Jonathon hello: And a good morning to you this sunny friday 20th April
Thank you for reminding me of my "Off Topic message" regarding my "new found
virus protection".
I really wrestled with the fact if being off topic was more or less
important than the meat of my message. I notice often, that many, many of
our MV members have the same problem at times. It's quite a difficult
decision. But then we say ...hey, we really wish in our hearts to "help" our
MV buddies... right or wrong????
I eagerly imparted my NEW FOUND virus protection to the whole membership,
because I felt that NOBODY deserves what we recently went through with a
virus.
Nobody deserves that. It was a horror show!
That's all, no flaming... no sarcasmm (except towards my silly self - wife
included)
In fact, some MV buddies replied back with a simple statement like "get a
Mac" or get "Linux"
Now this intrigued me. Seriously, it seems as though Macs and others are
not prone to virus's like the microsoft based products?
I would like to know more that might help me in my future computer
purchases.
However Jonathon, with your message, you showed the whole list, just how
helpful you can be.
And that is great !
Just think now, hundreds of members who read your reply are probably so
thankful for your insight and your information regarding protecting
themselves from a virus.
So, just like your reply to me, I decided to disect your wonderfully
helpful message.
The last couple of days I have seen the ugly virus threads appear as
warnings of what to do and what not to open, and so on. This included some
people saying don't open this or that from a certain person?
Well, originally I wrote that "we" were stupid.
Jonathon, your Reply was really helpful, "speak for yourself"
Well Jonathon, That, is in fact, exactly what I did !
Unlike you, however, I gave the members a solution, too!
An acceptable, industry wide solution that works for millions upon millions
of computers worldwide.
Yep, you're correct, we did whine and complain when we became infected.
In my posting yesterday, I spoke for my wife, myself, and my high school
aged child ...who uses the computer only for school projects. We also keep
the computer downstairs in an open area & we all enjoy the computer. In
fact, for two years now we enjoyed our computer without any problems
whatsoever !
We enjoyed it so much that in Nov. '00 we bought a second computer. As we
already have 2 phone lines, we could each enjoy the our individual sites
...like Mil-Veh, even more!
Then, came the day this past January when both computers became quite ill
within 2 or 3 days. After a week, both were dead. Both, would turn on, open
to the desktop, and lock up!
Now, here is where we hire a bright experienced person to come our house and
we pay him money... and after quite some time, unhappily we decide to stop
trying to save stuff, (as he suggested more than once) and just reload the
original disks from scratch.
Jonathon, I find that with all your experience, you had two good options
when writing a reply to me and to the whole list.
One of your options was to help our members !
Jonathon, think about this for a moment !
Where was your help !
Frankly, I could not find anything that was a positive help. Not one word?
Except for a few flames... Just about every reply on our great MV site is
in the form of one persons successful experience being transmitted to all MV
members in the form of help!
Jonathon, for me, I personally don't care... because I know without a
doubt, that I'm FAR more protected today, than I ever have been ! Far more
protected.
So, Jonathon I re-read you posting several times. Now, exactly what was the
brilliant solution that you have offered. You were quick to tell the list
that you were a "programmer" in the '70s throught the early "90s
But where was your positive helpful content ...not only for "silly stupid"
old me. But, as you addressed a message to me and decided to show the whole
group where was the MV helpful buddy spirit,,, eh?
Now Jonathon, back in the '70s to the '90s that is exactly when my wife and
I were programmers too ...in a manner of speaking !
We bought the Commadore Computer Magazine & for hours upon hours, we both
wrote & copied computer code for our VIC20 and later our really powerful
Commadore64
Jonathon, I wonder if you were programming on a VIC20, too, with a whopping
5k of memory.
And guess what, we nearly bought the smaller SINCLAIR 2000 computer with a
whopping total memory of only 2k bytes.
