Online Armor 1.1 Released

[MikeNash]

Hi Everyone,

For those of you following the "Anyone heard of Online Armor" thread I'm pleased to announce that Online Armor v1.1 has been released.

Online Armor combines a number of features to keep nasties such as keyloggers off your PC

Program Blocker - to stop unknown programs running (with a comprehensive whitelist of safe programs)

Mail Shield - filters POP and IMAP mail for "phishing" scams

Web Shield - filters potentially dangerous objects from websites visited.

Plus, startup warnings, HOST file management and more.

Details are are available at www.tallemu.com - and you can get a 15d evaluation copy from the site - but please bear with me as I am manually handing out keys at the moment, but I do respond to requests for keys immediately that I receive the email alert.


Mike

[JRCATES]

Congratulations on the "official" release of OA, Mike ;D

Looking forward to the continued development and future product enhancements and extended security features and coverage offered by OA.

Best of luck, and here's wishing you a successful launch (which I'm sure it will be). ;)

[Hard Rocker]

:D Thanks for the " heads up " Mike !!

HR 8)

[richrf]

Congratulations Mike! Best of luck.

Regards,
Rich

[MikeNash]

-{ Quote: "Congratulations Mike! Best of luck.

Regards,
Rich" }-

Thanks guys :-)) Much appreciated!

[controler]

Hello Mike

I could never get the last version to work. No internet connection.

I uninstalled Mcafee's suite last night and will give this new version a try.

WIll post back on how it goes. If I have a connection, you still have a conflict with Mcafee's new beta.

controler

[muf]

Upgrade Offer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Already using a paid version of a competitive security product?

Send us the licence key of the product, or other proof of ownership and we'll discount each Online Armor licence purchased by $10.


Maybe a clue as to what you deem as a competitive security product? Are we talking ProcessGuard, Regdefend, KAV5, Counterspy, PrevX, Wormguard, SurfinGuard Pro etc. It just doesn't give any clue whatsoever as to what software you would consider as a competitive security product. HIPS is sort of heuristic, so would that mean all AV's that have heuristics are included?

muf

[MikeNash]

-{ Quote: "Hello Mike

I could never get the last version to work. No internet connection.

I uninstalled Mcafee's suite last night and will give this new version a try.

WIll post back on how it goes. If I have a connection, you still have a conflict with Mcafee's new beta.

controler" }-

Thanks Controler - if we have a conflict, I'll definitely look into it.


Mike

[MikeNash]

-{ Quote: "[b][i]Maybe a clue as to what you deem as a competitive security product? Are we talking ProcessGuard, Regdefend, KAV5, Counterspy, PrevX, Wormguard, SurfinGuard Pro etc. " }-


Yes, all of the above. Basically if you are using any paid security product you are eligible. I'll be updating the site on Monday.

regards

Mike

[muf]

Thank you Mike. :) Will give OA a whirl. Good luck with it.

muf

[ReGen]

Thanks Mike.

Purchase went smoothly. Key arrived instantly and $10 rebate shortly after. The key instantly converted the trial to full version.
OA has been running for a full week now without any problems. I’m currently running it with NIS2005, TH4.2, Spy Sweeper 4, MSAS, Port Explorer, and Security Task Manager.
Looking forward to the future updates.

[controler]

After removing Mcafee's ISS beta and installing KAV ISS beta last night:

Just installed OnlineArmor 1.1 and my internet connection is fine ;D

Same config here PG, COunterSpy, except for KISS.

I used the Beta Key. Hope that was ok.

controler

[MikeNash]

-{ Quote: "After removing Mcafee's ISS beta and installing KAV ISS beta last night:

Just installed OnlineArmor 1.1 and my internet connection is fine ;D

Same config here PG, COunterSpy, except for KISS.

I used the Beta Key. Hope that was ok.

controler" }-

Hi Controler,

Seems we have a compatibility question mark with McAfee ISS beta. I'll see what I can do about grabbing a copy on monday, and see if it kills my PC too.

Anyone else running it and OA having any problems? Obviously, I want to make sure OA is able to run on as many systems as possible with no problems, so please let me know if you have any compatibility questions or other strange issues with OA.


regards

Mike

[WilliamP]

Mike I have followed the posts on Online Armor and am very interested. I have a lot of security programs. I may be wrong, but the only thing I feel that would add to my peace of mind is OA's Delete function.

[G1111]

With the following installed what extra protection wil OA provide?

Outpost Pro firewall
KAV personal
TH
ProcessGuard (paid)
WormGuard
RegDefend

[MikeNash]

-{ Quote: "Mike I have followed the posts on Online Armor and am very interested. I have a lot of security programs. I may be wrong, but the only thing I feel that would add to my peace of mind is OA's Delete function." }-

I'm not really sure what you have - I'd check out OA's feature list on the Tallemu.com site and see what you find there. Although you have "a lot" of security programs, OA may provide you with more protection via the HTTP filter for example. It also may allow you to retire some of them.


regards


Mike

[MikeNash]

-{ Quote: "With the following installed what extra protection wil OA provide?

