Request some XP advice

[chris_c]

Help! Last week I updated to WinXP Service Pack 3 and since then I have been having these nagging popups from my firewall (Sygate) referring to NT Kernel & System file ntskrnl.exe needing access to the net. Sygate is already configured to allow this systems file Internet access without prompting.

When this happens, very frequently but without any discernable pattern or period, it drops me out of whatever application I happen to be running and in FS, inevitably when on short final or climb out (it seems).

An Internet search shows that this file is required but there was no help to be found either at Sygate or M$. A search of my system found multiple copies of ntskrnl.exe in a number of folders all differing slightly in size and date stamp. This seems wrong but am reluctant to perform any deletions.

Does someone out there have any advice. Thanks in advance.

Chris

[Col7777]

If it worked with the older files use them and take out the newer ones but rename them and keep them in a folder just in case.

[johnhinson]

Sygate has been acquired by Symantec and integrated into Norton Internet Security as long ago as 2005.

I doubt if the old product is being updated and it is probably not compatible with the XP upgrade.

John

[chris_c]

Thanks Gentlemen for the replies.

I had long ago removed Zonealarm since I found it to be a memory hog and incompatable with some of my other programs. Sygate has seemed to be working fine, I had not known that it had been consumed by ZA. Hmm... John, your observation makes sense but might try Col7777's suggestion since all those NT Kernel & System executables cannot be good.

[Deleted]

You might want to look at ESET's Nod32 antivirus. It's the fastest antivirus I've found and it doesn't put much load on your system. I also plays well with XP and SP3.

Jim Driskell

[chris_c]

Thanks Jim, am already running NOD-32 for some time now and have found it very effective and essentially invisible. Settled on COMODO for a software firewall and the problem with the recurring popups went away.
Chris