  DaveDudeNo Fear
join:1999-09-01
New Jersey
kudos:1 | tell me about it On saturday and friend had a party and asked if i could look at his machine 870 spyware 44 viruses, no window updates. He called and thanked me again this morning. | |
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 | | | Re: tell me about it I just did a few windows updates, and now my computer keeps locking up at random times, i'm thinking of reformating my harddrive and doing a fresh install of everything. Windows updates arnt always that great. | |
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| |  mrchrisOut and aroundPremium
join:2002-10-01
North Babylon, NY | Re: tell me about it Try running a spyware and virus scans. | |
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| |  japPremium
join:2003-08-10
038xx | Megladon, I echo MrChris' response. All the MS errors I've seen were for one of two reasons: pre-existing system infection or corruption OR failed installation via windows update - not because the patches themselves were bad. That's not to say patch compatibility issues don't occur just that the vast majority of patch failures get blamed on the patch when in fact it was delivery method or a flaw in the system it was applied to. As a second-tier tech who managed 200 public & quasi-public systems I've responded to hundreds of patch failures.
Mostly the pros DO NOT use windows update: the offline version of the patch is downloaded to the local network and applied from there. Despite improvements to the windows update site it still is second-rate: unless you are on dial-up it's always better to use the offline packages. Before you do a rebuild (unless you are due for one anyway) you might wanna download the offlines, un-install the recent patches that destabilized your system, clean the system, then re-apply the patches from the offline source.
G'luck! | |
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| | | | | Re: tell me about it said by jap:
Megladon, I echo MrChris' response. All the MS errors I've seen were for one of two reasons: pre-existing system infection or corruption OR failed installation via windows update - not because the patches themselves were bad. That's not to say patch compatibility issues don't occur just that the vast majority of patch failures get blamed on the patch when in fact it was delivery method or a flaw in the system it was applied to. As a second-tier tech who managed 200 public & quasi-public systems I've responded to hundreds of patch failures.
Mostly the pros DO NOT use windows update: the offline version of the patch is downloaded to the local network and applied from there. Despite improvements to the windows update site it still is second-rate: unless you are on dial-up it's always better to use the offline packages. Before you do a rebuild (unless you are due for one anyway) you might wanna download the offlines, un-install the recent patches that destabilized your system, clean the system, then re-apply the patches from the offline source.
G'luck!
order a FREE security fix CD from MS. | |
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| | | | japPremium
join:2003-08-10
038xx | Re: tell me about it Easier for me to download, but whatever works! | |
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| |  museheartPremium
join:2002-08-11
Hazel Green, AL | Ever since I did the last Windows update, my computer has been slow and yes, at times restarts itself. | |
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| |
 C0deZer0Oc'D To Rhythm And PolicePremium
join:2001-10-03
Davenport, FL | All too true. At first, I used to wonder why Microsoft implemented that one feature for automatic updates on Windows XP.
With just looking at my brother's home computer, I had to look no further. He hardly updated Spybot: S&D at all, let alone ran it since I left...
Almost gets to the point that when I head down to check over his computer, I have to reload the OS and start from scratch, because - as he puts it - it gets very slow over time. 
--
VIA sux 3K club GameCube online | |
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| DaemonPremium
join:2003-06-29
San Francisco, CA Reviews:
 ·Comcast
| Re: All too true. We are like the gifted sages, walking earth to protect the weak from the domination of spyware.
I too, have fixed many computers with just a few simple programs. It's satisfying to anniliahte that stuff. Also, there are programs you can run now that will prevent spyware from getting reinstalled. I suggest you run them on your friend's computers so you don't have to return as often.
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-Ryan
Find me in the networking and Microsoft help forums | |
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| | C0deZer0Oc'D To Rhythm And PolicePremium
join:2001-10-03
Davenport, FL | Re: All too true. said by Daemon:
Also, there are programs you can run now that will prevent spyware from getting reinstalled. I suggest you run them on your friend's computers so you don't have to return as often.
Is there something like that that can be set on a specific schedule? Like once a day/week?
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VIA sux 3K club GameCube online | |
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| | | DaemonPremium
join:2003-06-29
San Francisco, CA Reviews:
·Comcast
| Re: All too true. you have your choice of methods. Some run via a .reg file that sets the kill bit of spyware and puts the sites that offer it in the restricted zone, or you have the more comprehensive approach of a scanner that sits resident in memory and activly fights installation of those programs. I like IE-SpyAD and SpywareBlaster
Now that I think about it, the .reg files are available naked off of the net and they are updated regularlly. It would be a simple matter to write a little program that fetches the .reg and executes it to merge it into the registry. Then, all you'd have to do it set the program up as a scheduled task and it would run on it's own. None of them have a sophisticated auto-updater like the better AV programs do.