Outpost Pro firewall
KAV personal
TH
ProcessGuard (paid)
WormGuard
RegDefend" }-

I'm not 100% familiar with the exact feature sets of all of the applications you have there, but at the moment, I would say that OA would not provide you with that much "extra" protection, aside from the Web filter and mail filters.

Essentially, the web filter keeps potential dangerous apps off your computer and also implements the "cookie cutter" - which converts persistent cookies into session cookies.

You can check out the OA website and see more detailed features if you like, or just get an eval key from me and have a play around with it.



Mike

[Notok]

From using it for some time now, I can say the main things that OA will provide over those apps are:

Web Shield - DNS verification, filters out exploits, prompts for potentially dangerous objects, alerts you to potential drive-by-downloads, and filters all traffic rather than trying to integrate with your browser, so it will protect your IM, media player, and anything else that may display HTML as well. New exploits to be filtered will be released over auto-update, too, and it doesn't break the way websites are rendered. I don't think I've seen any pages that didn't display right. It also has a list of known 'bad' and 'good' sites, which helps to minimize alerts and maximize security. This feature alone can do a lot to strengthen your defenses.

Program Blocker - Alerts you earlier than most, handles things like rundll32 properly without having to 'allow once' everytime something legitimate wants to use it, prompts for execution of drivers, and more. Then you can go in and view/remove changes that the process has made if you accidently allow someting that you shouldn't have.

Whitelist & blacklist - It won't bother you with known good programs. No reason you should have to click a bunch of pop-ups for something everyone knows is good. It also has a database of known malware, which it will automatically block.

Keylogger protection - Generic detection of keyloggers. It will detect them by how they behave, rather than relying on signatures. The whitelist comes into play here as well, it will automatically allow anything that may be detected as a keylogger that's already known not to be. It doesn't just block anything that uses hooks, either, so the rate of false positives is very very low.

The next version promises to have some very cool stuff in it as well.. definitely can't wait to see it. I'd say it's worth it.. especially with the upcoming features. Tall Emu's existing record for getting fixes and features out so quickly leaves me with no doubt that we will see them as promised, assuming Australia doesn't fall off the map or something. ;D

I still use my AV, AT, FW, and script-blocker (RegRun's RunGuard right now, although I also have WormGuard), and it does play nice with them. I'm sure Mike would like it if OA were the only thing we ran, but I guess we'll see what happens with the next version :)

[WilliamP]

Thanks for the replies. Mike I have PG paid, TDS3. NOD32. Counterspy, Ewido paid, and SpyBot.

[MikeNash]

-{ Quote: "Thanks for the replies. Mike I have PG paid, TDS3. NOD32. Counterspy, Ewido paid, and SpyBot." }-

Hi William,

I think Notok's post, above sums it up quite nicely!


Mike

[Tassie_Devils]

Also if you want a real test, download PC Security Test 2005 from http://www.pc-st.com/us/index.htm install and run the tests.

I had so many alerts from my Firewall [you have to allow the first 3 out to Port 80 ~ read the tests first which I blocked and then an error come up and I twigged it had to be allowed out as it says it needs an Internet connection DOH!!].

It scans for Ports open, port attacks, tries to install a fake virus [EICAR], tries to change home page, inject something in IE, etc.

Now, ONLINE ARMOUR alerted me to any/all installs First, regardless of SpywareGuard, AdWatch and the only one to react simultaneously was Kerio Firewall when it tried to startup an .exe PC Security tried to start.

I "failed" the PC Test only because I did not 'Allow' anything to be installed by OA in the first place then waiting for my other defences to kick in. Sooo who cares, lol.

You are supposed to let them happen I think, then it does a 'scan' waiting to see what alerts pop up when it 'touches' on a fake virus/homepage hijack, etc. but I did not even let it happen in the first place.

Cheers, TAS... oh see pic of OA first alerting me of homepage hijack attempt, and Kerio alerting on an .exe being called to start by PC Security Test 2005.

[richrf]

-{ Quote: "Hi William,

I think Notok's post, above sums it up quite nicely!


Mike" }-

Yes, thanks Notok!

Rich

[G1111]

-{ Quote: "I'm not 100% familiar with the exact feature sets of all of the applications you have there, but at the moment, I would say that OA would not provide you with that much "extra" protection, aside from the Web filter and mail filters.

Essentially, the web filter keeps potential dangerous apps off your computer and also implements the "cookie cutter" - which converts persistent cookies into session cookies.

You can check out the OA website and see more detailed features if you like, or just get an eval key from me and have a play around with it.

