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BadMan
01-28-08, 18:24
I have a question for all the computer experts out there. Does anyone know of a good double docking app for a Vista skin?

I posted this question in a tech forum a couple days ago to no avail, maybe someone here can help me out.

Regards,

BM.

Master J
02-14-08, 02:04
I was home after a day out, and I was viewing Baires Girls foro when I believe I clicked on Carlito of Gemidos or I was later viewing youporn, when either site seemed to have strangled my computer to a crawl. Ther were several warnings about check your anti virus program which I thought was a scam.

Does anyone out there know what I can try to purchase on line or on disc that will kill this thing? I am not subscribing to any anti-virus and was wondering if it was too late! First time for this one.

Thanking you in advance.

Aqualung
02-14-08, 10:48
I was home after a day out, and I was viewing Baires Girls foro when I believe I clicked on Carlito of Gemidos or I was later viewing youporn, when either site seemed to have strangled my computer to a crawl. Ther were several warnings about check your anti virus program which I thought was a scam.

Does anyone out there know what I can try to purchase on line or on disc that will kill this thing? I am not subscribing to any anti-virus and was wondering if it was too late! First time for this one.

Thanking you in advance.I use Mozilla Firefox instead of the explorer and I have the AVG (free version) antivirus.

I used to have lots of problems but since I have this combination (about two years) I never had another problem.

El Aleman
02-14-08, 11:13
MasterJ,

Surfing the net with IE and no virus protection whatsoever is about as dangerous for your computer as it would be for you fucking every BA hooker bareback.

If you think you got your machine infected, you can try a couple of things:

Nearly all antivirus programs, / Norton, McAfee, Kaspersky, Bit Defender, come as a time limited trial version (with full function) that you can just download, install, and check your machine. This will help in 90% of the cases. The rest sits "so deep" in you machine, that you have to check (and clean) your hard disk while your main operating system is NOT running, I. E. From an operating system started from your CD drive.

There are 2 alternatives I know about: BartPE (you have to build your CD using PEBuilder and your original Windows (2000 or XP) disk, just google BartPE) or Knoppix, which is a CD based Linux distribution. There are several customized versions of both things around that include current virus scannners.

And for the future, do 2 things, as Aqualung suggests:

- install a virus scanner, and keep it current. Which one is up to you, they all have their strong and weak spots. But each of them will kill 90% of what's coming in.

- avoid like the plague Internet Explorer and Outlook / Outlook express. 90% of all malware that's around exploits security holes in these 2 programs. There are enough alternative browsers (Firefox, Opera) and email clients (Thunderbird) and they are all free.

These 2 steps combined will reduce your risk about 99% ,

If you need more information (and are in BA) PE me.

El Alemán

Hound
02-14-08, 12:39
Try this free and excellent scan. It'll tell you what you're up against. Takes over an hour. And get a good firewall. Zone Alarm has a free one on its website.

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

BadMan
02-14-08, 17:16
I use the 4 pronged defense.

First of all I use Firefox.

Next I use an Anti Virus and do a daily scan (I use Macafee, but Norton is just as good)

Thirdly I use an anti spyware and adware tool (I use Spyware Doctor, it's free and very effective) I also scan with it once or twice a day.

Lastly I use a system cleaner (I use CCleaner which is also free) It cleans out your computer, clears cookies and so on. I clean my system with this about once every couple days.

There are many other methods you can use and also different cleaning schedules. But this is what works for me.

If you want any specifics on any of the programs and tools I mentioned above. A simple google search will provide the specifics.

But again you need 1. A good browser 2. A good antivirus 3. A good anti spyware and adware and 4. A good system cleaner.

Regards,

BM

Guiller
02-14-08, 18:13
I was home after a day out, and I was viewing Baires Girls foro when I believe I clicked on Carlito of Gemidos or I was later viewing youporn, when either site seemed to have strangled my computer to a crawl. Ther were several warnings about check your anti virus program which I thought was a scam.

Does anyone out there know what I can try to purchase on line or on disc that will kill this thing? I am not subscribing to any anti-virus and was wondering if it was too late! First time for this one.

