FromTheRafters

"Ken" <mystery@nomail.net> wrote in message
news:uaqKmH8BJHA.4932@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> Stevepppp@gmail.com wrote:
>> Next to a clean windows refresh, there's only one method of removing
>> anti-spy / antivirus
>> (snip)
>
> On many occasions I've seen this advice - "reformat and reload is the best
> solution"
>
> I've got a 3 year old IBM PC that came with XP Pro (and other software)
> reloadable from a hidden section of the hard drive. (Note: this is
> pre-SP2)
>
> I'm current on all XP Pro updates.
> Now... the $64 question: how do I reformat and reload?

Is there an "Access IBM" button on your keyboard?

Ken

FromTheRafters wrote:
> "Ken" <mystery@nomail.net> wrote in message
> news:uaqKmH8BJHA.4932@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> Stevepppp@gmail.com wrote:
>>> Next to a clean windows refresh, there's only one method of removing
>>> anti-spy / antivirus
>>> (snip)
>> On many occasions I've seen this advice - "reformat and reload is the best
>> solution"
>>
>> I've got a 3 year old IBM PC that came with XP Pro (and other software)
>> reloadable from a hidden section of the hard drive. (Note: this is
>> pre-SP2)
>>
>> I'm current on all XP Pro updates.
>> Now... the $64 question: how do I reformat and reload?
>
> Is there an "Access IBM" button on your keyboard?
>
>
Not on the kewyboard but I do have the Access IBM folder

FromTheRafters

"Ken" <mystery@nomail.net> wrote in message
news:%23ZNEeVECJHA.4700@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> FromTheRafters wrote:
>> "Ken" <mystery@nomail.net> wrote in message
>> news:uaqKmH8BJHA.4932@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>> Stevepppp@gmail.com wrote:
>>>> Next to a clean windows refresh, there's only one method of removing
>>>> anti-spy / antivirus
>>>> (snip)
>>> On many occasions I've seen this advice - "reformat and reload is the
>>> best solution"
>>>
>>> I've got a 3 year old IBM PC that came with XP Pro (and other software)
>>> reloadable from a hidden section of the hard drive. (Note: this is
>>> pre-SP2)
>>>
>>> I'm current on all XP Pro updates.
>>> Now... the $64 question: how do I reformat and reload?
>>
>> Is there an "Access IBM" button on your keyboard?
> Not on the kewyboard but I do have the Access IBM folder

Mine is
c:\program files\ibm\access ibm\aibm.exe

~BD~

<Stevepppp@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:44ff1087-fdde-4481-96a0-34feea1e15c0@w24g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
> On Aug 25, 2:23 pm, "PA Bear [MS MVP]" <PABear...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> 1. Symantec has an agreement to acquire PC Tools so expect the
>> application
>> to be history or ruined
>> soon:http://www.symantec.com/about/news/r...id=20080818_02
>
> = 12 of this = a dozen of that = yawn
>
>>
>> > Trend Micro
>> > AVG
>> > Mcafee
>> > Panda AV
>> > Avira
>> > Avast
>> > NOD32
>> > Norton
>> > Kapersky
>>
>> 2. NONE of the above are or include anti-spyware applications though some
>> are able to identify & remove hijackware. Many of them will block the
>> installation of hijackware or at least alert you to that fact that you're
>> installing something untoward (or it's attempting to install).
>
> Try all of them.
>
>
>>
>> 3. Even Spyware Doctor can't identify & remove all hijackware. Nothing
>> beats a good pair of eyes backed by intelligence and experience.
>
> Dream on.
>
>
>
>
>
> On Aug 25, 3:07 pm, "~BD~" <~...@nospam.invalid> wrote:
>
>> Please will you expand ............ and advise exactly how you *know*
>> that
>> you have been "hit with malware".
>>
> You don't know what malware is? Can you say 2008.
>

~BD~

> On Aug 25, 3:07 pm, "~BD~" <~...@nospam.invalid> wrote:
>
>> Please will you expand ............ and advise exactly how you *know*
>> that
>> you have been "hit with malware".
>>
> You don't know what malware is? Can you say 2008.

