Malware lingers months on infected PCs Malware stays around on infected PCs far longer than previously thought, according to the latest research from Trend Micro. Previous estimates suggested that a compromised machine remains infected for approximately six weeks. Based on an analysis of around 100 million compromised IPs, Trend Micro concludes that many infected …
Adaptability, the Achilles heel of the PC....
People buy gadgets, they do stuff, they work, then they break. You get 'em repaired or you replace them. That's all people know about gadgets.
You can't do that with a PC. It has very, very complex software, unlike your fridge or washing machine, which have very, very simple software.
There in lies the problem. Average J. Six P., bought a PC as a gadget assuming it will look after itself. PC World can now charge 250 sovs for a PC cleanup operation!
Lost count the number of times I've been round to family members machines to clean up and re-educate for the 56th time about not just clicking web-ads and always click the update button on the AV prog....still I never charge cash, it just keeps me in beer and owed favours when you need a baby-sitter!
"Lost count the number of times I've been round to family members machines to clean up and re-educate for the 56th time about not just clicking web-ads and always click the update button on the AV prog"
Set them up with Firefox and Adblock + set up all updates to automatic. From my experience helps a lot, with added benefit of "Internet being faster" since Adblock ;) For close family I usually also set up second partition for My Documents so in case of problems I can just nuke their machine from orbit with PartImage from SystemRescueCD. Saves tons of time. Oh, also logmein.com, ftw!
We've now installed Ubuntu on to a few machines as it takes less than an hour to install. Quick bit of training and off they go.
The main feedback has been how much faster the machines are. Also, as the user just sees their Home directory and none of that Program Files, Windows, System crap they say it's much easier to know where their files are.
Oh - and BTW - these have been business users who need to use the web, email, office documents, the usual. Would they switch back to Windows - I think not.
Well - one was my Mum who is seventy and never used a PC before - and she's fine with it.
A change is coming.
BTW - I know dome people seem to enjoy pretending to be a guru and enjoy (re)installing Windows in exchange for coffee and glory - but if you just want to fix the machines permanently then Ubuntu is the way to go.
I've been using Ubuntu for a while now, and can't remember when I last booted Windows, but I do remember that by default the system files are hidden in Windows. Appropriate use of policies can place all sorts of restrictions on what the Windows user can see and where he can go, to keep his environment simple and secure. Perhaps these things are different on your planet, or perhaps you're just getting a bit carried away with the whole "Ubuntu will free us from oppression" thing.
Sigh...
Right click on the Start button and select Explore for the default Windows Explorer view. Certain folders open automatically, all the folders in the C:\ drive are displayed. I seem to remember that the next thing you have to do is to close something up.
Or you can go to My Docs - and it opens up with a tree showing docs and settings for all users etc etc etc.
In Ubuntu - click Places then Home - and you are in you directory which holds all your docs. Simple. Less is more etc etc.
Ubuntu is not going to free us from oppression - that would be an insult to people who are genuinely oppressed - it is simply a better operating system. The reason I recommend it to other techies is this. If you are faced with the usual knackered Windows PC don't bother trying to fix it by reinstalling Windows - your time will cost the user more than buying a new PC - it will be slow to use and will not run everything properly - and it will be borked again soon.
Just install Ubuntu instead - you only have to charge for a couple of hours install and initial training - the users will be happy.
Even installing a printer is easier - I plugged in a HP CP 1515n to the LAN - selected add new printer, Ubuntu found it on the network, clicked next and job was done.
42 is....
But seriously, Ubuntu + 2 hours training = win? Seriously?
So me dear old ma wants msn to do a webcam enabled chat with my sister abroad, and that just works does it?
Or she wants to connect in to her job, they gave her a program thingy that will do it and all she does is click the padlock then the satellite, this of course also just works because
the faithful say so.
(in other words initiate the cisco VPN client, connect then RDP to her work machine).
Stop talking shite fanboys, and live in the real world for a day. Maybe, just maybe your dream of desktop linux will never be a reality because maybe, just maybe, not every clueless user is clueless about all subjects and all things, and may require something a bit more practical than a brown desktop and funny taskbar as a solution to an issue.
Also, get a job in actual IT, y'know, in the real world. When there is more than 5 pc's to look after.
Come back when you can control policies for as many or as few users as you like centrally and without fuss, with the wealth of information and others who have had similar problems to those you may face, and all from a seamlessly integrated suite of management tools. Oh, and all your clients use Office's VB features extensively.
The first reply to mention OOo gets shot in the spine for chronic lack of real world experience.
And at work, it is as real as it gets, and the decisions about what to use arent made by you or anyone literate in matters of Information Technology.
All that matters to them is the information, and the ease with which sites A and B communicate.
I should mention that i am in fact a linux fan. I use kubuntu at home as my main OS, with Gnome flavoured ubuntu on my secondary box(eve player....), but my lappy has vista/xp dual boot because frankly, thats what the majority design for.
So shall we retreat back under our respective bridges, and ditch belief based hyperbole in favor of evidence based reasoning for a change?
The remote management thing is a good point (as of now anyway), but this article was about infected machines staying infected for months on end -- hardly likely in a "managed" environment like that.
On the "home" front, if someone wants to connect to her job, she should have a job-issued laptop/desktop. As a "personal go to guy", I might help with setting up Firefox+Adblock+basic precautions/education as someone up there suggested, but I probably wouldn't install Linux -- I don't mess with someone else's "work" stuff unless it is "work" for me too.
The video webchat thing -- lets just say you threw in "MSN" as bait. I'm not a big user but last time I checked, skype worked fine.
The old "everyone else is using it, so I have to use it too" argument may be genuine in *some* special cases, but in all but one of the dozen+ people I maintain computers for (personally, no cost) a little digging has revealed that there is no *real* need -- it was more a perception.
And finally, if you really are using Linux at home, the least you can do is stop calling us "fanboys". Most of us -- in real life if not on El Reg ;-) -- are perfectly reasonable people.
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