Thanking you in advance.Hi,

Bairesgirls, as well as all major internet sites devoted to escort announcements are under constant monitoring and it is unlikely that you could download a virus from there. Sites devotes to viewing videos on line is another matter, since most probably you are executing some files in your PC. I would not put these sites at the same security level as local sites that have phone numbers and e-mail addresses for contact in case of need. All of these sites have a system manager working hard to keep their bussiness out of trouble (which could mean loosing money in a booming bussiness)

All the best

Guiller
02-14-08, 18:15
I use the 4 pronged defense.

First of all I use Firefox.

Next I use an Anti Virus and do a daily scan (I use Macafee, but Norton is just as good)

Thirdly I use an anti spyware and adware tool (I use Spyware Doctor, it's free and very effective) I also scan with it once or twice a day.

Lastly I use a system cleaner (I use CCleaner which is also free) It cleans out your computer, clears cookies and so on. I clean my system with this about once every couple days.

There are many other methods you can use and also different cleaning schedules. But this is what works for me.

If you want any specifics on any of the programs and tools I mentioned above. A simple google search will provide the specifics.

But again you need 1. A good browser 2. A good antivirus 3. A good anti spyware and adware and 4. A good system cleaner.

Regards,

BMAnother option is to partition your hard disk and install Linux on the new partition, and boot your PC or laptop under Linux when you plan to browse through the internet. Your PC resources would be freer from all those malware protection programs.

All the best

El Aleman
02-15-08, 19:14
Another good idea is not to connect your PC directly to the internet (via a DSL modem or similar thing) giving it a public IP address, but to buy a DSL router with NAT (Network Address Translation) that gives your PC an address in private address space. This means, that your PC is not visible for a port scan from the outside. Also, today's routers have a lot of firewall functions. Worth to spend an hour to set it up.

Just take care, if the router is a wireless one: enable encryption, otherwise you will experience extremely low transfer rates after a few days. Not because something has broke, but because your neighbour's kids are sucking gibabytes of videos and MP3's through your account!

El Alemán

Zappaman
02-15-08, 22:13
The number 1 thing. Absolutely the number 1 thing you need to do is stay away from "free" shit on the Internet. There is very little to no such thing on the Internet. In the physical world there is a lot of dark alleys your common sense would tell you to stay the fuck out of. Well, the Internet is like New York, Mexico City, and Sao Paulo, etc.. You are lucky, over time, if you do not get mugged. Asking for it just hastened the process. I guarantee you it was "YouPorn" that got you.

All the other stuff: Internet router (dirt cheap and necessary) anti-virus (not running it you deserve whatever pain you might have) Software firewall (Microshit's is good enough is you don't know anything about firewalls) Anti-spam / malware tools are ALL together the correct way to be set up.

However, that does not mean you will not get nailed. Almost every effective exploit today is aimed at coming through your browser. If your running with Admin rights then you are fucked. Regardless of your protections (speaking of Windows machines with this.

The moral is do not sucker for stupid websites. You want porn. Go to AEBN and pay a few bucks for decent quality whack material for pennies per minute. As one example. Use reputable commerce sites, in general. Watch our for websites that are "suddenly" redesigned as you might have been redirected to a fake site that will use your credentials elsewherre. Myspace, youporn, "freee porn anything", free hacked software sites, etc. Will all have stuff that will own your machine in seconds.

You (hopefully) are strapping some latex on your dick each time you dip into somebody. Think the same way about the Internet.

Monger514
02-16-08, 02:36
Another option is to partition your hard disk and install Linux on the new partition, and boot your PC or laptop under Linux when you plan to browse through the internet. Your PC resources would be freer from all those malware protection programs.

All the bestActually, if you're going to do that, just download the free virtual machine from VMWare along with their free player.

BTW, I have not run anti-virus software or firewall on my machine for years, and never had a problem. However, I

1) Never install ActiveX controls in IE, other than Microsoft or Adobe.