Mike" }-

Thanks Mike - I think I am set for now. I always keep on eye on this and other forums as things change with time both malware and ways to combat it. I may try your program down the road. Keep up the good work.

[G1111]

Notok - Thanks for the reply. OA is an interesting program.

[MikeNash]

-{ Quote: "Thanks Mike - I think I am set for now. I always keep on eye on this and other forums as things change with time both malware and ways to combat it. I may try your program down the road. Keep up the good work." }-

No prob. We're looking at 1.2 features right now - see http://forums.tallemu.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=57 for a couple of them.

As I would have no doubt mentioned in the original OA thread, our pricing is $39.95 followed by subscription to updates @$14.95/yr. The updates include support in the TE forums, plus threat updates and *any* program updates.

There is a year of updates included in the initial payment, so anything I mention as a 1.2 feature will be available at no additional cost to people taking the current OA.

BTW - I think Notok's description of the benefits was far better than mine, but I'm going to claim tiredness/lack of coffee...

Mike

[MikeNash]

Hi All,

If you have been using the OA forums for a long while, you'll need to temporarily update your bookmarks.

The Tall Emu forums are at http://forums.tallemu.com/ - confusingly, there is a half-working version on the main tall emu site that we hope to get working properly on Monday/Tuesday.

Apologies for any inconvenience.

For those who have not used the forums before, simply access them through the tallemu.com homepage.


regards

Mike

[tempnexus]

Now the important question (at least to me).
How much resources does it gobble up and do you experience any slowdown in how fast your pc operates?

[Peter2150]

Hi Tempnexus

On my machine I am showing 6184K current and 14356K peak. In terms of feel, other than responding to it on occasion, I'd never know it's there. I would rate it very liglht. Best test would be to Trial it. Mike will gladly send an eval key.

Pete

[Blackcat]

-{ Quote: " How much resources does it gobble up and do you experience any slowdown in how fast your pc operates?" }-
Not in normal use but I have noticed a slightly longer bootup time with OA. This is with a very fast machine.

Taking up on average 9MB VM.

[MikeNash]

-{ Quote: "Not in normal use but I have noticed a slightly longer bootup time with OA. This is with a very fast machine.

Taking up on average 9MB VM." }-

Hi Blackcat,

Would "slightly" be about 60 seconds??? If so, that could indicate that OA is trying to find a proxy (or use IE proxy settings), timing out and trying without the proxy.

Let me know if this proves to be an ongoing problem - you should expect a slight slowdown with OA as it needs to start and authorise everything, but it should not be excessive.

Mike

[Paranoid2000]

I've tried installing this and it asks for a key on startup, closing down if a valid one is not entered. Is the "full" version similar in requiring validation before it starts? If so, then it raises the possibility of a purchased copy ceasing to function should anything happen to TallEmu's validation server.

[MikeNash]

-{ Quote: "I've tried installing this and it asks for a key on startup, closing down if a valid one is not entered. Is the "full" version similar in requiring validation before it starts? If so, then it raises the possibility of a purchased copy ceasing to function should anything happen to TallEmu's validation server." }-

Hi Paranoid2000,

This only happens upon installation and first startup. After that, no further validation is required (except, of course, when we make the autoupdate routine check for current subscription, but we have a year to do that).

Our validation server is backed up regularly so there is little chance that it will remain offline for any length of time. It is hosted in a datacentre in the USA and these guys give absolutely awesome service.

Regards


Mike

[Paranoid2000]

-{ Quote: "This only happens upon installation and first startup. After that, no further validation is required" }-OK, but that does mean that Online Armor would have a limited lifespan should TallEmu decide, for any reason, to stop supporting it. It also raises the possibility of upgrades being enforced by halting the validation of previous versions.

I don't wish to imply that TallEmu intend this, but these are the reasons why I oppose such validation in principle (and hence why I don't use Windows XP or anything else needing activation).-{ Quote: "(except, of course, when we make the autoupdate routine check for current subscription, but we have a year to do that)." }-What is this exactly? Does it mean that Online Armor will cease to function when the subscription expires?-{ Quote: "Our validation server is backed up regularly so there is little chance that it will remain offline for any length of time. It is hosted in a datacentre in the USA and these guys give absolutely awesome service." }-Nevertheless it is a possibility (e.g. if an individual's ISP has connectivity problems) - any likelihood of offering an "offline" method of validation? (e.g. downloading a fingerprinted file, with encrypted user details).

Finally, do you get to spend any time sleeping? ;D

[MikeNash]

Hi Paranoid

-{ Quote: "OK, but that does mean that Online Armor would have a limited lifespan should TallEmu decide, for any reason, to stop supporting it. " }-

If we stopped supporting Online Armor then we would take some kind of corrective action to ensure that our customers were not negatively impacted.

