Thank you, LXers
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| Bob_Robertson Feb 05, 2009 8:53 PM EDT |
Yesterday I got a call from a friend of a friend, who was having Windows problems and couldn't get anything straight even after calling MSN help, etc. Ugh. So I packed up a laptop (Debian), a couple of different live Linux CDs, and headed out. When I got there, the first thing I noticed was something that several LXers who do this for a living (I charged $20) have mentioned: The anti-virus software was seriously messing up. Sure enough, going through "add-remove software" and uninstalling the Norton anti-virus software, which the hapless machine owner had paid good money for, solved the first part of his problems. The machine would now boot and run "normally". Normal for Windows, that is. One of the disks I bought along was TheOpenDisk, with Firefox on it, which is a good thing because his Internet Exploder would not, no way no how, let me enter an address. The "address bar" just would not become visible no matter what I did. He's now happily using Firefox, with new knowledge about the dangers of ever using Internet Exploder, while looking through his closet for those expensive Norton/Symantech originals. Thank you, LXers, for the often wide-ranging discussions which, truth be told, impart the wisdom of experience which we never know when it will be desperately needed. (I also demonstrated to the poor man the wonders of Google, which he'd never used, because until yesterday he'd been using MSN ever since he first had a computer) |
| techiem2 Feb 05, 2009 9:06 PM EDT |
LOL.
I don't even know how many times I've seen Norton/Mcaffee/etc. screw up a system....
hmm. I really should carry OpenDisc with me...*starts downloading the ISO*
I try to move customers on to Firefox as well.
I at least install it and show them that it's there and tell them to give it a try. I got to setup Linux on the comp for one of the teachers at our school yesterday. He has an "old" P4 on his desk that Windows decided to break on (had to reinstall, it won't find drivers, it's complaining about validation, etc.), so he decided to have me install Linux for him. I got him setup on Mandriva 2008 (after going through 3 dvd drives to find a working one...) using KDE3.5 (he liked the look better than GNOME, more Windows-like etc) yesterday and he seems happy with it so far (he sent me an email today asking a question and saying he's getting more impressed by it). I haven't even had a chance to setup the network printers and whatnot yet.... And yes, wonderful group and awesome (even if sometimes rather...animated...) discussions we have here on LXer. |
| tracyanne Feb 05, 2009 9:32 PM EDT |
Quoting:Norton/Mcaffee/etc. screw up a system.... Yep they sure do. I've just been chatting with someone on a social board, and he's had a similar problem with Nortons, in this case screwing up dns |
| gus3 Feb 05, 2009 10:00 PM EDT |
MS Windows: Mis-placed trust. Security as an afterthought. Broken by design. All four horsemen of the datapocalypse. Compromises that put politicians to shame. XPedience first. Never fixed, only neutered. Over-priced. Under-tested. MS Windows. |
| techiem2 Feb 05, 2009 10:16 PM EDT |
Windows: It's been in beta longer than any google app. |
| bigg Feb 06, 2009 7:48 AM EDT |
I've got a desktop at home for which antivirus is not possible. The Norton subscription ran out, so I tried to uninstall it and put on a different one. Only problem is that the uninstaller didn't uninstall it. Their website provided a program to help me in this case, but it didn't work. I figured "Well, I'll reinstall it, at least that way I'll have some protection." Reinstalling requires removal of the current version, no other antivirus can be installed, and according to Symantec tech support, the only option is to reinstall Windows. What works is to boot into Linux and then scan the Windows drive (my wife's computer). |
| jdixon Feb 06, 2009 9:22 AM EDT |
Allow me to take a moment to plug the Trinity Rescue Kit. You can find it at http://trinityhome.org/Home/index.php?wpid=1&front_id=12 It allows you to run 5 different virus scanners from a single CD, downloading and updating each from the net before it runs. It does a great job of getting infected Windows PC's clean enough that you can get them booted and onto the network so they can download and install the necessary spyware scanners to finish the cleanup. Of course, I try to keep those handy to install from CD or USB drive also, but it's difficult to keep current versions. |
| Bob_Robertson Feb 06, 2009 10:29 AM EDT |
(downloading Trinity as I type) I have a small dozen-CD purple nylon disk pack that I got a WalMart with TheOpenDisk, Knoppix CD and DVD, Debian Live, Etch installer on a bootable business card, Minix live, Memtest86+, PCLinuxOS, Kororaa live CD Beryl/Compiz demo, XFCE and KDE install CD#1 for Lenny, and RedFlag7. Oh, and a couple of blank CD-R and DVD-Rs. It's my "doctor's kit", as it were, updated when I realize a new LiveCD is out or whatever. It's not important that everything be the "latest", because what's important is that, in the extreme case, I find one that will let me get the customer's data off his machine successfully. I also keep a cross-over ethernet cable in my spare laptop case. |
| techiem2 Feb 06, 2009 11:38 AM EDT |
I generally keep several distro livecds/install cds as well as SystemRescueCD in my kit. I'm going to add OpenDisc and Trinity to the stack now....hehe. |
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