Remove virus scanning as a solution for slow email--issues

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Guest

I have seen many solutions to slow email problems answered by telling the
writer to remove email virus scanning. I agree that this usually speeds up
the email processes HOWEVER, what do you now do about protecting yourself
against viruses that are introduced to your computer via email? How do you
keep your email clean with scanning off...doesn't that just trade one problem
for another?
 
Re printed and posted from a post by Frank Saunders


The Other E-Mail Threat: File Corruption in Outlook Express
Published: November 18, 2004
By Tom Koch
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/community/columns/filecorruption.mspx

Email scanning slows down Sending and Receiving, sometimes enough that OE
times out. Since some of the received messages have large (often virus)
attachments, which exasperates the problem.
Some Comcast users have found it necessary to totally uninstall Norton and
switch to the free AVG with mail scanning off. Norton invented email
scanning and here's what they say:

"Disabling Email Scanning does not leave you unprotected against viruses
that
are distributed as email attachments. Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect scans
incoming files as they are saved to your hard drive, including email and
email attachments. Email Scanning is just another layer on top of this. To
make sure that Auto-Protect is providing the maximum protection, keep
Auto-Protect enabled and run LiveUpdate regularly to ensure that you have
the most recent virus definitions."
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPOR...6d4e006aaa94/4ba5fc8ef939c44c88256c7500723cf0

"...your computer is protected if Auto-Protect is enabled. Auto-Protect
scans any incoming files, including email attachments, when the files are
saved to your hard drive."
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nav.nsf/docid/2001100907323806

"NAV provides multiple layers of protection. Email scanning is just one of
those layers. Even if you are not running Email Scanning, your computer is
protected against viruses that are distributed as email attachments by NAV
Auto-Protect. Auto-Protect will scan any incoming files, including email
attachments, as they are saved to your hard drive. To make sure that
Auto-Protect is providing the maximum protection, keep Auto-Protect enabled
and run LiveUpdate regularly to ensure that you have the most recent virus
definitions."
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPOR...85256edd00478dbd?OpenDocument&src=bar_sch_nam

See also
http://help.expedient.com/mailnews/norton_antivirus.shtml

So Symantec used to say this often and clearly. The newer stuff doesn't
have the statement included as it was considered an embarrassment. If you
know anyone who programs for Norton try to get them to talk about it.
 
With email scanning off the virus checker does not interpose itself between
the email server and the email user program. However it does (or at least
should) notice if the email caused a file to be added to the system and then
scan this new file. The result should be that the virus is still found just
at a slightly later stage.

Michael
 
Your real-time scanner uses the same anti-virus signature file for real-time
scanning as it uses for email scanning. Why do both?

-Frank
 
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