There are two reasons why I could see we would stop supporting it - the first is that we released something "bigger and better" - in which case, if that caused us to stop supporting it we would move everyone over to the "bigger and better product" under the same commercial terms as Online Armor.

The second reason would be if we decided that the product was not "viable" for commercial reasons and got out of the game altogether. If we ever stopped supporting OA and did not have a replacement for this reason, I would rather reap the PR reward of converting the product to free than the PR disaster of pulling the product completely.

-{ Quote: "It also raises the possibility of upgrades being enforced by halting the validation of previous versions." }-

You mean paid upgrades, right? Well, this would be unethical and based on our published pricing model, plus my own words in this forum and on our site I would fully expect to be hung from the nearest lamppost should we ever pull a stunt like that.

-{ Quote: "
I don't wish to imply that TallEmu intend this, but these are the reasons why I oppose such validation in principle (and hence why I don't use Windows XP or anything else needing activation)." }-
Going the activation route was a tough decision - and it's based on some sad experience I'm afraid. A few years ago (more than I care to count, actually) my former company released a nice little SMS product. It was great. Did ringtones (with a nice musical editor), text messaging, logos, etc. We even made it free - just pay for the messages... and we didn't rort people on the message charges either. The only problem was that we had to pull the software within the month - massive card fraud, and it killed the product.

However, I'm always open to discussion about this - including modifications to the licence agreement to specifically put the protections and comments I have outlined into that document.

-{ Quote: "
What is this exactly? Does it mean that Online Armor will cease to function when the subscription expires?
" }-

No - OA does not expire (unless its a trial version). The subscription refers to the threat database and product updates. If you purchase OA now, our "subscription" not only includes threats, but all new versions of OA that are released. If we've upgraded OA enough over the next 12 months that you don't see value in shelling out another $14.95, then don't - and your OA will continue to work.

-{ Quote: "
Nevertheless it is a possibility (e.g. if an individual's ISP has connectivity problems) - any likelihood of offering an "offline" method of validation? (e.g. downloading a fingerprinted file, with encrypted user details).
" }-

This has been mentioned by someone before, and I would not rule it out in the future. However, the validation only happens once - and OA is a product that protects you while surfing the net, receiveing email and executing strange programs... so I assume that most people would not need it.

-{ Quote: "
Finally, do you get to spend any time sleeping? ;D" }-

Sadly, not as much as I would like - but right now its 4pm in Sydney so only 6 hours to go. We have plans to hire a support guy in the US (we've found him already) to cover the times when sensible Aussies should be asleep, but as we've just launched we need to wait and see how the sales go for a bit first.

[Notok]

So you get to sleep while the Emu is forced into 24 hour labor? Aren't there animal cruelty laws about that? ;D ;D

[Tassie_Devils]

-{ Quote: "So you get to sleep while the Emu is forced into 24 hour labor? Aren't there animal cruelty laws about that? ;D ;D" }-
lol, hey Notok, ever seen an Emu mate, tough little tall buggers, run all day and work all night, so no probs on that score. ;D
TAS :P

[Paranoid2000]

-{ Quote: "Going the activation route was a tough decision - and it's based on some sad experience I'm afraid. A few years ago (more than I care to count, actually) my former company released a nice little SMS product. It was great. Did ringtones (with a nice musical editor), text messaging, logos, etc. We even made it free - just pay for the messages... and we didn't rort people on the message charges either. The only problem was that we had to pull the software within the month - massive card fraud, and it killed the product." }-While I would sympathise with having to deal with fraud, I cannot see online activation offering a solution unless you make it a regular, repeated requirement or introduce a few days' delay before sending a key in order to allow more time to verify each purchase.

The method used by some other software is to have an individual key coupled with a blacklist (included within the program) - if someone uses a fraudulent card, their key gets added to the blacklist for future versions which then prevents them from using subsequent updates. The advantage for legitimate purchasers is that they can install and use the software, regardless of what happens to the company that produced it.-{ Quote: "No - OA does not expire (unless its a trial version). The subscription refers to the threat database and product updates. If you purchase OA now, our "subscription" not only includes threats, but all new versions of OA that are released. If we've upgraded OA enough over the next 12 months that you don't see value in shelling out another $14.95, then don't - and your OA will continue to work." }-Thanks for the clarification.-{ Quote: "This has been mentioned by someone before, and I would not rule it out in the future. However, the validation only happens once - and OA is a product that protects you while surfing the net, receiveing email and executing strange programs... so I assume that most people would not need it." }-Well, another possibility would be malware blocking access to TallEmu's website (as has happened with other security websites) preventing activation - making OA of limited value for already infected systems. If you do decide to remove this in future, I'd be interested in checking OA out.

