Oops, Optimist, I'd already zotzed the lot! But I'll try your tip tomorrow, thanks!

Have posted this on the "premium rate telephone" thread but would appreciate answers here as well. I did this (download Mozilla Firefox) because Internet explorer was going really slowly on Money AM - not on any other sites though!

I've just installed Mozilla Firefox and it's running OK but the stockwatch pages and Level 2 screens both show "additional plugins are required to display all the media on this page" and on the blank sectionof the page it says "click here to download plugin". I click it and it says "No suitable plugins were found".

Help!!!

edit - have resolved the slow MAM by clearing out the IE browser.

double edit - now answered by Kyoto excellently on the other thread.

I'm posting the comments I made on the 'premium rate telephone' thread about security/Firefox, as perhaps they may be of some use to those here who haven't read that thread:

I would also suggest that in addition to the use of tools such as Ad-Aware, SpyBot S&D etc., people give serious consideration to switching from IE to Firefox as their browser.

Blocks pop-ups, automatic/stealth "drive-by" downloads (this is probably where your diallers are coming from), ActiveX components etc. The URL address bar is highlighted yellow for secure URLs (small but useful additional security check - avoids missing the small padlock icon/spoofing attempts).

Also offers more advanced features than IE such as tabbed browsing (how can you live without it?) and find/search capabilities.

Signs your PC's under siege, and what you can do

MoneyAM's streaming service is delivered via a Java application. I should have mentioned that Firefox requires Sun Java (i.e. the proper version!) rather than Microsoft's version which IE uses. There are good reasons for this but I'll skip the tedious technical/political reasoning.

I must also add, that - solely due to the way that MoneyAM's(?) streaming application renders fonts (badly) on my WinXP computer, I still use IE6 for this service - and third-party popups/adverts aside, there's limited security risk. I know that MoneyAM's technical providers were looking at the issue a few months back, so perhaps we'll get to the bottom of that one day. I use Firefox for everything else (except when I'm in the office... my global corporate is still fighting the security battles of the late 90s and hasn't even got any anti-spyware protection - shhhh!)

Firefox FAQ

On Windows, Firefox can be used with Sun's Java Runtime Environment (JRE). It can not be used with the Microsoft Java VM, as that can only be used with Internet Explorer. Versions of Sun's JRE older than 1.3.0_01 will not work.

Sun Java download

It's possible that when you install Sun Java it will set itself as the default Java implementation on your Windows system. If you don't require this (and it's probably a good idea to keep Microsoft Java working with IE6 just in case), you can:

- go to your Windows Control Panel where you should see a "Java plug-in" icon.
- double-click "Java plug-in"
- go to the "Browser" tab
- uncheck the "Microsoft Internet Explorer" box

In addition to Ad-aware, Spybot S&D, AVG/Norton Anti-virus (I don't rate Symantec's other 'security' products though for what it's worth), Zone Alarm (using Apple or Linux!) and all the other tools I've advocated from time to time on these forums, my latest bout of advocacy is the use of Firefox instead of Internet Explorer.

However, I should sound a couple of notes of caution. Installing a new piece of software is not necessarily without its issues as Seymour Clearly has reminded me! :-) Secondly, although there is little doubt that Firefox is currently a significantly safer option than IE there is no guarantee that this will continue, or that ultimately Firefox will not be found to be lacking in some area. This said, because of the way Firefox is developed (a non-commercial collaborative effort) it's likely that the Firefox team will always be better able to respond than Microsoft, who have demonstrated a consistant inability to deal with security problems over many years. Also, Microsoft has disbanded it's IE team as part of their plan to 'integrate' IE with future versions of Windows.

Whatever problems tomorrow might bring, the risks of using IE are today and as is ever the case with IT security, that's what we have to address if we are to avoid today's attacks from spyware, diallers, virii etc.

Why switch to Firefox?

By the way, for anyone who starts to use Firefox, these are the "Extensions" which I've found particularly useful:

- ReloadEvery - Reloads webpages every so many seconds (great for news/uk-wire.com!)
- BugMeNot - Bypass compulsary web registration! (Especially good for reading newspaper stories)
- MiniT - Adds tab dragging with drop place indicator
- Tabbrowser Extension - Improves tabbed browsing (this is excellent - amongst other features you can open Firefox with the same pages you had open when you closed it - good for trading!)
- Session Saver - allows you to save sessions. So you could have a "Trading Session", with associated Windows/Tabs, a "Personal Session" with your non-trading pages set up, etc.

