Need a PC Geek Dude

[Abideist]

Just got a virus on my computer from downloading porn. haha no it was actually a converter program, that installed babylon sonoma and some other redirect virus.

I've managed to delete the add on but I can't figure out how to get my home page working correctly, resetting it isn't helping.

when i click on IE, it goes straight to google.com/keyword (a 404 redirect)

any of you dudes handy with code?

thanks

[cakebelly]

Oh shit, Dude - you didn't get that virus from the links, I gave you, did you? I am pretty sure they were the home pages - it's a bit late now but if in doubt always try and download from CNET.com - they generally test all the shit. Sorry Dude, can't help you but if you send a personal message to Forumdude he might be able to point you in the right direction; Meekon usually doesn't come online at weekends but I know he's in IT. Bummer.

[DigitalBuddha]

The fucking nihilists! ACROSS THIS LINE THEY DO NOT!!!

Dude, check out.............

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Web+Search/thread?tid=6df7e15519290612&hl=en

http://webmasters.stackexchange.com/questions/3758/is-it-google-webmaster-crawlers-fault-or-a-virus

Fucking virus writers, nothing ever changes.

[meekon5]

down load AVG (the free version and do a full scan of your system. If that doesn't work you may have to pay for some virus software (I use Comodo and AVG). Also which version of windows are you on (if it's Windows 7 look at the free Microsoft security add ons.)

Other wise your in for a manual job cleaning the disk, the memory (some are memory resident even when you turn the bugger off) and clean up the registry (consult an expert here don't advise doing Reg hacks if you don't know what your doing).

Thank You.

Simon Kennedy,
Database Administrator, Analyst and Developer
Library & Information Services IT
Natural History Museum,
Cromwell Road,
South Kensington,
London SW7 5BD

[Abideist]

Vista currently.

Thanks guys.

im on the case. i always like a good mystery

[cckeiser]

I have an easier fix.
Unplug your mouse and plug one of these into it.
http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/bstorelist.to?coid=-29405

[cakebelly]

These Dudes claim to guarantee software downloaded from them is 100% safe (some stuff is shareware/free or trial), have yet to use them, myself: http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Video/Video-Editors/

[Abideist]

I have an easier fix.
Unplug your mouse and plug one of these into it.
http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/bstorelist.to?coid=-29405

i dont understand that. you want me to hook another hard drive to my computer is what you're saying? lol, yes that is the simple fix.

[cckeiser]

I have an easier fix.
Unplug your mouse and plug one of these into it.
http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/bstorelist.to?coid=-29405

i dont understand that. you want me to hook another hard drive to my computer is what you're saying? lol, yes that is the simple fix.

No dude. I'm saying just buy another computer for use on the Internet. You can get refurbs and discounted for like $300. I just bought this Satellite L455 for $325. I use it for the internet. I have another computer I do most of my work on. I think you can get a netbook for under $300. That way if it craps out it's not a big loss.
I learned that the hard way. Downloaded a virus scanner I shouldn't have and it played Mrs Pacman and ate all the ddl files on a $1600 computer. It was horrible, all I could do is sit there and watch it eat my frickin computer. It took 2 weeks working in DOS and the help of a few friends who knew what they were doing to clean it up and get it back working again.
Now I use it to do my work on and never download anything from the internet on it at all! Never, never, never!!

[meekon5]

I have an easier fix.
Unplug your mouse and plug one of these into it.
http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/bstorelist.to?coid=-29405

i dont understand that. you want me to hook another hard drive to my computer is what you're saying? lol, yes that is the simple fix.

No dude. I'm saying just buy another computer for use on the Internet. You can get refurbs and discounted for like $300. I just bought this Satellite L455 for $325. I use it for the internet. I have another computer I do most of my work on. I think you can get a netbook for under $300. That way if it craps out it's not a big loss.
I learned that the hard way. Downloaded a virus scanner I shouldn't have and it played Mrs Pacman and ate all the ddl files on a $1600 computer. It was horrible, all I could do is sit there and watch it eat my frickin computer. It took 2 weeks working in DOS and the help of a few friends who knew what they were doing to clean it up and get it back working again.
Now I use it to do my work on and never download anything from the internet on it at all! Never, never, never!!

yes that's one way of doing it.

Have to say if your other PC was so bad you should have just plugged in a Linux Bootable USB thumb drive and re-formatted the hard drive and re-installed from there (would have taken about two hours at the most).

There are a lot of people who not being in IT, but able to install the latest Telly Tubbies Game at home, think they should be in IT.

I used to get a lot of these in a previous firm. The network guy would throw away a crappy old printer, only to find some numpty had fished it out of the skip later to spend a couple of weeks making it work then parading around the factory like they'd done something good because they had fixed a printer IT couldn't fix. Not realising that if the network guy had spent a month fixing the damned printer nothing else would have been done.

Yes I admit more people do more with computers than they used to, but what you are doing at home now i was doing as a member of It twenty years ago when you actually had to understand ports for video cards and sound card configurations way beyond what "plug-and-play" allows you to do now.

It is easier because people like me have made it easier.

I now work in an environment where we are virtualising most of the servers, all our SQL database servers use SAN partitions, we built a SQL cluster last week for one of our projects, I work exclusively in SSiS, SSrS, SSaS, and program in T-SQL, C++, VB, and VBA.

Sorry CC not particularly aimed at you.

You do have to consider that some of us can't afford extra PC's.