[MikeNash]

-{ Quote: "lol, hey Notok, ever seen an Emu mate, tough little tall buggers, run all day and work all night, so no probs on that score. ;D
TAS :P" }-

I can't fly, but I'm telling you... I can run the pants of a kangaroo :-)

http://www.johnwilliamson.com.au/html/music.html

[bellgamin]

-{ Quote: "I can run the pants of a kangaroo" }-Kangaroos got pants?! :o

[xxxx]

Well they've got pockets don't they?

[The Hammer]

How does this product compare with SafeNsec?

[Notok]

My post at the beginning of this thread applies to just about any behavior blocker, including SnS :)

[MikeNash]

Hi Everyone,

A new Online Armor is available on Automatic updates, and the website for download. It's just a service release that contains the following new fixes/features:

* Corrected links for privacy policy, buy now button in the Online Armor GUI
* Help files changed to HTML format
* Display of alert history in "History" tab is no longer truncated
* "Block" button no longer highloghted when blocked application is selected
* Cosmetic change to fix spelling mistake on keylogger window
* Warning dialog when Program blocker is turned off
* Ability to see state of WebShield, Program Blocker and Mail Screen on right-click tray menu
* Fixed wildcard bug in protected sites causing 100% CPU
* Changed DNS Subversion warnings to display the mismatched IP addresses
* Changed DNS Subversion warning to "Orange" if the trusted DNS is temporarily unavailable.

Please note - the updated help is not available on Auto update at the moment , so if access to the help file from the program is important for you over the next few days, a reinstall is needed. But, I'll have the help on Auto update over the next couple of days.


As always, let me know if you have any problems!


Mike

[MikeNash]

Hi Guys

A new OA is up on Autoupdates and the Tall Emu Site. I'm happy to say that it fixes a conflict with TrojanHunter.

You now don't need to contact me to get a trial key - just check on the download page where one is available.

Regards


Mike

[Vikorr]

-{ Quote: "Kangaroos got pants?! " }-

The boxing Kangaroo does, if I remember right

And not only are those kangaroos in pants tough...their damned hard to outrun !

Btw Mike, I received the autoupdates. Unfortunately it won't install properly on my system. Says something like "OA did not install properly. You need to restart your computer to complete the installation"

I restarted the computer a couple of times (after shutting down my security programs). That didn't work, so I downloaded manually from your site...uninstalled OA, and reinstalled from the fresh file...but still receive same error message.

Currently uninstalled (to stop the message, because I can't seem to restart OA at all). Will of course be putting it back online as soon as can figure out what's wrong :)

[MikeNash]

-{ Quote: "Btw Mike, I received the autoupdates. Unfortunately it won't install properly on my system. Says something like "OA did not install properly. You need to restart your computer to complete the installation"
" }-

This happens if OA has some files in use - that bit is normal.

-{ Quote: "
I restarted the computer a couple of times (after shutting down my security programs). That didn't work, so I downloaded manually from your site...uninstalled OA, and reinstalled from the fresh file...but still receive same error message.
" }-

That bit is not - gimme a sec, I will try and reproduce at home...

[MikeNash]

-{ Quote: "
I restarted the computer a couple of times (after shutting down my security programs). That didn't work, so I downloaded manually from your site...uninstalled OA, and reinstalled from the fresh file...but still receive same error message.

Currently uninstalled (to stop the message, because I can't seem to restart OA at all). Will of course be putting it back online as soon as can figure out what's wrong :)" }-

I can't reproduce this - did you get an autoupdate yesterday? And then a new one today?

I can suggest that if you delete "local.dat" - and then, from here please try to restart OA (it will ask for a licence key) and let me know what happens?

[beetlejuice69]

I`m getting this error with auto updates Mike.

[MikeNash]

-{ Quote: "I`m getting this error with auto updates Mike." }-

Hi Beetlejuice..

Can you try to open internet prefs inside OA and deselect all options (unless, you are running a proxy?)

I'm here and online if needed to help. (so, can be reached on ICQ if you want "interactive" help)


Mike

EDIT; This may be a silly question - but can you reach www.tallemu.com in a browser?

[WSFuser]

Hey Mike,

Are autoupdates supposed to occur so often? Everytime it asks if I want to reboot, usually when I least want it to but at the same time I want OA updated and secure.

[Vikorr]

Hi Mike

I deleted the tallemu directory, and cleaned the registry, then did another reinstall, and it's working fine now :)

[MikeNash]

-{ Quote: "Hi Mike

I deleted the tallemu directory, and cleaned the registry, then did another reinstall, and it's working fine now :)" }-

I think I know what it was. If you are having a problem, then I believe deleting local.dat will solve it (you will need to enter your licence key again).

