Spydie, as was mentioned by Windos_No_Thanks - Linux is, from what I hear, pretty secure in itself. ( I never heard of a virus program for Linux ) until now.

Kewl Spydie, I have a system pretty close to your New System on order - you must be lovin it huh???

I thought of that first moment I started up Knoppix for the first time: I felt like a kid in a candy store, with an all expense account - it can't get any better

I agree with you also Spydie on the M$ issue - I've spent thousands on M$ software, in OS, development programs, protection in the AV side, and firewalls - and never felt as secure as I feel Knoppix/Linux feels.

I am affraid you are right on your Norton though, it is being fired off in your boot and within Windows start-up areas - since using the CD-ROM to boot, you have actually by-passed the "normal" boot of your hard drive, and completely by-passed Windows and its start-up processes. But, do you miss it? From what I hear, here, and in other documentation on the subject of "defensive" software for Linux - get a firewall, no one has ever said a word about virus' - I think because everyone hates M$ so much, at least the "mallicious" virus creators. They seem to target a lot of things that M$ has, and the lack of. Consider the newest Worm - it only attacks Win2000, XP, and up systems - so if you have Win95, Win98, and Win98SE - you are safe from this new worm virus. Most virus' are simply a way to prove that "Houston we have a problem..." - and to point the fact out to those who didn't notice it in the first place. Macintosh systems had viruses, mostly due to the fact that the OS, upon inserting a disk into the floppy drive, was immediately scanned. Viruses were created to prove that this could be a problem. Win[anything] has enough problems to keep any virus creator happy for years until they retire.

As a side note: I was contemplating the whole Virus/Virus program thinking a while back. Did Viruses exist before a Virus Program was created to detect them? Kind of like the Chicken and the Egg thing. Currently, I think new viruses are being created to keep the Virus Software companies in business, but I can't prove that. But, it is interesting that new virus signatures are being made almost as fast as you can download them. Oh well, ranting as I may - I am serious about one thing - M$ isn't getting my money any more - I would much rather take all the money I would have paid M$, and send it to Debian, or Red Hat, or Knoppix, or even Linux, for more investment into the future of Linux development - I think that would be an investment more worthy of time and research than to line the pockets of Mr. Bill Gates and the Ol' Mighty God that is M$. Welcome to reality Mr. Gates - the future may NOT include M$.

IMHO,
Cuddles