It actually arrived on Wednesday. I’ve spent the last couple of days setting things up. I still have things that need to be set up but I’m making good progress.
It’s great to be back online. Not having access was killing me.
I got a Dell 530s. So far I love just about everything about it. Vista, though, will take some getting used to.
I was tossed offline by a nasty virus delivered through a sneaky trojan. The trojan looked like a legitimate microsoft virus warning. It slipped right past my Norton 360 security program. That damn program didn’t pick up the trojan and it didn’t pick up the virus the thing leashed on my computer.
Needless to say, I no longer use Norton at all. I’m also going to email them about this issue and ask for my money back.
If this pops up on your computer
do not click on “Enable Protection” or “Click to download and activate protection.” Just delete the damn thing. If you click on either item it will load the virus to your computer. This is a nasty one, folks. You don’t want it on your computer.
cube says:
Those viral buggers are getting sneakier by the day. I’m curious about how Vista will work for you. We’re in the market for a new laptop, but are concerned that Vista won’t network with our current XP machines.
12/13/2008, 3:17 pmLaura says:
So far it seems to be working all right. I had to download a new driver for my printer because the disc that setup disc that came with it wasn’t loading the driver. It loaded everything else, though. Once I found the right driver it worked just fine.
It’s mostly a matter of getting used to how Vista works.
virgomonkey says:
Were your virus definitions updated?
In any event, I can sympathize and relate. Symantic is a corrupt company. VERY corrupt – in the corporate sense. I tell everyone to stay away from Norton at all costs!
12/14/2008, 8:52 amLaura says:
virgomonkey,
I had updated the virus definitions just two nights before I picked up the virus. I’m going to join you in telling people not to use Norton.
Erik says:
I had similar problems previously and I, too, removed Norton. I tried other security measures/programs for my PC and I finally figured out a solution to my problem…I bought a Mac.
12/14/2008, 1:35 pmjan says:
Welcome back, Laura. Actually Norton fired me when it wouldn’t let me load a renewal of their product. I’ve been glad it happened. I would think that 99% of the people who have windows firewall activated would fall for that trojan.
12/14/2008, 4:07 pmEverybodyGeek says:
Wow, that virus really is masked very well! Most malware and viruses are very easy to spot. I’m not sure however Norton is to blame. Could have happened with any scanner.
12/15/2008, 6:25 amCongrats with your new computer btw! Enjoy!
Marlene says:
Viruses are a nightmare – I have a laptop with Windows XP and have had a lot of trouble. I also have a new Mac – so far no problems. I was told that a Mac can not get a virus. Is this right? Good luck with your new system and have a Happy Holiday.
12/15/2008, 11:40 amJollyRoger says:
3 years of Ubuntu Linux. 3 years of having to deal with only the occasional piece of Web-based malware. 3 years of not having to pay M$ a dime for any of their products, as OpenOffice.org is a productivity suite that does everything M$Office does. Thunderbird makes for quite the nice mail client as well.
12/15/2008, 1:31 pmWwonka says:
Norton Sucks Monkey Balls. Sorry you had to learn the Hard way.
Enjoy your new computer.
the Donkey Show.
12/15/2008, 4:18 pmLaura says:
EverybodyGeek,
The Norton program I was using claimed to notify me of suspicious websites and was supposed to warn about possible trojans as well. At least, that’s what their advertisement claimed. It didn’t. Nor was the trojan that got me something new. I found reference to it going back a year. I also ran a scan after the virus was on my computer and Norton didn’t pick it up at all, even though it was recently updated.
Cindy says:
is it true? gee, i only came to know this, but the pop-up window sounds so real! anyway, thanks for the info!
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12/17/2008, 3:40 amPapa Chuck says:
I use this anti-malware program http://www.malwarebytes.org It’s free and works. I used it on some pc’s already infected with crap. One hard drive needed to be pulled out and plug into mine to perform a scan. Came out clean and all programs and icons still there. Ialso use AVG version 8 for my computer. It does alot more then Nortons free for a bunch of months and still half the price. And takes the crap out. AVG.com I fly the unfriendly sites and never had a problem stoping pop ups ar anything else. And firefox 3 is also meter then IE. Good luck
12/17/2008, 8:57 amwhiz1 says:
Been here, done this more times than I care to think of with breaking in a new computer. If you will take a few words from an old hand they are this…
Run decrapifier, its free for the searching on the net and will get rid of a lot of those little extras the OEMs like to include but aren’t worth a hoot.
Dump the firewall that comes with Windows, that’s another not worth the time and effort it takes to look at. Replace it with Comodo, another free ware for the seeking on the net.
If you have that crap called Norton for an antivirus, search for the uninstaller to get rid of what they want to stay on your computer after you have uninstalled it. It’s full of spyware and takes more resources to find less malware than nearly any program I have found in a long time. Instead, search on the net for the freeware, Antivir. Antivir does ok in finding things but I find it does much more if you run something like trojan hunter where it sits in the background while the hunter opens and looks in items in the walled garden. For some reason it finds things this way it doesn’t on it’s own scan.
I would add a last note, that I am not affiliated in any manner with any product mentioned in this commenting post. It’s just what has worked for me and I would willingly share that info with others in hopes their computing life will be easier.
12/22/2008, 2:45 am