The Porn Dude
Toronto Escorts

I've Had It With Windows XP Home/Trojan Edition

Vancouver Femme Fatale

Multihour Specialist
Apr 25, 2005
716
0
0
Vancouver
www.ironicalamour.com
I'm going to try and partition my hard drive so I can dual boot Win XP Home and Ubuntu 5.10. Then, as soon as possible, I'm getting the hell out of Hotel Microsoftia.

Getting nailed with this 3rd/no fix variant of Spyware Strike is it. I've had it with Windows OS, and it was about time I started learning more about systems and computers anyways. And stopped downloading midget tentacle donkey porn. :cool:
 

The Lurker

All grown up. :O
Sep 7, 2005
1,982
0
0
Ah haha. Welcome to the world of Linux! Still I prefer MacOS as the total package is better. Mac's only issue is their browsers are slower. Love my powerBook though.
 

Vancouver Femme Fatale

Multihour Specialist
Apr 25, 2005
716
0
0
Vancouver
www.ironicalamour.com
Right now I'm trying to send all my music files out into cyberspace via ye olde lifepod to Streamload, but the goddamn Spyware Strike has slowed my system to the point that uploading is exceptionally tedious.
 

SilentLeviathan

I am better than you.
Oct 30, 2002
909
0
16
Do you have any anti-spyware software installed? If you do you keep it updated? Do you keep your antivirus program updated? Do you have SP2 installed? Do you keep Windows updated? I've been running Windows for years (since the days of 2.03) and have never had a virus or spyware. It's really not that hard.
 
SilentLeviathan said:
I've been running Windows for years (since the days of 2.03) and have never had a virus or spyware. It's really not that hard.
My business has been running Macs in it's creative end for about 10 years (i.e. pretty much Mac day 1) while we ran Unix in the office. Over the years, the office stuff moved to 2000 server and XP Pro workstations.

As much as I still love the Macs, I have come to acknowledge that Windows is actually a pretty good package. But due to it's popularity, Windows is THE target for virus authors. Our anti-virus software updates several times each day (E-Scan Pro) and we have never had a problem (knock on wood), but the anti-virus updating is absolutely critical. We receive many files as attachments everyday, and lots of virus' have been stopped, wherwas on the Macs, they are rarely seen... I can't remember the last time we stopped a Mac-attack.

On the other hand, Macs are so sweet looking they are hard to resist. But the wholesale condemnation of Windows, probably isn't justified IMHO...
 

Cobster

New member
Apr 29, 2002
10,422
0
0
Can't blame anyone but yourself.
You must have installed some funky ass program where you didn't read the EULA and it installed that spyware on your computer.
Or, you opened an email attachment or downloaded something.
How can you blame an operating system for not blocking or getting rid of a spyware trojan?
As much as I'm not a big fan of Windows or Bill Gates (I'm just in awe of how much power this guy has).
I can help you out with the spyware if you want.
Lemme know...:cool:
 

Vancouver Femme Fatale

Multihour Specialist
Apr 25, 2005
716
0
0
Vancouver
www.ironicalamour.com
Do you have any anti-spyware software installed? If you do you keep it updated? Do you keep your antivirus program updated? Do you have SP2 installed? Do you keep Windows updated? I've been running Windows for years (since the days of 2.03) and have never had a virus or spyware. It's really not that hard.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, have a cookie, and no kidding. C'mon...did you think someone starting a query with "I'm going to try and partition my hard drive so I can dual boot Win XP Home and Ubuntu 5.10." had never heard of anti-spyware and antivirus apps, let alone updating and SP2? I've even heard of Firefox 1.5...:cool:

However, since my source of income revolves around opening emails that, by their nature, are from strangers, it's inevitable that I'm going to get hit once and awhile. In fact, if I didn't run WinPatrol, AntiVir, Ad-aware, Spybot - Search and Destroy, CookieWall, Trend Micro and PC Pitstop scans, Free Surfer mk II, and avoid IE and Outlook like the plague, I'd have even more annoyances to deal with. Having now added Microsoft AntiSpyware and Prevx1, maybe Windows will be safe to run for a week or so...until the next batch of Windows-specific malicious crap comes down the pike.

I can blame nodody but myself, true; however I can just as logically blame myself for using an OS specifically targeted by the vast majority of viruses when there are less-targeted alternatives, no?
 

Berlin

New member
Jan 31, 2003
11,411
1
0
I hope nothing happened to your files today. Is your system clear of that virus after all ?
 

Vancouver Femme Fatale

Multihour Specialist
Apr 25, 2005
716
0
0
Vancouver
www.ironicalamour.com
I'm thinking Prevx1 *may* have taken it out; however it's still seems a bit sluggish, so I'm going to bash around a bit today and get a little more speed going on. It got nothing but positive black-checkered flags on PC Pitstop, so whatever it is is pretty subtle.

About time for a general purge anyways; it's been scanned for defrag but apparently doesn't need it, so I'll get rid of stuff I'm not really using.
 

basketcase

Well-known member
Dec 29, 2005
59,732
6,289
113
Buy a cheepy computer and run a linux system for business. If needed, keep a win system for personal use if you are dependent on softaware/game that won't run on linux.(I'm only suggesting this because I've never run two OS's on one computer) Lot's of monitors have two inputs, night as well use them.
 