Now, let's look at the way you suggested to the whole complete MV
membership, of what we the inexperienced non programming types like me &
wife, should do,
Like you, I too copied and pasted your words . This way, the list members
may be helped by your really positive helpful information.
(Your words)
>Yea but you wouldn't be infected at all unless you provided a ripe
>envirnoment for the virus to launch itself.
Well Jonathon, help all the (virus prone) MV members here please!
Just what are those ripe environments.
I, for one will glady delete or get rid of them !
(Your words)
>Having a virus carrying file on your system is harmless.
Funny, I just read about how "some" virus will attach themselves to every
address in my address book, Therefore when I inadvertantly send a message
...well you can imagine what will happen ?
So, should we all dump that file?
And where do you keep all your address's ?
Please help me here !
(Your words)
>You, or certain software that you put and allow to run on your system, are
what let the virus take root.
Jonathon, I'm baffled as the only added software is the World Book
Encyclopedia. Also, a program to convert pictures from my camera into the
computer.
Oh, also I run the MV and Willys Tech message boards. That's it !
Now, which of these in your opinion could be the culprit?
I know I can speak for some (not all) of my MV buddies too .
Jonathon, I find on the MV list, we help each other in so many "positive"
ways ...and as I'm part of the MV group could you expand on your phrase
below ?
This way, we can all benefit from the phrase "certain software"
Can you please help all of us here. I, for one, will delete that software,
in a minute!
I just don't need it !
Jonathon, be a pal, and tell all the members where we can obtain a larger
list of that "certain software" Do you have the list on hand?
I try generally to remember to delete the original message sentences below.
However, some other MV 'ers may not have my original words to partly
understand where I'm coming from.
In my sincerest heart of hearts I most often strive to help.
However, if I have purposely mislead anyone on the MV listings ...especially
regarding my Virus alert and the story of my new found "fix" ...please,
please accept my sincerest apologies.
Me and my little '42MB are built with integrity.
Don't forget, if you do have a virus protection program these companies try
to stay right behind every "new" virus when the public informs them. So,
they write a protection data and allow you do download that data so
hopefully you will be protected form the Bastards who write, deploy their
virus's Once again Update your "dat" files weekly,
We were ignorant to the virus danger until we were became infected.
Finally, if you are in a relationship...
would you Not wear a condom?
Would you regularly wash and reuse the old one ?
Or, would you use a new one for the best protection possible?
We bought our first computer in the '70s and our first laptop in the mid
'80s
We recieved our first two devastating virus's during Jan '01
Regards, Rob
Jonathon, the part of the original message edited by you appears below
>>YEP We were totally "Virus Stupid"
>
>Speak for yourself please.
>
>
>>I have read all the threads and most people are just plain lucky.
>
>Some may have been lucky, others just know what's going on.
>
>
>>...and then we whine when we get caught.
>
>Sorry but I only whine about de-milling and my IRS bill.
>
>
>>You ABSOLUTELY MUST Update your "protection" weekly !
>
>This will not guarentee anything. I for one do not use virus scanners and
>have never even once had a problem. I've also been programming since the
>mid 70's thru the early 90's and watched the rise of micro-suck and
>intel-ligentless and all the good and bad that has come with them. However
>to be virus savy one does not need to be a programmer or the like. While
>the actual details and methods of virus reproduction are getting more
>advanced, the whole concept of keeping them at a safe distance is pretty
simple.
>
>
>>This does NOT mean you have the latest protection against dozens of NEW
>>virus's
>
>And you never will, how do you think they find out about these in the first
>place?
>
>
>>In march 2001 we stopped 3 infections in their tracks
>
>Yea but you wouldn't be infected at all unless you provided a ripe
>envirnoment for the virus to launch itself. Having a virus carrying file
on
>your system is harmless. You, or certain software that you put and allow
to
>run on your system, are what let the virus take root.
>
>But like you said, it is a bit off topic isn't it?
>
>je
>
>
>
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue May 01 2001 - 07:42:41 PDT