I'm thinking of activating the ICF firewall that comes with XP to stop those stupid pop up boxes that spammers are sending by explointing messenger service. I know ICF should not have any problem with actions I initiate, but does Poser 5 initiate a connection to the internet on its own and will I start having problems if I set up ICF? If anyone knows or if there is a CL person hanging out here I would like to hear back on this one :)

Poser tries to check for multiple instances of Poser running on a network I think. I use ZoneAlarm for a firewall and just set it to block Poser and it still works great. I've never used the XP firewall so I dont know how it is but ZoneAlarm is free and works great...

According to Microsoft MVP's, it does stop it. They claim, the pops are being sent by people who exploit the messenger service. The messenger service is used to send messages between users of a network, run event viewer, etc., on the XP system. The ICF, if set up, will prevent uninvited access through this service, by blocking the port to anyone that you have not specifically granted access to. If Poser needed access, and I knew the port settings, I could grant access by setting it up in ICF. Musicat if you have some specific experiences with this, I'd hope you would share them so I can pass on that information to the MVP's and get their take on it. The only "tweak" I'm aware of, is to "disable" the messenger service, but by doing so you lose some functionality you may need/want. My rule of thumb is to never disable any feature the OS may use to carry out it's functions. Doing so can sometimes carry undesired effects. Thanks for the Zone Alarm tip Wadus, I'll jot that down as a fallback approach. Do you use XP?

yes, I use XP Home. Also I disabled/uninstalled the Windows Messenger through Add/Remove Windows Components with no ill effects. I have 2 computers networked via a crossover cable(no hub or anything) and no problems concerning Windows Messenger. With ZoneAlarm I had to set my "slave" computer as a trusted zone and turn the firewall off for trusted zones, because it was causing problems. The ZA Pro is supposed to be better for networks but the free version is working good and no problems since I changed the setting for trusted zones.

Also I think I read somewhere that the windows firewall only works with incoming traffic, but ZA works for both incoming and outgoing traffic. I could be wrong but someone with more knowledge might have better answers...

I'm interested in this too, just got roadrunner, and with an always on connection, anybody could connect and do what they wanted, and I have no idea of what to do about it(also using xp)

Actually it's not Windows Messenger that's the issue. That's the chat gadget and I got rid of that as well....very early on. The steps for disabling that are apparently a bit different in XP Pro and include a registry edit to stop it from loading into Outlook Express. The other messenger is called "messenger service"....something totally different. I was confused about that as well, thinking the Windows Messenger was still running in the background somewhere. The "messenger service" is a special tool used, as I explained before, to carry out network and other specialized functions. Not sure how that is set up on the Home version, but probably the same. I suspect you still have that. Yes, you are correct about ICF only stopping incoming traffic. Nothing I do or initiate is suppose to be affected by ICF at all. Since I'm the only one here, that's fine. I just want to stop the door knob's who are sending me stuff I don't want. It's enough I have to contend with extra crap in my inbox. I sure don't want it on my desktop! :) Norton also has a firewall that comes with it's anti-Virus package. I'm due for an upgrade soon, so I may go that route if the ICF doesn't work.

Wadus, can you give a bit more detail about that "crossover" cable network you mentioned? That sounds very interesting to me. Thanks. Larry F

Attached Link: http://www.homenethelp.com/network/ethernet.asp

sandoppe, are you getting the popups while not on the web? cause I've never had that happen but you might want to check out Ad-Aware it might find some spyware thats causing the popups.

Here's a good site with info about all the services that run in the background, and how to disable the ones that aren't necessary and the ones that are also security risks. http://www.overclockersclub.com/windowsxpservices.shtml

I run XPHome and have done nothing special that I'm aware of except for being sure the firewall is enabled. As has been said it's for incoming traffic only. I don't get popups like I've heard others do. And all my ports are totally in Stealth mode.