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-Ryan
Find me in the networking and Microsoft help forums | |
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| |  rjacksonPremium,Mod
join:2002-04-02
Ringgold, GA
kudos:1
SMC Networks
VOIP Tech Chat
ViaTalk
Teleblend
Vonage
| said by Daemon:
We are like the gifted sages, walking earth to protect the weak from the domination of spyware.
No kidding. You'd think after cleaning up some spyware and installing a few Windows updates that we're like these world famous surgeons or something performing life-saving operations. I wish I got paid like that anyways.
said by Daemon:
I too, have fixed many computers with just a few simple programs. It's satisfying to anniliahte that stuff. Also, there are programs you can run now that will prevent spyware from getting reinstalled. I suggest you run them on your friend's computers so you don't have to return as often.
I keep Spybot, AVG, and a few other apps on a keychain drive because I use them so much. I work at an ISP and in the call center we frequently take in troubled computers from users who can't get them to work right. 99% of the time it's just spyware/virus related. | |
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| | | i know, it's just like the gas guage in your vehicle. if it shows empty i guess you better stop & fill it up. When Microsoft sends out their Windows Critical Update Notifications then yup, install it NOW! If not then we call this a simple case of self-infliction. Some people like stress just so they can bitch about something because they obviously are not computer literate. | |
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 MEDIAN2k3LocalhostPremium
join:2002-12-04
Bronx, NY
kudos:1 |  FDISK + FORMAT = Brand New PC!
all i gotta say | |
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| | | Re: FDISK + FORMAT = Brand New PC! what does the "/y" do in "format c: /y"?
sorry.. I've just never formatted a PC without the aid of a restoration CD or Windows CD. | |
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| | | | Re: FDISK + FORMAT = Brand New PC! I believe it simply enters "Yes" on the question that follows ("Are you sure you want to format c:?") and starts the format immediately. | |
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| | Nowyn
join:2004-05-02
Tallahassee, FL | /y most likely means later on when it asks you if you want to format c: or not that will mean yes, most of the time I dont worry about command lines with that sort of thing, I just type Y later on. | |
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| Noodlin
join:2003-07-11
Monterey Park, CA |
Ever tired Format c: /s/u (/subsystem/unconditional)? | |
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| | | | Re: FDISK + FORMAT = Brand New PC! said by Noodlin:
Ever tired Format c: /s/u (/subsystem/unconditional)?
good old dos/win9x format:
/s - make the newly formatted drive boot-able (obsoleted since WinME)
/u - unconditional
/q - quick
/y - answer "Yes" to all questions
/t:tracks - specify how many tracks per side
/n:sectors - specify how many sectors per track
/v:label - specify disk label | |
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| | I don't entirely blame users I don't entirely blame users for their predicament.
Microsoft enables lots of features that are inherently insecure (although admittedly they've been getting better at NOT doing this) and leaves them open.
Spyware/virus authors have been getting extremely sophisticated in their methods of installing and keeping spyware on your machine. One piece of spyware I've come across (clientman) took great pains to disguise itself, by littering it's DLL's all over your disk, then randomly re-naming them. Couple that with a memory resident program AND a BHO to keep itself installed. Neither the latest versions of Spybot S&D nor Ad-Aware could have removed this pest. I had to manually go into the system and hunt for all the littered pieces to get rid of it. | |
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| | | Re: I don't entirely blame users Here's one I also like to use: | |
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| | | | Re: I don't entirely blame users Here's what I use:
»mozilla.org | |
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| | |  TomekPremium
join:2002-01-30
Valley Stream, NY | Re: I don't entirely blame users said by verolom:
Here's what I use:
»mozilla.org
Best solution.
No automatic installs or worthless stuff and no strange activex and plus integrated pop-out blocker and cookie/image handling.
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Resistance is Futile | |
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| | | | Not really the fault of the average user. The average user doesn't even know what a cookie is. If computers are to be marketed to the masses, they should at least have the defaults a little more secure.
Also, cookies are one part of the story. What is a user going to do against the MS vulnerabilities discovered every other week? This is the other part of the problem. | |
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 Happyrat6Google Is Your Best FriendPremium
join:2002-07-01
Disneyland |  I'm the B*st*rd Sysadmin From Hell,,,
As for me, I don't even run windows at all anymore. It's only a matter of time before I get totally fed up and install linux on their pcs as well...
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Windows is the disease... Linux is the cure...»www.fuzzyrat.com | |
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| TomekPremium
join:2002-01-30
Valley Stream, NY | Re: I'm the B*st*rd Sysadmin From Hell,,, I think that's what I'll start doing. Washing my hands or installing linux or simply charging for work.
