I am pleased overall with Firefox 4.0. It may be faster and safer, as touted, but these are qualities that I can't discern with my limited usage and safe browsing habits. I also installed Avast's WebRep add-on for Firefox, which allows community participation to flag malware sites. That seems to me a sensible effort to limit the prevalence of bad actors on the web, and I'm pleased to make my own contributions.
With the latest versions of an Internet browser, ZoneAlarm Firewall, and Avast anti-virus, I wonder what is the big deal about Windows 7? Maybe it is a big deal for game players who like the latest graphical effects or consumers of Very High Definition video who have the latest and greatest motherboards, processors and video cards. For my money, Windows XP does everything that I need. Why upgrade, when upgrading requires tossing perfectly good hardware into the garbage bin?
A long-distance friend mailed me his laptop not long ago with the instructions to reinstall an operating system, because it was locked down tight. The OS was Windows Vista, and the former user (it had been purchased second-hand) had used some sort of option to lock the system down to where none of the system options could be changed. Only a narrow range of preexisting applications could be used. No new software could be installed. As you might guess, this was not an acceptable situation.
I have never seen an OS locked down so tight. The OS worked hand-in-hand with the BIOS, which had password protection preventing any alterations. I had to call the manufacturer, DELL, in order to get a generic password to bypass the BIOS protection. Then I was able to reformat and install--you guessed it--Windows XP, which I considered an upgrade over Windows Vista. I don't password-protect anything on the OS and don't bother with User Accounts, myself. I rely instead upon controlling physical access to the computer and not letting any curious and ignorant hands to use the computer unsupervised. Not every one takes that precaution, as I soon learned.
The story should have ended on a better note, but my friend apparently neglected to activate Avast anti-virus and the ZoneAlarm Firewall, steps which are essential security components of a modern Windows XP system. Registering and activating a free copy of Avast requires following a simple set of specific instructions involving email. Instead, he purchased the paid version of Avast, which failed to install properly for some reason that was never elaborated upon. I am not sure what the confusion was, whether it had to do with email registration or a copy of Avast already being installed.
He compounded the problem by letting another friend play with the unprotected and vulnerable Windows XP laptop, and that ignorant individual promptly engaged in unsafe browsing habits, getting the machine infected by a virus and corrupting the OS.
The moral of my story is that a Windows XP system without an Anti-Virus and a decent Firewall should be considered unsafe for ignorant hands to use. Tell them whatever story you like, that your machine is infected, for instance, because it certainly will be if they go off using it without any security applications. I have yet to see one machine get infected with Avast on patrol, however, and that is a tribute to Avast, which has given excellent service over the years.
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