Auto Update

[lymehall]

I am connected via a dial-up connection to the net. Anti
Spyware is set to the reccommended Auto Update settings.
However several times I have started to use my PC and
found that I already have an ISP connection.

Does Auto Update use a dialler to make such a connection?
I assume it does but it does not clarly state this in
HELP documentation.

 

[Bill Sanderson]

If your Internet connection is set to dial on demand, any application which
requests an Internet-based resource can trigger the dialup--including
several aspects of Microsoft Antispyware which involve Internet connections.

I haven't used the product on a machine with this type of connection, so I
am not certain what settings are needed to prevent this--I would recommend
setting your Internet connection to only dial manually, and placing a
shortcut to that connection on your desktop--rather than leaving it on
autodial.

 

[lymehall]

Thanks, my ISP connection is via a desktop shortcut which
is why I was puzzled and queried it. It raises a further
question, is there any way to establish what has
initiated an ISP connection when I find one in existence?

 

[Bill Sanderson]

I don't think so. It's a question that is worth asking--'cause you don't
want something "unknown" talking outbound. Most PC's however, have enough
stuff on them which does talk outbound that you will recognize very little
of it.

The best tool to control this traffic is a third-party software firewall
which controls both inbound and outbound traffic.

I prefer the Windows firewall, because most users won't know enough to make
good decisions about the alerts raised by a firewall which shows all
outbound traffic--but lots of people do use them.

See www.microsoft.com/protect for a selection of these, and probably good
trial offers--this needn't cost $.