Sorry about that -

Mike

[MikeNash]

-{ Quote: "Hey Mike,

Are autoupdates supposed to occur so often? Everytime it asks if I want to reboot, usually when I least want it to but at the same time I want OA updated and secure." }-

Hey WSFuser -

Going forward, OA updates will occur quarterly (for program updates), or if an urgent issue is discovered, as soon as it's fixed.

At the moment, however, we do have a couple of compatibility issues which affect a small number of programs and users and we're keen to roll these out as quickly as we can. I expect this to only last another 7 days or so, but what I will do is hold off on the file updates and maybe do them once a week once everything is tested.

Updates to the threat database will still go out as normal though, and they never need a reboot :-)


Mike

[beetlejuice69]

-{ Quote: "Hi Beetlejuice..

Can you try to open internet prefs inside OA and deselect all options (unless, you are running a proxy?)

I'm here and online if needed to help. (so, can be reached on ICQ if you want "interactive" help)


Mike

EDIT; This may be a silly question - but can you reach www.tallemu.com (http://www.tallemu.com/) in a browser?" }-

Hey Mike problem is fixed. ZoneAlarm for some reason X`ed out OA`s access rights. Now she`s all updated and ready to rummmble.

[MikeNash]

-{ Quote: "Hey Mike problem is fixed. ZoneAlarm for some reason X`ed out OA`s access rights. Now she`s all updated and ready to rummmble." }-

I'm a muppet - I should have thought of that :-(

OA exe changed !!!

Thanks for the update Beetlejuice. I'll pass that on to another guy who's having similar issues.

Mike

[beetlejuice69]

Anytime Mike.

[JW Clements]

Mike, I just installed OA today for a trial run, here are some of the problems. Some eventually went away, others remain until I uninstall OA.

I have a dial-up and a connection isn’t available immediately after a Reboot but OA tried to connect immediately and thus I got the Socket Error 10065

I also got popup warnings about regprot.exe and others which I had given Allow permission during the Install.

then, about 2 minutes later I got a message that pccguide.exe had crashed with an MS Visual C++ Runtime Library error and then the system rebooted on it’s own.

During the forced reboot, I got a DOS message which said that the Boot time defrag run by Raxco’s Perfect Disk could not gain exclusive control of the hard drive and therefore it could not do what I want it to. I assume this is due to OA running first and protecting me, but I have to have some way to Allow PD to run the Boot time defrag.

Once in Windows, I got the OA message above re: socket error 11001, and then again, about 2 minutes later, got the PC-cillan C++ Runtime Library error. And the PCC Guide is not in my System tray. I’ll try to start it manually later on.

I closed the PCC error message to see what happens. it didn’t cause another reboot, so that’s good.

I then clicked OK to the OA Internet Connection error popup
Nothing bad happened, but I got the ZAP prompt to allow OA to connect which I chose to allow once (prompt each time).

This ZAP happened after the first reboot but I forgot that it had. So, I established a connection (didn’t have one yet…. Need a way to tell OA not to do this until I do have one), then Click Yes and see what happens.
* * *
there was an immediate download to my PC of about 175KB. When I opened DSC Port Explorer to check what was doing this, I saw absolutely no Established connection. Does OA “hide” from PE?

I opened OA and check settings and saw version 1.1.0.146
The Update was still set to manual, I clicked on Update Now and saw the total downloaded data is now 8,552KB (now this did show in PE as 66.100.171.82/80).
I didn’t immediately notice the file names being downloaded, but I caught the following:
???????? Filewatcher.dll HooksWatcher.dll ProcessWatcher.dll RegistryWatcher.dll ServiceShield.dll WinsockProxy.dll OnlineArmor.exe Updater.exe
All done, got the OA Restart Sevice popup,

clicked OK got message to restart the computer Click Yes

Download was pretty much everything…., it’s terribly slow at 24.0kbps.

OA now at 1.1.0.152

I had checked the Send anonymous info…. Box, and that may be why the attempt to ‘connect immediately’ occurred. I unchecked it and rebooted to verify. Should default to No or warn/wait for dialup since I want the system to be auto-booted if there’s a power failure and I don’t want messages sitting there unanswered when I’m not there to do so, in case this crashes the system or otherwise prevents the Video Security system running. I use the PC mainly for a video security system when I’m not home and want it “up” all the time.

I was also worried about what will happen when I switch to a different Raxco First Defense Snapshot. If OA is at such a low level, will it crash when it can’t find its installation folder in the TestDemo Snapshot? No, it’s OK.

After the reboot after the update, I got the PCC Guide error again but I didn’t have to reboot.

I can start PCCguide and PCCmain by putting icons in my Quick start Bar. I just can’t use the guide to shutdown PCC (which is good most of the time). I also put a shortcut to pccguide.exe on the desktop and I started it, it’s in the system tray, then got the C++ error again, it seems to be about 2 minutes after pccguide is started.

