Card.zip
Postcard.zip
Shipping documents.zip

Avast missed 3

Invitation Card.zip
Postcard.zip
Shipping documents.zip

MSE missed 0

OzEfilter. Would have deleted the emails at the mail server.

Outcome for round 2.

1. MSE
2 AVG, Avast, CA

What is interesting is AVG, Avast and CA all missed detecting the same files that were missed from yesterday's round. It will be interesting to watch the time it takes before these products correctly handle the three malware.

MSE already handled them so the real challenge for MSE is to see what happens when it receives malware it doesn't already know about. Time will tell how it performs. 

- Kelvin

Free Anti-virus faceoff. Free AVG vs Avast Free vs Microsoft Security Essentials.

Our aim: To pit the free ant-virus products against each other in a gruelling, ferocious, winner takes all battle.

Our technique: To drag out three old warriors consisting of Windows XP SP2 computers with Outlook 2003 installed. They may be dated to some, but to others they are skilled operators.

The outcome: Over the coming week as the warriors do battle, I'll report how the battle unfolds.

Warrior 1: In the first corner we have AVG Free. Well known and mentioned in the inner geek circles.
Warrior 2: Avast Free version. Less well know, but still a very brave warrior.
Warrior 3: Microsoft Security Essentials. The new kid on the block. Will MSE get its block knocked off, or will MSE be the new David.

We don't know the outcome. No behind the scenes deals have been done. What you read is the combat as it unfolds.

Join me on this journey of evaluation. To see what we will see. Enjoy the ride because it will be over all too soon.

Let the journey begin......

The rules of engagement:

1. All combatants will pit their skills against the emails being received. These emails can hold nasties unimaginable. Those weak of heart should avoid reading further. The nasties the combatants have to beat are emails carrying malicious loads. Combatants do not have to pursue links outside of the arena (such as clicking on links), but only fight the fight brought to them.

2. At the end of each round a score card will be presented. It is expected each combatant will receive minor blows, but none are expected to be fatal.

3. A side event will be running in parallel. A little know outsider named OzEfilter, often seen working with a combatant, will be watched. OzEfilter is like a shield for a combatant. OzEfilter fends off the enemy before ever reaching the combatant. But should an enemy get past OzEfilter, the combatant needs to be able to slay the enemy. OzEfilter however has proven to be so effective in many cases, combatants often live a life unaware of enemies.

To the victor goes the spoils.

Round 1: 6 October 2009

The combatants trusty steeds were tended too. Each steed consisting of a Windows XP SP2 computer. Outlook 2003 installed. AVG free and Avast installed easily. MSE's steed was older than the rest and had to be upgraded to XP SP2. Only then could MSE mount and begin the battle. All the combatants prepared, the battle begins. In waiting, 150 plus recent emails, most friendly, but some containing enemies disguised to trick.

Avast was the first. As each email was received, enemies were loudly announced and lay to rest. Avast is not shy at letting the crowd know it is doing battle.

AVG was next. The emails were received silently. Nothing was said. The enemies were captured and put into a separate folder.

MSE welcomed all visitors into the inbox with no fanfare. One by one the emailed visitors were invited into the local computer. One by one MSE slay the enemies and partied with friends.

OzEfilter: The combatants shield. Not to be used without a fellow combatant, but providing extra protection to the combatant. A combatant generally end up doing little as OzEfilter, the trusty friend, deals with many enemies from afar, before they even approach.

CA: An employee of the kingdom, paid to do what others do for free. Is CA worth his weight in gold? We will see.

This test was going well. The first computer with CA received the emails and the result was the following:

Subject/Attachment

Test / mail.zip
Jessica would like to be your friend on hi5! / Invitation Card.zip
You have received A Hallmark E-Card! / Postcard.zip
You have received A Hallmark E-Card! / Postcard.zip
Your friend invited you to twitter! / Invitation Card.zip
You have received A Hallmark E-Card! / Postcard.zip
Jessica would like to be your friend on hi5! / Invitation Card.zip
Shipping update for your Amazon.com order 254-78546325-658742 / Shipping documents.zip
Jessica would like to be your friend on hi5! / Invitation Card.zip
Coca Cola is proud to accounce our new Christmas Promotion. / promotion.zip
Jessica would like to be your friend on hi5! / Invitation Card.zip
You have received A Hallmark E-Card! / Postcard.zip
You have received A Hallmark E-Card! / Postcard.zip
You have received A Hallmark E-Card! / Postcard.zip
excuse me / sexual.zip
Jessica would like to be your friend on hi5! / Invitation Card.zip
Re: Protected Mail System / msg.zip
Jessica would like to be your friend on hi5! / Invitation Card.zip
Jessica would like to be your friend on hi5! / Invitation Card.zip
Jessica would like to be your friend on hi5! / Invitation Card.zip
You have received A Hallmark E-Card! / Postcard.zip
Jessica would like to be your friend on hi5! / Invitation Card.zip
important / textfile_found.zip
Your friend invited you to twitter! / Invitation Card.zip
You have received A Hallmark E-Card! / Postcard.zip
Illegal Website / judge.zip
Mail System () / message22466.zip
ALERT / IMPORTANT-INFO.zip
Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender / Message Part>scu.zip
believe me / important.zip
Your account has been suspended for over usage / SECURE-INFO.zip
illegal... / msg2.zip
Re: my product / product.zip
Re: Message Error / message_audictionary.zip

CA missed 5

Invitation Card.zip
Postcard.zip
Shipping documents.zip
IMPORTANT-INFO.zip
SECURE-INFO.zip

AVG missed 5

SECURE-INFO.zip
IMPORTANT-INFO.zip
Postcard.zip
Invitation Card.zip
Shipping documents.zip

Avast missed 3

Invitation Card.zip
Shipping documents.zip
Postcard.zip

MSE missed 0

Unfortunately something happened such that all the emails on the server were gone before I could perform the receive of emails. Instead I forwarded on all the files CA missed. MSE doesn't check at the time of receiving an email. It checks when you go to save the file to your computer. In the case of a zip file it doesn't check until you extract the files. At this point MSE identifies the file and then takes some time to remove the file. MSE correctly identified all the files as malware.

OzEfilter

Because the emails had been received and removed from the mail server, I could not test OzEfilter, so I had to desk check manually what would have happened. OzEfilter shows a list of emails from people you don't know. You can then review those emails and delete them at the mail server before they ever reach your computer. In this case all emails were from addresses we don't already know and accept. So all viruses would have been deleted before reaching the computer.

Outcome for round 1 

1. MSE
2. Avast
3. AVG
4. CA

With round 1 over the combatants can earn a well deserved rest. Tomorrow is another day, another fight.

Until then.

- Kelvin Eldridge

This blog is available from the JustLocal site under the News heading.

Search Australia now available as a Firefox 3 search engine.

The Search Australia page is proving popular with Internet Explorer users. Now the page can be added as a search engine to Firefox as well. Click on the link at the bottom of the Search Australia page and you can make the page your default search engine.

Now you can have your home page as your preferred page instead of the Google page and you can use the search area in the top right of Firefox to perform your searches.

I've found many people don't realise the search area in the top right of modern browsers is available until it is pointed out by someone. Once you know it is there however, searching becomes a lot more fun because you can add a number of search engines. If you want to check out what you can do with search check out my Fun With Search page.

Enjoy.

- Kelvin Eldridge

Goggle it - Search only Australian sites.

If you want to do a search using Google and only search Australian sites, try our Search Australia page. This page uses the Google search engine and limits the results returned to only those sites considered to be associated with Australia.

The sites associated with Australia are the domains ending in .au.

Previously I used Pages From Australia in Google but now I don't find that limits pages to Australia. By limiting the sites to sites with domains ending in .au you don't end up with large overseas organisations with deep pockets promoting themselves at the expense of smaller Australian organisations.

Please enjoy.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.
 

Virus alert: Subject: ALERT. Attachment: Secure_Details.zip

As part of my review of Microsoft Security Essentials yesterday one malware attachment was not picked up as malware by any of the software packages I was reviewing. That is AVG (free), Microsoft Security Essentials or CA Internet Security Suite Plus 2009 all could not identify the attachment as being malware.

The email had the subject "ALERT" and the attachment Secure_Details.zip.

This attachment has now been confirmed as malware.

You should delete any of these emails that you receive. Do not extract the contents of the zip file.

- Kelvin

Virus: Microsoft Security Essentials gets the thumbs down and thumbs up.

To my surprise I've completed the parallel testing of Microsoft Security Essentials in a much shorter time than I expected. I have sufficient information now on whether or not to recommend Microsoft Security Essentials to my clients.

