Computer virus info

[Gary 351C]

Malwarebytes and Spybot both work very well and they're free to download. The trick is to update them every 3 or 4 days and run them.

[Beagle]

The "buy our anti-virus" is the virus... it opens a hidden IE window and damn near anything you do will activate it. It's like a "You're our millionth visitor" or "FREE CANDY".

Honestly, the best thing you can do when those things pop up is just turn off your computer. I don't bother trying to close IE or anything because it will just relaunch itself via the hidden IE window. There's a decent description of some of the varieties and their intent here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Antivirus_(malware)


it sucks. Sorry to hear about it. I hit a site that launched some puke like that the other day looking for car parts... can't remember what the URL was, as soon as it popped up I hit the power button. I've tried in the past, unsuccessfully, to close IE via task manager. Since there are several IE's open, if you get the right one it will stop. If you don't, it just relaunches. Easier to just turn the box off without clicking anything.

[Thumpin455]

And Beagle just hit on the crux of the problem. IE doesnt have a script blocker, last I checked neither did chrome. Scripts are bits of software that are on every webpage, some install stuff, others just make a cookie, and some give you the crap you are dealing with now. The Firefox browser has a script blocker that will stop most of that crap from happening. IE just lets it go right through without a hitch. I havent used IE in years, I got tired of clicking a site or opening a bookmark and being able to go make a sandwich while it loaded. The added benefit of not getting most spyware and other malicious software was a big plus. Chrome is fast to open stuff, I use that too, but only on sites I know arent going to put something on my hard drive to see what I like. To each his own, but you cant get me to run IE anymore. I had to remove it so my kids would stop getting viruses and spyware on computers last year.

[pdub]

I dont use a computer so I dont have to worry bout getting viruses

I don't either. Nope, not me.

[BBR]

Do you use both?
How often do you use them?

I really just keep them updated and only run them if I have to.

[squirrel]

IE just lets it go right through without a hitch. I havent used IE in years,

newer versions of IE are a lot better than it was years ago.

I use firefox, and have the noscript extension installed...not only does it block that stuff, it also makes it so a lot of ads don't show up.

I think the only bad stuff I've got on my computer came from my son's flashdrive....gotta watch the kids...

[pdub]

We were handed IE8 at work, and it caused a lot of problems. I hear 8 is great at home, but at work it destroyed all the links we had on some (not all) older Excel files. And we've got a lot of them, important stuff.

The techies said there's no way the "upgrade" had anything to do with the problem with the links. They were adamant that it had nothing to do with it. But it wasn't that way yesterday, and it's that way today, so....duh? And it never got fixed. The techies basically said we were lying, since their system knowledge was above ours. As lowly users, we probably were PICNIC's (Problem In Chair, Not In Computer). It was a huge insult to a whole lot of us. We know we're stupid, but don't just come right out and TELL us we're ALL stupid. AND we can't even see (like, I mean eyesight).

We all had to fix it ourselves, one link at a time, thousands of them. There's still a few less-important spreadsheets that still don't work because we don't have the time or the priority to bother with them.

I love computer techs. At home it would be nice to have one, and at work you can't live without them, ....I don't know how to complete this sentence...