Please help! Computer infected! This one's a doozy.

[Sundowner]

Sandboxie

Benefits of the Isolated Sandbox

    Secure Web Browsing: Running your Web browser under the protection of Sandboxie means that all malicious software downloaded by the browser is trapped in the sandbox and can be discarded trivially.

    Enhanced Privacy: Browsing history, cookies, and cached temporary files collected while Web browsing stay in the sandbox and don't leak into Windows.

    Secure E-mail: Viruses and other malicious software that might be hiding in your email can't break out of the sandbox and can't infect your real system.

    Windows Stays Lean: Prevent wear-and-tear in Windows by installing software into an isolated sandbox.

Regards,
Sun

http://www.sandboxie.com/

[Masherbrum]

I like ESET Smart Security 5 and I have NEVER had a virus on any of my PC's.   

[BaldEagl]

Those "You may have a virus" adware attacks are very very hard to get rid of.  You're best off to just reimage and start over.  Whatever data you had is lost.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Great idea with the Linux except one small problem, I have 0 Linux experience and would probably need help. Also with transferring files, I transfer files individuallly so as to avoid that. There shouldn't be a problem with that, right?

Don't worry if I didn't mention linux you wouldn't know they work on it. Try it out. They're tools for ordinary people.

[Skuzzy]

Do you use an off site service as backup or stick with in house raid?

I would never, ever use anything off site for my data.  I manage it myself.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Yesterday it was the landmark of 2nd malware/viral infection of my moms new win7 laptop. Spent last night installing and configuring linux on it. She didn't want it at first, complaining to me how 'linux doesnt work with the printer upstairs' and I showed her it's kinda hard to print with the usb cord unplugged After that she actually suggested mid-cleaning of win7 to dump it and put linux on it  

[MaSonZ]

Am I paranoid?  A bit.  I have over 8TB of data to protect on my home systems.  I err to caution because I cannot imagine losing all that data.

8TB 

[Skuzzy]

8TB 

Sounds like a lot, but considering one high-def video, including the source, can take up 100GB of space, it does not take many videos to eat through terra-bytes of disk space.

Backups to Blu-ray have proven unreliable.  There is something wrong with the media that is causing it to lose data over short periods of time (< 6 months).  So I cannot remove projects from my hard drive.  I keep another set of hard drives on the network as a backup.

[Pigslilspaz]

Sounds like a lot, but considering one high-def video, including the source, can take up 100GB of space, it does not take many videos to eat through terra-bytes of disk space.

Backups to Blu-ray have proven unreliable.  There is something wrong with the media that is causing it to lose data over short periods of time (< 6 months).  So I cannot remove projects from my hard drive.  I keep another set of hard drives on the network as a backup.

may I ask what kinds of videos?

[Skuzzy]

may I ask what kinds of videos?

I make a lot of videos of different things.  Events, weddings, various celebrations, and some just to have fun with.  Right now I am experimenting with animation.

[Nathan60]

I make a lot of videos of different things.  Events, weddings, various celebrations, and some just to have fun with.  Right now I am experimenting with animation.

If your looking for another hobby I know a WW2 flight combat game that might interest ya, people are always posting vids on youtube of it.

[Pigslilspaz]

Il-2 or World of Warplanes?





Why do I have a slight feeling I'll get a temp ban for this?

[Skuzzy]

If your looking for another hobby I know a WW2 flight combat game that might interest ya, people are always posting vids on youtube of it.

I will never post anything on Youtube.

Between the video/audio (I write music) stuff and my car(s), I am pretty set for hobbies.

I cannot play the game at home or I would make some videos.  I do not have the physical space for a HOTAS.  Heck I can barely move my mouse (4" x 4" area to work in).

[Butcher]

I have two external harddrives with all my data on it, my new desktop? HAS NOTHING.
What I do is simply unplug the drives if I am not using them, I have enough music on my desktop it gets me through.
I could throw the PC out the window, and wouldn't care, everything is safe. What happens if one drive goes bad? I replace it before turning on the other drive.

I did have one External book with just 1 backup copy of my stuff, fall off a desk and click, LOSS of everything - this is why I keep TWO copies, I paid $90 for pair of 750gb drives, they are not networked, as they are esata/USB (insurance in case a problem with 1 or other).

Ever since I started doing this back in 2000 I never had a problem, I did have one drive fail (early version of western digital black) otherwise its not worth taking the risk

[Vulcan]

There is so much misinformation on "viruses" (which are largely nonexistent today, and is simply a catch-all term used to describe any malicious bit of code) out there... in the past 5 years, of all the corporate/friends/family members that have come to me with their computer equivalent of an STD (because you, almost without exception, do not screw a computer going to legit sites), I have lost ONE machine... and that was due to massive hardware failure (and a profound lack of spare parts for that model of HD).

I run with 0 anti-virus... I facebook it up, get plenty of spam email... and I don't have any issues.  Ever. (I am not at all saying that you shouldn't run without anti-virus)

Keep your programs/operating systems updated... use common sense when surfing/opening stuff...  don't let the kids/grandkids run an admin account (though this isn't full-proof).

You probably generate most of the spam the rest of us get.

Safe surfing is a myth.