Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

Virus Hell

I am the reigning computer expert in my family, saddled with fixing whatever ails the various systems in both business and home use. I am, therefore, also to blame whenever something goes wrong.

Twice in recent months I have had a computer that more-or-less worked, yet found it to have multiple viruses, as discovered by McAfee. Once I have removed the virus I have ended up with a machine that is functionally worse than when I started (programs that would run with the virus won't run once it has been innoculated or something similar).

I know that a virus program can't repair damage that has already been done, but how can removing a virus screw things up further?

Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 832

Re: Virus Hell

quote:

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Originally posted by Keefer Lucas


I know that a virus program can't repair damage that has already been done, but how can removing a virus screw things up further?

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Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Connecticut USA
Posts: 2682

Make sure you have the latest McAfee updates and re-scan your system (scan ALL files). It's possible that there's still traces of a virus lurking around. I can't remember the name, but a recent virus infected the RUNDLL22 file which is the core loader that Windows uses for just about everything. We were hit at my office and several of the machines needed to have this file manually replaced (with the System File Checker app) even after McAfee said the systems were clean.

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Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Sydney Australia
Posts: 1883

Re: Virus Hell

quote:

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Originally posted by Keefer Lucas
I know that a virus program can't repair damage that has already been done, but how can removing a virus screw things up further?

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Aberdeen, SD
Posts: 2531

Happens all the time. There's much more to virus removal than just deleting the virus. You may have to edit the registry, run sfc, run msconfig and deselect programs that are starting up, replace other files that have been deleted, etc.

A good habit to get into: run scandisk from the dos prompt (press f8 on bootup) to re-affirm file sizes in windows after disinfection.

Just read the info for whatever virus you may have had at Mcafee's site. That'll tell you exactly what needs to be done.

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-Joshua
Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Texan in Calgary for a while
Posts: 1361

I'm just tired of all the Windows virii that have been around lately. I get so man sircam and now this new one emailed to me.

TGIUAM (Thank God I Use A Mac)

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James Hromadka
Old Friend

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

quote:

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Originally posted by JHromadka
I'm just tired of all the Windows virii that have been around lately. I get so many sircam and now this new one emailed to me.

TGIUAM (Thank God I Use A Mac)

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 58

Also, it should go without saying, but it bears repeating:

Tell your users (whether family on the home network, or workers at the office) NOT TO OPEN ATTACHMENTS FROM STRANGERS, or even unexpected attachments from acquaintences - especially not .exe files, .vbs files, etc...

If people could just learn this simple rule of thumb, it would go a long way towards controlling viruses that propogate via e-mail attachments.

And of course, one can always switch to something other than Outlook for reading e-mail. Netscape and Eudora have free e-mail clients available. Not that these are 100% invulnerable to exploitation, but most viruses exploit security holes in MS products since that's what most people have installed by default.

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Registered: Mar 2001
Location:
Posts: 347

The newer virii even have random subject lines so it makes it more difficult. Turn off the auto-preview pane, tell outlook not to "run" any attachments.

Also you should IMMEDIATELY delete and file that has two extensions. A new virus comes in like so:

somename.mp3.scr
anothername.doc.pif

Delete those right away.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: I'm not sure, but I see lots of lights everywhere.
Posts: 1287

Most viruses target Outlook and Outlook Express, the very latest and greatest in Microsoft Swisscheeseware. The best thing you can do to protect yourself is to DUMP them and go with Netscape Mail or Eudora...as usonian2001 correctly pointed out. If Nestcape 6.2 weren't so crummy, I would use it as my primary browser. I actually prefer the elegant interface of NS Mail to OE.

Why anyone would ever want to use Outlook 2002 as their PIM/email client is beyond me. It is, by far, the worst application ever unleashed upon humanity. At times it's hard to distinguish it from an actual virus. I'm surprised Norton Anti-virus doesn't simply alert me that my PC has been infected with Microsoft outlook!

As a side note, I have received the BadTrans.b variant 3 times this week. Norton caught it each time, but as Keefer said, Viruses were never this big of an issue in the past. Just keeps getting worse.

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Aberdeen, SD
Posts: 2531

quote:

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Originally posted by foo fighter
Why anyone would ever want to use Outlook 2002 as their PIM/email client is beyond me. It is, by far, the worst application ever unleashed upon humanity. At times it's hard to distinguish it from an actual virus. I'm surprised Norton Anti-virus doesn't simply alert me that my PC has been infected with Microsoft outlook!

