Free Republic

Pep Rally and Group Therapy... Pep Rally Group See the Get A Macs ads here.

My computer is infested with this crap and I can't get rid of it. None of the free services can solve the problem, and I might even pay for such a service, except that all of them seem to be just folks willingly to take advantage of you and charge you more money, and possibly infect you more. Has anyone here seen this? How should I and anyone else deal with this?

Windows Vista, One Bad Year Later A year since the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft is cringing at the poor sales of the new operating system. It was initially touted as a landmark new development to reinvigorate the IT industry, prompting expectations of wide-ranging “Vista effects.” Instead, Apple’s new operating system, which now also works on PCs, is stealing the thunder. Microsoft has hurriedly responded by developing a new version of the old XP. ◆ Windows Vista flops According to market researcher Net Applications, Apple is enjoying the largest-ever share in the global operating system market with Leopard, the...

This column is written for mainstream, nontechie users of digital technology. These folks aren’t necessarily novices, and they aren’t afraid of computers. They also aren’t stupid. They simply want their digital products to operate as promised, with as little maintenance and hassle as possible. So, I have steered away from recommending Linux, the free computer operating system that is the darling of many techies and IT managers, and a challenger to Microsoft’s dominant Windows and Apple’s resurgent Macintosh operating system, OS X. Linux, which runs on the same hardware as Windows, has always required much more technical expertise and a...

I need help on installing a Windows XP upgrade to a Windows ME machine. The computer is a Micron Systems IBM-compatible machine with 640.0 mb RAM and a 667 MHz CPU clock. I'm getting the following error after the Windows XP setup restarts the computer: A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer If this is the first time you've seen this Stop error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow these steps: Check for viruses on your computer. Remove any newly-installed hard drives or hard drive controllers....

Youtube links below. Novell's website is very slow

Yes, you can accept Apple's logic that "it all just works" straight out of the packaging, but there are better reasons for moving to a Mac than a factor that's just as true of modern PCs these days. Now there's an x86-based PC sitting under the hood of every modern Mac, the old battle lines are blurring. Time to reconsider the once expensive, always stylish, now Unix-based Mac platform? We say yes. 1. Not-so-heavy metalI've seen so many plastic-panelled laptops that have been knocked off desks and ended up with cracked cases or - worse - broken screens or -...

I have to jiggle my power cord at the jack in order to get power or to charge my battery. It is very annoying because it moves every time I breathe if it is in my lap. How do I determine if it is the cord or the jack (or both) and if it is the jack, how is it repaired? Does anyone else have this problem? I've been through several cords, but maybe there is a problem with the jack as well.

We Mac users hear a lot about Steve Jobs’ “reality distortion field”—the aura of his charisma its sanguine effect on the Apple faithful. If Steven Levy’s recent Newsweek interview with Microsoft chairman Bill Gates is any example, Gates’ reality is pretty distorted too. But I’m not so sure it has as much to do with charisma as it does with self-delusion. In excerpts of the interview published on the Newsweek Web site, Gates said that the newly released Vista’s selling point to the average consumer is features likes Sidebar and its ability to handle large amounts of photos, HD movies...

Apple's 'Get a Mac' ad campaign is boosting company sales -- which grew three times faster than sales of PCs over the last three months of 2006 compared to the same period in 2005 -- according to AdWeek. Creative Strategies president Tim Bajarin says the Mac comparison approach is working, noting that half of all Macs are sold to non-Mac users and that Apple's share of the total computer market is growing steadily -- from three percent three years ago to five percent in 2007. The ads depict a nerdy 'PC guy' played by comedian John Hodgman and a hip...

An unpatched vulnerability in all editions of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser is being exploited, security researchers said Tuesday, with the attack dumping a broad range of adware, spyware, and Trojans onto PCs whose users simply surf to an infected or malicious site. First reported by Sunbelt Software -- although rival Internet Security Systems claimed it was the first to discover the bug -- the vulnerability is in how IE renders VML (Vector Mark-up Language), an extension of XML that defines on-the-Web images in vector graphics format. The previously unknown -- and thus unpatched -- bug inside IE is already being...

Though its ads are frequently polarizing, Apple continues to produce new "Get a Mac" commercials as part of a concerted effort to take advantage of its resurgent influence in technology. Word has arrived from blogger Nick Starr that Apple has begun showing new ads in the campaign at its stores ahead of potential Internet or television appearances. The three new segments continue the earlier approach. One of these (pictured) is said to feature model Gisele Blumchen and likely focuses on Apple's computer design, while a second sees the main actors in business suits and a third presents them in psychotherapy....