I have read a review giving Microsoft Security Essentials 9 out of 10. It is pretty obvious to me at least, insufficient testing of the software was performed. All I had to do was to collect one days worth of emails, compare the results and that was sufficient to reveal all I needed to know.

I am hopeful that Microsoft uses the feedback from its user base as they could have a great product in the near future. Full marks to Microsoft for getting this far with their product.

If you are interested in my results they can be purchased for $9.90 from MyAnswers. You can find the solution on the Virus page of MyAnswers. The solution number is 1931.

- Kelvin Eldridge

PS. Based on the Free Anti-virus face-off results Microsoft Security Essentials performed best of the free anti-virus solutions tested. It really is about how you use MSE and what you are happy with whether you consider MSE to get the thumbs up, or the thumbs down. In my opinion it gets both. To use being able to forward on emails to other with malware attached isn't community friendly. But to protect your own computer, MSE performed very well. 

Microsoft Security Essentials: I feel naked and exposed, but all for a good cause.

Microsoft have released their free anti-virus software Microsoft Security Essentials. The current players in the market will use the old argument "you pay for what you get". But the reality is we've tested the leading anti-virus software packages that are generally available to consumers from retailers and we have to say we've been disappointed in all of them.

Is Microsoft Security Essentials good enough?

I support a lot of customers and for my own needs the question for me is: Is Microsoft Security Essentials better than what I'm currently using?" Should I stop paying my yearly subscription and move to Microsoft Security Essentials and save some money.

I decided the only way to answer this was to get naked and exposed, in a virtual sense. That is I disabled the anti-virus software on one of the mail servers, so I will now receive all potential malware threats that are sent to me. I receive the same emails into two different computers. One running Outlook and my current anti-virus software, the other running Outlook Express and Microsoft Security Essentials. The email client isn't important in this test. What is important is how each anti-virus product performs.

I've already received one email with malware attached and I can say the result totally surprised me.

Over the next week or so I will be evaluating Microsoft Security Essentials with the best approach I know how. That is a parallel test of two anti-virus software packages receiving the same emails and noting how they respond to malware.

If you are using other leading anti-virus software packages, I can assure you in many cases they won't catch the very latest malware. You are exposed. Is Microsoft Security Essentials any better? I hope to find out and share the information with clients. The result could be savings of thousands of dollars for those who know me.

If you are interested in my findings, I'll be posting the results in MyAnswers and update the MyAnswers solution as I find information to share. As I said, I am already surprised with the outcome and that's only with the first infected email I received.

I am also happy to parallel test Trend, Norton and McAfee and other anti-virus software if there is interest with paid support.

I would highly suggest that if you look after computer users, you also review Microsoft Security Essentials for yourself. Most of what you read in the media is without substance. The protection the anti-virus software companies say they provide is misleading, because the biggest threat is when you have anti-virus installed, are new viruses and in that area all the anti-virus software packages tend to perform poorly. 

If you are a computer user, the best thing you can do to protect yourself, is to learn some safe computing techniques as well as using anti-virus software. Using the low cost techniques I use to protect myself from malicious emails, I rarely receive email based malware into my computer.

So whilst I feel naked and exposed, I know it is a for a good cause. My customers will end up with the better outcome and for me that is worthwhile.

Kelvin

Property: 8 Sinatra Way, Cranbourne 3977

The Spring selling season for real estate looks like being a good one, so if you're interested in buying a property near one of the following streets of the Cranbourne, check out 8 Sinatra Way, Cranbourne.

