Computer/Tech Questions

[jcole]

Thanks for the compliment BigB; it's much appreciated

[Bigb23]

There are people like me, who try as best as they can, to find the best advice. I trust you all, and I love the help I and others get. Thanks again, now if I can only traverse the internet with a little more bravado !!!!!

I also had to put my cat/partner of 14 years to sleep yesterday. That was the most loving being I have known in my life.

[Jimaz]

Thanks Jimaz- ...Can I ask [[again), what your IT background is? You and Jcole seem to be the best around.

Happy to be of service.

I wrote my first computer program in 1970 on an ASR-33R teletypewriter. I've worked for an international corporation as an IT administrator for over 25 years.

I truly apologize for your difficulties. None of us ever wanted the end user to suffer as have you. The intention was exactly the opposite. Regretfully, unanticipated consequences conspire against our best intentions.

[Bigb23]

Happy to be of service.

Okay, Jimaz, you screwed your age on that one. I was on Navy computers in 1975. And have gone downhill since. But - there are folks like you that help others. And we appreciate it. You and Jcole can be our champions.

[Bigb23]

Just a shout out for others.
I bought a vinyl skin for my laptop. You know that wear spot on you're touch pad? There are extra decals that will cover that, and it will still work as usual. Sites are there that will cost you less than $9.00 and free shipping.[[Ebay)

Please - no flowers and butterfly's. [[or heavy metal) or cars or planes. That leaves you with the universe.

[gazhekwe]

I just found some fantastic skins today, by an artist who used to illustrate for the Ford Times back in the 50s and 60s. I love his work, Charley Harper. Not cheap, but not too bad considering the art quality:

www.charleyharperprints.com/shop/category/charley-harper-originals/skins-for-mobile-devices/laptop-skins/

PS, I never even heard of laptop skins until you asked. Now I want one.

[Bigb23]

Gaz - my new laptop was getting scratched from the get go. Best Buy or Radio Shack does not carry them, I tried when I bought it. My laptop looks brand new now. [[With planets). Just know, that you can buy them very cheap. I saved $28 just by shopping around. I mean it's only a piece of vinyl.

[Bigb23]

Okay - I need to redo my laptop.

Attachment 10727

Raccoons are my life long nemesis's.

[gazhekwe]

I love Charley Harper! I have the Missing Migrants on my laptop.

[RaumVogel]

One missed key on the keyboard and you become a non-entity!

[Bobl]

A relative writes that she wants to allow her elementary school children access to Youtube, without exposing them to what she considers inappropriate items. Other than pre- screening everything, is there a way for her to filter the site?

[Jimaz]

A relative writes that she wants to allow her elementary school children access to Youtube, without exposing them to what she considers inappropriate items. Other than pre- screening everything, is there a way for her to filter the site?

There are links for parent and teacher resources on the right side of this YouTube page.

[Russix]

A relative writes that she wants to allow her elementary school children access to Youtube, without exposing them to what she considers inappropriate items. Other than pre- screening everything, is there a way for her to filter the site?

Set this up on every computer: http://www.google.com/support/youtub...?answer=174084 Russix is for hire too

[Bigb23]

Win7 antispyware 2012

Has anybody had this problem with your OS? It took over CCleaner, and erased my AVG. It has a pop up that promotes a virus scanner. McCaffee [[Norton Anti Virus) will fix the problem for an additional $63, and Bleeping Computer will charge $25 for a Malwarebytes program to fix it.
I did two system restores, and the second one might have worked, but just in case, how are you dealing with it?

[[2 hours later), I still have it, and nobody seems to have a fix. It has wiped my desktop three times, and disabled all my anti-virus software. Fuck you, Russian - Chinese, former Slavic countries, for screwing with a simple thing - the internet. I hope you choke on your Vodka - pricks.

[jcole]

Win7 antispyware 2012

Has anybody had this problem with your OS? It took over CCleaner, and erased my AVG. It has a pop up that promotes a virus scanner. McCaffee [[Norton Anti Virus) will fix the problem for an additional $63, and Bleeping Computer will charge $25 for a Malwarebytes program to fix it.
I did two system restores, and the second one might have worked, but just in case, how are you dealing with it?

[[2 hours later), I still have it, and nobody seems to have a fix. It has wiped my desktop three times, and disabled all my anti-virus software. Fuck you, Russian - Chinese, former Slavic countries, for screwing with a simple thing - the internet. I hope you choke on your Vodka - pricks.

BigB, you broke the cardinal rule and clicked on a pop up that claimed to fix things. All that normally does is install some malware so that you have to buy their program to fix it.
I see you saying that they want $25 for malwarebytes. Just go to malwarebytes.org and download the free version. It will do what you need it to, if you haven't already tried too many things and irretrievably f'd up your system. Even if you ran the restores, it's possible that the malware had already infected the restore files. Try the free Malwarebytes, and if that seems to get you back on track, download the free version of this http://www.superantispyware.com/ to clean up any extraneous crap.
If, as is possible, the steps you have taken have already destroyed your system, you will need to do a reinstall.