The networking technology underpinning Windows Vista may be less stable on release that that behind Windows XP, according to an analysis by security firm Symantec. Microsoft has re-written its networking stack for Windows Vista in order to allow for "easier maintenance, improved performance, and improved stability". But an analysis by security researchers at Symantec found a variety of security flaws with early builds of the OS. In a white paper based on this research, Windows Vista Network Attack Surface Analysis: A Broad Overview (PDF), the researchers conclude that Vista may be less stable, at least for the immediate future, than...

In 2002, Gary McKinnon was arrested by the UK's national high-tech crime unit, after being accused of hacking into Nasa and the US military computer networks. He says he spent two years looking for photographic evidence of alien spacecraft and advanced power technology. America now wants to put him on trial, and if tried there he could face 60 years behind bars. Banned from using the internet, Gary spoke to Click presenter Spencer Kelly to tell his side of the story, ahead of his extradition hearing on Wednesday, 10 May. You can read what he had to say here. Spencer...

Ever since the last Automatic Update from MS, the FR pager has stopped working right. When it tries to work I get the popup below. My husband has played around with the settings in IE at Tools-Internet Options-Security, but enabling Activex Controls there is not fixing it. Running XP Home SP 2 - all up to date... IE 6.0 MS Antispyware PC-Cillan Not sure which of these is stopping me up or where to look.

In May 2005, a trojan called PGPcoder was discovered in the wild by Websense Security Labs. The trojan's purpose was to encrypt a user's files, then demand a ransom for their decryption. Although this scheme seemed novel, it is actually predated by over 15 years, by a similar scam in 1989. LURHQ's Threat Intelligence Group has now discovered a third such scheme involving ransomware which we are calling Cryzip. Unlike PGPcoder, which used a custom encryption scheme (which was subsequently reverse-engineered by LURHQ), Cryzip uses a commercial zip library in order to store files inside a password-protected zip. Although the...

I am hoping some of my Freeper brethren can help me out here. We have a Dell Dimension 2350 (I think that's the model, it's a 2300 series), 2.2 ghZ P4, 512 MB of RAM. I recently added an external Lite-On DVD-RW drive, that is connected into one of the back USB ports. I love the drive, I went with the external rather than the internal because we're probably going to get a new computer pretty soon, that I hope will be equipped with an internal drive, in which case I'll pass this drive along to my wife whose Dell...

Apple Computer reported a 95 percent rise in quarterly profits on exploding sales of its iPod music players, and notched more than one billion dollars in sales through its retail stores. ADVERTISEMENT Apple s stock, though, fell in after-hours trading because Apple offered a forecast that fell short of Wall Street estimates. Apple reported net income of 565 million dollars, or 65 cents a share, for the first fiscal quarter to December 31, up from 295 million a year earlier. The report beat analyst forecasts of a profit of 55 cents per share. Sales rose 64 percent to 5.75 billion...

This is a transcript from a show Steve Gibson did with Leo LaPorte. The link to the audio is at the above link. Also, I will excerpt a little of the relevant information here.Steve: And so, you know, because I'm a developer when I'm not being a hacker, I wanted to understand - oh, and the other thing is, I want to write a robust testing application, you know, that always works all the time. So I wanted to know, like, okay, what bytes have to be set which way, what matters, what doesn't. Because, you know, that's the way...

Looking forward to the week ahead, I find myself in the very peculiar position of having to say something that I don't believe has ever been said here in the Handler's diary before: "Please, trust us." I've written more than a few diaries, and I've often been silly or said funny things, but now, I'm being as straightforward and honest as I can possibly be: the Microsoft WMF vulnerability is bad. It is very, very bad.

Excerpt - NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) plans to release a patch for a new security flaw at its next scheduled update release on Jan. 10, leaving users largely unprotected until then from a rapidly spreading computer virus strain. "Microsoft's delay is inexcusable," said Alan Paller, director of research at computer security group SANS Institute. "There's no excuse other than incompetence and negligence." "It's a problem that there's no known solution from Microsoft," said Alfred Huger, senior director of engineering at Symantec Corp.'s (SYMC) security response team. SANS Institute, via its Internet Storm Center, has taken the unusual...

