October 19, 2007 3:05 PM PDT
This second-hand computer gets an 'F' for spyware
Co-owning a computer can be tough, especially if you've got to share time with an Internet-hungry sibling.
That's why Ashley's sister jumps at the offer of a fresh computer for her exclusive use. This means Internet independence for both girls, if the hand-me-down computer passes 14-year-old Ashley's spyware test.
It doesn't. In fact, it fails miserably, so stuffed is it with Trojans, dialers, and worms. Will Ashley be able to disinfect it for her sister, or will she declare the computer a dud? This week's Spyware Horror Story, "My sister's keeper," lays it out from bootup to shutdown.
Jessica Dolcourt reviews the latest and greatest smartphone apps, in addition to a healthy dose of Windows software. E-mail Jessica and follow her on Twitter. 
Well YAY! i am the 1st 1 2 post he comment!
Whichever, you wasted your one-time shot at fame with an idiotic post; what's a "he comment?"
(And BTW, you weren't even first...)
If I were buying a used computer, I would wipe the disk and start over.
Grab all device names from device manager. Locate drivers on included CDs, computer manufacturer's website (if applicable), or device maker's website. Burn all drivers to a CD.
Use nlite to make a slipstreamed version of windows that the machine is licensed to, slipstreaming in latest service pack (SP2 if it's XP), SATA drivers if needed, and set the machine for unattended install. All this must be done on another known clean PC.
Boot to this newly minted CD, delete existing partitions (this will wipe everything clean), make one partition for the system, and one for data. Set windows to install on the first system partition.
Once Windows installs, install all the drivers that you downloaded. The second partition will have to be formatted. Run Windows update to get the system fully updated. Install base software like word processors, web browsers, media players (VLC), CD burning software, Foxit PDF reader, etc. Install essential browser add-ons like Flash and Java.
Sometimes pay software is very good at what it does. Use Acronis True Image to take a snapshot of the computer. Burn this to a CD / DVD. Now anytime the system is completely hosed, you can get a base install going in a few minutes, not hours. Having the user store data on a second partition means the main partition can be wiped without losing data (though backup regularly). This is particularly handy if the user is prone to downloading a lot of malware.
The reason I didn't include an antivirus or anti-spyware on this image is because these programs may not be valid in a year or two (not just outdated definitions, but in need of a completely new version, or a different vendow), so why not have a clean install of AV software or anti-spyware every time? Now or in the future.
True image is considered the best for disk imaging software. Norton Ghost used to be king but Symantec ruined it like all their other software. Feel free to use the program to make periodic backups, or make another image after the base software, but the base image will give you a good starting bit.
Thank you Backspace23,
I appreciate that.
However, I do believe the article said that Ashley was only 14 yrs old which means she might not have the experience yet to know what a pain it is, well she does now.
DeeJae
Any ideas how I can identify or remove this?
- the virus you're looking for..
- by miss_t0kyo October 25, 2007 5:28 PM PDT
- ..it might be Brengkolang(google it if you want, I'm not sure if that's what's affecting your computer). It also closes down your computer when it detects Antivirus stuff. Try going to a friend's house, download AVG, burn it to a CD, and install it on your house. It should erase the virus, but the effects (hidden folder options on the control panel, etc) will not be erased. I don't know how to bring them back to normal, but when we got affected by that we had to do a system restore to finally get rid of the effects. I think there IS a way to bring them back to normal, though, but I don't know how. Try googling it. Hope that helps. (:
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