Though I will admit to having a 2k (pounds, worth) laptop with windows 7 (64bit) for working from home, three older machines with various flavours of Linux on them, two old x-boxes one converted to Linux one on the way (I actually hope to build a Beowulf cluster to try some 3D rendering), I did have a netbook running Ubuntu Netbook, until I left my bloody briefcase in a taxi. Some idiot is probably still trying to get into that because I set a bios password on it. By now they will have thrown it away.

My godson had a problem with his laptop. He brought it round to me and I was able to boot it with a usb drive, no problems. His mother (who also thinks she knows something about It), gave the laptop to another friend, who re-formatted the drive and re-installed windows. even though i had told them it was a simple video driver problem. So my godson lost all the files. which if they had just left it to me I could have at least backed up his files before the machine was wiped.

Sorry for the rant, but just buying another PC isn't addressing the problem.

To be honest CC downloading a virus scanner, if it's not one thats been recommended to you, and your not getting it from the source site, you get what you deserve. I managed to infect my work PC with a ROOT virus, much to my workmates amusement. But I do a lot of development and occasionally need specialist tools.

ps ddl? Do you mean dll (dynamic link library)?

[cckeiser]

ps ddl? Do you mean dll (dynamic link library)?

Yeah, that could be it. I'm not IT or anywhere near it. My only claim is starting with the Commodore 64 ana a 2 week course in BASIC which did me little good. I did manage to hammer out a program to select Pick 6 Lottery numbers though. Everything else I almost know was acquired by force feeding attempting to repair the damage caused by one stupid thing or another.
That virus scanner that ate my computer was a Beta version of ZoneLabs 6.0 which I downloaded directly from the ZoneLabs web site. They did send me the ZoneLabs 5.5 on cd free of charge though after I called and told them what their new and improved version did to my frickin pc!
I switched to Norton as soon as I got back on line.
I still have my Commodore 64 by the way, and it still works!

[meekon5]

Yeah, that could be it. I'm not IT or anywhere near it. My only claim is starting with the Commodore 64 ana a 2 week course in BASIC which did me little good. I did manage to hammer out a program to select Pick 6 Lottery numbers though. Everything else I almost know was acquired by force feeding attempting to repair the damage caused by one stupid thing or another.
That virus scanner that ate my computer was a Beta version of ZoneLabs 6.0 which I downloaded directly from the ZoneLabs web site. They did send me the ZoneLabs 5.5 on cd free of charge though after I called and told them what their new and improved version did to my frickin pc!
I switched to Norton as soon as I got back on line.
I still have my Commodore 64 by the way, and it still works!

Sorry CC, you became symptomatic of all the (minor) problems I have at work.

Didn't mean to waterboard you there. When hit by a problem you do the best with the resources you have.

Personally I don't go for the beta versions of programs because they usually do what it did to your PC, to any PC (bloody developers testing their stuff on innocent end users, oh what was it i do for a job again?)

I'm a ZX81 fan boy myself, oh for the heady days of the half a "K" upgrade to the memory with that dodgy connection that re-set the entire machine if you typed too hard on the keyboard.

See thats why I play with Linux at home because it is as flexible as you want to make it, and you can fiddle with it to your hearts content.

Again I apologise CC, again i was just venting my frustrations in the wrong direction.

I'll just go beat up a scientist next time.

[cckeiser]

Again I apologise CC, again i was just venting my frustrations in the wrong direction.

No problem, I felt no offence at all.

I'll just go beat up a scientist next time.

Oops, I used to be an analytical chemist. 8^)

[Caesar dude]

Hi there Meekon.

I was looking at your recommendation for AVG ant virus software...I used to run this and it seemed fine....

My provider is now Virgin and they supply their own anti virus for free....must say I've had no issues but just wanted your input on it...is it any good or should I be running AVG?

I wouldn't touch Norton with a rug pee-ers dick...I've used it in the past and it seems to bring it's own viruses and Trojans with it....

Would be grateful for your advice Dude.

[meekon5]

Hi there Meekon.

I was looking at your recommendation for AVG ant virus software...I used to run this and it seemed fine....

I have had no problems with it but pay for Comodo as well.

My provider is now Virgin and they supply their own anti virus for free....must say I've had no issues but just wanted your input on it...is it any good or should I be running AVG?

I would use another one as well just in case. This can cause problems but i have little trouble using AVG and Comodo.

I wouldn't touch Norton with a rug pee-ers dick...I've used it in the past and it seems to bring it's own viruses and Trojans with it....

Norton used to be the Dogs Bollocks but I don't rate it any more.

Would be grateful for your advice Dude.

Unfortunately the twelve year old script kiddies that write this virus shit keep updating their tools.

I don't believe that many of them are that good at coding (the odd few are though). It's the few that provide the generic tools for the many. A lot of viruses are bespoke developed off the back of others.

Of course if the software houses (especially Micro$oft) wrote their software properly there wouldn't be half the problem.

If you bought a car that worked as badly you'd take it back to the place you bought it, but not with software (operating systems particularly).

I personally recommend using Linux (Ubuntu is very good) with open office, it will cost you much less and open office is fully compatible with windoze office products. I used to run a small netbook (with Ubuntu netbook installed) to work on the train (blog and read pdf's not real work) and be able to transfer documents to windows.

There are viruses involved in Linux, but not as many because there are fewer users so a smaller target base for the script kiddies.

The other alternative is to get hold of Micro$oft VirtualPC, run up a copy of that on your PC (it creates a virtual machine that you can install an operating system on but the PC doesnt exist so even if it gets infected your machine wont) and do all your browsing through the virtual machine, then don't save any of the changes, or regularly delete the VR PC and any infection you get will be removed with the VR PC.

As usual this is all in my personal opinion of course.