2) Never open attachments from emails if I don't already know what they are.

3) Pay attention to URLs I go to. For example, before I log into my bank's website, I make sure I spelled the URL correctly, or went to it from the existing Favorites link, etc.

4) Block unwanted cookies.

But none of this will do you any good if you let other people use your comupter. So...

5) No one else can touch my computer.

YMMV.

Guiller
02-16-08, 19:13
The number 1 thing. Absolutely the number 1 thing you need to do is stay away from "free" shit on the Internet. There is very little to no such thing on the Internet. In the physical world there is a lot of dark alleys your common sense would tell you to stay the fuck out of. Well, the Internet is like New York, Mexico City, and Sao Paulo, etc. You are lucky, over time, if you do not get mugged. Asking for it just hastened the process. I guarantee you it was "YouPorn" that got you.

All the other stuff: Internet router (dirt cheap and necessary) anti-virus (not running it you deserve whatever pain you might have) Software firewall (Microshit's is good enough is you don't know anything about firewalls) Anti-spam / malware tools are ALL together the correct way to be set up.

However, that does not mean you will not get nailed. Almost every effective exploit today is aimed at coming through your browser. If your running with Admin rights then you are fucked. Regardless of your protections (speaking of Windows machines with this.

The moral is do not sucker for stupid websites. You want porn. Go to AEBN and pay a few bucks for decent quality whack material for pennies per minute. As one example. Use reputable commerce sites, in general. Watch our for websites that are "suddenly" redesigned as you might have been redirected to a fake site that will use your credentials elsewherre. Myspace, youporn, "freee porn anything", free hacked software sites, etc. Will all have stuff that will own your machine in seconds.

You (hopefully) are strapping some latex on your dick each time you dip into somebody. Think the same way about the Internet.Hi,

Porn forums are a great way of getting free quality pictures or movies, without malwares (at least in my own experience) Usually forum moderators do a good job cleaning away any infected links. Try, for instance the local forum www.foro-erotico.com.ar , or www.cinemajuggs.com , www.bikinibikini.com , http://17834.rapidforum.com/, etc. The general idea that nothing good come out for free is certainly not true (linux is a great example at hand, and I've been present when people decided to do it, without thinking of profit) It is however, a general rule, but exceptions are among the most beautiful things to discover.

All the best

Zappaman
02-17-08, 16:59
Hi,

Porn forums are a great way of getting free quality pictures or movies, without malwares (at least in my own experience) Usually forum moderators do a good job cleaning away any infected links. Try, for instance the local forum www.foro-erotico.com.ar , or www.cinemajuggs.com , www.bikinibikini.com , http://17834.rapidforum.com/, etc. The general idea that nothing good come out for free is certainly not true (linux is a great example at hand, and I've been present when people decided to do it, without thinking of profit) It is however, a general rule, but exceptions are among the most beautiful things to discover.

All the bestHi Guiller,

Your absolutely correct about free stuff in general. Open source is not only a great example of free but also as a social project / experiment. Your previous point about using Linux for better security is also valid. Also, I'm sure you are right about the sites you listed, etc.

My point still is that the Internet, in general and despite the gems, is somewhat shark infested waters and the sharks are designed to prey on the layman types. Most malware and spyware is designed to exploit Microshit and IE browsers. Statistically we now know that what were traditionally labeled as a "viruses" have dimished greatly and the massive growth of stateful inspection firewall installations makes port attacks boring - mostly replaced by attacking with trojans, etc. Via the browser, on Windows platforms. Last most do not realize that a large quantity of exploits today are designed so that you do not notice they are there.

I'll always argue that freeware sites are most prone to host bad guy stuff. Worse, today, most exploits are what we consider ports 80 and 443 exploits, particularly to attack corporate machines, and most anti-virus software can't do shit about it. No ActiveX helps, but there are a lot of other ways. Without something to examine the code as it streams into the PC it's extremely easy to have your machine "owned", within seconds. Even with that, if the Windows machine user is running as admin it's not hard to take over the box. The only thing necessary is that someone clicks the link. Those who use common sense with their Internet activities are generally OK. However, for those who simply "click away" the best way to avoid trouble is to stay out of the dark alleys.

