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Edited by HansV to replace Word attachment with picture

A thousand thanks to all who have responded to this thread since the beginning. It is obvious there are slight differences of opinion concerning the two but by and large it seems there is general agreement on the main point which is that Zone Alarm is certainly NOT in conflict with I.E. as the latter is “Pushed into the background” so to speak.
As indicated, I have run with the present set up for many months and just last night did a “Shields-Up” scan and the results were [to say the least] most encouraging. (as shown) Conclusion; I just may download ZA and see how things go. Regards Dave.

Thank you both for your instant reply. In light of what you write Hans about having experienced no problems having relied on the XP firewall for four years I am inclined to heed the old saying, “If it’s not broke, don’t try to fix it”. Must admit, apart from one incident recently when a warning alerted me to the presence of a Trojan Horse which was intercepted and neutralized, I have thankfully had no problems. I can only assume that the XP firewall has been doing it’s job. Incidentally, I am with Virgin Media cable [formerly “Comcast”] which I understand also has some sort of firewall built into the system so perhaps it too is somehow running in the background! THANKS Dave.

Hi Hans; “Much Obliged”, As we sometimes say in the UK instead of Thank You… for your helpful answer. Apart from the relatively brief time the [ BlackToppStudios,com ] help forum was available to which I submitted a few questions which were answered with not too much delay, by and large I groped around looking for answers but since I somehow stumbled on this forum I have been greatly impressed by the instant help everyone is so willing to provide, not least yourself. I am much more relaxed now I know the facts about a firewall being on my computer. It is now obvious to me that the shop owner was confident my machine was sufficiently protected as he knew I surfed the net frequently. Further to what you said Hans about the XP built in firewall and that it is lacking in some respects to Zone Alarm, would you recommend I download the latter, if so, I suppose I should deactivate the former before doing so but what is the procedure? Thanks in advance. S Fox.

Thanks again guys; SO, for dummies like me, the answer Bob gave i.e. … [“YES, you NEED all three. No conflicts unless you are talking about a SUITE of programs from each which may include overlapping coverages”.]… is all I need to know & SHOULD install Zone Alarm. In light of his further explanation that ;- AVG is an Anti-Virus program. Spybot is an anti malware program & Zone Alarm is a firewall, would I be right in assuming that I am running without a firewall? If so this seems strange as I got the impression from the shop owner who sold me the computer and set it all up that it was adequately protected? Though I use Firefox as my browser I’ve just checked I Explorer and noted that it is set up to download updates every day, does this suggest that I am depending on the firewall that comes with XP? Sorry if I am missing some point. S Fox

Sincere thanks, I appreciate that there are occasions when new loungers may ask questions that have been answered before but for those still finding their way around the forum and others, like myself, it is not always easy to type in a “Search” with the correct words that will scroll to an existing answer. Bob’s brief but concise answer asserts that is it essential to install all three but the reason I asked the question in the first place is because the owner of the shop from which I purchased my computer said more than one “Sentry” guarding the computer could conflict and cause problems. Hence my caution. S Fox.

Thanks Hans, at least I now know that both terms are understood by moderators & reader alike, feel somewhat embarrassed when I use some phrase to explain a problem which is not strictly compute jargon, there are so many definitions like jpg, jif, mp3; html; pdf; macro;Rtf; XML add infinitum. we oldies [at least this oldie] gets so confused by them all.
Regards again.

WELL! thanks again Hans, something else I have learned today, so I can after all navigate to the email stationary I have created without resorting to the mouse.
GREAT; two boxes ticked in one day, slowly getting there.
PS. By the way, your use of the word “Activate” in the first line of your reply is the one I chose when asking a question on another forum “Blacktoppstudios.com” [now defunct ] some time ago and was told the experts use the word “Focus” e.g. to activate an icon on the desktop. Don’t know if you have come across it but in my book, Activate seems an appropriate term to use. Kind Regards.

Thanks John, you got it right in one. Why I never delved into the help file is a mystery though it should serve as a lesson to me and other readers to do some research first then ask second, seems too many of us novices are guilty of this shortcoming. Please forgive us, we are at best fumbling through this fog called T.T. land. Regards.

Received and understood, bow I know the difference between them and that Windows Mail relates to 2007. Thanks again till next time Hans,
I’m sure there will be something else that will puzzle me as I keep exploring the many tentacles of this IT stuff. Regards…

OOPs Sorry Hans, new to this game; seems I chose the wrong category I should have selected Outlook Express as the subject. I thought the attachment would have hinted at what I was asking; the second responder seems to have assumed what I was hinting at as his reply answers my question. With Outlook Express opened at my IN box I was simply wondering if I could make the “Create Mail” tab to be in Focus [that’s the term I was told is appropriate for when a tab is clicked. ] as e.g. happens when the “Alt” key is hit and the “File” tab blues out. The simple answer it seems is, to type Ctrl + N which opens a blank email though it does not open the “Select Stationary menu” which stores templates I have created as happens if I click on “Create mail” but I can live with that. Sorry if I deviated from the norm, will get it right in the long run I hope, but thanks for the response anyway. PS. [By the way, pardon my ignorance, it is obvious there is a difference between Microsoft Office Outlook & Microsoft Office Outlook Express / Window Mail as they are in distinct categories but what question would one submit to the former?] Thanx.

Cheers Hans. How I missed that is a mystery, ten seconds and the anomaly was rectified; Once again thanks for your concern. S Fox

I don’t doubt your judgment for a moment HansV, as I’m convinced (after reading scores of your answers on the “Word” section alone) that you have forgotten more about these things than I shall ever know. It just flashed through my mind as something I would have done before stumbling across this FANTASTIC forum where foggy things suddenly become clear as a result of all you wonderful moderators’ replies. Keep up the wonderful work as I say on behalf of many thousands of people around the world a genuine big thank you. S Fox UK

Excuse my ignorance HansV but in a case like this would a System Restore to an earlier date not have solved the prob? SFox

Thanks again HanzV, I also by chance discovered that with the desktop on screen and files minimised to the task bar the F6 key activates the first file there and the others can be selected with the Left – Right arrow keys and opened by hitting the “Enter” key. Just thought I would mention it for the benefit of others who may be interested in keyboard short cuts. Of course it may be beneficial to some to mention that the icons of the files minimised to the task bar can be viewed in a pop up frame by hitting the Alt + Tab keys together then selected by holding the Alt key whilst hitting the Tab key repeatedly. Whichever icon one pauses on will open when the Alt key is released. Regards S Fox

Pardon my ignorance jscher yes I am using OE with AVG free edition which is adding a “certification attachment” to almost every email but not all for some reason. I seem to fall down at the first hurdle, that of the “Control Center”; where do I look for that? The only term I have heard with the word “Control” in it is the Control Panel from where programs can be un-installed etc. Obviously till I find the gate to this Center the rest of your directions are futile. Regards S Fox.