• Kirwan Way, Cranbourne East
• Landini Court, Cranbourne North
• Linsell Boulevard, Cranbourne East
• Longbow Terrace, Cranbourne North
• Maculata Drive, Cranbourne
• Maddock Drive, Cranbourne East
• Majestic Boulevard, Cranbourne
• Mannavue Boulevard, Cranbourne
• Maureen Close, Cranbourne
• Maywood Road, Cranbourne South
• Merlin Drive, Cranbourne North
• Merribah Way, Cranbourne West
• Mingay Place, Cranbourne West
• Natalie Court, Cranbourne West
• Nature Circuit, Cranbourne
• Navarre Drive, Cranbourne
• Nesbit Court , Cranbourne
• Ovata Place, Cranbourne
• Penhurst Way, Cranbourne North
• Pepperbush Circuit, Cranbourne
• Peregrine Street, Cranbourne North
• Rebecca Court, Cranbourne North
• Rosebank Drive, Cranbourne North
• Sabel Drive, Cranbourne
• Sancho Drive, Cranbourne
• Seaview Drive, Cranbourne North
• Sierra Boulevard, Cranbourne
• Snowdonia Road, Cranbourne North
• Springmount Street, Cranbourne North
• Stately Drive, Cranbourne
• Statesman Circuit, Cranbourne East
• Stone Court, Cranbourne North
• Sussex Avenue, Cranbourne North
• Tanner Avenue, Cranbourne
• Taplan Crescent, Cranbourne
• Thistlewood Place, Cranbourne East
• Thomas Crescent, Cranbourne
• Tolpis Lane, Cranbourne North
• Tranquil Lane, Cranbourne
• Trevino Way, Cranbourne North
• Valma Avenue, Cranbourne
• Vane Street, Cranbourne East
• Von Nida Drive, Cranbourne North
• Waterbury Street, Cranbourne
• Waverly Park Drive, Cranbourne North
• Weathertop Way, Cranbourne
• Westwood Road, Cranbourne
• Whitegum Way, Cranbourne North
• Prosperity Avenue, Cranbourne North
• Arklow Court, Cranbourne
• Ash Street, Cranbourne
• Blueberry Court, Cranbourne North
• Bolwarra Court, Cranbourne West
• Bradford Drive, Cranbourne East
• Breamlea Way, Cranbourne West
• Circle Drive, Cranbourne
• Dalton Way, Cranbourne North
• Dan Morgan Drive, Cranbourne East
• Daphne Way, Cranbourne North
• Dartmoor Drive, Cranbourne
• Datura Avenue, Cranbourne
• Desert Rose Court, Cranbourne
• Eccles Way, Cranbourne South
• Elcan Avenue, Cranbourne
• Elizabeth Street, Cranbourne North
• Endeavour Drive, Cranbourne North
• Fairbairn Road, Cranbourne
• Fernisky Drive, Cranbourne East
• Flinders Court, Cranbourne North
• Foxglove Court, Cranbourne North
• Foxhound Grove, Cranbourne
• Furze Court, Cranbourne
• Greenmantle Close, Cranbourne West
• Harpenden Terrace, Cranbourne
• Hawkeseye Way, Cranbourne
• Heatherwood Court, Cranbourne West
• Honey Myrtle Way, Cranbourne
• Hunt Club Boulevard, Cranbourne East
• Huntingdale Close, Cranbourne
• Jefferson Avenue, Cranbourne
• Josephine Avenue, Cranbourne
• Kells Close, Cranbourne

Happy home hunting.

- Kelvin Eldridge

MyCrap Version 1.1 now available for FREE.

When I wanted to sell my excess items I considered eBay and other sites. It is said that 30-40% of items listed on eBay never get a bid, so the thought of paying fees and not getting a result didn't appeal to me. So I created MyCrap.

MyCrap is a free program which helps you get your list of excess items together (including pictures) and produces the files so you can upload your information to your free hosting space on the internet. Most ISP's provide free hosting space and you can find many places to host your files for free on the internet.

The first time I used MyCrap I made over a thousand dollars selling my excess items. With Spring just around the corner now is a good time to start thinking about getting rid of some of those excess items. As they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure. 

Now you have the ability to advertise your excess items for free, you can have your excess items available for others to see 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at no cost.

I hope you enjoy using MyCrap as much as I have.

- Kelvin 

Is it programme or program?

* The following discussion has been transferred from my forum as the forum is being retired. The main page for the dictionary project is www.dictionary.JustLocal.com.au. If you wish to check the spelling of a word visit Word Check.*

Hi, 

This topic only applies to the Kelvin version of the Australian English dictionary. Both the words programme and program will continue to be in the full version of the Australian English dictionary.

I am currently reviewing whether or not "programme" should remain in the Kelvin version of the dictionary.

According to the Australian Oxford and Macquarie dictionaries I use as an authoritative reference, in Australia it appears program is now the primary spelling.

I am reluctant to change the Kelvin version as I feel programme is used in situations such as a concert programme, and program is used for computer program.

Although I personally am hazy as to whether it should be TV program or TV programme, but my personal preference would be TV program.

NOTE: This change will only apply to the Kelvin version of the dictionary.

