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Obvious signs of infection include: : Sudden slow downs
Strange message boxes and advertising coming up for no apparent reason.
Constant internet access. Viruses etc. need to be connected to
internet as much as possible and so if you are infected they will try to dial-up or connect all time. Long start up times.
Constant popups
“OK, I’m up creek without a working computer what do I do now?”
Again Danny was in a playful mood. Curing computer problems on a daily basis would probably make most of us a little crazy.
“Pick from following:
Throw your computer out of window.
Set it on fire.
Kick it
Call a competent computer engineer . There are some things you can do yourself but this depends on how bad troubles have progressed. If your system is having a nervous breakdown it may be better to call a competent computer engineer immediately. DO NOT WAIT. Waiting can be fatal since virus or worm will spread and may render your system completely inoperative.
Run anti virus tools manually if necessary
Download tools like Stinger from McAfee which can sniff out viruses quickly. Put it on a floppy disk which you can use if you cannot connect with internet. Stinger will operate in safe mode.
To get into safe mode. Start your computer and keep pushing F8 which activates safe mode at time that computer starts (clicks on) You keep pushing F8 so that you will not miss brief window of opportunity to activate safe mode. Once a system becomes really unstable it is often best just to reformat hard drive and start again with manufacturers system restore disks. "
I could see that Danny was warming to his theme and was about to come up with a major pronouncement. He was well into Headmaster mode.
"There is a moral here: MAKE SURE YOUR IMPORTANT DATA IS BACKED UP. Get into habit of storing your most important files in at least two locations. I stopped using CD’s for storage and bought a USB hard drive that gets plugged in on a regular basis for all my backups.
It is important to realise that CDR/CDRW disks are magnetic, this means they are susceptible to all sorts of magnetic fields from TV, speakers etc. They are also easily damaged by touch (grease on fingers) as well as degradation from time.
System restore disks as with most bought software uses a different system to “write” to disks. The data is physically imprinted onto plastic so you have to really try before damage will occur.
Your data is 100 times more valuable than installed software. Many people do not look after system restore disks. This is very foolish. They are only cheap way for you to get a working system again. Any other method will cost you a lot.
RECAP
Use your computer; don’t mess about with it. Back up your data on another system/hard disk/cd etc. Be VERY careful of anything from internet. Follow this advice or send me a large cheque to sort out resulting mess.”
Danny allowed himself a little smile.
John Watson is an info publisher on the internet and a martial arts school owner. He taught Religious Studies and Life Skills to teenagers in London schools for about 33 years before retiring in 2000 A.D. His own e-books and those of the English multimillionaire, Stuart Goldsmith, can be found on his site at www.motivationtoday.com
