Having the shop work on the malware was as much a convenience as anything. I don't think the problem was all that serious. It was just the last straw in a long line of hardware and software issues and delays. Coincidentally (or maybe not) I reached that point they day before my sister and her family decended upon us for their annual vacation. I don't usually outsource work, but that turned out so well, perhaps I'll hire a gardener next! I did disable the continuous backup software though and won't use the online backup again--ever. Sounded like a good idea but it just takes too darned long. Who can spend 3 days making a backup! There are other ways to accomplish the same objective.

I would be willing to rely on a hardware firewall if this notebook stayed in my office, but it doesn't. After some of the dumb things I've seen my clients' IT people do, I don't think my paranoia is unjustified. Although ZoneAlarm was once the top-rated product, it appears it hasn't kept pace. A recent report placed it 9th in the list of top 10 combination products (firewall and antivirus.) I used to run 2 separate products, choosing the best antivirus and the best firewall, but there is so much overlap these days that conflicts are unavoidable. I've tried a couple of more highly rated products from the list and none is perfect. One caused the system to lock up while it was updating itself. Another slowed things down too much. Each one of them has to mess with my mail, installing toolbars that I don't need or want: mail has already been through at least 3 separate screenings before it ever gets to my desktop. Do what you need to do, but do it quietly in the background!