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-Joshua
Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Spring Lake Park, MN (45min from minneapolis)
Posts: 313

I never knew how common viruses were, besides network computers. And if i were ever to get a virus, our Virus software came with the computer 3 years ago, and we have never updated it.

I heard that programs like "Norton anti virus" can only see viruses that are made by begginers. True hackers and all make there virus unnoticible to the detection program.

Anyone see "Swordfish" about a virus with 1000 something encryption, that would be impossible to brake.

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Aberdeen, SD
Posts: 2531

quote:

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Originally posted by robert sibell
True hackers and all make there virus unnoticible to the detection program.

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-Joshua
Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: I'm not sure, but I see lots of lights everywhere.
Posts: 1287

Viruses are bad enough, but the most aggravating malicious attack is hacking! In spite of having a firewall on my system, occasionally some jackass manages to hack into my system and f*ck around. Yesterday I was online, typing away, when suddenly the list of messages in Outlook Express began spontaneously scrolling up and down by itself. When I attempted to click the close button, I got no response...it just kept scrolling. And then my browser window began to join in the fun. The best response is to immediately disconnect the Dial-up.

It's a harmless attack, but a chilling dose of reality as to how vulnerable you really are...despite having a defensive perimeter around your PC.

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

Just Plain Gruesome

Rather than installing and updating my virus control software I've resorted to removing it altogether. Norton 2001 has bogged my father's machine down so much that it barely even runs; its instistance on auto-updating (I've switched off all known user switches that announce updates) is maddening for my dad (he will be in the middle of a program and the Norton auto-updater will pop-on, which infuriates him). I first installed the program because he had some inexplicable computing issues (programs that wouldn't run that had worked fine in the past) and frequent lockups. I found three different virii. Unfortunately his estimation is that the damage done by the virii didn't cause nearly the inconvenience of the anti-virus program.

I was so miffed with Norton that I switched to McAfee. The first time I installed it on my WIndows ME program it wiped out my ability to use the System Restore feature. Which was wonderful. McAfee's organizational response was "sorry about that. we are working on a resolution". Unfortunately I don't have HOURS to spend on hold waiting to talk to a tech who will suggest something creative like "try reinstalling your Windows software".

I later tried installing McAfee online on my XP machine at home and had the only lock-up ever expereienced in the new operating system. So I fly naked to the wind, and keep my critical files saved on a Zip disk, resigned to the inevitablility of completely wiping my hard drive three or four times a year. And live in fear of the virus that will leap out of my machine and into the drawer I keep my Zip disks in.

We spend alot of time bashing Microsoft, and rightfully so. I also think that Norton and McAfee are near useless as business entities as well.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: I'm not sure, but I see lots of lights everywhere.
Posts: 1287

Re: Just Plain Gruesome

quote:

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Originally posted by Keefer Lucas
I was so miffed with Norton that I switched to McAfee....[snip] I also think that Norton and McAfee are near useless as business entities as well.

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My blog: Pocketfactory

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Spring Lake Park, MN (45min from minneapolis)
Posts: 313

Re: Re: Just Plain Gruesome

quote:

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Originally posted by foo fighter

Peter Norton looks older every year on every box of Norton software. I think he's not the only thing getting long in the tooth, his software could use some viagra as well!

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"Few women admit their age. Few men act theirs."
"The sum of the intelligence on the planet is constant, but the population is increasing"
"I am not a vegetarian because i love animals; I am a vegetarian because I hate plants.-- A. Whitney Brown"

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Richmond, VA, USA
Posts: 151

Outlook 2k2

Foo Fighter:

quote:

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Why anyone would ever want to use Outlook 2002 as their PIM/email client is beyond me. It is, by far, the worst application ever unleashed upon humanity.

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Registered: Oct 1999
Location: I'm not sure, but I see lots of lights everywhere.
Posts: 1287

Re: Outlook 2k2

quote:

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Originally posted by na2rboy
What functionality does it not have that you want?

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Attachment: outlook.gif
This has been downloaded 158 time(s).

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My blog: Pocketfactory

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Richmond, VA, USA
Posts: 151

outlook 2k2

Then why not just disable the outlook bar, and enable the folders list? Or have both? Then each folder (sent, outbox, etc.) is just a click away. It was made to work both ways.
What about the interface is a trainwreck?