PC Problems? I am a PC TECH.

[Excaliborg]

Originally Posted by lindas

Hello
I have a problem with Firefox.
As soon as I have openedit, I get a page poping up.
I also get new pages coming up, all opening in new windows,they arelike Russianwomen, Adulr firends, No Game, Find Beautiful RussianWomen.
I have tried to get Norton to block them but it doesnot work. Norton alsofound a program which areseeking up cookies.
Have you got a suggestion to what I can do to stop this.

Friendly greetingsform Linda

someone has been very nawty tsk tsk. only play. i havent used firefox in a while but i shall do my best to assist. sounds like you have a browser hijacking infection. and that can be very nasty. what you need to do is this:

> disable your internet connection
> open firefox and clear all private data and diable any add-ons>
> also check the security settings, make sure radio boxes regarding installation of add-ons and suspicious sites
> pay a visit to your temp directories and remove all items found therein
> next restart your pc and boot into safe-mode by pressing F8 immediately after the BIOS info is displayed
> once you have logged in, run a full scan using norton av. what this does is only the core system components will be started and everything else can be scanned
> next i would recommend that you find another anti-virus, something like nod32, AVG, avast or anti-vira. i recommend nod32 or AVg as these two the ability to actually scan for malicious links and notify you of items trying to install without you knowing. these products also have internet security versions with firewall. but for most people the normal anti-virus and the windows firewall is sufficient

i think once i get the damn dsl working properly, i should do a write-up on anti-virus and firewall programs for informational purposes

[johndowe]

Hi there.

Good job Excaliborg, i never used Firefox, i was thinking to wack it, (un-install & reinstall)

Good idea on the firewall & antivirus tutorial, go for it.


JohnDowe.

[Excaliborg]

hello my good friends, i bring you greetings and hope you are safe in the love our lord. i am coming to you via special ways of internets. google prince obi for a good laugh

anyway, to the anti-virus...almost AV companies have business editions of their products but i will not be mentioning those. one thing you must understand is that no AV product is perfect and that the majority of AV programs are incompatible with each other, so install one only.

AVG: http://www.avg.com/

this program comes in a few flavours:
free edition thats just a basic AV and you can t set your own scan parameters
complete paid for version where you can define your own scan parameters, has anti-rookit (searched for root-kits hidden in your OS), anti-spyware, link scanner (blocks dodgy websites and checks links for threats), web sheild (monitors your network connection for threats and stops dangerous connections) and resident shield (works in the background scanning all files that you access).
and avg intertnet security version that is the same as the above but has a firewall built in.

i have used the free edition and curently have the paid for version installed. both are easy to use and simple to understand. the resident shield in the paid for version might slow your machine down when you access files as each file is scanned (i have disabled it cos speed is important to me). i havent used the Internet Security version but whichever version you choose, you will be getting a great product that will keep your protected.

nod32 http://www.nod32.co.za/ppc/download_...FVtm4wodskbE3Q

the acronym NOD stands for "Nemocnica na Okraji Disku" (hospital at the edge of the disk), a pun related to the Czechoslovakian medical drama series Nemocnica na okraji mesta (hospital at the edge of the city). little joke:D

this is another great AV program but it does tend to get a bit paranoid when scanning files. again this program comes in a fewflavours:

ESET Mobile Antivirus is aimed at protecting Windows Mobile Smartphones from viruses, spyware, adware, trojans, worms, rootkits, and other unwanted software. It also provides antispam filtering for SMS messages (bit silly but ok)
ESET Smart Security incorporates anti-spam and a bidirectional firewall along with traditional anti-malware features of ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
and the not normal AV but no free edition, just 30day trials.

CA http://shop.ca.com/virus/antivirus.a...FUQA4wodhQ6f1w

havent used this program extensively but it does what it says its going to do and the support people ar friendly.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus http://www.kaspersky.com/

this is a little more confusing as the below producs are for home and small businesses. but anyway.
Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 combines antivirus protection with a personal firewall and an anti-spam filter.
Anti-Virus 2010 solution provides complete antivirus protection that allows you to surf the web safely and keeps your PC free of viruses, Internet and email worms, and Trojans.
Internet Security
Special Edition for Ultra-Portables special edition of Kaspersky Internet Security is designed and customized to work on small and ultra-portable PCs, also known as Netbooks.
Kaspersky Mobile Security is a convenient and reliable solution that protects smartphones from Internet attacks, malicious programs and SMS spam. It also provides protection of data stored on a smartphone should the device be lost or stolen.

another great program to use, my second best in fact. it is a lttle more complicated to use but once you get to know it, it becomes a lot easier.

these are the AV programs that i have used and would recommend to someone looking for a good AV.

