Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoGeo
Has anyone else been having Internet Explorer problems this month? Slowness, freezing up, or crashing?
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Yes, I did (mostly this past week) until Norton installed a patch.
All’s well that ends well. Norton (Symantec) applied a "patch" which fixed my computer problem last night at midnight.
After three days of not having my Internet Explorer, unless I restored to before the critical updates.......
It’s all flying fast again.........really working at an optimum level.
If truth be told, I had no clue that Homeland Security was concerned about this, as our minds have been on other pressing issues.......such as deciding whether or not to put our home on the market and likely ending up accepting 27% less if it sold, vs wintering in THE VILLAGES alternating with Arizona while maintaining our primary residence/family home....as a "snowbird".
PRIOR TO THE NORTON PATCH, I had tried everything and would get it to work just fine........and then the next day Microsoft would do another critical update (even though I rejected them as they never solved the lack of having IE).
This all started when Internet Explorer 11 plus the NEW BING BAR......for WINDOWS 8.1 was updated..........
From what I learned from "techies" it was not compatible with my one year old Microsoft Windows 7.......which had been fine prior to early May. Actually, only gave me grief the past few days, in particular.
I have the last built Windows 7 and it is no longer supported. I KNEW THAT WHEN I BOUGHT IT one year ago.
Actually, that is why I bought my husband the newest 8.1 as a Christmas gift (which he does not care for, as everything keeps disappearing on him; he wants to revert back to his XP on which he has his entire website).
Anyway, I had no MSN, NO GOOGLE, NO BING...........unless I kept restoring my computer back to the original. I did have email and an online connection, just could not use my search engine........
Literally, with the continuing "Critical Updates" every time I turned my computer on......it was just like GROUNDHOG DAY the movie.
Yesterday I ran a 3 hour NORTON "scan" and it found that my Microsoft smart card reader was affected. The driver, among other things.
NORTON APPLIED THE APPROPRIATE ‘'PATCH" AND IT’S ALL FLYING AGAIN..........no more having to restore back .... NO MORE CRITICAL UPDATES.
MY "MSN" PAGE NOW LOOKS TOTALLY DIFFERENT............BUT IT’S NICE....ALL THE NEWS IS ON IT. Once again, I also have Google and all the other search engines as well.........plus I do have Google Chrome on this Windows 7.
AGAIN, WINDOWS 8.1 GETS ALL THE NEW STUFF...............AND WINDOWS 7 IS THE "ORPHAN". Not to mention XP and Vista. However, the patch worked.
BELOW ARTICLE EXPLAINS THE ISSUE TOTALLY:
"By Lance Ulanoff May 01, 2014"
"It's been the better part of a week since Microsoft revealed that virtually every single version of its Internet Explorer web browser was vulnerable to a particularly nasty attack, one so scary that U.S. Homeland Security recommended people not to use the browser until the hole is patched."
"Now, it is: Microsoft will deliver the patch for all versions of Internet Explorer on Thursday (including Windows RT). Windows XP, which Microsoft discontinued support for on April 8, will get a patch, too. If you have automatic updates turned on, you won't need to take any action to get the security patch."
"See also: Windows XP Isn't Safe to Use Anymore. Here's What to Do Next."
"The news should cheer consumers, Homeland Security and the millions of stubborn Windows XP users around the world."
"This does not mean Microsoft is turning Windows XP support back on, though. From the Microsoft blog post on the patch:
"Windows XP is no longer supported by Microsoft, and we continue to encourage customers to migrate to a modern operating system, such as Windows 7 or 8.1. Additionally, customers are encouraged to upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer, IE 11."
Is it too late?
"Even as the fix slides into computers around the world, questions remain about Internet Explorer's future viability in the marketplace. There was, to be certain, a whisper campaign about this marking the beginning of the end. However, some industry experts don't see this as a watershed moment for the once-dominant web browser."
"I don’t expect a huge backlash on Internet Explorer’s market share," said Gartner security analyst Lawrence Pingree. "In fact, I think this helps drive adoption of upgrades to Windows 7 from XP."
"Pingree suggested that Homeland Security probably made its recommendation because it was worried that Windows XP wouldn't get a patch, which would leave users without a choice."
"Still, industry watchers know Microsoft needed to move fast. "Browsers are essential to the web, and if it becomes vulnerable people will lose trust in it," said Tim Bajarin, the president of Creative Strategies. "Microsoft and all browser vendors must be more vigilant and deal with any holes fast and judiciously."
Is Internet Explorer safe?
"This most recent security black eye may have distorted Internet Explorer's actual record on security, Pingree suggested."
"Some of the studies I’ve seen actually indicate that IE has some of the best security of all the browsers," he added. "
"He was likely referring to a recent study from NSS Labs that put Internet Explorer on top for blocking what are known as social engineering attacks. These are primarily non-code-based attacks that rely on consumer naiveté and gullibility to trick them into clicking on links and opening dangerous emails. Internet Explorer reportedly blocked 99% of these attacks, while Google's Chrome caught roughly 71%."
"Microsoft remains committed to the browser, versions of which exists across its entire product line of desktop and mobile operating systems. The company most recently introduced Internet Explorer 11."
Not-so-global dominance
"Once the leading web browser, Internet Explorer has lost significant ground in recent years, mostly to Google's Chrome. Now, at roughly 58% of global browser usage market share, it has only the slimmest margin over competitors, according to Net Applications."
"In the U.S., that number is even smaller. As of March of this year, Net Applications reported Internet Explorer had 53.54% usage. There's also the reality that web surfers rely on increasingly on mobile devices; as of late last year, Microsoft's mobile OS accounted for just 3.1% of the market."