Please answer my question.

My current understanding is that the 'best' malware may be surrepticiously
installed on a computer without the knowledge of a user and might well
remain undetected thereafter - unless one goes looking for it.

If you don't look, HOW do *you* know you have been 'hit'?

Dave

Ken

FromTheRafters wrote:
> "Ken" <mystery@nomail.net> wrote in message
> news:%23ZNEeVECJHA.4700@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> FromTheRafters wrote:
>>> "Ken" <mystery@nomail.net> wrote in message
>>> news:uaqKmH8BJHA.4932@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>>> Stevepppp@gmail.com wrote:
>>>>> Next to a clean windows refresh, there's only one method of removing
>>>>> anti-spy / antivirus
>>>>> (snip)
>>>> On many occasions I've seen this advice - "reformat and reload is the
>>>> best solution"
>>>>
>>>> I've got a 3 year old IBM PC that came with XP Pro (and other software)
>>>> reloadable from a hidden section of the hard drive. (Note: this is
>>>> pre-SP2)
>>>>
>>>> I'm current on all XP Pro updates.
>>>> Now... the $64 question: how do I reformat and reload?
>>> Is there an "Access IBM" button on your keyboard?
>> Not on the kewyboard but I do have the Access IBM folder
>
> Mine is
> c:\program files\ibm\access ibm\aibm.exe
>
>
>
When I reload does that mean I'll have to go through 3+
years of windows updates? That'll take forever.

FromTheRafters

"Ken" <mystery@nomail.net> wrote in message
news:%23ucxGTRCJHA.2480@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> FromTheRafters wrote:
>> "Ken" <mystery@nomail.net> wrote in message
>> news:%23ZNEeVECJHA.4700@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>> FromTheRafters wrote:
>>>> "Ken" <mystery@nomail.net> wrote in message
>>>> news:uaqKmH8BJHA.4932@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>>>> Stevepppp@gmail.com wrote:
>>>>>> Next to a clean windows refresh, there's only one method of removing
>>>>>> anti-spy / antivirus
>>>>>> (snip)
>>>>> On many occasions I've seen this advice - "reformat and reload is the
>>>>> best solution"
>>>>>
>>>>> I've got a 3 year old IBM PC that came with XP Pro (and other
>>>>> software) reloadable from a hidden section of the hard drive. (Note:
>>>>> this is pre-SP2)
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm current on all XP Pro updates.
>>>>> Now... the $64 question: how do I reformat and reload?
>>>> Is there an "Access IBM" button on your keyboard?
>>> Not on the kewyboard but I do have the Access IBM folder
>>
>> Mine is
>> c:\program files\ibm\access ibm\aibm.exe
>>
>>
>>
> When I reload does that mean I'll have to go through 3+ years of windows
> updates? That'll take forever.

Yes. This is not recovery, it is restoring to factory condition.

You may have collected updates along the way to current
state, but getting them anew may not take as long - some
are cumulative.

Next time, you will have the foresight to have created some
sort of recovery disk? I like to keep a fairly current ISO
image of my laptops in addition to normal backup (full and
incremental). Make a PE disk and put utilities and backup
tools on it, that way the utilities and tools can get you close
to the patch level you were at before the need for recovery
arose.

Of course, if you backup malware, this method won't address
the need to "flatten and rebuild".

....or maybe this is more to your liking

http://www.howtohaven.com/system/sli...e-pack-3.shtml

Stevepppp@gmail.com

On Aug 25, 5:56*pm, Stevep...@gmail.com wrote:
> Malwarebytes software removes all malware fast and easy.
>
> You can see where to get it from this Youtube presentation here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8h3OKmn_aE
>
> All the other aforementioned so-called anti-malware software are
> actually malware themselves. I'd bet real money that many or even most
> of these companies are the very sources that infect pcs.

This bears repeating.
MALWAREBYTES. Great great software. And it's free.

Spyware Doctor by PC Tools cleans a lot, but not the real bad malware.
MALWAREBYTES does.