SpamFighter

[gioannou]

Hi everybody
I wish I made the right choice by posting here...
I just downloaded the freeware SpamFighter which is supposed to protect your Outlook or Outlook Express inbox from spam.
I have to mention, I'm sitting in my office at work.About 100 PC's currently on the network.
It installs fine and then goes to configuration where it checks for any firewalls installed.
I got the Win XP Pro SP2 on my machine and only the built-in firewall.It detects that and prompts me to add the executable file "spamfighter.exe" in the exceptions and to change the scope by setting it to "All Computers".After making changes you can press "Check again" so the software detects if the settings are correct.Well...they seem to be incorrect.The changes have been applied exactly as instructed still I cannot go on with the configuration as it seems that the firewall blocks the program.
I was just wondering if anyone has used it before and came accross the same issue(not a big deal if it doesn't work, I might as well just throw it away - just wanted to test it).
Is there any case that the firewall installed on the server could cause the issue?I don't really think so.

Thanx in advance

[SpywareDr]

Have you tried the "Test your connection to the SPAMfighter server" link on the SpamFighter Personal Firewall Configuration page?

http://www.spamfighter.com/FAQ_Firewall_Default.asp

[gioannou]

Thx SDr...
I got error messages indeed. It seems that the program connects to the server to function.The thing is, it looks like it bumps into a firewall - but not the windows one.I believe it's the company's firewall.
I also opened the ports on MY firewall and it acts the same.However SpamFighter detects only the local one.Which makes sense.It detects the firewall, it cannot connect so it considers that it's not set up as it should.
Unless I'm missing something...

[LindaHewitt]

I did a search on SpamFighter here at VDR and found quite a few threads. BTW, VDR has excellent search facilities, where you can do a basic search or an advanced search. This is a great way to find out if your any other posters have posted about your specific problem.

Below is the link to those search results, which I thought you might want to look at.

http://discussions.virtualdr.com/sea...earchid=301256

Cheers,

Linda

[gioannou]

Thx for the tip Linda
I guess my only option is to install the Pro version, see if it works and then probably stick to it or downgrade to the Standard version.

[LindaHewitt]

Gioannou,

I have opted out of my ISP's automated spam solution because I want to see everything that I am getting. The problem with automated solutions is false positives and false negatives.

What happens, if an email address is reported as spam, when it is not. If you think that cannot happen, Texas Instruments was blacklisted. This occurs more often than you might think.

The reverse is also a problem, where you get a legitimate email from someone that you have not received an email from before. It could be a recruiter or associate, who is using a different email address from what you have in your friends list.

I use Firetrust's MailWasher Pro, http://www.firetrust.com/, and I find this to be an excellent solution. I receive between 200 - 300 email messages per day but it only takes me a couple of minutes to scan the list.

You can download the software for a free 30 day evaluation. The software is well written and well documented. In fact, I found out about Mailwasher on VDR in January 2002. There is another hidden benefit. You purchase this software once and then you are entitled to all of the updates for life. You do not have to pay annual renewal fees.

Cheers,

Linda

[gioannou]

Thx again(for once more )Linda!