I welcome other's thoughts.

- Kelvin

VPS: Renée's home at Sinatra Way, Cranbourne 3977 is on the market.

Renée's lovely home at Sinatra Way, Cranbourne, Victoria, 3997 is now on the market.

For VPS members this is an excellent opportunity. Renée has listed her home with a local agent, but wants to also advertise on JustLocal (due to our great internet presence) and give VPS members an opportunity to earn a generous referral reward of $400. (Thank you Renée for giving VPS members the opportunity.)

If you know someone who is interested in purchasing a home in the Cranbourne area and aren't already a VPS member, become a VPS member (it costs nothing to join). Then if you refer a person via the online form and they buy the home the reward can be yours. (Do keep in mind the person must be a new referral and the person must not have already contacted Renée or the agent about her property.) 

How good is that! You help a friend find a home and can collect $400 just for chipping in. 

- Kelvin Eldridge

Virus Alert: Your friend invited you to twitter!

I noticed a couple of emails today with the subject Your friend invited you to twitter!. The sending email address is invitations@twitter.com. There is no indication of the friend's name, which makes the email appear suspicious. Attached is a zip file called Invitation Card.zip. The zip file contains the executable attachment.htm ... exe.

Whilst the attachment was not detected as containing malware by either the mail host/s (the email travels through two hosts with anti-virus software), or the Desktop anti-virus software, this is almost certainly malware. We've now submitted the attachment to the anti-virus software company for review.

In the meantime clients should take care and delete these emails. Without doubt these are faked emails, most likely designed to trick you into infecting your computer.

The company I use to review the attachment can be found in MyAnswers solution 1890.

- Kelvin Eldridge

MyAnswers: This operation has been canceled due to restrictions in effect on this computer.

I've recently fixed a computer which displayed the message: "This operation has been canceled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator." The message appears when clicking on a link in an email in Outlook 2007 which is an annoying problem. It was very time consuming to determine a fix this issue.

To our users please don't installed Firefox on a computer. This problem from our tests is due to Firefox. This has been a problem for a couple of years and it keeps popping up. Because there are new releases of software, each time the previous fix doesn't work, so we have to find a new fix.

The fix for this problem is documented in MyAnswers solution 1665.

- Kelvin Eldridge

Wanted: Cleaner, Helena Valley area.

At JustLocal we regularly receive enquiries from people wanting products and services.

If you are a cleaner servicing the Helena Valley  area (Western Australia, postcode 6056) and have police clearance, please contact us using the Contact information on the JustLocal site and we'll pass your information on.

This request was received on the 16th of July 2009.

- Kelvin Eldridge

Version 4.0 Microsoft Exclude file now available.

It gives me pleasure to release the latest version of the Microsoft Exclude file. A great number of people in Australia don't like the way Microsoft products accept the ize spelling in words such as organize.

Microsoft have provided a solution where users can create their own Exclude file, so words like organize, summarize, etc. are shown as spelling errors. Whilst the solution is very easy to implement, creating the Exclude file can take a great deal of time. Now you don't have to waste your time because we've already done the hard work.

We create two Exclude files. One for Word 2003, and the other for Office 2007. The Exclude file for Office 2007 now works across all the Office applications, which is a great update by Microsoft.

Our Exclude file now contains over 2,400 words. Not only does it include a large number of the ize words, but it also includes errors we've found in the Microsoft spellchecker. We're now also including secondary spelling variations, so you'll know you're using the preferred Australian English spelling. 

If you don't like ize spelling, or simply want more consistent spelling in your documents, then check out the Microsoft Exclude file which is available now.

- Kelvin Eldridge

Virus alert: "Memory Of..." from "Independence"

I've been receiving a number of suspicious emails which really don't make much sense.

The emails have the subject "Memory Of..." and come from "Independence" with a faked email address.

OzEfilter lets me know the emails are coming from Korea, so for me, they are definitely emails I wouldn't normally receive.

The email comes with an attachment "memory.rar".  A rar file is often a compressed file, but when I view the contents there doesn't appear to be any attachments. The file is twenty bytes.

I've submitted the file for review by the anti-virus company I use (as detailed in MyAnswers solution 1890) and I'll let everyone know what I hear back.

I would suggest deleting these emails. OzEfilter users can delete them at the mail server safely away from your computer.

- Kelvin Eldridge