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Resistance is Futile | |
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| | | | Re: I'm the B*st*rd Sysadmin From Hell,,, Same here. I can't count on both my hands how many times I've found over 300 pieces of spyware on my 11-year-old nephew's computer. I keep telling him to not download and install random stuff from the 'net if he doesn't know what it is... does he listen to me? No. So I've washed my hands of his system... I told him if he wants to act like he knows what he's doing with the computer, he can fix it himself. | |
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|  woody7Premium
join:2000-10-13
Torrance, CA | same here.... I fix all my friends (just once) and I don't charge for the firsttime, I just say I drink Starbucks and they get the idea....never have to buy coffee anymore...I show them/explain the importance of updating etc., and tell them next time the meter runs...they get the point and it works.....
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BlooMe | |
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| | | quote:
As for me, I don't even run windows at all anymore. It's only a matter of time before I get totally fed up and install linux on their pcs as well...
Just make sure their linux is securely configured and patched as well. Many people think the cure to windows security vulnerabilities is an alternative OS, but they fail to realize that security is a habit and lifestyle change as well. | |
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| | What a coincidence What a weird coincidence! I have never been asked to help anyone with tech support until today, about half an hour ago. I spent and hour on the phone with a friend and connected to his computer using remote desktop connection. His computer would frequently stall and restart, starting yesterday. At first I thought this was the Sasser worm, but av scans using online scanners (trend micro, norton, mcafee, etc) as well as his offline scanner (NAV) returned no infected results. A scan using ad-aware (which he donwloaded previously and never used. I guess he thought having it installed would be enough) returned about 550 cases of spyware, at which point ad-aware would stall. Spybot Search & Destroy wouldn't even run. He had about 5 popup "blockers" installed, and just about every other malware in existence. He actually told me he was buying a new computer because his old one was so slow. I tried to tell him that his new computer would be just as slow once he had been careless with it for a while. I recommended that he reformat his computer and reinstall Windows but he called me a idiot with too much time when I told him I reformatted etc. my own PC once a year just for housekeeping. He wanted me to try to salvage his PC while he left to eat dinner. I quit remote desktop and hung up the phone. | |
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 JohnnyPremium
join:2001-06-27
Atlanta, GA
kudos:1 | Unbelievable Why you guys put up with this shit.
Microsoft found the secret to getting their OS into all corporations - IT recommends the systems, and of course they are going to recommend the one that keeps them with huge staffs "working" at removing all this junk. So bingo - huge IT staffs, IT boss gets a lot of control and power, and Microsoft sells even more upgrades. Brillliant. | |
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See 6 replies to this post |
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 xdeadhead220, 221, Whatever It Takes.Premium
join:2000-11-08
Mechanicsburg, PA
 ·Verizon FiOS
·Comcast
4 edits | give a man a fish.... and he eats for a day. teach him to fish and ...aw fudgeit, upon reflection i choose not to continue. if people had learned to fish by now, this website wouldnt be needed. personally im glad i found this place when i did...made me a much more informed user and able to better assist others. too bad not everyone "gets it." i had to stop helping friends and family when it was clear they wouldnt learn what was needed to maintain a healthy system. dont get me wrong, i obviously know there is waaayyyy more to this website than just helpful "how to" and "what-not-to-do" sections. i have been giving clueless customers this web addy for over 3 yrs now. as a verizon tech, i am often asked to do more than my job allows. if they (vz) wouldnt fire me at the drop of a hat for going above what they say i can do, id do more, but as it stands, i consider giving someone this web addy the best tool i can think of for troubleshooting their computer issues (once i verify the connection to the internet is up and constant, of course.) | |
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|  ArchAngel21xWaiting For iPhone 5Premium
join:2001-10-28
Lincoln, NE
 ·Internet Nebraska
| Re: give a man a fish.... I think you are on the right track. The problem is many people out there want to treat their computer like a TV. They simply want to turn it on and have it work. The thought of taking time to maintain their computer revolts them, and the excuses come flooding in.
Oh I am too old to learn this,
I am not a computer geek,
I don't have time for this,
You're being paranoid,
It's too complicated,
*sigh*
--
I will reduce the government by dissolving the senate & house of representatives. With my new powers, I will protect America against terror and make this country great. Trust me. | |
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1 edit | Re: give a man a fish.... said by ArchAngel21x:
The problem is many people out there want to treat their computer like a TV. They simply want to turn it on and have it work.
You're 100% right. So why doesn't someone make a computer that you can treat like a TV? Many people have fairly simple needs: surf the web, send email, a little word processing, and maybe some games, music, graphics, or photo albums. I don't see why someone couldn't design a very safe computer with those capabilities.
I think a significant fraction of home users would find such computers very attractive.
