8.0.1.143 now live

The Parallel Universe is happy!

 

Is this a Beta release or full/final release...

 

Closed beta now updated to 8.0.1.146.

 

.....it sure is....

 

damn! that was fast.....

 

How is the combo EAM & WSA working?

 

the combo is smooth and eccentric........no apparent conflict.......of course I had to exclude wsa from eam.......explosive duo I tell you......

 

There are many improvements in this round of builds:

- Launched the SME product (and there have been many agent-side changes to fully support its functionality)
- Major cleanup improvements when the PC is pre-infected
- Improved cleanup of heavily hidden malware
- Reduced the overhead of the antikeylogger engine
- Added support for many different installation methods outside of the normal process
- Improved proxy support when the proxy is unavailable
- Added support for a new style of a trial version which doesn't require an email address to register
- Improved Japanese support

 

Thanks Joe!

Daniel

 

Not to be persistant, but I need a workaround for the import issue.

You said to import the settings then cancel the scan that follows and then change the license key? What exactly does this risk?

Sorry, I know you've been busy at a conference this week.

 

Importing settings but not the license key is currently just out of scope from what the intent of the import/export feature does. Canceling the scan should prevent the PC from being associated with the license centrally.

The settings and local database logic are all encrypted and keyed off of the license key itself, causing them to be intrinsically linked to the license when exported so it would not be a trivial change to remove this binding, and I still think it would be an edge case of wanting to apply one PCs configuration to someone else's license.

 

If that is your definite stance on this issue (or non-issue), then:

* The wording of import/export is not clear enough because it vaguely mentions transferring "configuration" which in my experience usually doesn't include licenses (though I could be wrong). It would be unfortunate if someone imported settings then screwed up their license and didn't realize why.

* Webroot potentially puts power users/users that own many computers at an impasse. I know I have OCD so settings are a bit more ritualistic for me than for most, but I'm fairly confident that no one will appreciate having to change settings for each computer. The web console for the non-enterprise products only allows setting the heuristics basically, so the only option to transfer settings is import/export. I don't find it an edge scenario because like I said, people with more computers are likely to own different licenses.

* I don't really see the use in import/export if it is computer-specific. The license will eventually expire and then the file is kind of useless. The way it is now, I see it more of an "image" of your WSA product, rather than an exported configuration file.

So long story short, I wish strongly there was a way to make a setting template. In fact, I just remembered liking ESET's products for this reason. Actually, I remember now that they provided a template for gamer configuration at one point, because the licensure was independent from the rest of the settings. Just imagine someone buying WSA for ma & pa and they are on a different license but you want to give them your secure configuration.

 

Considering that in a "home use" scenario you usually don't deal with many installations (around 5 or 6?), is it so difficult to apply the settings manually? I am sure you don't keep installing WSA every week on each of them. What you seem to ask is a must in a enterprise environment. Am I missing something?

IMO, If development has to mobilize respources I would rather prefer they focus on improving protection mechanism then exporting/importing settings.

 

Poke at the enterprise version. Especially the control in the portal. Free 30-day trial. I think I'll use it for my family.

 

-EDITED BY AUTHOR-

I'm going to sigh when I see a topic entitled, "Help. My PC says 'max PCs reached' after I imported settings" and Triple Helix gives his usual "Contact the support inbox" and the support inbox says "We see here you tried to license a 4th PC. Shame on you."

I'm also going to sigh when someone else (say a reviewer, as Neil Rubenking already noticed) besides me realizes that for a home product, WSA has way, WAY too many settings. Taxation without representation. Confusing settings that seem to overlap with other settings and the documentation on them sucks. I never want to have to set WSA up again because it was a nightmare. In fact, I finished with a tremor.

I'm also going to sigh when someone else complains that all they can set for their PC illiterate mum thru the web console is heuristics. Boy, if Webroot took a clue from ESET, you could just e-mail mum a cfg file and tell her to import it.

Sigh, sigh, sigh. You'd think if WSA was capable of the impossible -- a 1 minute scan as good as other vendors' 60 minute scans -- they'd be able to make a useful export/import feature.

 

I'm not sure I understand what the problem is with importing/exporting within WSA. I have tested it a few times and the program has always correctly imported the settings I've previously exported before uninstalling the product [as part of the test].

