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Q&A / Patrick Marshall
Anti-spyware programs sleuth in different ways

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Q: A few months ago I located and ran PestPatrol with no indication of any spyware. After reading your article, I tried it again. This time it located six items. I also ran Spyware Nuker, which located two items (two of the six found by PestPatrol). My concern is PestPatrol came up with its analysis in about two minutes, while Spyware Nuker took about 12 to 15 minutes. I felt like The Spyware Nuker was actually looking and that maybe PestPatrol was contrived. One other concern: I use Norton Antivirus software, and in sweeping my computer it reviewed 110,144 files. The report by Spyware indicated that it reviewed 43,850 files, 3,364 folders and 112,239 registry keys. If I have 110,144 files, why did Spyware not review all of them?

— G. Adams

A: Fact is, programs that scan for spyware use different methods for scanning files, and they scan slightly different types of files. Some are more inclusive, scanning virtually every file type to look for Trojan horses. Others scan only the most suspect types of files.

But you can't assume that one program is more thorough just because it takes longer to scan. It may, yes, just be slower. And some programs scan memory and the Windows registry in addition to looking for suspect files on your hard drive.

In my experience, no single anti-spyware program catches all spyware. But there is no clear correlation between the speed of scanning and the effectiveness of these programs. And, by the way, because they are searching for many more different types of culprits, anti-virus programs generally search many more file types than do anti-spyware programs.

Finally, I can assure you PestPatrol is not "contriving" its searches. It is a fast but very effective program not only for scanning your drive for spyware but, thanks to its scanning of memory, for keeping such things from your drive in the first place.

Q: Often I get the message: "Your server has unexpectedly terminated the connection. Possible causes for this include server problems, network problems, or a long period of inactivity. Account: 'mail.comcast.net,' Server: 'pop3.norton.antivirus,' Protocol: POP3, Port: 110, Secure (SSL): No, Error Number: 0x800CCC0F." What is going on, and how do I prevent this error message?

— E.H. Palao, Seattle

 
A: There are a great number of potential causes for unexpected termination of an Internet connection, ranging from a bad telephone line to viruses or incorrectly configured firewalls. In this case, the message seems to be implicating your anti-virus program and your POP3 e-mail server.

If you get the message only occasionally, which seems to be the case, one likely cause would be that you have your anti-virus program configured to scan outgoing e-mail and you're sending an e-mail with a large attachment. The scanning of the attachment might take long enough that the e-mail server "times out."

Because you're using Norton Antivirus, I'd suggest you visit the Symantec site for more details on troubleshooting. You can go directly to: service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nav.nsf/docid/2001060516275506?OpenDocument&ExpandSection=1

Q: I just got a new computer and am migrating files via IntelliMover software. My old machine used Windows 98 with MS Works. My new one is XP Pro with MS Office. Is there an easy way to convert all the Works files (word processing, spreadsheet, etc.) to Office? I have to open each Works file, save as text and move it over, which is very time-consuming.

— Wayne Corey

A: File conversion is frequently a pain, what with all the different versions of each application. There is no single product I'm aware of that can convert all versions of each product into all versions of other products. Instead, you have to shop around.

For starters, recent versions of Word can open Works 6.0 and 7.0 files directly without the need to copy and paste. All you need do is go to the File menu and select Open. Then, in the dialog box that pops open, click on the arrow next to "Files of Type." Scroll down the list until you see Works 6.0 and 7.0.

At the same time, the current version of Excel can open Works 2.0 spreadsheets in similar fashion. Why not files from other more-recent versions of Works? It's a mystery to me. Fortunately, there are third-party converters available. You can get more information at: www.rl-software.com/ms-works.html.

Microsoft has made a converter available for converting Works 6.0 files to Word and other Works formats. You can download the converter at: www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=B9E11E83-F51B-4977-B572-8C042DF802C1&;displaylang=EN.

You may also want to check the following Web site for command-line batch converters: www.icdatamaster.com/convert.html.

Questions for Patrick Marshall may be sent by e-mail to pmarshall@seattletimes.com or pgmarshall@pgmarshall.net, or by mail at Q&A/Technology, The Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists.