computer virus

[Minno]

Ok, remember when I said I'm not a PC expert?

If you have XP, I'm pretty lost on how to create the restore disks. But, I did a search and found this article seems to be very useful:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2325399,00.asp

I have Vista on an HP desktop and laptop. On both of my computers, if you click on the Start menu button in the lower right hand screen, then click on "Help and Support" I get a pop-up window. Mine has an HP logo on it, so other manufactures may be way different. On the pop-up window, there's a "Recovery Factory Setting" item. I click on that, and the next window has a "Create Recovery Disks" item. Clicking on that starts the wizard to make the recovery disk. It took 3 DVDs.

Hopefully that helps. If you have a Dell, IBM, or some other brand of PC, the method to create a recovery disk may be different. Do a search in your Help & Support screen, or do a Google search for recovery disks or restore disks. That's how I found the PC mag article above.

Chris

[Barry Parkof]

Chris / Minno,
Thanks for all the info. I am going to save it for future reference. I appreciate your efforts to try to educate us all. btw, I picked up my desk top from the repair place and all seems to be OK
Barry

[myoung]

Reading thru this thread prompts me to consider how many hours Windows users devote to the struggle to keep their computers reasonably free of malware and operating at above a snail's pace. As much as it might seem heretical, please, please consider an Apple computer when you finally decide that a replacement is due. Once you go Mac, you'll never go back.

Stop the pain and learn to enjoy the benefits of computing. If we all had to be mechanics for our cars and trucks, how many would bother to purchase one that demanded hours and hours of repair. As products mature, shouldn't you expect them to become more reliable. The car we drive now is infinitely more reliable than my 1948 Plymouth. Computers should not be immune from this logic (pun intended).

[GR8DANE]

Just got my computer back ($200 later) and lost all my Airstream picture documentation along with everything else. Learned a hard lesson about backing things up (and I'm not talking about trailers)!

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by myoung

Reading thru this thread prompts me to consider how many hours Windows users devote to the struggle to keep their computers reasonably free of malware and operating at above a snail's pace. As much as it might seem heretical, please, please consider an Apple computer when you finally decide that a replacement is due. Once you go Mac, you'll never go back.

Stop the pain and learn to enjoy the benefits of computing. If we all had to be mechanics for our cars and trucks, how many would bother to purchase one that demanded hours and hours of repair. As products mature, shouldn't you expect them to become more reliable. The car we drive now is infinitely more reliable than my 1948 Plymouth. Computers should not be immune from this logic (pun intended).

My trusty G4 bit the dust a couple of months ago, and I wound up getting a "British sportscar of computers" to replace it (aka Windoze). There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss my Mac.
Oh, and for all those that want to go get a replacement PC, because Apple doesn't run most programs you have on your old PC... Vista doesn't run many of them, and Vista 64 runs even less. My wife's laptop has XP, and we have a stack of almost a hundred PC programs that run on it, but will not run on my new one.
I could go on about my dislike for the offerings from Redmond, but I don't want to turn this thread into a Windows-bashing thread.

[Minnie's Mate]

If we all had MAC's, don't you think the virus folks would turn their attention to their operating systems like they have Windows? The only reason they target PC's instead of MAC's is because they get more bang for their effort. If MAC's out numbered PC's the shoe would be on the other foot. MAC's aren't virus proof, they just haven't been worth the hacker's efforts, so far.

I have a PC because it allows more flexibility than MAC's do. While MAC's do specialize in graphic arts performance, they do lack the ability for consumer customization. Unfortunately, that is how viruses get into PC's.

[myoung]

Originally Posted by Minnie's Mate

If we all had MAC's, don't you think the virus folks would turn their attention to their operating systems like they have Windows? The only reason they target PC's instead of MAC's is because they get more bang for their effort. If MAC's out numbered PC's the shoe would be on the other foot. MAC's aren't virus proof, they just haven't been worth the hacker's efforts, so far.

I have a PC because it allows more flexibility than MAC's do. While MAC's do specialize in graphic arts performance, they do lack the ability for consumer customization. Unfortunately, that is how viruses get into PC's.

This argument of "security by obscurity" has been thoroughly debunked. Scanning the Web you will find the real reasons that the Mac OS is superior to DOS/Windows vis a vis viruses, trojans, worms, etc. The design choices made by the folks in Redmond and Cupertino are critical to the security/insecurity that we see at the consumer level.

Think for a moment like a teenage hacker looking for notoriety. Wouldn't it be way cool to crack the Mac rather than create just another simple hack of arguably the most porous operating system ever? You get more kudos for cracking the uncrackable than for writing malicious scripts that any reasonably savvy third-grader can construct.

[mountainman1]

Not sure if you got rid of the malware yet but here you go Barry. Malwarebytes.org My friend had the same issue and I found this malmare removal program that is absolutly free of charge. If you install it and run it everything should be ok.

[SaabLover]

I have been getting these emails for ever. I never open them as I would never open any email with a received on date that was so far off. Many times these emails are trying to sell me Viagra. Or other such meds. Sometimes 2 or 3 day. They always end up in the Spam folder. Easy to delete all at once. Anyone else getting these? I have not had any malware from these that I know of. But I do a sweep with my "Ad-Aware" program every other day just to make me feel good.



Edgardo@Yahoo.com Can't find high-quality medications? Mon, 1/18/38 2K

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by SaabLover

I have been getting these emails for ever. I never open them as I would never open any email with a received on date that was so far off. Many times these emails are trying to sell me Viagra. Or other such meds. Sometimes 2 or 3 day. They always end up in the Spam folder. Easy to delete all at once. Anyone else getting these? I have not had any malware from these that I know of. But I do a sweep with my "Ad-Aware" program every other day just to make me feel good.



Edgardo(at)Yahoo.com Can't find high-quality medications? Mon, 1/18/38 2K

There are a few rerasons you could be getting inordinate amount of spam. Your email address is easily "guessed", you post your email address on forums (spambots troll the 'net for email addresses), you may belong to groups that allow public access to members' email addresses, etc.
A way to avoid the 'bots from getting your email, is when you have to post your email address, you can substitute (at) for @ and space the address out so it isn't a link.

[SaabLover]

Originally Posted by overlander63

There are a few rerasons you could be getting inordinate amount of spam. Your email address is easily "guessed", you post your email address on forums (spambots troll the 'net for email addresses), you may belong to groups that allow public access to members' email addresses, etc.
A way to avoid the 'bots from getting your email, is when you have to post your email address, you can substitute (at) for @ and space the address out so it isn't a link.

I do try to stay away for "Questionable Sites", and my "Ad-Aware" program does alert me if the site has a bad history. But I am sure that even some of the better sites can be under attack from the spambots. Thanks for the "at" substitution thing. I will try that the next time I am asked for my email.

[Minnie's Mate]

I get the Viagra ads in my Hotmail account but not in my primary "personal" account that I have with my DSL provider. I think Viagra lands in just about every bodies' email box from time to time. Fortunately, it goes straight to my junk mail box and I don't have to deal with it except when I clean the box out. I figure they have some kind of program that randomly assembles letters to make email addresses.