 

The problem is if you decide later to get a new license for other PCs, you cannot use that configuration file, because it contains the license key, not to mention your quarantine.

Quarantine as part of configuration to transfer betwen PCs...to me that's not a good idea. That's like selling someone a used vacuum with a used bag and saying, "I've included some dirt, debris, mites, and mouse poop in the bag so you know what the vacuum cleaned for me."

EDIT: I know...I overreact to some things. I'm an over-the-top kinda guy. Certain things just bug the crap out of me.

 

The problem you're trying to solve with sharing configuration options is much better solved with the PC Security console where you can centrally manage all of your PCs, be notified of infections, and modify configuration options which are immediately applied cross-PC. The quarantine is included in the configuration import/export (as well as all of the local determinations to that PC) as the feature is meant to be used just on the same PC, either after an OS reinstall or WSA reinstall.

 

1. But the web console only allows you to change the heuristics for the home version, which isn't very useful as there's a lot more I want to centrally set. You're right though, that if the web console did let you set everything centrally, this would solve the problem, as you can add additional licenses to manage.

2. The import/export function in settings is described as "...transfer the same settings to another computer." That's why I said it was misleading.

 

i hope this improves keystroke issues on my notebook - i was often losing keystrokes in browser address bars and forms and stuff. it was like i'd type and only 2/3 of my keystrokes would register. drove me absolutely nuts.

 

I've reported keystroke issues previously as far back as build 8.0.1.42. Characters would go missing or be duplicated when typing in the address bar and forms. I was initially advised to update keyboard drivers, but there are no new ones available for my keyboard anyway.

I was still experiencing issues with build 8.0.1.95, but was told these should be resolved from version 8.0.1.100.

 

You can transfer them to another computer. Without trying to be unresponsive to issues, I would think that transferring settings to another computer while at the same time changing the license key would be an edge case.

The SME/business version lets you configure every individual setting across multiple PCs. It may make sense to use the business version (which would require a different license) if you want to make changes like this.

However, WSA shouldnt really require any manual configuration. We do offer detailed options but the defaults have been carefully chosen, so I'd think it would be fine to be left as-is in virtually all cases.

 

-Edited out a bunch of crap no one cares about but me-

I'm not going to buy the enterprise version when I already have two home licenses. I'm not made of money and I never will be. Computers and networking is my hobby but education is my career and we all know teacher's make millions.

How about making the two home licenses operate under one license key so your -edited- software can recognize that I want the configuration to be the same?

If there will be no change on this behavior it seems either using one license key or dealing with spending the time setting it up on different machines are the only options. Special thanks to Sandboxie, EMET, Microsoft, Mozilla, Steam, ESET, and just about everyone else with export/import related settings for understanding that my time is valuable.

P.S. I have to say any "carefully chosen" defaults for optimal security that which allow non-administrators to change ANY setting AND use advanced features like process termination, are no "carefully chosen" defaults at all.

Joe: you're a GREAT guy and you work wonders at Webroot. You are a pioneer for the computer security industry and you should be exalted for your work. That being said, while WSA is so far ahead of the other vendors in almost every department, the Prevx interface mentality is still a bit rough around the edges in my non-expert but informed opinion. My suggestion stands. Take it or leave it.

 

If it was an easy change to remove the license from the exported configuration, I would make it. However, it still isn't a necessary change - as I've said, you can just cancel the follow up scan and no negative behavior will occur.

Several million users are using WSA and this is the first I've heard of any user wanting the license to not be imported alongside the configuration. People tend to not have multiple licenses - if you really need to not cancel the follow up scan, you can just contact support or PM me your licenses and I can merge them into a single license that would work on both PCs.

I'm still failing to see where the issue is here, and I don't think that it highlights some fundamental issue with the product... it's meant to be able to be configured in as many ways as possible so that users can control edge cases as they see fit, but to have the defaults cover what we've seen the vast majority of the users prefer in our focus group testing and global user base.

 

Joe, please click here

I was so hard on you and Webroot in my words that I feel bad now...

...I value being honest and giving feedback but sometimes it's hard to separate what I think other people would care about, from what other people really would care about.

Beyond that, I misunderstood what you meant by the "cancel the scan" workaround. I didn't know that was a sure way to get around this issue. I have PM'd you.