Ran SpyBot S&D to check Processes and such and found that OA has been “injected” into just about everything, including Process Guard (wow, didn’t know that could happen!).

Next step reboot, and check Perfect Disk Boot time defrag. It was OK this time.

Now when I try to update PCC, I get the following message, for a very long time!
(forever, actually!) Trend Micro Internet Security – “This feature is still initializing. Wait a few moments and try again later.”

So, I exited OA and almost immediately Regprot crashed with Dr. Watson

and a message from Process Guard that “onlinearmor tried to modify an existing driver/service named svconlinearmor”.

so I changed it’s PG permissions to be as follows…Install Global Hooks, Install Drivers/Services and Access Physical Memory.

So, the next step was to boot into the Primary snapshot and hope it works….

It did, PCC connected normally and updated.

I rebooted to the test snapshot, I copied the snapshot to a new one, rebooted into the new one and uninstalled OA, I was then able to run the PCC Update. So, OA and PCC don’t play well.

I have W2K SP4 fully patched to Aug. 2005, Trend PC-cillan 2005, Zone Alarm, Process Guard, TDS-3, Regprot, Proxomitron, BHO Demon, SpyBot S&D Teatimer, Spyware Guard, AdSubtract running within Raxcos First Defense

Jim Clements

[MikeNash]

Hi Jim,

Sorry you've had some problems - lets try and work thru some of them.

-{ Quote: "I have a dial-up and a connection isn’t available immediately after a Reboot but OA tried to connect immediately and thus I got the Socket Error 10065" }-

I'd recommend turning off data sharing, and set updates to manual to get around this one.

-{ Quote: "
I also got popup warnings about regprot.exe and others which I had given Allow permission during the Install." }-

A few people have reported this - is there any pattern to which exes you have given permission to that still prompt, and did you give permission on the "Start Menu" screen or the "Startups" screen?


-{ Quote: "
then, about 2 minutes later I got a message that pccguide.exe had crashed with an MS Visual C++ Runtime Library error and then the system rebooted on it’s own.

During the forced reboot, I got a DOS message which said that the Boot time defrag run by Raxco’s Perfect Disk could not gain exclusive control of the hard drive and therefore it could not do what I want it to. I assume this is due to OA running first and protecting me, but I have to have some way to Allow PD to run the Boot time defrag." }-

OA is not be playing around in the reboot time, it runs as a service. The only thing I could suggest - maybe windows was removing files in use, or some other process was going on. (I'm not ruling out OA as the cause - just saying from a technical perspective, OA isn't doing anything at this point).

-{ Quote: "
there was an immediate download to my PC of about 175KB. When I opened DSC Port Explorer to check what was doing this, I saw absolutely no Established connection. Does OA “hide” from PE?" }-

No, OA doesn't hide. I'm guessing that the download was OA doing a version update check; comparing all of its files against the latest and greatest on the server. It could also have been either data sharing (if you had opted in for that).

-{ Quote: "I clicked on Update Now and saw the total downloaded data is now 8,552KB (now this did show in PE as 66.100.171.82/80).
I didn’t immediately notice the file names being downloaded, but I caught the following: ???????? Filewatcher.dll HooksWatcher.dll ProcessWatcher.dll RegistryWatcher.dll ServiceShield.dll WinsockProxy.dll OnlineArmor.exe Updater.exe
Download was pretty much everything…., it’s terribly slow at 24.0kbps.

OA now at 1.1.0.152
" }-
Don't worry, those are all legitimate OA files :) I've raised the download speed issue with our hosting provider a moment ago. I thought it was just me, from Australia :(

-{ Quote: " Should default to No or warn/wait for dialup since I want the system to be auto-booted if there’s a power failure and I don’t want messages sitting there unanswered when I’m not there to do so, in case this crashes the system or otherwise prevents the Video Security system running. I use the PC mainly for a video security system when I’m not home and want it “up” all the time." }-

I'll get someone to work on the internet detection routines.

-{ Quote: "
So, OA and PCC don’t play well.

I have W2K SP4 fully patched to Aug. 2005, Trend PC-cillan 2005, Zone Alarm, Process Guard, TDS-3, Regprot, Proxomitron, BHO Demon, SpyBot S&D Teatimer, Spyware Guard, AdSubtract running within Raxcos First Defense

Jim Clements" }-

Thanks Jim - Aside from the PCC issue , if I recall correctly (I have only had one coffee so far this morning) there is also a compatibility issue with Regprot and OA.

Would you be interested in installing a logging version and helping me track down the PCC problem? If so, whizz me a PM or a mail


Mike

[Peter2150]

Hi Jim

To answer one of our questions, I am running several programs besides Online Armor, including Process Guard, SafenSec and Regdefend. Several of these play at real low levels of the operating system, and I've never had any issues with Raxco's First Defense. In my case the data I've anchored is the My Documents area. Unless you've anchored some strange folder to share it between snapshots, the snapshots will be totally independent.