SilentLeviathan

I am better than you.
Oct 30, 2002
909
0
16
Vancouver Femme Fatale said:
C'mon...did you think someone starting a query with "I'm going to try and partition my hard drive so I can dual boot Win XP Home and Ubuntu 5.10." had never heard of anti-spyware and antivirus apps, let alone updating and SP2?
I work with people like this on a daily basis.

"I'm what they call a power user so I dual boot XP Pro and Redhat" but in the next setence. "I opened some attachment a friend sent me and now my computer is acting weird." Of course they don't need anti-spyware or anti-virsu software since they are a power user.
 

Vancouver Femme Fatale

Multihour Specialist
Apr 25, 2005
716
0
0
Vancouver
www.ironicalamour.com
Glad you clarified; however those people are idiots. I don't make any claim to being a power user; just someone with enough sense to try and be careful, given my business depends on the internet.
 

ggaleazz

New member
Oct 17, 2004
140
0
0
IMHO nobody should even think about plugging a network cable into a computer until it's protected:
Get an anti-virus program, I don't care what brand just find one you like and stick to it and make sure it's up to date
Get a firewall/internet security package, again it doesn't matter what type as long as it's not M$ lame ass basic firewall
Bonus Mcafee (sic) and Norton both have helpfull packages that can do more such as disk clean up, defragmenting etc if you go with them that is
ad-aware/spybot search and destroy should be on there before you run into problems with adware. Both programs can provide overlapping coverage in case the other misses something
hijack this. A bit more power user'ish and I use it only in extreme situations when IE has been hacked
pop up stopper. Believe me it helps alot with those annoying pop ups

If you don't have these (or similar) programs installed then you are asking for trouble. Even then, make sure you scan scan scan, update update update. It's no use having an antivirus program from '99, thousands of new viruses are released everyday. Make sure you know what programs you have installed on your computer and what you're installing, every once in a while take a trip into the add/remove programs of windows and look for anything that doesn't belong. If something has just popped up and you don't know how it got there it might be a problem.

You might call me a power user. I hate M$ and tried dual booting linux and win but found that I was in windows more often than not b/c of games and it was easier to just stay in windows. In the last 10 years I've had maybe 2 serious run ins with viruses/spyware and I think once was just out of my curiosity to see what would happen. Awareness is the cure ppl, your computer needs to be maintained just like your car and your home, don't just expect it to work indefinately without some maintenece now and then
 

Vancouver Femme Fatale

Multihour Specialist
Apr 25, 2005
716
0
0
Vancouver
www.ironicalamour.com
I use my setup for surfing, email, forum reading/posting, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, FTP, LJ, Winamp, and Sonic Stage - which blows, BTW - but damn, I loves me my fabulous Cherry Red Sony Network Walkman.

If I can do all those things in Ubuntu, I'm going to try and ditch Windows. Wish me luck as I jump into the abyss...:)
 

canucklehead

Active member
Oct 16, 2003
2,422
12
38
Cobster said:
Can't blame anyone but yourself.
You must have installed some funky ass program where you didn't read the EULA and it installed that spyware on your computer.
Or, you opened an email attachment or downloaded something.
How can you blame an operating system for not blocking or getting rid of a spyware trojan?
As much as I'm not a big fan of Windows or Bill Gates (I'm just in awe of how much power this guy has).
I can help you out with the spyware if you want.
Lemme know...:cool:
Yeah a company making an OS with all those SECURITY FEATURES and calling it a HOME edition generally meaning easy to use, has nothing to do with it.
 

canucklehead

Active member
Oct 16, 2003
2,422
12
38
Vancouver Femme Fatale said:
I use my setup for surfing, email, forum reading/posting, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, FTP, LJ, Winamp, and Sonic Stage - which blows, BTW - but damn, I loves me my fabulous Cherry Red Sony Network Walkman.

If I can do all those things in Ubuntu, I'm going to try and ditch Windows. Wish me luck as I jump into the abyss...:)
You may want to go with a Fedora flavour as much as i love the Ubuntu idea and functionality..... i don't think it is quite ready for the average home user ....... but getting better every update.
 

Vancouver Femme Fatale

Multihour Specialist
Apr 25, 2005
716
0
0
Vancouver
www.ironicalamour.com
I've burned a live Cd for Ubuntu so I can try it out without any change on my system; tried it; nothing too daunting initially, but I'll take a look at Fedora right now.:)

I checked it out on a few pages, then went to comparison sites; this one, and the comments that follow, I found to be pretty useful;

http://http://www.tipmonkies.com/2005/06/16/linux-distros/

My feeling from what I read is that Ubuntu is a really solid choice for a new Windows refugee with low intermediate computer skills, so I think I'll stick with it for the moment. What I really dig is how you have this huge array of different distros that you can muck around in as you learn and your needs change. Hot damn!
 
Ashley Madison
Toronto Escorts