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virus

New virus – what took them so long?

There is a new virus going around that pretends to be a postcard from a friend, family member, schoolmate, etc. Within the email are links to where you can download the "postcard."

In reality you will not be getting a postcard, you will be getting a virus. How sneaky.

While this method of spreading viruses usually doesn’t work well because the host site is taken down quickly, I thought this one was worth commenting on not because of the nastiness of the virus or the way it spreads.

How much would you pay for a “simple” computer?

This will be our poll question in the newsletter tomorrow, but I wanted to give you time to consider the question.

Like Rick, I am constantly on a mission to make computers easier to use. I don't believe it is necessary to upgrade computers every few years if the system you are using now is working well.

I hate (strong word, but accurate) the direction Microsoft has taken with Windows. Most people never use all of the bells and whistles in Windows.

So, here is my question. If there were a computer that would do email, Internet, basic digital photography, document creation and standard games like solitaire, how much would you pay for it.

I’m sure it’s something simple…

Several times each week I will receive messages with the phrase, "I'm sure it's something simple…" What is ironic is that these are usually the calls with problems that are the farthest from simple.

I was thinking about this last week as someone left a message that said something like, "Hi I was given your name by a friend who said you might be able to help me. I have a computer that is shutting itself off every time I drag a heart over a club in solitaire and my antivirus software keeps telling me that it can't find my sound card. I am sure it's something simple that you can walk me though over the phone. Oh, ya! It also keeps giving me errors that say something about catastrophic failure and immanent death. Of course I exaggerated the details, but only slightly.

STOP BUYING NORTON PRODUCTS!!

We write a lot about this subject because we continue to see friends and family members trying to help their parents, neighbors, siblings, etc with their computer security by buying Norton security products. We have proved over and over that Norton products don't protect as well as our current recommendations of AVG or Avast Antivirus, plus they slow down computer systems tremendously and in some cases lock them up so they aren't usable.

So, PLEASE do not buy Norton products for yourself and help your tech buddies and families by recommending that they not pollute their systems with these inferior products either. 

Spyblocker: My first nasty Vista spyware and repair success story

I am writing this from a client's house. Typically I wouldn't work on the site while I am on the clock but since I have to sit and wait for they repair scan to finish, I might as well tell you why I'm here.

It all began with a call this morning. My client said that she could move her mouse but it wouldn't let her click on anything. Luckily I had time available to see her in the afternoon.

When I got here I took the computer into safe mode where I discovered two strange things.

1. A windows kept popping up telling me that Windows Explorer had a problem and needed to be restarted. Followed immediately by a window that said that the problem couldn't be repaired. Or vice versa. I don't remember which order the windows were coming up.

Properly Uninstall Norton Products

How to get rid of Norton Antivirus:

1. Go to Start – Control Panel (Start – Settings – Control Panel)
2. Open Add/Remove Programs
3. Now you will want to remove the following items:

  • Anything that says "Norton" or "Symantec" in the title.

  • LiveUpdate

  • LiveReg

4. Restart your computer when prompte

512mb is not enough

512mb of RAM is not enough for Windows Vista…any flavor. Vista has been out almost three months now, and I have setup almost a dozen Vista machines. Thankfully, they are rolling out slowly. All the machines I setup, until today, came with 1 GB (1024mb) or 2GB of RAM. And although not blazing, the computer's ran at an acceptable speed.

I just finished spending nearly 2.5 hours setting up a laptop with Vista Basic and only 512mb of RAM. It was painful. Normally, I can clean all unwanted and trial software (crapware) from a new computer, install and update AVG Antivirus, optimize the startup and Internet settings, shut off unnecessary special effects, setup email and test both email and the Internet all in under 1.5 hours. This little laptop required extraordinary wait times to get anything installed or uninstalled. Very frustrating.

Is this a test?

Today I had an appointment that spanned almost every area of what I do on a daily basis. The appointment lasted roughly three hours.

In that time I…

Helped setup a new iMac. She is making the switch from Windows and wanted some of the features that she was used to in her PC. I set her computer to ask for her password whenever it was turned on or came out of sleep mode so her kids couldn't get online without her permission. I also setup a gmail account and a POP3 email program that worked like Outlook Express.

  • Consulted her on ways of getting better range from her wireless network.
  • Tuned up her kids' computer and removed lots of

Stick with HelpMeRick’s trusted security software

Some days I seem to face recurring themes. Today's was extortionware. Extortion is when someone forces you into paying money to solve a problem that the person or institution requiring payment caused. If that doesn't make a lot of sense, ask Rick to explain how his "If you want to keep your kneecaps – go get nachos for us," program works during the show on Saturday.

We have spelled out our proven method of home computer security countless times here on HelpMeRick, but just as a reminder here it is again in brief:

1. Don't use Internet Explorer to surf the web unless you have to

Two guys can’t do it alone

I visited a new customer today that set the record for the most viruses and spyware on a single system. The computer had no anti-virus program of any sort on it, no anti-spyware system, was running the first version of XP, and on dial-up. Needless to say, the computer was hosed and it took more than six hours to clean-up (between what I did in two hours, and the four hours I let the user take care of in secondary scans and cleanup). 

The customer made a comment that I hear often in this situation, "This kind of thing makes work for you, huh?." My standard answer, "Yes, but it is the worst part of my job. Why? Because this is so preventable."