For my company, I deal with this shit all the time, all over the globe. The absolute highest percentage of trashed machines comes from our travelers and tele-commuters who bypass all our security mechanisms so they can whack off for free in the hotel rooms, surf myspace.com, etc.

Zappaman

Evil7
02-17-08, 18:40
I started programing for linux since 1992 and DOS / Windows since 1990.

Simply switch to Firefox, Linux won't give you better security.

Basically, you have to know how hacking works, especially, today, they are hacking for financial reasons, not for fun. To them, the reason of not targeting firefox or linux in the past is because of the install base. However, giving the hacking tools are now mature, adding support to linux, firefox is very simple. You just copy paste another routine and add it to the main loop. Done in 2 min, no big deal. The hacking is mostly done by robots instead of human. Machines don't care doing extra works for firefox or other browser at all. I also don't think open source is any better in security. There are many fundamental open source libraries that still have plenty of know serious issues. Actually, the newest trend is hacking the linux server farms. Because most linux admin "think" it is safe, that make them easy targets. Besides, most of the linux box contains more treasures.

For most of the average users. Anti virus is definiatelly needed today. I would not recommend average users using free sites that provides porns, especially software.

Master J
02-17-08, 23:06
Thanks to all who took the time to reply. All of your comments were helpful, although quite frankly some goes over my head. The status now is that I have removed most of my important files / fotos to my newer computer with Vista, and I am rolling with the cautions that you have mentioned (Any one a big fan of Vista?

The original computer is definately infected although to what degree I am not sure. I have a contact who will run all the necessary debugs, and then might have to re-install the operating software. As you can read from my post, I do not think I can handle this, or is it really that simple?

Again, wonderful board as usual, to help those in need with info.

Guiller
02-17-08, 23:27
I started programing for linux since 1992 and DOS / Windows since 1990.

Simply switch to Firefox, Linux won't give you better security.

Basically, you have to know how hacking works, especially, today, they are hacking for financial reasons, not for fun. To them, the reason of not targeting firefox or linux in the past is because of the install base. However, giving the hacking tools are now mature, adding support to linux, firefox is very simple. You just copy paste another routine and add it to the main loop. Done in 2 min, no big deal. The hacking is mostly done by robots instead of human. Machines don't care doing extra works for firefox or other browser at all. I also don't think open source is any better in security. There are many fundamental open source libraries that still have plenty of know serious issues. Actually, the newest trend is hacking the linux server farms. Because most linux admin "think" it is safe, that make them easy targets. Besides, most of the linux box contains more treasures.

For most of the average users. Anti virus is definiatelly needed today. I would not recommend average users using free sites that provides porns, especially software.My advice is not directed to experts, but to simple users and intented just as a practical suggestion (not as a scientific law requiring a demonstration or even worst, a legal statment!) , simple to implement: if you know nothing and care nothing about software and want to navigate, chances are you are much better off using Linux than Windows. It's just a probability statment, as opposed to an exact one. Of course, exceptions are always there, but I like to stay well within the majority of the cases, not in the exceptions. For example, my own statistics: out of about 20 people who asked me for help with infected computers, all of them used Windows as OS, and are just lawers, writers, painters, etc. My brother is a musician that cares nothing about computers and accepted my advice of installing Linux. Nothing ever happened to him, but his son uses another PC with the same internet provider running Windows, and he get viruses all the time (game sites are even worst that porn ones). I'm a scientist and at my age I really have to make an effort to accept the permanent negative attitude of my collegues towards everything, feeling happy from the failure of general tendencies and the excepcionality. I like the simplicity and majority, over the exactness that requires complexity, which is what Nature seems to prefer too. Scientific culture has very negative elements in terms of the psychology of human beings, but hopefully this postwar culture will be eventually replaced by a warmer, more human way of creating scientific knowledge.

