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Tried to use Live Safety Center Beta, but it wanted to install Active X Control. I'm under the impression that installing Active X makes the computer more vulnerable to attack. What's the real skinny? And do I need any of this live safety center BS if I already have/use anti-virus/anit-spyware, firewall, and scan my disc every once in a while to defrag it.

Opinions?

What's the real skinny? And do I need any of this live safety center BS if I already have/use anti-virus/anit-spyware, firewall, and scan my disc every once in a while to defrag it.

IMO, you are doing everything required to be reasonably safe and keeping your OS fairly stable. A hardware firewall, like those that come built into routers, and using a browser that is not integrated into the OS, e.g. Firefox, Opera, etc., is also advisable.

ActiveX was supposed to be the Micro$oft answer to Java. Unlike Java, ActiveX has full access to the system. In fact, many of your system admin tools will not run if ActiveX is completely shutdown.

But yes, ActiveX is, or can be a security nightmare because it doesn't play in a sandbox. Downloading a control is not installing ActiveX because it's already installed on your system by virtue of being incorporated into Windows.

Welcome to Billy's world!

I can't comment of the Live SC BS because I stoped running versions of Windows after W2K, and the only versions I still have on HD haven't been booted in almost a year.

But if I had to hazard a guess; I'd say you're probably okay with the tools your have (NOTE: Did you know McAfee REQUIRES ActiveX for their software to work? Which is why I removed McAfee VS and went another route) and that M$ is trying to push you away from those tools because they see a new cash cow in their own homegrown sectools. Ones wonders what that ActiveX control they want you to D/L will gleen from your system and report back to Redmond.

Tried to use Live Safety Center Beta, but it wanted to install Active X Control. I'm under the impression that installing Active X makes the computer more vulnerable to attack.

Yes.

It's kinda like saying "to keep burglars from breaking in to your house, why not give them their own doorway?"

Tried to use Live Safety Center Beta, but it wanted to install Active X Control. I'm under the impression that installing Active X makes the computer more vulnerable to attack.

Yes.

It's kinda like saying "to keep burglars from breaking in to your house, why not give them their own doorway?"