Iain- Thanks, it worked.

Can some one remind me how i get a new window to appear rather than the displayed one changing.So I have 2 windows open

Iain,
If I understand you want 2 internet explorer windows open at once.

Either click on the internet explorer icon again or with your existing internet explorer window open hit CTRL N


Now my turn.
I have a real problem with these pop-ups locking up my pc - the ones on moneyam aren't so bad cos I can avoid the home page but the advfn ones are terrible. They lock up my pc for as long as a minute. I've been putting up with this for months but now advfn have updated their L2 this appears to require some sort of handshaking and if it doesn't get a response quick enough then it reinitialises L2 in a way that adds all the orders again so everything is there twice.
Before moneyam feel left out I run their L2 as well through etrade. I really don't want to bin advfn L2 - I find it easier to use.

I run Win2000 and am a bit wary of these pop-up stoppers as people tell me ig and fins don't like them

Sorted it. Needed to change my dual head settings.
I never see the pop-ups.Use Norton 2003 which stops them all. When I access at work I get the full horror of all those pesky boxes :-)
Re your prob.When I Ran 2000 used the prog below which worked fine. Hope it helps
http://www.freewarefiles.com/programs.php?categoryid=5&subcategoryid=199&ProgramID=703

Iain , where in Norton 2003 is the popup blocker? - I'm running 2003 and have checked the manual but cannot find it and for me it does not do it automatically

Its Norton Personal Firewall
Under "Ad Blocking"

CC

The best popup stopper is Win XP SP2 but that won't be much use to you.

Have you tried downloading the Google Toolbar? Apart from being useful it incorporates a well behaved popup blocker.

Iain

You can also open a new window by holding the shift key while you click a link. Alternatively, right click a link and select open in new window.

Iain , thanks for rapid reply

I'm having problems loading Service Pack 2 for XP. After installation I get a message that Windows is unable to load. I have deleted SP2 and tried again but to no avail.
I have removed my Virus scanners (Zonealarm & Fix-It) and now want to try loading SP2 in Safe mode but I'm struggling to do it. I find that I can't access broadband (and hence the internet) in safe mode. Is this correct?

I was thinking of loading the update as normal but then not using the SP2 installation Wizard. Re-booting in Safe mode and then installing SP2. But where will the SP2 installation file be?

7th Floor

I assume that you are able to load windows normally after un-installing SP2 is this correct?

If you dissable Zonealarm make sure that your Win XP firewall is enabled.

I have heard rumours (attributed to Microsoft) that windows will freeze if SP2 is installed when certain trojans or spyware is present. Try running Spybot S&D and Ad-Aware.

If you want to get internet connection in safe mode then try starting in safe mode with networking. SP2 may not install in safe mode though.

You can download the full version of SP2 which does not need internet access from here http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=049C9DBE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3CDB5A&displaylang=en but it is a 270Mb download.

Best of luck, please post how you get on.

7th floor, a couple more points :-

You can get SP2 on the front of some magazines, PC Pro Nov edition has it, might be easier to pop down the newsagents and buy a copy rather than download again.

Like Optimist I very much doubt that SP2 will install under Safe mode.

I have been looking at software for removing trjans and although I have not come to any firm conclusions at the moment, Trojanhunter http://www.misec.net/trojanhunter/ seems to work fairly well (but these things are hard to test!!!) You can download a trail version and you can use that for a scan and clean.

Trojan Hunter remains a 3rd line product for me Spybot S&D with spywareblaster and Adaware, plus router firewall and AVG are still my main defense.

Thank guys.

Optimist - Yes my PC is OK when SP2 is un-installed and "restored".

It was Microsoft who suggested installing SP2 in Safe mode but I can't get them to tell me exactly how. They say start PC in safe mode and then "locate" the SP2 Installation Pack. This is what I'm struggling with at the moment and Msoft seems to have gone into autoresponse mode!

I've run Spybot and Adaware and will try again.

I will keep you informed.

Thank again.

7th Floor

I don't know where the instalation pack is but you should get some clues if you search your disk for files over 150Mb (or you could download the full one in a couple of hours).

Interesting that MS are advising an install in safe mode? I am surprised at that. I dont actually use XP but I have done a couple fo SP2 installs and I didnt have any problems, these things are a real pain when they go wrong!

By the way the XP SP2 package is probably in a folder called "software distribution" see if you have one with that name.