All the best

Aqualung
02-18-08, 00:04
As Guiller says, I'm a simple user and all I can say is that I took another's advice and stopped using the explorer and downloaded the mozilla firefox and added the AVG antivirus (both free) I used to have to call my debugger once a fortnight or once a month and since I have done this I haven't seen him since (about two years) so as far as my experience has been this has given me more security.

One program - bugs every three or four weeks.

Another program - no bugs in 120 weeks.

So it's quite simple to a simple user like me!

Maybe this won't protect me from hackers intent on stealing the pictures of my cat and my dog and a chic or two but it certainly has put an and to the little fuckers that would come in and install themselves all over the place and change my initial site and open pages I had never asked for or make my computer treacle slow.

Ah, and I also downloaded adaware which keeps many of the little spies out.

I have no experience with Linux so I can't say anything but if those that have tried it find it better well go for it!

BadMan
02-18-08, 13:46
Any one a big fan of Vista?Vista, excuse my language, sucks ass. If you like the look and feel simply keep your XP and add a Vista skin (what I did)

Ubuntu is where it's REALLY at. 3D desktop cube, no viruses, Not resource draining like other OS's, fast, free etc.

Check out Dell, they sell laptops with Ubunto pre installed and since the OS is free, the laptop will cost like $300-500 less than a windows based one.

Regards,

BM

El Aleman
02-18-08, 16:10
Vista is for masochists. And I don't need my daily dose of the cat o' nine tails either.

Last October, I bought me a new Laptop (IBM) and whatever you buy today comes with Vista preinstalled. It took me about 24 hours before I ordered the downgrade to XP.

While Linux is a good alternative for many things (be it Ubuntu, Fedora, SuSe, or whichever distribution one prefers) unfortunately there are a few ones that are just not available for it. And I am not talking about the usual office stuff, but for example Jeppesen FliteStar.

El Alemán

Master J
02-18-08, 16:54
I would welcome any assistance of downgrading my Vista to the xp. Do you purchase or is this online? Thank you for confirming what I had thought. How can Microsoft come out with such an undesireable program? BM, what skin do you speak of?

El Aleman
02-18-08, 18:25
The only official way to get downgrades to XP is through the OEM who preinstalled Vista on the computer, and that only to the premium versions of Vista, not the consumer line.

I think that was a response of Microsoft to some unfriendly phone calls from large OEM's like IBM or HP that sell a lot in the corporate market, and who got equally unfriendly phone calls from their main clients. As a little private guy who bought his machine from the usual consumer outlets you are doomed tu use Vista, unless you just buy an off the shelf copy of XP, or maybe still have one from an old machine.

And the reason for Vista is simple: without an operating system that uses 95% of the CPU's capacity for itself, nobody (except extreme gamers) would need tha latest generation of Intel and AMD's processors. For normal work and fun, like writing, spreadsheets, surfing the net, email, an occasional movie etc. 2005's hardware with XP is more than sufficient.

El Alemán

Guiller
02-18-08, 19:22
How can Microsoft come out with such an undesireable program? BM, what skin do you speak of?My guess is that most of the development has been put into improving mechanisms for fighting against ilegal software, but this has not been recognized offically. But this is only my guess.

All the best

Evil7
02-18-08, 20:35
My guess is that most of the development has been put into improving mechanisms for fighting against ilegal software, but this has not been recognized offically. But this is only my guess.

All the bestMS did spend lots of resouces on vista security.

Many components that come with vista now run in two / multiple tiers to enhance the security. That also makes certain things run slower. Well, all anti virus software slow your system down anyway.

BadMan
02-19-08, 00:18
How can Microsoft come out with such an undesireable program?That's easy. They have a monopoly. Those smug bastards can do what they please. And no matter what you HAVE to buy the license if your purchasing a new pc.


BM, what skin do you speak of?The skin is a Bricopack.

Vista Inspirat 2 Config to be exact. It also comes with a rocketdock that makes it's user interface look and function much like a mac.

Zappaman
02-19-08, 02:34
Bingo! Dead on bullseye El Aleman.