Thanks for the link, Jack, but this guy really overdoes it! LOL I love automatic updates and they work! If I go to MS site I always have to remember to disable my proxy server and allow ActiveX and it's a hassle. I truly believe automatic is better, easier, and faster. And error reporting isn't a security risk. Some people are too paranoid methinks. Anyway, a lot of this doesn't really take much resources and certainly doesn't take steady processor time. He also recommends disabling the firewall which is truly bizarre. A lot will depend if you're on a network or not. If you're not then some can be disabled, otherwise I think it's just for playing around and thinking you have control. MHO of course.

Waddus you asked if I was getting the popups while on the web: The answer is no. I generally get them when my computer has been idle....overnight normally and if I decide to leave the computer on....which I usually do since getting XP and not having to "reboot" at the end of the day :) It never happened until I got DSL and have a constant connection. I've had a check done for spyware...there is none. A lot of people are reporting it at the Microsoft groups. It is increasing as spammers take advantage of the "messenger service". I'm sure those of you who work for a corporation and are connected to their network have received little popup message boxes containing notices if the server is going to be down, and so forth? Well...that's what these are....little message boxes that use the same message service that your server administrator uses to communicate with you over a corporate network. The only difference is that the people who send these "messages" have figured out how to exploit this message service and use it to spam you through your ISP address with little notices about crap you don't want. One of them even left their phone number! If anyone is interested, they are the University Degree Program at 713-867-7980. I called....it's an active phone! I left a message and told them....well I won't post what I told them :) I guess if you need a degree give them a call....tell them for me to keep off my (blank) computer! :)

okay I understand what you are talking about now I get those at work sometimes. I just disabled it on my home machine tho(I'd do it on my work machine too if I could)

Wadus: What exactly did you disable? The messenger service? I know that's an option, but I'm trying to avoid that as I understand it handles some other functions in XP....that's why it was recommended that I use ICF instead......this has been an interesting thread, hasn't it! :)

well I have several services disabled but messenger is one of them. I havent had any problems because of it..

Hi again all. I agree with Spit that some people are over paranoid about security issues. I use the list on the site I posted carefully. I don't follow every one of his recommendations, but there are a few that are serious risks. As for this pop up problem, I read about this a few months back. It's not about pop up ads on web sites. It's some other exploit, the details of which I don't remember at the moment. I've had the messenger service disabled for quite a while (which solves the problem), with no ill effects at all. It's not the MSN Instant Messenger (which is a pain in itself, unless it's something you use-I uninstalled it). I also use Black Ice, which has application protection similar to Zone Alarm.

Hi Wadus, Thanks for that info. That's what I knew and thought, but never hurts to ask. I've learned so much over my life by just asking, even when I (Sometimes think I already) know the answer. Thansk again. Larry F

sandoppe, it sounds like you picked up a worm, virus, trojan or something like that. I've had a cable modem for a few years, and never encountered the stuff you describe.

For the original post, I'm using XP Home, with the ICF turned on and have had no problems using Poser 4 or 5... I even took a browse through the Content paradise about a week ago and had no problems (is it just me or is the content paradise stuff the same stuff that's in the marketplace here?)...

Rogergordian: Nope! I run Norton Antivirus in the background constantly and update it automatically. I have all the security patches from Microsoft. Trust me guys....I know of what I speak :) Just go to the Microsoft groups for XP.....just about any of them, but for sure at the help_and_support and the one for the MSN Messenger.....it is being discussed there adnauseum. This is not a virus, or a worm. It is simply hackers exploiting an innocent feature that is built into XP and I believe NT and W2000, called the "messenger service". I think I've described what it does at least three times in this thread and shant do so again :) I talked to a tech at a local computer store today. He was having the same problem, disabled messenger service and has had no furth messages. This seems consistent with Jacksmyname1's post and others as well. Philodox: Thanks. I'm going to try the the firewall approach first. If it still continues, I'll disable the "messenger service"! :) And yes Philodox....the content paradise stuff is the same stuff that you will find here. I think CL would have been better off spending their time on developing decent tutorials! :) Their "portal" is a joke. It's strange: they develop a piece of software with features that seem to be geared to people who already know how to use Poser, model, etc. and then they put up a portal that seems to be designed for people who don't know Renderosity exists!?? :)