The Red Brick Times

What a predicklement! My computer got a nasty, and I couldn't scan for it or isolate it. New Norton 2005 said "No problems here!" But the thing was running on one cylinder and keeping the CPU running at 100% all the time. I couldn't even shut down without manually interrupting programs that "were't responding".

I bought a program called "Spycatcher", but the infestation prevented the installation window from opening. I would see it flash open and just as rapidly, flash closed. The only time I could get it to start, was by telling the computer to shut down. The bugs shut down first, and the Install window would then open. I would get about three steps into the installation when the computer shut down. I was tempted to reprogram the silicon with kinetic energy. Can you say "target practice" boys and girls?

The thing that worked this time was a shareware program called "Ad-Aware SE Personal." Betsy uses it at her work, and the company computer dudes said to try it also. It found Data Mining and Malware nastys in a couple of dozen places. "Die!" I screamed. "Die like squirming microbial rats!" And I pushed the electronic pesticide button and swept all before me in triumph.

Anyway, Ad-Aware SE Personal can be seen at the Lavasoft site, and downloaded, for personal computer use, at no cost, by picking one of their mirror sites to obtain the file. On my dial-up, it did not take too long (less than 6 minutes for the 2 1/2 MB file ) and installed easily and went right to work. I ran it a second time, using the "full system scan" selection and flushed out a couple more lurking pockets of malevolence.

Now, both the Ad-Aware and the Norton scans both show no suspects or file errors. Before this, the Norton kept reporting registry errors that it refused to repair. Now all is calm, all is bright.

I am researching a firewall to plug up the background rat-holes. Zone-Alarm comes well recommended, but if you host a web site, I am told that it makes it hard to remotely access your server for maintenance, since the access ports are all guarded against this kind of "attack".

Living in the virtual world is like having an apartment in New York. Bolts, chains, bars and locks on the door, but the burglar can still sometimes make it in by the fire escape. Even Santa gets stuck in the chimney, now and then.


Posted 6:26 PM by Andy (0) comments

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