It's not entirely fair to blame these users for security problems. The fact is, the computer industry hasn't produced products that meet their needs. | |
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| | | ArchAngel21xWaiting For iPhone 5Premium
join:2001-10-28
Lincoln, NE Reviews:
·Internet Nebraska
| Re: give a man a fish.... said by SanJoseNerd:
said by ArchAngel21x:
The problem is many people out there want to treat their computer like a TV.
You're 100% right. So why doesn't someone make a computer that you can treat like a TV? Many people have fairly simple needs: surf the web, send email, a little word processing, and maybe some games, music, graphics, or photo albums. I don't see why someone couldn't design a very safe computer with those capabilities.
It's not entirely fair to blame these users. The fact is, the computer industry hasn't produced products that meet their needs.
That is what Lindows/Linspire is trying to do.
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I will reduce the government by dissolving the senate & house of representatives. With my new powers, I will protect America against terror and make this country great. Trust me. | |
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| |  ThalerPremium
join:2004-02-02
Los Angeles, CA
kudos:3
·DSL EXTREME
| "The problem is many people out there want to treat their computer like a TV."
There's your problem...explain to them that their PC is like a car...it needs to be run correctly and matinance every so often.
---------------------------------------------------------
Would you fill up your car's gas tank with water and then complain that it's not running properly? (even though gas and water KIND OF look the same)
Same with a PC. You install ad/spy/junkware, and it begins to run like crap...users of computers need to be aware of this when they use it.
When you hear bangs, knocks, maybe even an explosion from your car...and then not give it a once-over, but rather drive that baby into the ground?
Again, same with a PC. When you start experiencing bou-cou pop ups, slow run times, and more offers for viagra than you could use in a lifetime...it's time to acknowledge that something is "fishy" with your PC. Start runnin' the antivirus / spyware remover, and check it out.
If your computer users can't handle this...threaten them with takin' the PC away and gettin' them a WebTV or something...lol! All that thing could do was browse the web, and e-mail...that's it.
...granted, it's expandibilty was craptacular. No flash, no avaliable install applications...all it did was browse the web and e-mail. If your family wants a computer "that's like a TV" and get one of these things, then they're also stuck with the fact that it is un-adaptable, unchangable...just like a TV. | |
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| | | Re: Ms patch fubar (win 2000 users read) 6 issues! I applied this on my W2K weeks ago, no problems. I read the issue at »support.microsoft.com/default.as···d=841382
which only applies if you have the Nortel Networks VPN client installed and are running IPSec. If that's you, there's even a hotfix. It looks like a driver issue. Considering how many various W2K's there are in this world, and how much software is out there, it's amazing how well fixes actually work. | |
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| | ... What gets me is these people never update ANYTHING. There may be a screen nagging them to install an update, but they just click cancel. Every time they start their computer. "oh thats something that pops up every time i start...But i ignore it." Then when i scan, they have over 50 viruses and over 1000 instances of spyware. And when they ask how i know how to do all these things, I roll my eyes and say, "cause everybody does the same exact thing."
I mean, How hard is it to let Windows Automatically update every friday? or have Anti Virus update definitions automatically and scan once a week? Or even once a month...
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-Jeff | |
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| Happyrat6Google Is Your Best FriendPremium
join:2002-07-01
Disneyland | Re: ... It IS hard to schedule updates and scans for people without a clue who hook to the net via dialup and only turn their machines on for an hour a day or so at random hours to check mail or whatever. That's why I teach people how to do updates and drill it into their skulls that it has to be done EVERYDAY whenever they bootup. It's a kludge I know, but like most good kludges it works 
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Windows is the disease... Linux is the cure...»www.fuzzyrat.com | |
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| | | | Re: ... Well, when they are on a university connection with their computer on all day.......
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-Jeff | |
|
Reviews:
·Comcast
 ·Comcast Digital ..
| The reason I don't tell people I can fix computers As soon as I tell people I am a computer support professional, the barrage of questions start coming out of them.
I met one guy for the first time at a job networking event and as soon as I told him what my background is, he went into a problem about Hotmail not working with his Outlook Express.
Same for family members. I don't mind helping family but sometimes, they can overuse the privilege.
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Find out Why The World Laughs at George "Dumbya" Bush and those who stand behind him" now. | |
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 TechieZeroTools Are Using MePremium
join:2002-01-25
Gibsonton, FL | Everytime I Visit... ...my Wife's uncle. Spyware in the thousands. Amazingly no virues discovered yet. There was also one piece of spyware that constantly loaded a default ad searchpage every time you used IE sure was annoying. | |
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 rstrandbCrazy like a foxPremium
join:2003-04-17
Albany, GA | Don't Even Start If you think you see horror stories from family and friends, try tech support for a living, that's and everyday occurrence.
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What....me worry? | |
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