Computer security experts were grappling with the threat of a newweakness in Microsoft’s Windows operating system that could put hundreds of millions of PCs at risk of infection by spyware or viruses. The news marks the latest security setback for Microsoft, the world’s biggest software company, whose Windows operating system is a favourite target for hackers. “The potential [security threat] is huge,” said Mikko Hyppönen, chief research officer at F-Secure, an antivirus company. “It’s probably bigger than for any other vulnerability we’ve seen. Any version of Windows is vulnerable right now.” The flaw, which allows hackers to infect computers using...

Excuse the shameless and one once every six months vanity, but this Ipod Nano I got for Christmas Rocks! I am no old goat (33 Years old), but this thing has to be one of the most amazing pieces of technology I've had in my hand in awhile. Downloaded an old 80's U2 video an the playback is flawless. I used to be an Apple hater, but this has changed my mind. Go ahead a flame away Apple haters!

My computer apparently picked up a virus from spyaxe.net. I have a pop-up window saying I have spyware and "it is recommended to use antispyware tools to prevent data loss." Everytime I close the popup it pops up again. I got tired of closing it and installed it then removed it with "Add/Remove Software" in the control panel. The pop-up is back. Can anyone help?

I hate vanity posts, but I am wondering if anyone in FR land knows anything about the Spy Axe 3.0 virus. It has set up shop in my toolbar and has hijacked my home page. eTrust isn't touching it. Help?!?!

Sony's controversial copy-protection scheme had been in use for seven months before its cloaking rootkit was discovered, leading one analyst to question the effectiveness of the security industry. "[For] at least for seven months, Sony BMG Music CD buyers have been installing rootkits on their PCs. Why then did no security software vendor detect a problem and alert customers?" asked Joe Wilcox, an analyst with JupiterResearch. "Where the failure is, that's the question mark. Is it an indictment of how consumers view security software, that they have a sense of false protection, even when they don't update their anti-virus and...

When the news first broke in the mainstream press that Windows expert and blogger Mark Russinovich (he wrote a book about Windows for Microsoft) had found that Sony's anti-piracy efforts had gone too far and that Sony's DRM was installing an undetectable rootkit on customers' computers which they couldn't safely remove, the first reaction from Microsoft was guarded. They were concerned, they said, and were evaluating what, if anything, to do: Microsoft, which also ships an anti-spyware program, recently renamed "Windows Defender," hasn't yet decided whether it will also flag the Sony DRM software as malicious code, the spokesperson said....

More than one-half million networks infected by Sony including U.S. military and various countries. Dan Kaminsky, http://www.doxpara.com/ ,is the expert who broke this and did the work. His U.S. and Europe infection maps are shown below and are frightening. Dan did a hell of a good job. Search Google News for "sony numbers trouble" for more in an excellent article today that is very worth reading.

Virus writers have begun taking advantage of Sony-BMG's use of rootkit technology in DRM software bundled with its music CDs. Sony-BMG's rootkit DRM technology masks files whose filenames start with "$sys$". A newly-discovered variant of of the Breplibot Trojan takes advantage of this to drop the file "$sys$drv.exe" in the Windows system directory....

Windows users are getting sick of computer viruses and are increasingly switching to Macs, according to a research note issued on Monday by New York-based investment firm Needham & Co. The report downgrades Apple's stock from a buy to a hold based on the high price of the computer company's shares. But it cautions that "the frenetic pace of innovation at Apple could present new opportunities," which might merit a higher share valuation. Much of that innovation of late has involved the iPod, specifically the company's video-capable fifth generation iPod and its iPod Nano. On October 11, Apple reported the...

Successful assaults by viruses and other malware on the Mac operating system are rare as it has better security and attackers are less keen, says Stephen Wildstrom of BusinessWeek. "There is endless debate among security experts about whether the paucity of successful assaults on Apple's OS X is attributable to better security or attackers' lack of interest in an operating system whose share of the market is in single digits. I think it's some of both." Wildstrom says one reason Mac OS X offers inherently better security is that it was designed with relatively little concern for compatibility with earlier...

Good morning fellow FReepers -- Been trying to "fix" my brother's computer. Upon booting, an error message is displayed: Invalid Boot.ini file Booting from c:\windows\ And then: Windows\System32\Config\System missing or corrupt. Can't get into safe mode. I booted from the XP Pro disc and ran the recovery console. Ran CHKDSK and am told: "The volume appears to be in good condition and was not checked. Use /p if you want to check the volume anyway." When running CHKDSK /p or CHKDSK /r the process hangs/freezes 5% in. I tried the command bootcfg /rebuild to no avail. The error is "Failed...

