Posted on 10/31/2008 10:12:07 PM PDT by lowbridge
I try to stay away from raising the topic of Linux, but this sounds like a really good candidate for an Ubuntu CD.
To the top poster:
Windows is an Operating System. Just like Mac (which is technically based on Unix). There is a third alternative.
That alternative, really sounds like it might be a good one for you. It’s resistant to viruses, simple, doesn’t require a lot of system resources ... and it’s free.
Yes. Free. That third alternative is a spin-off of the Unix Operating system, called “Linux”.
You’ll lose some functionality. Your browser will be something called “Firefox”. You won’t have a start button, and everything will be confusing for a little while.
But it’s certainly an alternative, if you’ve wiped out a Windows machine, and just want to get online.
If you’d like more info, I’ll post the link to download a cd copy of the operating system. With some luck, you should be able to install it, in an hour or two.
Depending on your bandwidth, it takes about an hour to download.
I wish you would have said something before now.
Doesnt computers bought at garage sales or salvation army places come with their own set of problems? If I were to buy a computer from such sources, how can I trust the computer I buy will be worth it? How will I know that the computer doesnt come with pre-installed viruses, assorted software errors, or or hardware thats ready to burn out within a few minutes of use?
Just for giggles, stick the CD in either of the DVD drives and reboot your machine. You’ll know soon enough if you can boot from it. It’ll probably start the setup. Just remember to destroy and recreate the correct disk partitions.
I use the one that comes with my internet service (Charter), but have used the Trend & Symantec on line scans in the past. You’re right, they identify, but don’t help you clean up a mess.
I tend to format my hard drive at the drop of a hat, but I’m not as familiar with all of the particulars of starting it in Win XP, cuz I only recently started using it myself. Ducking for cover... I ran ME for years & with regular format reinstalls, it was quite stable for the stuff that I was doing.
You will need to get a set of OS CD’s before you can format & reinstall your OS!!
Easiest way to format is off of that A:, but you’ll need a system disk & those OS CDs that I seem to be nagging you about. LOL
I may have to go that route (if I cant fix this one). 15 bucks a month, or a little more, is something I can afford
There's another thing I have to learn about. If I make a mistake there, like I fail to recreate the correct disk partitions, then what? How do I destroy them in the first place? How do I know what is the correct disk partitions? So much technical stuff to know. I'm afraid if I make the wrong move, I may destroy the computer for good.
Take it to repair shop and have it reformated. If it is a newer system like XP.Had the same problem and mine works faster and they installed all sorts of anti stuff.Cost me less than 80$.
You probably have just 1 drive with 2 partitions. One being for the mbr and one larger that’s for your files. It’ll probably be labeled as the ‘C’.
That’s the one to destroy and reinstall on..
And you can’t destroy that which cannot be rebuilt by someone else..
Sounds like what I will have to do. 80 bucks, or around there, is money I can raise. Thanks :-)
I’ve been in your shoes and it is not just the hassle of getting the hard drive reformatted, but trying then to track down drivers for all of your peripherals. Sometimes if your system is too old, it is hard to find the right driver. I ran into this problem a year ago trying to find an XP video driver for a laptop when the company stopped supporting XP. I found one that sort of worked, but not at the resolution I wanted.
Not all the computers that get thrown out are bad. Some are just outdated for the owner. So you never know. All the Dells I threw out were still usable, but my company switched over to faster processors and larger drives.
I wish you luck whatever you decide to do.
It may cost more ,so call and ask to see who can reformate at the lowest cost.Good luck.
I’ll be going to bed now. Thanks to everyone for their advice. I’ll check back on this thread again for any more info and responses. Thanks to all again :-)
“I wish you would have said something before now.”
Said what? I’m sorry I don’t understand what your post means. My point is that people throw away computers all the time when they upgrade. I drive through my subdivision and see a computer on the curb every other week or so. I’m sure they aren’t all broken. You can sometimes find a computer for maybe $50 at the salvation army. Every 2 weeks the local state govt auctions off old computers for something like $20 each.
You can download a password cracker off the internet that boots in linux and lets you reset XP passwords if you find an old system that boots.
I used Trend Micro and it did nothing for me! Best is Spysweeper! and freeware called a-squared Free
Also....you need to have more than 1 antivirus protection because none of them catch everything.(from experience)
I ain’t touching this post with a ten foot pole!!
Just how important is the data on your computer.
If it’s not all that important, I’d suggest you do a full reinstall, including deleting the partition, creating a new one, and then formatting the partition (all part of the Windows installation).
If there’s stuff on the hard drive you really want, I’d suggest you either contact a computer professional, remove the hard drive from your computer and have them hook it up to a computer with known good antivirus software to remove any infections. Or, you could go out and buy a replacement hard drive (they’re cheap these days, between $50 and $70), remove the old drive, do a fresh install on the new drive, install antivirus, antispyware, etc on the new drive, reinstall the old drive as a second drive in the system, and then try to clean it. If you need to recover your data, this should do the trick. On the other hand, if you want to “fix” your old drive, so that you don’t have to reinstall anything, it’s probably beyond that. The BSOD indicates that the malware has probably corrupted a number of important system files on your original hard drive. It’s probably also inserted itself into the “restore points,” so if you do this, then try to restore the system to a previous state, you’ll probably wind up reinfecting the computer.
In either case, I hope you have installation media. Unfortunately, many manufacturers, like HP, put the installable files on the hard drive, and when you get an infection, it often infects the installation files as well, so if you try to do a reinstall, you just wind up with an infected fresh system.
Good luck,
Mark
Why does the video change?
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