Pete

[JW Clements]

-{ Quote: "Hi Jim,


I'd recommend turning off data sharing, and set updates to manual to get around this one.
" }-

Did this, all is OK now. Jim

-{ Quote: "
A few people have reported this - is there any pattern to which exes you have given permission to that still prompt, and did you give permission on the "Start Menu" screen or the "Startups" screen?
" }-

No problems after the 'first' re-allow cycle. Jim


-{ Quote: " OA is not be playing around in the reboot time, it runs as a service. The only thing I could suggest - maybe windows was removing files in use, or some other process was going on. (I'm not ruling out OA as the cause - just saying from a technical perspective, OA isn't doing anything at this point).
" }-

No problem now, just the very first reboot which was 'forced' by some unknown glitch. Jim

-{ Quote: "

No, OA doesn't hide. I'm guessing that the download was OA doing a version update check; comparing all of its files against the latest and greatest on the server. It could also have been either data sharing (if you had opted in for that).
" }-

I guess Port Explorer just couldn't see that connection. No problem now. Jim

-{ Quote: "
Don't worry, those are all legitimate OA files :) I've raised the download speed issue with our hosting provider a moment ago. I thought it was just me, from Australia :(

I'll get someone to work on the internet detection routines.
" }-

OK, thanks. Jim

-{ Quote: "
Thanks Jim - Aside from the PCC issue , if I recall correctly (I have only had one coffee so far this morning) there is also a compatibility issue with Regprot and OA.
" }-

Doesn't seem to be a problem now. Jim

-{ Quote: "
Would you be interested in installing a logging version and helping me track down the PCC problem? If so, whizz me a PM or a mail
" }-

OK, will do, Jim

[MikeNash]

-{ Quote: "Did this, all is OK now. Jim



No problems after the 'first' re-allow cycle. Jim




No problem now, just the very first reboot which was 'forced' by some unknown glitch. Jim



I guess Port Explorer just couldn't see that connection. No problem now. Jim



OK, thanks. Jim



Doesn't seem to be a problem now. Jim



OK, will do, Jim" }-

Ok - update on this - we can't reproduce the problems. Jim's PM'd me about logging and so we'll go from there :-)

Mike

[muf]

I installed it. Upon reboot my system had gone into 'major slowdown' mode. My system resources had reduced from 78% to 42%. I wonder if this is a temporary slowdown/resource reduction until the application has been running a week or so. I have uninstalled it for now, but if there are assurances that this slowdown is usual for early installation then i will reinstall it and try it again.

My system.
1ghz Athlon
512mb ram
Windows ME
Startup applications - Sygate FW, NOD32, BOClean, Regrun, Cookiewall and SuperAdBlocker.

muf

[bellgamin]

-{ Quote: "I installed it. Upon reboot my system had gone into 'major slowdown' mode. My system resources had reduced from 78% to 42%. I wonder if this is a temporary slowdown/resource reduction until the application has been running a week or so. I have uninstalled it for now, but if there are assurances that this slowdown is usual for early installation then i will reinstall it and try it again.

My system.
1ghz Athlon
512mb ram
Windows ME
Startup applications - Sygate FW, NOD32, BOClean, Regrun, Cookiewall and SuperAdBlocker.

muf" }-I have OA on my ME partition, plus I use RegRun. With OA's latest updates installed, I had to disable RegRun in order to get my computer to startup at all. It seems that OA & RR absolutely do not want to co-exist. Moreover, OA's relationship with ME is dodgy at best (IMHO).

[Notok]

Strange, I've had no problems with RegRun and OA at all..

[Trooper]

-{ Quote: "Strange, I've had no problems with RegRun and OA at all.." }-

Maybe ME is the player then?

[Notok]

Most likely :)

[MikeNash]

-{ Quote: "I have OA on my ME partition, plus I use RegRun. With OA's latest updates installed, I had to disable RegRun in order to get my computer to startup at all. It seems that OA & RR absolutely do not want to co-exist. Moreover, OA's relationship with ME is dodgy at best (IMHO)." }-

Hi Bellgamin,

ME is dodgy at best (IMHO) ;D But, if you're having dramas with it, lets see if we can get it to work.

RegRun's on the todo list - can we take it to PM and I'll ask you to get me some logs, see if I can't track down the ME problems at the same time?


Mike

[bellgamin]

-{ Quote: "

ME is dodgy at best (IMHO) ;D But, if you're having dramas with it, lets see if we can get it to work." }-Mike, I sent the PM as requested. IMHO working to attain compatability with ME is tantamount to re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. 8)

By the way, I'll be quitting ME & moving to Vista just as soon as Vista is truly out of beta.