The Official "I Need Computer Help!" Thread

Shift518 Automotive Shift518 Off Topic
1

So, I figured since we’re getting more and more questions about computer problems, etc. that we needed a thread dedicated JUST for this purpose.

Ask any and all computer questions in here and either I or one of the other IT folks will try to help.

Also, if you are looking to have your computer serviced…you can visit my webpage.

www.ilyakol.com

/shameless plug

Some basic software that everyone should get on their computer:

Browser - Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. I heard Internet Explorer 9 is going to be nice, but I think 7 and 8 aren’t that great.
Spyware - Get Spybot Search and Destroy as well as CCleaner. Run both once a month and you’ll be good to go. For training on how to use them, let me know.
Anti-Virus - I recommend Avast, but there is a bunch of free ones that are good.

2

my laptop needs its hinges oiled.

price?

3

Heh.

~$5 for me to drive out to your place and get some 3-1 in there or loosen the screws. Or you can probably handle it yourself.

4

Does Windows backup, also back up your Firefox 3.0 bookmarks?

My computer recently crashed to BSOD (black screen of death), I’ve saved the info I could by piggy back accessing the harddrive through the installer regedit, but I think I’ve lost all my history and bookmarks for firefox.

Only other hope I have is the old windows backup, but I’m not even sure if it has that data.

5

Not sure what you mean vlad… As in can you automaticly back up your Windows Installation along with Firefox bookmarks…

If thats the case then yes you can…

Also if you have the hard drive that all your bookmarks and whatnot was on, as long as teh hard drive isnt completely fucked I could get that shit off for you as im sure many others on here could

6

I have Norton360, I think it SUCKS, and its about to run out tomorrow. Is it ok not to run this??

7

Get AVG Free instead (or Kapersky, or any other recommended free AV from download.com). You need some sort of AV on your computer. AVG + SpyBot Search and Destroy (ran every couple of weeks) + CCleaner (ran every couple of weeks) = Safe Computer.

8

I’ve formatted the drive pre-re installation of windows.

Backed up what I could from Program Files and my user directory.

That’s bout it.

9

I haven’t been thrilled with the performance of AVGs latest builds. They seem slow and very cpu heavy. I used to recommend them all the time.

I now excusively run Microsoft Security Essentials which is free from Microsoft. I have yet to have any real problem.

Here is the link for those interested: http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

10

I hate AVG, have for a few years now… Its a hog, extremely intrusive when it doesnt need to be and has deffinatly deleted shit all on its own that it thought wasnt good for the system from peoples i knows computer

Avast is a great AV… Over the past year or so Ive been fond of Avira Anti-Virus… its free, it works great the only issue some might find annoying that every once in awhile a window pops up telling you the beneifits of the full version and asks if youw ant to buy, all you have to do is click close and it goes away…

Avast and Avira are the top 2 free ones on my last both are pretty low resource

Anyone who pays for norton I suggest you get rid of it and get a free one, it updates more often most free ones have a better detection rate which i find extremely sad and isnt a resource
monster

And as wayne said ive hear good things about microsofts suite, havent used it myself

11

Yea it has gone downhill over the past year. We use to install that on clients machines all the time. Now we see more and more things getting by it and its becoming more of a hog.

12

I can’t say enough good about the Microsoft Security Essentials. It’s rare for me to talk up a Microsoft product LOL.

13

I use Symantec Endpoint Protection v11. I was going to say Avast after Kapersky but I forgot the name. I haven’t had many issues with AVG (even the recent builds), but it seems like you guys use these more so…listen to them Adam.

Norton (NOT SYMANTEC) is a POS (although it’s pretty much the same company).

14

its not that i’ve had issues with avg, as far as i can tell it still does it’s job. It has just become a system resource hog as of late.

AVGs formula used to be perfect: simple, basic, VP. Now htat they are big they are trying to reach a more broad audience of morons (the morons that like to cripple their pc with entire security suites.)

15

My computer sits on the normal screen for the desktop and has warning in big ass letters. Says somthing about detected spyware? Can this be fixed?

16

Yep.

Download combofix and run it.

17

Yea but it won’t let me click on anything.

18

It’s definitely fixable, but you might have to close some processes in the task manager. Don’t know how comfortable you are with that.

19

The warning screen is actually a hijacker/virus/spyware in itself. DO NOT download it.

If it does not allow you click on anything, do CTRL + ALT + DEL. When the task manager appears clikc on the processes tab. You should see the program that is running in there. End that process. Then run a virus cleaner.

20

Symantec is a joke too, cant tell you how many people i know who have switched their systems at their offices over to something else over the past 2 years

Detection rate on symantec is horrible and just like norton its a pig, not as big of a pig but its still a pig…

We swapped everything over to Eset 6 months ago and have nearly wiped out an virus issues we had before with symantec

Wayne ill give microsofts suite a shot… ill throw it on my test pc and look at infected porn all day