Bank customers know to shield their ATM passwords from prying eyes. But with the rise of online banking, computer users may not realize electronic snoops might be peeking over their shoulder every time they type. In a twist on online fraud, hackers and identity thieves are infecting computers with increasingly sophisticated programs that record bank passwords and other key financial data and send them to crooks over the Internet. That's what happened to Tim Brown, who had account information swiped out of the PC at his Simi Valley store. "It's scary they could see my keystrokes," said Brown, owner of...

I've had what started out as a minor problem with my computer escalate way out of control. Two nights ago I got impatient waiting for all the junk on my computer to load after an installation reboot. I hit the reboot program before I should have, it clashed with a just loading Zone Alarm, corrupted a Zone Alarm dll, and all heck broke loose.The corrupted file looped and brought my system to a standstill. I finally got it turned off (unless I highlight it or do anything to it at all), but I can't delete it (inpage error), I can't...

(Excerpt)PHOTOS as it happened: SlideshowMore Photos: SlideshowUPDATED: 8:08 p.m.Chaos erupted this morning at the Richmond International Raceway as thousands of people stampeded through the gates in a rush to buy used iBook laptop computers for $50 each.There were several minor injuries and one person was taken to a hospital with a leg injury, fire Battalion Chief Steve Wood said during a 1 p.m. news conference. In all, 17 people were treated, the majority for heat- or diabetic-related problems, he said.Thousands of Henrico County residents and/or taxpayers stood in a half-mile-long line as dawn broke while others waited in cars parked...

Microsoft Corp. warned users of its Windows operating system on Tuesday of three newly found "critical" security flaws in its software, including one that could allow attackers to take complete control of a computer. Computer security experts urged users to download and install the patches, which are available at www.microsoft.com/security. "Users (should) apply the updates as quickly as possible," said Oliver Friedrichs, senior manager of Symantec Security Response, part of security software company Symantec Corp. SYMC.O. Microsoft said that vulnerabilities exist in its Internet Explorer Web browser, the most severe of which could allow an attacker to take complete control...

Microsoft on Tuesday issued alerts on several security flaws in Windows, the most serious of which could allow an attacker to gain control over a victim's computer. Microsoft released six security bulletins as part of its monthly patching cycle, three of which it deems "critical." The Redmond, Wash., software gives that rating to any security issue that could allow a malicious Internet worm to spread without any action required on the part of the user. One bulletin addresses three flaws in Internet Explorer. Of all the issues Microsoft offered fixes for Tuesday, these put users at most risk of attack,...

Nova Scotia July 19, 2005 -- SpyCop today announced that the use of commercial monitoring spy software is on the rise in Internet phishing schemes, the latest scam used to steal personal information and even entire identities. The Anti-Phishing Working Group, web site at www.antiphishing.org, explains: "Phishing attacks use both social engineering and technical subterfuge to steal consumers' personal identity data and financial account credentials... Technical subterfuge schemes plant crimeware onto PCs to steal credentials directly, often using Trojan keylogger spyware." The commercial spy software market has made available over 525 payware spy programs which include URL recorders, keyloggers, chat...

SAN FRANCISCO, July 15 - Add personal computers to the list of throwaways in the disposable society. On a recent Sunday morning when Lew Tucker's Dell desktop computer was overrun by spyware and adware - stealth software that delivers intrusive advertising messages and even gathers data from the user's machine - he did not simply get rid of the offending programs. He discarded the whole computer. Mr. Tucker, an Internet industry executive who holds a Ph.D. in computer science, decided that rather than take the time to remove the offending software, he would spend $400 on a new machine. He...

As part of its monthly patching cycle, Microsoft on Tuesday plans to release three security alerts for flaws in Windows and Office. Two of the security bulletins apply to Windows, and at least one of them is deemed "critical," Microsoft's highest risk rating, the company said in a notice posted on its Web site Thursday. Its Office productivity suite will get one bulletin, also rated critical. The notice did not specify whether one of the patches will be for Internet Explorer. Microsoft earlier this week offered a workaround for a known flaw in the Web browser that opens the door...

The next time you run a scan with your anti-spyware tool, it might miss some programs. Several anti-spyware firms, including Aluria, Lavasoft, and PestPatrol, have quietly stopped detecting adware from companies like Claria and WhenU--a process called delisting. Those adware companies have been petitioning anti-spyware firms to delist their software; other companies have resorted to sending cease-and-desist letters that threaten legal action. In most cases it's difficult for customers to determine whether their anti-spyware tool has delisted anything and, if so, which adware it skips. "When a spyware program gets delisted, users won't be aware of its presence," says Harvard...