[townonenorth]

Try booting the computer in safe mode. Then run malwarebytes. Also get a copy of Microsoft Security Essentials once you are back to normal. Or try this if that doesnt work.

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/viru...tispyware-2012

You will have to go to someone's house or the library with a USB flash drive.

[Bigb23]

Thanks for the info -

I'm at the library now, and have downloaded the fixes onto my USB drive. I'm always careful, but when Microsoft bombards you daily with patches and such, something like this slipped by me.

I'll give these a try, and see what happens.

[Zacha341]

Get a used or refurbished Apple Mac. No more frequent 'restores', do-dad patches and bios reformat stuff. Apple is annoying as a company though, which is why I say buy used. LOL! Less virus issues - just expensive as all get out new. They hold up well used...

Thanks for the info -

I'm at the library now, and have downloaded the fixes onto my USB drive. I'm always careful, but when Microsoft bombards you daily with patches and such, something like this slipped by me.

I'll give these a try, and see what happens.

[townonenorth]

Just was advising some woman who deleted a bunch of stuff she shouldnt on a Mac. You can break them too. And there's some nice viruses and trojans out there for your Apple products. Popularity breeds innovation, especially in the world of the crook and hacker.

[old guy]

Just was advising some woman who deleted a bunch of stuff she shouldnt on a Mac. You can break them too. And there's some nice viruses and trojans out there for your Apple products. Popularity breeds innovation, especially in the world of the crook and hacker.

I understand what you're saying, but in the last 12 years I've never encountered a virus with my macs. I have an office with 6 macs running constantly, receiving tons of emails, and people going places I probably can't imagine on the internet. No problems in 10 years.
I do agree with the thought that the equipment is over priced and I get tired of the system upgrades you need to purchase to keep from going obsolete. You're right that it's a matter of time until hacker problems will arrive, but I'm amazed when I see some of the ongoing problems some of my friends with PC's have. I'd go insane.

I'm also not a "go mac" everything else is terrible type person. The business I'm in is generally mac based and it's all I've ever used.
I haven't even seen a pop-up, except an occasional one from netflix in over 5 years.

[Zacha341]

True.... there are less gremlins for mac but you're not out the woods completely.

Just was advising some woman who deleted a bunch of stuff she shouldnt on a Mac. You can break them too. And there's some nice viruses and trojans out there for your Apple products. Popularity breeds innovation, especially in the world of the crook and hacker.

[Zacha341]

Mac usually keep 'going' viruses and all... I had a Mac with viruses that I only discovered by running some anti-virus software on it. After a clean up the Mac did run faster. And don't get me started about how a whole host of otherwise perfectly running non-Intel based Macs that are out their orphaned with the Leopard Snow OSX and newer software that can only run on the Intel based Macs.

I can work on Mac and PC computers and do, but for the ability to stay on the user side of a computer [[less time on the IT bios/ terminal end) Mac is the move for me...and they are available used and refurbished so need to go into an Apple store and deal with the mania of that!

I understand what you're saying, but in the last 12 years I've never encountered a virus with my macs. I have an office with 6 macs running constantly, receiving tons of emails, and people going places I probably can't imagine on the internet. No problems in 10 years.
I do agree with the thought that the equipment is over priced and I get tired of the system upgrades you need to purchase to keep from going obsolete. You're right that it's a matter of time until hacker problems will arrive, but I'm amazed when I see some of the ongoing problems some of my friends with PC's have. I'd go insane.

I'm also not a "go mac" everything else is terrible type person. The business I'm in is generally mac based and it's all I've ever used.
I haven't even seen a pop-up, except an occasional one from netflix in over 5 years.

[Wheels]

Does anyone have any info on what to look for that is eating up 25% of my resorces running in the background. I am running XP Pro and when I look at Task manager I have no applications running but under proceesses there is a long list. When I look at performance there is a steady 25 on so %. I have gone into msconfig and shut off everything I can for start up but I dont kow if I can kill anythin in the process log. Any help would be greatly appriciated.
Thanks in advance.

[Wingnatic]

I had a similar problem until I unloaded Norton [[if you have that AV program ) I swore by Norton until I unloaded it freeing up 85 % of my C Drive space , I could barely get online and didn't really have much on my pc to take up that much space . Check out any pc forum and they'll tell you Norton is a resource hog . Many people are using Avast [[free edition ) now ,

Download another AV program and save it to your desktop and then removal Norton [[if you have that program) and then install the new AV from your desktop

Norton removal tool

http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download

[SMRJim]

I had Norton for quite a while and swore by it. Then I started having all kinds of problems with my laptop locking up, having to reboot, etc. I switched to AVG and have had no problems since.