Well, also it's core structure as an OS was completely rewritten as well. From a professional's point of view Vista is not a terrible thing but for a layman it will probably remain a large pain in the ass for quite some time.

But yes, you need kick ass hardware to make it seem smooth and fast - not just CPU but a very good chipset, plus very good video and quality, high speed, disk drives. A "discount" Vista box will not be a good experience.


The only official way to get downgrades to XP is through the OEM who preinstalled Vista on the computer, and that only to the premium versions of Vista, not the consumer line.

I think that was a response of Microsoft to some unfriendly phone calls from large OEM's like IBM or HP that sell a lot in the corporate market, and who got equally unfriendly phone calls from their main clients. As a little private guy who bought his machine from the usual consumer outlets you are doomed tu use Vista, unless you just buy an off the shelf copy of XP, or maybe still have one from an old machine.

And the reason for Vista is simple: without an operating system that uses 95% of the CPU's capacity for itself, nobody (except extreme gamers) would need tha latest generation of Intel and AMD's processors. For normal work and fun, like writing, spreadsheets, surfing the net, email, an occasional movie etc. 2005's hardware with XP is more than sufficient.

El Alemán

Artisttyp
02-19-08, 13:19
Does anyone have a clue why I cannot post or respond to pm's via my blackberry 8820 web browser?

Might it have something to do with security issues? I am new to mobile web browsing.

Otherwise I can access everything else. I can even send myself maps and casa lists in pdf files. I love my new toy!

I asked the same question on ISG but it got buried.

El Aleman
02-19-08, 17:12
Zappa, I know I have been polemic, but with a reason. Of course I know that behind the schenes there is a hell of a lot of improvememt in Vista compared to the old NT family (NT, 2000, XP) in security and other things. Btw. What Guiller refers to in the eyes of Microsoft is also "security"!

What I really dislike in Vista is how slow it behaves - even in up to date hardware. I can live without windows that shade away instead of just getting closed, but I hate to wait for the response of a stupid machine. And the other thing I don't like is a byproduct of the enhanced security - asking me 25 times if I am really sure to have thought over diligently my decision to try some potentially dangerous system function. Why not offer the option to open a terminal window, su+ myself, do my administrative tasks, knowing what I am doing, and then just get back out?

What Windows is missing, more and more from version to version, is an "expert mode", where the details are not hidden. The more user friendly they are trying to make it, the more admin unfriendly it gets.

Along with this, of course, should also come the understanding for programmers that an application is only an application if it runs without problems under a normal, unpriviledged, user account.

2 cents from.

El Alemán

Hound
02-22-08, 16:31
Anyone using encryption systems such as FileVault or Bit Locker might want to read about how they've been broken / compromised.

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/02/researchers-dis.html

Zappaman
02-24-08, 15:56
El Aleman,

You are correct. Vista is another nightmare for Microshit. Most businesses (that I am aware of) don't want to go there and personaly I know of two quite large corporations that tested and decided "no way". In my own, we are targeting 4th quarter of this year for initial implementation but only on new entry hardware and we have not locked into that. All in all Vista is a big fat, bloated, pig of an OS that is difficult for the average user to get a decent comfort level with. I think Microshit will eventually get it "right" but god only knows when.

The security aspects are a bit funny, because it was the core architecture that exposed the earlier Windows builds (NT and up) I am an old VMS guy and NT was derived, to a degree, from that. Problem was they left out some core and key concepts from the beginning.

Your also very correct about programming and doing it right. There are a lot of "old timer" Microshit guys who are very bitter that pop culture blames all the problems on MS. The truth is the supportive application industry for Windows took their own fast path ways to roll out applications without any regard to doing it in such a way as to allow "least privileged" philosophy to be applied. To be fair, Microsoft also chose the fast money path over forcing application developers to do it correctly - same goes for hardware and the supporting code and inherent firmware.

