Can someone hack my computer when it is on but no account is runni

[Guest]

My stand alone computer is connected to the Internet via a cable modem. I
often leave the computer on even when no Windows XP user account is open.
When I log in to XP, both my spyware monitoring software (Lavasoft Ad-Watch)
and my virus monitoring software (Norton Internet Security) load. I am using
Norton as my firewall. Before they load am I vulnerable? Is there any way I
can get them to load when the computer is on but no account is logged in?

 

[Dennis Kudin]

Norton Internet Security is a product which works on a system kernel
level. It is loaded automatically with the system. In simple words, it
protects the entire system instead of a specific user. It is loaded
before a user logs on and keeps running when you logoff or switch
between users.

As for the antispyware, I'd recommend to have 2 products based on
different approaches. One should have signature-based autoprotect, while
the other must use a proactive approach to protect against even unknown
spyware. You can try Windows Defender or Webroot Spy Sweeper as the
first product and PrivacyKeyboard as the second one.

 

[Lord Maximus the mad]

Newbie aka (e-mail address removed),after much thought,came up
with this jewel:

My stand alone computer is connected to the Internet via a cable
modem. I often leave the computer on even when no Windows XP user
account is open. When I log in to XP, both my spyware monitoring
software (Lavasoft Ad-Watch) and my virus monitoring software (Norton
Internet Security) load. I am using Norton as my firewall. Before
they load am I vulnerable? Is there any way I can get them to load
when the computer is on but no account is logged in?

Do yourself a favor and buy a router with a built-in firewall.
max
--
My Pages:
Virus Removal Instructions:
http://www.freespaces.com/maxwachtel/removal.html
Keeping Windows Clean:
http://www.freespaces.com/maxwachtel/keepingclean.html
Tools: http://www.freespaces.com/maxwachtel/tools.html
Change nomail.afraid.org to gmail.com to reply. nomail.afraid.org is
specifically setup for USENET.Feel free to use it yourself.
Always remember - only download files from Trusted Sites.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your response, but I am confused by what appears to be Norton
Internet Security loading when I switch acounts. When I switch user accounts
Task Manager doesn't show any of the Norton Intenet Security processes, such
as ccApp.exe, for several minutes. It is the last thing to load. (On some
rare occasions it fails to load at all, so I restart.) If NIS is supposed to
load automatically with the System, does what I observe in Task Manager mean
something is corrupt in my computer? Actually, I know something is corrupt
because of other quirks in behavior, but I didn't think it was affecting my
virus protection.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your reply. However I am confused by Task Manager showing neither
any Norton Internet Security processes (such as ccApp.exe) nor NIS icons in
my notification tray for several minutes after I switch user accounts. Could
this mean that some corrupt files are preventing NIS from working properly?
(I'm pretty sure I have some corrupt files or registry errors because of
other quirks I experience from time to time.) I have been strongly advised
to not try to edit the registry myself. Or am I misinterpreting what the
loading of processes shown in Task Manager means?