I like your thinking Judy. The first thing that comes to my head (excluding any rude thoughts or sexual practises) is that the firewall may not be confiured the same. They might be the same firewall and the same make model etc but if there is one security hole that isn't fully checked then that could let in a lot of traffic.
The same will go for other things like Windows Firewall. Is this setup on one and not the other? Which do you read your emails on or surf any dodgy sites the most? Is there a particular site that you have gone on one and not the other?
You may of already cleaned the computer at an earlier date and when you've come to the laptop you find the same things you cleaned but forgot about them.
Do you use the same browser on both computers? Are the security settings on each of these the same?
Do you have different programs that may every so often search for updates on the interenet? Demo's/shareware/freeware and toolbars often do things like this but that program may not be on the other computer. These are all hypothetically speaking.
Have to agree with Moley... my first thought was the firewall, Jude.
BTW, I do not think I have complimented you on that beautiful avatar, this month.
Beautiful avatar, Judy honey.
Perhaps the spyware is a little kinky, and likes to spend the nights peering out of your computer screen watching you get ready for bed.
Look carefully when your screen saver comes on - it may be the spyware switching the lights off so that you can not see them in there peeping at you. You can often catch them if you turn round quickly enough. :uhoh:
lhk
Kat
I assume you really do mean Spyware, such as and so on.
As spyware is not a virus, a virus scanner will not pick it up or stop it.
Similarly, most spyware comes in as cookies and will not be stopped by a firewall.
So, do you have cookies enabled on one machine and not the other, or different security levels concerning accepting ActiveX or cookies of the machines.
It could be pop-up`s fault. Try to stop them (XP anti spy has a option)
xxx
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Adaware detects all sorts of guff as "critical" problems. For example if you have alexra toolbar installed expect an extra 100 critical items. Don't worry about the numbers, they are sent to scare you, just check what it picks out as installed and remove the stuff you didn't want on there. If 1 program makes more files on one computer because you use it more this will cause more critical items to appear. Key thing here is adaware picks up on softare that you may want on your computer as long as you are willing to accept the privacy concerns, you have one of those pieces of software on there and you will get differences.
Adaware also counts each cookie on your machine as an item (although I don't think they are critical ones), so the more web browsing you do the more cookies you will get and therefore the more errors from adaware.
BTW cookies really are overrated from a privacy perspective. Yes they do allow user tracking, but its very primative and has certain limitations. So its not going to impinge much on your privacy. I would worry about the more malicious stuff.
Buy adwatch, then it will sort out the stuff you don't want before it's installed.
Most of the stuff that my adaware picks up are tracking cookies, I only worry about the ones with a high security alert and any registry items that have been installed..
As for why they pick out different amounts, my two pcs' also do that, but they are used on different websites by different people, so one picks up large amounts of cookies and the other doesn't....because the one I use has had a large amount of sites entered into IE as not trusted....so the cookies ain't there from them..
Judy,
It will depend on what site you have been to on each PC. Your anti spyware prog will stop some threats but there may be some that are still running in the background. As these are activated the AdAware prog will sense the problem and shut it down. So dependant on the internet useage from one pc to the othe will depend on the hits.
Hope this helps
I'd also recommend MS Anti-Spyware.....yes I know it comes from Microshaft but it is free and stops just about everything that comes through. I've compared it with a number of other products (freebies and commercial paid-for) and the level of response and effectiveness seems the same.
