Background Tasks

[PONDLIFE]

Seeing as GRAW is a bit of a resource hog, I've read that to improve frame rates while playing online its best to turn off most background task including virus killers and firewalls, Can someone clarify if this makes your computer vunarable to attacks while playing games online (Not just GRAW) or is the risk so small it isnt worth bothering?

Thanks.

[Rocky]

Never, ever turn off your firewall. Which ever website told you to turn off firewall/anti-virus should be removed from your bookmarks.

Put it this way, when I reinstalled windows last week, I forgot to remove my cable modem cable and in the 90 seconds it took me to download and install my preferred firewall, a virus had already infected my pristene new XP install. And that's the second time that's happened to me.

Your firewall only needs to be offline for a matter of seconds to allow your PC to be found and infected by a port scanner.

[yttocs1966]

Rock those viruses will show up will a standard spyware program? (spysweeper)

[RAbbi_74]

Not always. Sometimes they do double-tap. I've used SpySweeper alongside Symantec Client Firewall/AV for some time. Often, one would catch what the other wouldn't, and on RARE occasion BOTH would catch the same thing. But that was rare indeed.

On another note, as for turning off the firewall, I seem to recall that being part of the publisher/developer's advice for BF2. It was in order to reduce latency in order to avoid getting kicked for high ping. Bad advice, indeed.

If one's firewall allows it, and one has the appropriate knowledge, one should set-up the firewall with a separate profile to only open those ports which the game requires in order to run online. Before starting the game, one would activate the restricted profile. The game won't notice any difference, but little else should be able to get through.

But bottom line: ALWAYS keep the firewall on, if even at expense of playability. What's more expensive: an upgraded computer, or a whole new one? (yes, I've had an entire computer rendered physically inoperable by a simple virus... never buy Toshiba again...)