General Music Chat

I recently started doing some more communicating with people on Myspace, particularly adding new friends in the Kansas City area who are into the blues. Just about every time I go on there for any extended length of time (ffteen minutes or more) I end up getting a virus attack on my PC. I have a contract with Geeks On Site where they do a remote clean-up of my PC. I've been calling them almost on a weekly basis, primarily because of the problems with viruses from Myspace. Geeks told me that Myspace is particularly loaded with viruses. Also Jango has been infected with viruses also. Is anybody else experiencing this same problem? Now I go on Myspace and do some business there (post bulletins, answer e-mails, search for friends, etc.) and get off ASAP. The same goes for Jango. It's a shame because Jango is such a cool website.

Not me Bob but then I don't use Windows. I have seen an increase in spam mailings but that is to be expected owing to millions using the place. I just report then when they happen,

I never have any problems, but then I avoid any sites that might have questionable content.

Buy virus protection software and keep the definitions up to date. Run a malware program once a month to remove spyware, etc.

There are "flash" bugs on both myspace and jango..

Flash is the code adobe uses to compress video for web use, and exploiters have been using it to "hide" code that executes on your machine when it "opens" the flash presentation.

An interesting point about the more recent bugs... they install a small program on your computer that then starts to build a bigger program using code hidden on the internet in the names of other files.
i.e. if you had the bug then goto Jango and see a pic with the name:
Dog_smiling_fdsjf5434jfsdamfnafg8943j.jpg

The green digits are code it can translate and add to its program.

So first you get the small, inoffensive bug, and then you spend weeks unknowingly allowing it to build a bigger bug in the back of your computer.

These almost always contain "Root Kits" which means they are cleverly hidden from sight, and often record your keystrokes for occasional transmission to another site that scans for bank account, SS#, CC# ect.

This is how they keep getting everyone's email address and passwords, then taking over your hotmail or myspace to additionally try to infect your friends.

1) Keep your Adobe Flash fully updated.
http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html

2) Keep an Antivirus active and updated on your computer.
http://majorgeeks.com/Avast_Free_Edition_d1968.html
http://majorgeeks.com/AVG_AntiVirus_Free_Edition_d886.html

3) Turn OFF System Restore... I personally recommend backing up your files regularly and reinstalling Windows over System Restore in case of "emergency".
http://www.pchell.com/virus/systemrestore.shtml

4) Run Anti-Malware programs once per month.
http://www.malwarebytes.org/
http://www.superantispyware.com/

5) Visit the forums at Bleeping Computer to get assistance clearing anything that resists the above steps.
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/

myspace is LOADED with malware (viruses in my opinion), I had a serious scareware program take over my machine at home, got it from the myspace LOGIN page, it really pissed me off, took about 2 hours to remove. Got it again 2 days later from different page on myspace.

Facebook, I disabled all the applications except what is needed to run the page.. and don't allow anything to access my profile. Haven't had a virus yet, but several friends over time have had their accounts hacked and tried to send links to virused websites via private messages. I don't click most links unless I'm absolutely sure I know where it's going.

Linux,
I don't know how many times I have to say it.

MAC too by the way.
Cheers.

Chipfryer.

Linux,
I don't know how many times I have to say it.

MAC too by the way.
Cheers.

Chipfryer.

Deaf ears buddy. Not enough market share. All the apps are on Windows.

Linux has a way to go before its ready for the public that keeps screwing up windows.

Or maybe its the public that still has a ways to go. I've used linux, works fine... three times more effort involved to get a windows program to run under W.I.N.E.

Final straw... I could run linux and not have any practical experience with the issues on the computers all around me... and then all I could say would be:

Linux

My wife's Accounting firm uses a proprietary software which still does not have linux support. So should I run Linux AND Windows? We could do as you suggest and pay 3-5 times more for a Mac than a PC, lets see... 5 stations and 2 laptops... currently working fine on XP, under $1500. Or I could spend $900 per computer so I could be a Mac Snob.

No thanks, Win XP works just fine if you "wash" it once a month as I have suggested.

WOW!
Two people post on the merits. Well not so..... on Linux?
I find that funneah!

Enjoy your Viruses.

Enjoy may be a stretch... but I do enjoy the "reward" of helping others who have bumbled into some crap on the internet.

To stay current I need to keep machines around me that represent the bulk of computers I work on.

I have a Vista, Several XP's and a Win2k OS running around here, and keep literally hundreds of machines running those OS's operational.

Its my job to catch the bugs before you do, figure out how to get them off my machine... and then when I walk up to yours, I know exactly what to do.

Generally between my UBCD4Win and the tools on my 4 gig jump drive I can fix just about anything within hours of sitting down in front of your computer. 2hr visit = $50 -$100 ( I carry spare RAM in the bag).

I'm all for Linux putting me outta work. Think it'll happen anytime soon?

I'm getting so pissed off at my PC I'm ready to set it on fire and use my cell phone to do my web business. I own a small business and have a wesite for it that is getting me absolutely NO BUSINESS. I know other small businesses that also have useless websites. I heard that in the not so distant future the internet will be so crowded and so full of harmful viruses that it will be virtually useless (no pun intended)...

Linux,
I don't know how many times I have to say it.

MAC too by the way.
Cheers.

Chipfryer.

Deaf ears buddy. Not enough market share. All the apps are on Windows.

Not true. Not even close to true.
The office world does mostly run on MS excel though.

Use firefox. Firefox entension 'No Sccript'
Disable Flash in adobe reader, disable Flash player.

I.E. is cool in a controlled environment, but not out in the wild

No I don't since Windows take an exceptional interest in Linux and have in fact shared driver licenses with one flavor.

I like my comp to work, it does, peer supported and Free. I rather like the free bit and because I don't have to worry about your windows problems my productivity is greatly enhanced. It's not that I intensely dislike windows, I just don't like the problems it brings with it.

It was just a suggestion people.

Enjoy may be a stretch...

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I'm all for Linux putting me outta work. Think it'll happen anytime soon?