Myles,
I have a question for you..... "At what point in the life of I.E. was it ever really safe?"

If memory serves, and it usually does, with every MS Update since Windows 95, a good share of the fixes have been to repair security holes in I.E.
That's why I and many of my contemporaries switched to Netscape, which later morphed into Firefox.
But remember, Firefox is a Browser, not an anti malware program, so yes, things like tracking cookies can and will get through Firefox and onto your hard drive.
That's what makes "Super Anti-Spyware FREE" so very important.

I do all my banking, bill paying and a lot of purchasing via the internet, but before I do, I will run SAS to eliminate the tracking cookies, which can accumulate at the rate of several hundred a day, if you do a lot of Net Surfing. I think that comes under the heading of "Preventive Maintenance", something that I believe in, 110%.

So, you're absolutely Right, in using SAS, but I might suggest that no matter what browser you use, that you run SAS at least once EVERY week, or more often, depending on your net usage.

Practice SAFE browsing!
Cheers mate!
TechnoMage

Sometimes, there just doesn't seem to be the 'right' place to post something and this is one of those times. So here goes......

For more years than I want to count anymore, I've been running service calls on people's home computers, mainly the IBM Compatibles. On almost every first call, I found programs on peoples PC's where the user had no idea of what they are or where they came from. That even includes AV and AS software that was at some time in the past, installed by someone but that have never been setup properly or run.

The key word there, for me, is "Setup". I can't think of a single AV/AS program that can be just installed and forgotten, without doing any 'Setup' at all. For instance, my published Setup instructions for "Spybot Search & Destroy" took up a full page in 10pt type.

I occasionally find AVG FREE on a customer's PC, and that's OK, but it's never been Set Up! Grrrr! Without going into advanced options, the program will not even run daily (automatic) scans. So, Setup is very important.

We sort of discussed Super Anti Spyware previously, but I'm wondering just how many people have that program and have never gone through the basic setup?
Under Recommended Pre-Scan Options, I always check off:
"Close Active Browser Windows", and "Delete Windows Temp Files".

Then in the "Scanner Options" section, I always select "High Boost" and
"Scan Internet Browsing Tracking Cookies".

So to get the best out of any AV/AS program, don't forget the "SETUP".

Cheers Mates!
TechnoMage

I had mentioned earlier, that Firefox is NOT an AV/AS program, but it can be made safer, by the use of "Spyware Blaster". It works along with your browser(s) to block Spyware from ever even getting on your PC.

It's a FREE program, that does not run scans or remove spyware, but as I said it's a 'Spyware Blocker'. I've been using it for years and I update it once a week when I check all my other Security programs. OH....did I mention, It's FREE. It's a two stage operation though....first get the updates and then Apply The updates to the browsers. Nothing laborious though....just a few mouse clicks.

Y'all have a great day now, Y'hear?
TechnoMage