I am running MS XP home version on my laptop. For some reason the clock in the lower right hand corner always reads in military time. I do not want to try to figure out when 22:00 is. How can I change it to make it read normal people time like "7:05" etc?

Virus Name Risk Assessment W32/Sober.p@MM Corporate User : Low-Profiled Home User : Medium Virus Information Discovery Date: 05/02/2005 Origin: Unknown Length: 53,727 bytes (zip) 53,554 bytes (executable) Type: Virus SubType: E-mail Minimum DAT: 4443 (03/09/2005) Updated DAT: 4482 (05/02/2005) Minimum Engine: 4.3.20 Description Added: 05/02/2005 Description Modified: 05/02/2005 3:59 PM (PT) Description Menu Virus Characteristics Symptoms Method Of Infection Removal Instructions Variants / Aliases Rate This page Print This Page Email This Page Legend Virus Characteristics: -- Update 2nd May 13:00 PST -- Due to increased prevalence, this threat has had its risk assessment raised to MEDIUM for Home Users....

Two weeks ago theregister.co.uk summarized an analysis (done by Quocirca) of reader response to questions on Linux desktop migration. To no one's surprise, the study found that business people cite the opportunity to sidestep the insecurity of the Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT - news) PC, not cost savings, as the primary reason for considering desktop Linux. Most respondents agreed, furthermore, that the high cost of matching Windows applications, particularly Microsoft Office and custom applications, is the greatest barrier to change. What's most interesting about this is what it reveals about the respondents: specifically that they're so focused on fighting Microsoft's alligators...

Microsoft Internet Explorer is reported prone to a remote buffer overflow vulnerability. This issue presents itself when the application handles a malformed CSS file. A typical attack would involve the attacker creating a Web site that includes the malicious CSS file. The attacker may then entice a vulnerable user to visit the site. If successful, this attack may result in granting the attacker unauthorized access to the affected computer in the context of the user running Internet Explorer.

Important information about current security risks. Worm.Win32.Sober.L Alert! A new variant of the Sober worm is spreading fast. As it's predecessors, Sober.L spreads as an email attachment in emails which are sent to all email addresses found on the victim's harddisk. Even if the executable file is packed in a .ZIP file, many users open the file and activate the worm this way. For novice users it's hard to see that it is a worm generated email because the email subject is "your password + accountnumber !". The email body text is the following: hi, i've got an admin mail...

It didn't take hackers long to start banging hard on the vulnerabilities Microsoft disseminated Tuesday. Just a day after the Redmond, Wash.-based developer rolled out a dozen advisoriescontaining 16 vulnerabilities, 10 of them tagged as "Critical," exploit code has gone public for one, Microsoft said late Wednesday. "Microsoft won't be happy that someone has posted information about how to take advantage of their critical security hole within 48 hours of their patch being released," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos, in a statement. "Many computer users are bound to have not yet defended themselves," he added. Microsoft posted...

Microsoft Tuesday released its largest group security patches in nearly a year as it posted 12 security bulletins encompassing 19 vulnerabilities, 14 of which it marked "Critical," its highest patch-now warning. Among them is a vulnerability that will likely lead to the biggest, baddest worm in since mid-2003, said Mike Murray, the director of research at vulnerability management vendor nCircle. "There's a clear 'winner' here," said Murray. " MS05-011 fixes a vulnerability in SMB [Server Message Block], which is running on every version of Microsoft's operating systems that a corporation might be using. And it's exploitable remotely, so it doesn't...

Microsoft on Thursday gave early warning that next week's monthly dose of security bulletins and patches will be among its biggest ever. According to the Advance Notification service, which pre-announces upcoming patches but limits the information disclosed, next Tuesday's roundup will include 13 security bulletins, at least three of which will be marked "Critical," the Redmond, Wash.-based developer's most dire warning. Nine of the bulletins affect Microsoft Windows. That's a much-higher-than-normal number, and three times what the company published in January. Other patches will be published to fix bugs in SharePoint Services, Microsoft Office, the .Net Framework, Visual Studio, Windows...

Bropia worm spreads on the back of MSN Messenger 5:04PM A new virus is using the MSN Messenger system to spread. Known as Bropia.A, the worm waits on an infected system until the Messenger window is opened and then sends a copy of itself to contacts, using filenames adaware.exe, VB6.EXE, lexplore.exe and Win32.exe. If a contact accepts the file and runs it, it checks to see if any of the previously mentioned files are present, and if not, places a file called oms.exe on the computer and runs it. This is a variant of Rbot, which installs a backdoor on...