So much for Windows XP being spyware free...


Went over to help out somebody with a supposedly "broken" XP box
today. I arrive, it's running like the hard drive is spinning
in molasses.

It has Norton antivirus and internet security software
installed, active license, etc. Also has Ad-Aware (the pay
version) installed and active.

The machine is a 2.6GHz P4 Dell with 512MB of RAM and a 40GB
drive. It is running about the pace of a 386-16 with 1MB of RAM
and an ESDI drive.

So, the first thing I try is running virus and adware scans,
both come back clean, but take almost an hour to complete
(combined).

So I decide to download a copy of Spybot Search & Destroy, which
is free for home use. Despite having a 1.5/384 DSL connection,
downloading it takes almost 15 minutes, and it is a relatively
small file. I finally get it installed, and then update the
database to the latest as of today (another delay) and run a
scan. It finds 61 different pieces of spyware, DESPITE having
Ad-Aware come back clean a short time before.
Apparently Ad-Aware sucks hard, or it really requires both
products to cover all of the thousands of spyware variants out
there. (Spybot says it can detect something like 40,000, so the
platform is definitely secure).

I clean them all off, some of which require a reboot, and the
machine comes back up running much faster already. So, I decide
(don't ask me why) that a Windows Update might be a good idea,
since it's only been doing the automatic updates (which don't
pick up the optional stuff. So, I get an option to download
some Office updates (check) and an updated video driver for the
ATI Rage 128 Ultra. Hmmm. Why not? ok.

BIG MISTAKE.

After the system comes back up after the reboot, it has 640x480
and get this, 4-bit color. Wow. Haven't seen video that
hideous since EGA days. XP running in 4-bit color would make a
good comedy. So, I figure Microsoft has done me their usual
"may you live in interesting times" joke, and I went to the ATI
website to try and download a driver for XP. Oops, they list
about 3000 different video cards for XP, but not for the one I
want. I try the three closest (all of them have Rage or Rage
128 in the title, but not the "Ultra". Each install fails
claiming the adapter isn't the right model. This is all very
painful by the way, as I'm running in the video mode from hell.

All of the bright color and flash animation on ATI's site isn't
helping at all. I finally remember that you can roll back to
the previous driver under device manager and try that, which
actually works, in a stunning change from usual Windows
experiences.

Then I come back around, reset the screen mode to 32-bit,
1280x1024, and things are much better than before, no thanks to
the boys in Redmond.

Then, run a defrag, which takes a fair amount of time, and the
diagnosis by the owner is "wow, it's like I have a new computer
again".

Total elapsed time reviving the damn thing from spyware-hell was
4 hours.

Finally I'm asked "how do you avoid this kind of thing on your
computer?"

"Well, I finally stopped trying and bought a mac instead. I
haven't had to buy virus software, spyware software, or run a
defrag since. It's great."

"How can I get one of those? This Windows stuff is a piece of
***."

"Go get your credit card..."

http://store.apple.com

.... click click click....

A new iMac Intel is on the way...


And they lived happily ever after...

--
Lefty
All of God's creatures have a place..........
..........right next to the potatoes and gravy.
See also: http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/images/iProduct.gif

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