Spam

[flesso]

Are there any decent Windows experts here? I have an exchange server and I'm getting spam mail after spam mail, I've installed Microsoft IMF which seems to have done an ok job. Does anyone have any ideas of what I could do?

[DPS Computing]

Can't a good spam filter stop this all reaching your inbox?

[flesso]

Originally Posted by DPS Computing

Can't a good spam filter stop this all reaching your inbox?

As mentioned, I've got the Microsoft IMF running. It's seems to be doing an ok job but I would like to get rid of the spam completely. I would install SpamAssassin but that is very resource intensive.

[DPS Computing]

Originally Posted by flesso

As mentioned, I've got the Microsoft IMF running. It's seems to be doing an ok job but I would like to get rid of the spam completely. I would install SpamAssassin but that is very resource intensive.

Might be resource intensive but it does a better job than the rest - you have to decide what you want. More resources used and less spam or more spam and less resources used.

[flesso]

Originally Posted by DPS Computing

Might be resource intensive but it does a better job than the rest - you have to decide what you want. More resources used and less spam or more spam and less resources used.

Let me define SpamAssassin for Windows; SpamAssassin creates a new process for every incoming message. Now, what if I'm getting alot of messages? SpamAssassin creates a new process, and eventually the server gets overloaded and crashes.

[DPS Computing]

Originally Posted by flesso

Let me define SpamAssassin for Windows; SpamAssassin creates a new process for every incoming message. Now, what if I'm getting alot of messages? SpamAssassin creates a new process, and eventually the server gets overloaded and crashes.

Change to Linux .

[flesso]

Originally Posted by DPS Computing

Change to Linux .

...and loose Exchange Server? God no.

[DPS Computing]

Originally Posted by flesso

...and loose Exchange Server? God no.

It might be worth it to get away from Windows!

[flesso]

Originally Posted by DPS Computing

It might be worth it to get away from Windows!

I've tried it, and I would never leave Windows for mail. I don't know any Linux mail/groupware systems which are as powerful as Exchange.

That said, I do have a backup mail server which is CentOS.

[eUKhost.com]

most of our customers setup a catchall for their account on our server and then configure that catchall account in their Exchange Server. This way emails get filtered on our server with our spam protection scripts and you get spam free emails on your exchange server.

You can consider this solution.

[DPS Computing]

Originally Posted by flesso

I've tried it, and I would never leave Windows for mail. I don't know any Linux mail/groupware systems which are as powerful as Exchange.

That said, I do have a backup mail server which is CentOS.

Might not be as powerful but there is a whole lot less use spam!! Like I said you may have to decide more spam or more resources.

SpamAssassin works great for me but of course is on Linux and I don't seem to experience the problems that it causes on Windows.

Hopefully somebody else might have a Windows based solution for you .

[flesso]

Originally Posted by DPS Computing

Might not be as powerful but there is a whole lot less use spam!! Like I said you may have to decide more spam or more resources.

SpamAssassin works great for me but of course is on Linux and I don't seem to experience the problems that it causes on Windows.

Hopefully somebody else might have a Windows based solution for you .

Installing SpamAssassin for Windows is a long, tedious and very complicated process. There are many small components that you have to install along your way, as well as some bigger components such as ActiveState Perl.

I do hope someone out there has the answer I want.

I couldn't resist it:

[DPS Computing]

Thank god I have always used Linux - as I don't and never have used Windows I don't know the little perks I am missing out on!!!

[flesso]

Originally Posted by DPS Computing

Thank god I have always used Linux - as I don't and never have used Windows I don't know the little perks I am missing out on!!!

You're not missing out on much really. I only use Windows for a couple of websites and Exchange...

[247h]

Originally Posted by flesso

Are there any decent Windows experts here? I have an exchange server and I'm getting spam mail after spam mail, I've installed Microsoft IMF which seems to have done an ok job. Does anyone have any ideas of what I could do?

First a disclaimer: I wouldn't describe myself as a decent expert, however ...

I manage a couple of SBS2003 boxes with not more than a dozen users on either, however both companies have been very pleased with the improvements provided by Micrososoft's Intelligent Message Filter (IMF), although it is tedious to keep checking/deleting the queue on a regular basis — the one that is a recruitment agency collects upwards of 600 messages a day in that folder! Surely you're not getting that many? You say it does "...an ok job" but failed to qualify what more you are hoping to achieve?

For both SBS owners I recommended that we install the Spambayes plugin for Outlook (free from spambayes.org) which, once taught what the user considers to be spam, takes care of most of the rest automatically, without fuss. I presume you might well use Outlook so have you tried Spambayes? It won't eliminate the IMF housekeeping, however it occurs to me it must be possible to set up an automatic clearance task for that folder, if you are seeing virtually zero false positives there. HTH?

[flesso]

Originally Posted by 247h

First a disclaimer: I wouldn't describe myself as a decent expert, however ...

I manage a couple of SBS2003 boxes with not more than a dozen users on either, however both companies have been very pleased with the improvements provided by Micrososoft's Intelligent Message Filter (IMF), although it is tedious to keep checking/deleting the queue on a regular basis — the one that is a recruitment agency collects upwards of 600 messages a day in that folder! Surely you're not getting that many? You say it does "...an ok job" but failed to qualify what more you are hoping to achieve?

For both SBS owners I recommended that we install the Spambayes plugin for Outlook (free from spambayes.org) which, once taught what the user considers to be spam, takes care of most of the rest automatically, without fuss. I presume you might well use Outlook so have you tried Spambayes? It won't eliminate the IMF housekeeping, however it occurs to me it must be possible to set up an automatic clearance task for that folder, if you are seeing virtually zero false positives there. HTH?

Thanks for that Gadge. IMF has done a good job at eliminating my spam, but it still lets through the odd mail or two, so I think I can cope with that. I'm not using Outlook, instead I'm using the Outlook Web Access panel provided by Exchange. I don't know whether the spam itself has gone down or what because I don't seem to get anything stuck in the queues.

[DPS Computing]

Originally Posted by flesso

Thanks for that Gadge. IMF has done a good job at eliminating my spam, but it still lets through the odd mail or two, so I think I can cope with that. I'm not using Outlook, instead I'm using the Outlook Web Access panel provided by Exchange. I don't know whether the spam itself has gone down or what because I don't seem to get anything stuck in the queues.

If its only letting a couple through then it sounds like that is the best option - no spam filter is perfect and every filter lets some through from time to time.

[helloworld]

Hello,
I'd recommend the following:

1) Install MailWasher free on your computer. When a spam email comes in, you can ask MailWasher to "bounce" it back to the spammer, so it looks like it wasn't sent to a valid address, so hopefully the spammer would take it off the list. (It also allows you to blacklist addresses etc.)

2) Secondly, if you publish your email address on your website, then use a javascript script that cloaks your email address from bots crawling the web for email addresses.

Here is an example:

<script language=javascript>
var email = "user"
var domain = "domain"
document.write ("<a href=\"" + "mail" + "to:" + email + "@" + domain+ "\">" + email + "@" + domain + "</a>")
</script>

helloworld

[DPS Computing]

Mailwasher always used to be paid for in the past - wasn't aware there was a free version now available. And thanks for the JavaScript - seems like the pretty standard one that is recommended to be used normally.