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Wirehead Studios > General Discussion > Off-Topic > So I'm Here At The In-laws (fixing their computer)
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ConfusedUs
 

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« on: 2003-12-03, 00:53 »
Most of you read this in the chatroom, but here goes.

First thing I noticed: fifteen things in the systray on boot. Thirty-three processes.

Second thing: Open IE, and get bombarded by 8-12 popups.

Download Ad-aware. 660 objects found. Only 53 of which were cookies.

Download Spybot, Search & Destroy. Finds another 60 objects Adaware missed.

Remove all. Reboot a few times.

Open msconfig, get rid of startup processes.

Run windows update. Forty-six critical updates, including WinXP Service Pack 1.

Kill that POS AVG anti-virus and install norton. Three viruses found and quarantined.

Computer now runs right. Yay.
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Demonwench
 
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« Reply #1 on: 2003-12-03, 01:27 »
Wow, you sound busy.  Bet tthey like their new son in law better.
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dna
 
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« Reply #2 on: 2003-12-03, 01:45 »
Lol, right now I've got 40 processes going.  On the other hand, my rig can handle it.
I can't believe they haven't gotten a single update - XP comes out of the box to do the auto-update thing so there's no excuse for them.
It was probably a test to see if you were truely the son-in-law they've always wanted. Slipgate - Wink
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ConfusedUs
 

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« Reply #3 on: 2003-12-03, 01:55 »
They'd tried to do the updates before. All the crap on the computer kept crashing windows update. Trust me, I tried to run WU first. It wouldn't run at all till I cleared the spyware. Slipgate - Wink
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Arno
 

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« Reply #4 on: 2003-12-03, 14:24 »
Quote from: ConfusedUs
Kill that POS AVG anti-virus and install norton. Three viruses found and quarantined.
 
Heh. I use AVG anti-virus. It's free.
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Kain-Xavier
 

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« Reply #5 on: 2003-12-04, 07:23 »
I have a strong feeling my parents' computer will be in the same exact state whenever I visit them. lol
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nobody
 

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« Reply #6 on: 2003-12-04, 12:48 »
Heh. I replace (upgrade) my parent's computer every  year or so. Not a big deal since I am in the business. But anyway, this past summer I was checking out their old system, getting all the settings and locating any data I would need to transfer, and when I launched their Outlook Express several hundred emails started pouring in. Mom told me she doesn't use the email much any more because it is almost always spam.  I asked her why she didn't ask me for help and she told me that for a long time she would just click on the link to have the spammer stop sending her emails. She didn't want to trouble me since she thought she had figured out the way to get them to stop on her own. She told me that she has no idea how so many people got her email address to send her spam. The amount of spam finally overwhelmed her and she quit using the email almost altogether. It took me close to an hour to set up her Blocked Senders List and show her how to add spammers to the list.

Parents. What can you do?

 Slipgate - Roll Eyes
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Tekhead
 
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« Reply #7 on: 2003-12-04, 14:55 »
It's hard to fathom what my sister and mother do with the machines at home... each time I visit them, the desktop is loaded with icons and performs like a hinge that hasn't felt WD-40 in a century. I wonder how long those machines'll be able to take that kind of punishment...
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dna
 
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« Reply #8 on: 2003-12-04, 15:50 »
Quote from: nobody
Heh. I replace (upgrade) my parent's computer every  year or so. Not a big deal since I am in the business. But anyway, this past summer I was checking out their old system, getting all the settings and locating any data I would need to transfer, and when I launched their Outlook Express several hundred emails started pouring in. Mom told me she doesn't use the email much any more because it is almost always spam.  I asked her why she didn't ask me for help and she told me that for a long time she would just click on the link to have the spammer stop sending her emails. She didn't want to trouble me since she thought she had figured out the way to get them to stop on her own. She told me that she has no idea how so many people got her email address to send her spam. The amount of spam finally overwhelmed her and she quit using the email almost altogether. It took me close to an hour to set up her Blocked Senders List and show her how to add spammers to the list.

Parents. What can you do?

 Slipgate - Roll Eyes
Time to kill that Email acct and set up a new one.  If she hasn't been using it anyway, that shouldn't matter to her.
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nobody
 

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« Reply #9 on: 2003-12-04, 17:39 »
I agree that plan would work, for a while anyway. Like I mentioned, I am in the biz and a large part of what we do is manage spam on corporate levels. I believe that dealing with spam with the tools that are available is preferable to creating new accounts for untold numbers of users and all the hassles that creates. Sure, for Mom, it would be no big deal. Just inform the few legit emailers of her new address after it is set up and off you go. Until the spam starts up again. But you can't hide from that stuff forever and I can't keep setting up different accounts everytime one starts getting hosed with spam. Na, I think I will just let her manage her blocked senders list. A lot less work for me, ultimately.
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