Replies

By the way, where is the email address that goes to the writers? I’ve searched everywhere and can’t find it.
:confused:

You can check the warranty status of hard drives by visiting the manufacturer’s website. Input the serial number and/or model number, and you can generate an RMA right there, if it’s under warranty.

As for writing on them…sharpie on the metal comes right off with alcohol. If you write on the label it will never come off completely….once it’s been there a while.

Pledden…Seems that those folders had a problem with the file index or some such.

The advice about Linux and Ubuntu for this stuff is usually sound. I’m no good with these OSes, but if you make yourself a Kaspersky Rescue CD it has a file manager that can do the job, and boots on everything but some really old P4s. The Kaspersky disk is some form of Linux, and you can scan for malware if you want.

Right, most experienced Windows users head straight for the traditional Control Panel interface. My guess is that they will always use this interface because it’s simply easier and the GUI is far more practical.

Bluetop…they’re pushing IE11 out to Win 7 machines now. It’s not in optional updates, it’s in the critical updates section but not checked by default.

Everything you ever wanted to ask about Java and were afraid to ask, has already been written up on the internet, somewhere. Let your browser do the walking….. Here is just one Internet entry on the Subject of What is Java?
http://www.java.com/en/download/faq/whatis_java.xml

Not only do you most likely need it, but you Do need to keep it up to date, like many other programs on your PC.
I carry the very latest version of Java with me on every service call, so I can share it with my customers.

Cheers Mate!
The Doctor 😎

I’ve long been looking for a good write-up of the difference between Java and javascript and their relation (if any) to the java 7.45 thing that is installed on many PCs. The description at java.com is one of the worst….they don’t describe anything well with all their marketing-speak.

I work on PCs all day, and honestly cannot figure it out because everybody who describes it eventually gets their terms and technologies confused. Java is not javascript? Javascript is not java? Then what the heck are they? Nobody seems to be able to explain it.

In my experience running multiple real-time scanners always becomes a problem when one of them is Norton or AVG or McAfee, etc. Running MSE alongside MalwareBytes seems to work fine, with no major performance hit. One of the biggest problems I see happens when the fools from Comcast install their special flavor of Norton and its associated dumb-ware on top of an existing anti-malware tools. It can bring systems to a halt.

As to Fred’s dissing of SuperAnti Spyware…it’s deserved. The tool is excellent but the marketing guys at that company are idiots. SAS is one of the few tools that kills off tracking cookies, its results reports are very good, and it also has easy settings for how much CPU power to use.

I’ve serviced a few business computers which were using Trusteer. These systems were what we’d all consider underpowered…XP with 1GB and loads of apps installed…and Trusteer was a big resource consumer. (how’s that for being politically correct? lol)

Can’t blame Trusteer for that, but convincing a small business to join the current decade with a standard Win 7 system is often tough.

How did you hook up the projector? VGA port, or hdmi?

I just fixed a desktop that had no sound because the default sound device was set to hdmi rather than ‘speakers.’

So where is Fred’s email address anyway? I have looked all over the place and just don’t see it.

Regarding Reveton….we’ve seen this bug a couple times a week for the last few months at my little shop. Booting to Safe mode doesn’t get you past the bug…for a while we could boot into “Safe Mode with Command Prompt” then launch explorer.exe, but the latest version of Reveton (Justice Department) works there, too.

So, the best resolution we’ve found is an offline scanner such as Windows Defender Offline or Kaspersky Rescue Disk. It’s usually an easy bug to eradicate, but many of the systems we work on are also loaded with other malware. Sometimes lots of other malware.

-John

I’m still rather confused about the difference between all these javas. Susan’s explanation didn’t help at all: If the thing I install and update (v7.11) is Java, and javascript is a different thing altogether but is used by webpages, why am I updating this first thing (not even sure what it is anymore) on so many computers?

What is the relationship between the malware from webpages (javascript/ham??) and the v7.11 (java/hamster) thing?

Hi All,

For the life of me I can’t understand why people have to resort to extreme measures ,
rather than take a more rational approach and run their web browsers sandboxed.
There are so many ways to do this ,ranging from running a VM (virtual machine)
to something like Sandboxie

Perhaps it’s because such approaches are quite complicated for average users, and hopelessly complex for low-skill Windows users.

Anyway, what I’m don’t get is why bother disabling Java, just uninstall it. If nobody needs it then it serves no purpose being there in the first place.

Also….Susan’s explanation of the difference between java and javascript leaves me even more confused.

I have seen malware infections on machines protected with every mainstream tool: nothing is perfect and malware will get through if the user is not alert to the risks they expose themselves to.

If I can make an analogy: if you have a tendency to hurtle around the countryside at 100mph, one day, sooner or later, you will end up getting hurt, regardless of seatbelts, and airbags.

Same here. Doesn’t matter if it’s Norton, Kaspersky, AVG, McAfee, ESET, Avira, Comcast’s odd version of Norton, or whatever. I do, however, see lots of systems with expired AV, even the free ones. MSE isn’t the best, but it never expires, has a small footprint, and works well enough given the way some users click right through multiple warnings.

MS knows the enterprise better than anyone, and the forced metro interface clearly tells me they’re not going after that market with Win 8 right now.

Clint, using recent history as a guide (Vista) the technical benefits are mostly irrelevant. 7 to 8 is a major UI overhaul in a market where training is a dirty word. If the transition requires end-user training the bean counters want to know how much it will cost and where/when they’re going to gain efficiencies (ROI) as a result. Does Win 8 offer any end-user efficiencies on the desktop PC? Not IMHO. And if not, they won’t be interested with Win 7 just hitting its stride in the enterprise.

John529…yes, and I see these people buy iPads mainly because they’re cool, not easier. iPads have cool apps, so users get some cool stuff done but all they’re doing is browsing the store and tapping icons. I don’t think many tablet users find them necessarily easier, just more convenient and more portable. The appstore is a great way to get stuff. That approach is a lot easier than loading up a PC and so far a lot safer from a malware perspective. Frankly, I see tablets as a consumer fad. Maybe they’re a trend, but I don’t see how they fit in business roles that have desks.

So here goes: I think the metro interface is more reminiscent of DOSSHELL than anything I’d call modern. Didn’t we just spend 20 years making the icons and folders look realistic on desktops? And now we get 2D primary-colored rectangles and full-screen only apps lacking intuitive controls? Call me unimpressed so far. 🙂 Oh look, a TV ad for a picture password. I’m sold! LOL

-John O, Win 8 Cranky Curmudgeon
lol