Re: OT A computer virus heads up

"Don White" <whited@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message 
news:Cv9Ef.7131$VV4.135867@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> RCE wrote:
>> "Don White" <whited@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message 
>> news:oQ6Ef.6991$VV4.131501@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>
>>>RCE wrote:
>>>
>>>>"Reggie Smithers" <spamremoverlantaga@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message 
>>>>news:TaWdnctsrZb-bH3eRVn-oA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"
>>>>>
>>>>>-- 
>>>>>Reggie
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Because I am currently bored, I tried that Microsoft SafetyLine link 
>>>>that someone (JimH?) provided  (thanks).  I did the full scan doober 
>>>>(took a while) and it reported my computer was fine, no viruses, no 
>>>>screwed up files, no de-frag required. Everything is just hunky-dorey.
>>>>
>>>>What's interesting to me is I have never, in all the years I've had a 
>>>>computer and been on-line used any kind of anti-virus, anti-spyware, 
>>>>anti-anything software.  The only thing protecting this computer from 
>>>>the cold, hard world is whatever firewall Microsoft uses in XP and 
>>>>whatever my ISP firewall is.   I tell people this and they are 
>>>>horrified - and they advise me I am going to get hacked, mutilated, 
>>>>screwed and all kinds of horrible things.
>>>>To date (knocking on wood)  nothing has ever happened.  In fact, the 
>>>>only problem I encountered with this computer was after Microsoft did 
>>>>one of those automatic updates, which I didn't know it was going to do 
>>>>until I shut the computer off one day and it told me to wait while some 
>>>>updates where installed.  The next day I could not connect to our house 
>>>>Wireless router. I did a "recover" back to a date just prior to the 
>>>>update installation and everything has been fine ever since.  After that 
>>>>experience, I shut off the automatic update option as well.
>>>>
>>>>My wife, the worry wart, has all kinds of anti-bad stuff installed on 
>>>>her computer and she is constantly having crashes and problems.  Norton 
>>>>seems to be the biggest culprit.
>>>>
>>>>The way I figure it, I just can't allow myself to worry and get paranoid 
>>>>about a stupid computer.  If I get a virus and it breaks - I'll take it 
>>>>to a computer repair place and let them clean it up.  If, in the 
>>>>unlikely event the computer is totally trashed - I'll decide if I really 
>>>>want a new one.  I am very careful not to store anything of any 
>>>>importance on the computer.
>>>>
>>>>So, has all this hacking and virus stuff been over emphasized to sell 
>>>>protection software, or have I just been lucky for the last 15 years?
>>>>
>>>>RCE
>>>
>>>It is a racket... *but* I ran a year or two without protection and got 
>>>infected by a friend. Cost me about $ 125.00 to have it cleaned and 
>>>Norton installed.
>>
>>
>> Of the $125 bucks, how much of it was for Norton?  This is timely.  Since 
>> I posted the above, Mrs.E, who just returned from a week trip, called me 
>> complaining that she could not get on-line.  I checked the wireless 
>> setup - fine.  My computer using the same router is working fine.  So ---  
>> I clicked on the Norton thing ...  WOOAAAHHH!  Big red alerts, updates 
>> required, impeding critical mass - everything but the sky is falling.  I 
>> disabled Norton.  Clicked to connect on-line.  Bang.  There's her 
>> homepage. Everything is fine.
>>
>> Told her to leave Norton sleeping.
>>
>> RCE
> $ 50.00 - 60.00 CDN for initial program.
> My subscription has expired too and I keep getting the messages.
> The computer store said not to re-new on line... just come to them and buy 
> a new version. (I get a new CD).

Bull***. Renew on line if it's cheaper and you're happy with the program. I 
say "if" because I don't know how that sort of thing works on other planets, 
like Canada. But here, it was cheaper just to renew the NAV I already had. 


.