Solutions

Would a third-party firewall conflict with XP's firewall?

Q. I plan on changing my dialup Internet service provider to a local company but I am concerned about security. Would installing a firewall program, even the free, basic Zone Alarm, disable or conflict with Windows XP's built-in firewall? I understand the flaw in XP's firewall is that it has no outbound protection. I ask because after I installed WinZip I read that installing a zip program into XP deactivates XP's built-in zip capabilities.

A. You need to check the documentation of the particular firewall program to determine its compatibility with Windows XP's built-in firewall. Most will have you turn Windows XP's firewall off.

You are correct that XP's firewall does not provide outbound protection, that is prevent processes running on your PC transmitting out to the Internet. And neither do the hardware routers, although many of the hardware routers can work together with software firewalls such as Zone Alarm. The hardware router plus a software solution is the best.

Regarding the zip: Installing a zip program such as WinZip does not deactivate XP's zip, which is referred to as Compressed Folders. This is built into the operating system. In Windows Explorer, right-click and select New, Compressed Folder. Any files you add to this folder will be zipped, and this folder will be similar to a WinZip archive.

You also can compress individual files or folders without adding them to a zipped archive or compressed folder. To do this, right-click on the file or folder, select Properties, Advanced button and select Compress to Save Space.

I always set XP to display my compressed files and folders in an alternate color: From the Windows Explorer menu bar select Tools, Folder Options, then the View tab. Under the Advanced Settings options is "Display compressed files and folders with an alternate color." Click this to turn it on.

Disabling Xupiter files

Q. I have drivers called Xupiter in my program files. I don't know where it came from. Every now and then, it will change my home page to its page. I'll have to undo all of it and reset everything, which is a pain. I can't remove the driver from my computer. I've tried Add/Remove programs. I've gone into Program Files and tried from there. I always get a message: "Cannot delete . . . Access denied. Make sure disk is not full or program is in use." The drivers are XTUpdate.dll and XupiterToolbar.dll. I'm running XP.

A. Xupiter is a search engine found at www.xupiter.com. Apparently it has you install some client-side drivers or executable libraries. Why? It doesn't matter. All it's going to do is add another layer of complexity to your system and use up resources for something I'm sure isn't necessary. I wouldn't be surprised that if besides the custom toolbar, Xupiter does some sort of spyware, tracking your search items or Internet browsing addresses. Now that I've convinced you, go to this Web site (www.xupiter.com/uninstall.html) to uninstall Xupiter. It will ask you to accept another download to uninstall (it needs to do this in order to remove its files on your PC).

Trouble with SystemWorks

Q. I installed Norton SystemWorks 2003. It found 204 registry problems. I wanted to fix them and said OK. It wiped out my PC. I had disabled my Windows 2000 antivirus and format my C drive with Partition Commander. I reinstalled SystemWorks and had 188 problems with my registry. I notified Norton and asked for advice; I'm still waiting three weeks later. Has anybody else found this problem and what do I do now? I thought Norton was a good company.

A. Symantec, maker of Norton, is an excellent company with great technology. I am a big fan of its antivirus program. However, as I've stated previously, I am not a fan of SystemWorks or any other product that supersedes regular functions of the base operating system. Do they do some things better and even provide features not found in the base operating system? Yes, but I feel that it also adds complications to an already complex environment.

You should make sure your versions of SystemWorks (or any other third-party product you're using such as Partition Commander) stay compatible with any other Windows update or service pack that you install. This is not always easy to do. My theory is to try to keep your PC as "vanilla" as possible and add as little clutter as possible. I'm sure this may generate a few flame letters, but I don't think the benefits of these programs justifies the added complications they create.

As far as Norton support goes, we seem to be getting quite a bit of e-mail from our readers regarding Symantec support problems. If uninstalling is still an option for you, you may want to consider it and try for a refund.

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