The Cal-look Lounge

I just opened a video sent to me a couple days back and it stated it was from one of my car buddies.  Unfortunately it was not and the video attachment had a virus that took out my PC operating system before I could shut the system down. Make sure you set up your email account to scan all incoming emails for a virus.  I had mine set up but apparently it got in anyway. Will be a costly repair to have my OS restored and my hard drive cleaned an files restored.

Thank goodness for CARBONITE.  I had all my files an years of work backed up. Apparently people use a known email address you are familiar with and pull this off all the time. Beware each time you get an attachment and have your system set up to prompt you to scan the attachments before opening them.

CRAP!!!! It will be a couple hundred dollars to sort it all out.

Rick M

That sucks!

We had the koobface virus go through my work delivered the same way. We must have had to remove it from at least a dozen computers. It was mostly spread through facebook e-mails. Since most of our employees are connected through Facebook it spread rapidly. Luckily most of our users were were smart enough not to open it. Most machines we wound up wiping. It was easier than trying to remove it.

As an IT guy i strongly recommend for every PC user to have an antivirus that is updated on a regular basis in combination with an anti-spyware program like SpyBot - Search & Destroy. In combination with a firewall it should provide good protection to your pc and more important to your data !
It's just like you have to put engine oil and change it regulary if you expect that your engine should last...

Doktor,

Good input. I won't let this happne a 2nd time. I will need to wipe my hard drive clean too.  What a pain in the rear.  Is there a disc I can buy to help me do this? Or, should I just have my local IT expert do it?  I don't even know where some of my original program CDs are. This could get expensive.

Rick M

Or buy an Apple  ;D  Up until now there is a very little out there to harm the Apples, I almost dare not say it, but I haven't used a virus scanner for years now. I've been told that the system itself is less open for attacks as well as the lesser fame that is associated with releasing a virus that can only affect the minority of worldwide users.

I love the success of Mac as a longtime user (now almost 15 years) but at the same time would have loved it if they had stayed more obscure. I'm now waiting for some crazy IT genius, hating Apple to retaliate with a killer virus.

X2 – Steve Jobs for President! :)

I can recommend an Apple to everybody :).

Well, Apple has its advantages, but is more expensive from start...and most viruses are written to be executed under Windows einviroment, so they don't work under Apple operating system.
I'm an IT pro guy, but for home use on all of my computers I have Avast home antivirus - it is free for personal use and I find it just up to task. You can download it from www.avast.com and after instalation, just register it with your data and mail address.
Maybe your hard drive isn't that infected that you need to reinstall Windows, it is possible that some good antivirus program can clean all of viruses and your Windows keep working fine. You have to give it a try, because you never know...

Regards,
Leo

P.S. If i could charge all of my work (like Windows reinstals) a couple of hundred dollars here in Croatia, I would be very quick in position to assemble a nice stroker engine for my bug..., but that's just not the case... ::) ;D

PM Sent!

While I don't want to start a PC vs. Mac debate and I'm certainly not a Mac hater nor a MS/PC fan boy, what I've seen is that the Mac is not as secure as a PC.

If you have a house in the city, you can lock it up tight and it can still be broken into but if you live in the country, you can leave your home wide open and you don't get robbed. Doesn't mean the city house is less secure... just that the country house is not as visible of a target.

A vote for Steve Jobs is a vote for Communism!  ;D ;D

I was using AVG Free for all of my installs but lately I've moved to MS Security Essentials. Have you tried it?

I also make my living in IT.
 Besides having an up to date anti-virus program, be sure to keep your Microsoft products up to date with the latest patches and updates.  They come out every week.
I've used just about every anti-virus program there is and most all do a decent job but sometimes one won't catch a particular virus when another will. Currently I have about 300 computers using Vipre (www.SunbeltSoftware.com) with excellent results.   

Apple makes an excellent product with a superior operating system but this is a PC world and that's where the software is. 

I feel your pain, Rick.....................it's like some asshole keying your car. What a waste!

Marc

Just a note, Marc... Microsoft releases updates once a month on the 2nd Tuesday of the month... However, if they find something serious, they will release an out of cycle patch whenever it's ready to go.

I've been messing with computers almost as long as I've been messing with VWs.  ;)

…While Apple just gets it right before releasing a new OS or software, as opposed to using the end user as a guinea pig! ;D

LOL... I don't think I'd go there. Apple has had it's share of security issues  ;)

Well if there would be as many Mac users as there are Windows users you would be pretty fucked too. Apple doesn't have the similar pressure as Microsoft as it never has and never will have same kind of dominant market position. Apple doesn't have the same hatred neither so there are no active groups of wankers trying to find ways to break into the OS and getting their time in the sun. Situation would be different if Jobs would have gotten as rich as Gates.

Don't surf porn and have my virus scanner up to date, so no problems. Only real problem I've recently had was some chinese fucker broke into my website (hosted on Linux) and placed some unwanted code to the mainpage.

I don't know about that but I wouldn't want to have him as my boss  ;D

I don't have any expirience with Microsoft Essentials, but friend of mine told me that MS Essentials just suck (he is an IT System Engeneer like me).
Good antivirus program + SpyBot + firewall works for me for several years without any problems.
Just dont surf on porn webpages and it should be ok... ;D

AVG free is nice, but I'm using Avast in eneterprise corporate system - just on my computer, and we combine it with devices such as Fortigate and Ironport - firewall & spam filter for corporative enviroment. Works nice witth very little incidents...

I've been using AVG free for several years and I've never had much of a problem.

I use NOD32, never had any issues ;D

I used Avast for a couple of years but ended up deleting it because I couldn't tolerate it's CPU usage.  On my 'puter, when it decided to do it's sweep, it would consume 100% of the CPU such that NOTHING else would work for 10 min.  There was never any warning it was going to do it, it would just randomly start (at least once a day).  It was just like the 'puter locked up.

@ Bruce: that's weird, but every antivirus program has it's bad sides...
NOD32 is excelent antivirus program from my expirience, but it's not free for personal use...

I'm quite lucky as i get it through work, got rid of all spybot programs as not needed ;D

IMHO NOD is the best out there but I like free :(

DKK Rick,

Send you a PM.  I will touch base with you once you've had a chance to read it.

Rick M

Right you are, Rick on the patch schedule. It just feels like everyweek. <grin>

When I started messing with VWs, the only computer I had ever heard of took up an entire building. I was still using a slide rule.......playing with cars was easier. LOL


Marc