However, Microshit (and all other modern workstation OS developers) have missed the boat, in general, too. When I started working as a systems guy 26 years ago the key mantra was: "If anyone is noticing the OS, then something is wrong - the customer should only care about the application and how well it does it's job". Back in the "old days", the average person had not one clue what VM or VMS or even Unix meant. Hell, they did not even know what an operating system was. Now all everyone talks about is Windows or Linux when, all in all, they are just the foundation of the means to an end. The original Mac OS was the only workstation based OS that anyone ever cared to not notice was there behind their applications. To me, that old mantra is still dead on true. One should not need to be an automotive engineer to ensure their car gets them to and from the grocery store as well as the computer user (whether corporate or private) should not have to care about the engine of their computer, or have it "get in the way". Of course, the only way to ensure the industry provides that is to quit buying their shit until they get it right, just like the American public did to the U. S. Auto industry in the '80s. Feeding the beasts who make this shit and then bitching about it after the fact is a tad counterproductive.

All apologies for the rambling diatribe - I did not yet get to my morning doobie today.

Cheers, from the babbling idiot.

Zappaman
02-24-08, 16:01
Anyone using encryption systems such as FileVault or Bit Locker might want to read about how they've been broken / compromised.

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/02/researchers-dis.htmlAll of it is eventually broken / compromised. Unless you are working with seriously top secret stuff (which someone else is actively looking for) who cares? The chances of someone getting your data, then having the correct decryption tools and knowing how to use them are about 1 million times less than the average person locking themselves out of their own data while trying to "protect" it.

Zappadork

El Aleman
02-24-08, 17:58
Amen.

I 100% agree to whatever you write. I suffered from it long enough, since NT3.5 on my servers and the DOS based windows on my clients.

There is just one differenc between the old days you are referring to, and today. In the old VM (or UNIX) days, a computer, or better a terminal was a thing the user had in his office, and was running one or 2 applications, knowing (and caring about) nothing behind it. For that, there were the system guys, who got paid for keeping the stuff running. And in these days, that meant installing updates, dealing with broken hardware, making backups, etc. The typical user did not even think about having a computer at home.

Today a big part of an admin's work is dealing with the shit the users are producing - getting themselves viruses, installing shit they downloaded from the net (you can prohibit that 2576 times in your IT policy, to no avail if you have to leave them power user rights because otherwise one if your killer apps don't work anymore) and so on.

And as everybody has his / her PC at home, he is used to do some admin work himself, and thinks, well that worked at home, so it can't be such a task.

You know what I am laking about. And now better have some fun.

Cheers,

Al Alemán

Zappaman
02-24-08, 21:56
Amen.

Today a big part of an admin's work is dealing with the shit the users are producing - getting themselves viruses, installing shit they downloaded from the net (you can prohibit that 2576 times in your IT policy, to no avail if you have to leave them power user rights because otherwise one if your killer apps don't work anymore) and so on.Our teleworkers and frequent travelers are the worst. I recently instituted a internal back bill policy where I charge $400 per hour for my techs to fix / rebuild a malware trashed machine - after data transfer etc. A full rebuild averages 3 hours which is usually less time than it takes to fully clean and repair a trashed machine. Once Mr. Ms. Manager gets the bill the individual discipline seems to get better. It's evil but it works and, in the long run, saves my staff a lot of hours "fixing" abused machines.

Zappaman

El Perro
03-28-08, 22:44
Anybody know the quick and easy way to close Microsoft Outlook? I can't update my anti virus program without closing it, and so far I am batting.000.

Thanks.

Jaimito Cartero
03-29-08, 02:11
You probably need to go to the Windows Task Manager. You can get there through the control panel, I think, or hit Shift-Control-Delete a couple of times (but not a bunch of times, because it will generally turn the computer off) and then select to close the MS outlook program from the list of programs.

Member #4112
03-29-08, 18:42
If you check the tool bar at the bottom of the screen you should see "Microsoft Outlook" listed. Left click on it and you should pull up the program and be able to close it using the "File" drop down menu and selct "Exit" that should get you out. If the problem is it comes up each time you start the computer, you can go to "Start Up" under "All Programs" and turn it off there, but you will have to start it manually each time you wish to get it going again.