Avira Anti-vir is another but i havent used it. http://www.avira.com/en/pages/index.php

there are many AV programs out there, and which one to use can be difficult to choose. your best bet would be to do some research on the AV of your choice.

google search results for the most popular:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&s...aqi=g1g-s5g-m4

you will notice i havent said anything about firewall programs, as i havent used any stand-alone firewall programs. i've either used an AV with a firewall or i've used the built-in firewall that ships with windows. not the smartest choice but then again i dont like waiting for the firewall to learn my surfing habits, but thats just me.

again google search results for the most popular:
http://www.google.com/search?client=...utf-8&oe=utf-8

if you require any further help, ask johndowe or myself.

[johndowe]

Hi there.

Good job, but what about AVAST av?


JohnDowe.

[Excaliborg]

um i forgot about that one. i havent used it as extensively as Kaspersky or AVG but is still a good product to use. nut for some reason it rubs me the wrong way. im not sying its bad, but it could be better.

[johndowe]

Hi there.

Don't forget to go see my "Bad ware and other computer nightmares to avoid" thread.

JohnDowe.

[DSL]

Anyone know about virus attacts and how to stop them.?

When i web search for some websites sometimes i get hit with an
( Adobe Reader license agreement popup window ) when i try to close it
it will install some nasty addware virus program that will take over your system and turn everything upside down! even when i click no on the
adobe reader it will install it any way and you can't get rid of it without
formatting your hard drive!. if you know a removal tool that can get rid of that bad apple without formatting my hard drive or anyone else.
i don't have the virus now but its out there and can be a pain in the ass.
thanks.

i also get a fake virus window saying that your system is under attack! and now scanning.

i do have McAfee security center too.

[johndowe]

Hi there.

DSL, if you are trying to open a ".pdf" file you need Adobe's reader, and it IS freeware, and all web brousers are aware of this and will ask to install adobe reader in order for you to see the file, even if you already have an older version of adobe reader (aka Acrebat), so it is hard for me to know if it is an attack or just the brouser doing it's job.

So, could you tell me which site is it that you experienced this event, so that i may see for myself?

Also if it is detected as an attack, it may verry well be one, if you d/l and read ".pdf" files you do need adobe reader, you should get from adobe direct @ www.adobe.com it is freeware, but there is a licence agreement when you install it.

JohnDowe.

[Kakariko]

I have an internet router, with 3 users plugged into it (including myself). Another user is almost constantly downloading, making things slower for everyone else. Also, I'm from Australia, where every ISP has download limits. I was wondering if there was a way to slow the speeds down through just one port of the router and if it's possible to have internet stop working on one port, once that user reaches a set download limit per day.

Whether this can be done or not, I'd like to say thanks all the same

[Steve747]

Hi

What you can do obviously depends on the services offered by the Router you have. Many modern routers offer a feature called QoS (Quality of Service). This allows you to set the different priorities for traffic from different applications, ports or MAC addresses (physical devices).

Obviously to be able to do this you will need to know the address, and administrator name and password for the router.

Hope this helps.

Steve

[johndowe]

Originally Posted by Kakariko

I have an internet router, with 3 users plugged into it (including myself). Another user is almost constantly downloading, making things slower for everyone else. Also, I'm from Australia, where every ISP has download limits. I was wondering if there was a way to slow the speeds down through just one port of the router and if it's possible to have internet stop working on one port, once that user reaches a set download limit per day.

Whether this can be done or not, I'd like to say thanks all the same

Hi there.


I was away for a good while but i'm back, don't know for how long though.



Yes there are ways to limit lockout users of networks, weather it is within windows or better yet the router itself, but, it is sometimes quite involved.

But before doing that, who's paying for the internet and the router? And you REALY should talk the the guy before tampering with the hardware, if you haven't already, because if you do tamper with the hardware and limit his internet incustions he may take it personally.

JohnDowe.

[twistedone]

Performance question:

I have a home built PC. I'd like to increase its performance with hardware upgrades.

My system has.

Asus M3A78-CM motherboard
AM2, 3GHZ processor (dual core)
4 gigs, DDR 800 memory. (I could add more, but would need a 64bit operating system to utilize it)
Nvidia BFG 9800 video card, PCI Express 2.

BIOS, is set to automatically overclock the processor. It is capable of doing so with this motherboard.

My question is: Would I see much of an increase in performance and speed if I upgraded to a quad core processor? The current motherboard is capable of handling it. I run a lot of games on it.

[Steve747]

Hi Kakario

Sorry about the delay in replying. I am afraid I have used up my download limit today so i cant read your screenshot. Send me an email with the model number and I will reply with instructions. The mail link for this forum is on the top right-hand corner of the page.

Steve

[no1000]

You are a life saver! Ok how do i reformat my computer if I don't have my windows xp cd? The computer currently has windows vista but I like xp better. Anyway I can download it?

also...

any spyware/malware/virus remover I can download for free???

[ila]

Originally Posted by no1000

also...

any spyware/malware/virus remover I can download for free???

You can try Spybot S&D and C Cleaner. You will have to do a search to get the proper spelling for the sites. You should also know that MacAfee (sic) and Norton don't like to run on the same computer as Spybot. Friends that have used Spybot and C Cleaner tell me that they are quite satisfied with both products and would never consider MacAfee or Norton again.