With all the crud going around I felt this article is something we all should read...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ttpcworld/20031029/tc_techtues_pcworld/113175&cid=1740&ncid=1729

Thanks, usefull info.

Thanketh Dennis :D

That's a great article Dennis, thanks graemlins/thumbsup.gif


Dan B tongue.gif

Great article!! I try to follow-up all the things they write... Sometimes even that is not enough :(

Lucky for me I know how to resolve these 'issues'.....: Go to the famous black screen on your computer and forma..... well, you probably know the drill.

Thank You graemlins/hurray.gif

Thank You Sir graemlins/beers.gif

I see the light. I see THE LIGHT!!!
graemlins/hurray.gif

I mailed it out to some pals. Thanks for the article Dennis.

I've been hit by more than my share of these nasties lately and I'm fuming MAD! I've got a couple of questions. It seems like these virus's are becoming more and more prevalent and as a result, there's a growing industry in Internet Security and such.

I don't know much about exactly how the internet works, but why don't ISPs have software in place that can filter all this junk out? I mean, if it can be done at the PC level, why can't it be done at a higher level? Doesn't all this stuff have to pass into and out of bandwidth that you purchase from ISPs?

Is it possible that software companies and ISP's only focus on putting band-aids on these problems rather than stopping them because that's the only way money is to be made? I'm not saying they might be behind the virus's as some conspiracy theorists say, but that they might just look away from where the problem starts and address it where it ends.

If an ISP started up that filtered all incoming and outgoing traffic thru the same type of anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-spyware, and firewall software that we buy for 30,40,50 bucks a pop, and then have to update...they'd be pretty popular.

Maybe I'm just dreaming, but there's got to be a better way.

You have right to be mad... It's an invasion of your privite property is how I see it...

The law is cracking down on the cyber bad guys, read this...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1093&e=2&u=/pcworld/20031106/tc_pcworld/113321

I found this one interesting too...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1093&e=1&u=/pcworld/20031106/tc_pcworld/113322

Dennis,

I read the 2nd article too. Sadly enough you cannot buy a car these days without A/C. But there are somepeople who are fussing about the right to have a choice over their own safety?!

Only in America.....

Many may not know it... but before PC's are shipped, they ARE loaded with patches, features, and other elements that make them safer.

And as soon as you fire a new PC up(200 and above) It automatically accepts, and installs the updates.

Beleive me, there aint no way around it... one way or another... we are GONNA be paying for antivirus protection...

Interesting:

"Is it time for the federal government to develop some kind of Internet security agency that would develop standards for all legitimate software, require automatic update and patching, and establish a base level for every single computer in the country?"

Why not the government, afterall, they started the Internet.

A friend likes the backup hard drive called a raid drive. With the way hard drives here like to go bad on me I can't see the use. I'd be buying two hard drives a year. No sense in pumping more money in.

Great message DjD. I have been lucky with virus's for the most part, but got whacked by something I couldn't find just about 6 weeks ago. Everything grinded to a halt and things took forever to load. My old nickname was Mr. FDISK as I used to reformat whenever I would F*** things up, and when I was first learning to interogate the PC, that was often. I will say this much, it sure is a whole lot easier to Refomat with XP Pro than anything I have ever used in the past. Was simple as pie. Keep up the great links.

This is a good thing!

I use a Windows machine at work and hate the constant updates and reboots I have to do to keep up. They are however well worthwhile.

At home I use Linux only (SuSe 9) There has only been one virus ever on that OS and that was on an old version and didn't effect most systems.

Admittedly though I am a bit of a computer geek. I don't think everyone should move away from Windows just yet.

Regards,

Just wanted to add a couple links to some helpful utilities that will clean up the messes that those Internet Nasties create......

Instructions for cleaning and disinfecting (Security Tango) (http://securitytango.com/tango.php)

HijackThis - Kill the browser hijackers! (http://www.spychecker.com/program/hijackthis.html)

When Joe gave me that Hijack program to try on a problem here, after using 4 other spybot type things I figured just another dead end BUT NO that one really worked and cleaned up the problem I had that 4 others didnt touch. Thanks Joe.
graemlins/thumbsup.gif

though im just a 19 year old lurking the forums, i've been doing IT for 6 years, all you guys need to know, is

1) when/if looking at porn on the net, DONT CLICK YES ON ANYTHING

2) get broadband, and put up a router, even if you're the only system behind the router!

3) set windows to do automatic updates at 3:00am, this way you dont have to remember, and it doesnt interefer with your internet addictions smile.gif

following those three things, i havent turned my computer off ( except twice for hardware upgrades ) since christmas 2002