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New Virus starting to run wild

They were addressed as "Happy New Year" and contained the following virus: W32.Maldal.C@mm

Be alert, as i typically see virus' at the very beginning of when they start to REALLY get into circulation. I know that this one has been floating around for about a week now, but receiving four of them in one day tells me that Maldal is now "on the loose".

You might want to drop by the link below. It is Symantec / Norton and fills you in on the various virus' that they have recently detected. If you have a virus scanner, you REALLY do need to update it QUITE often. It almost seems as if there are new virus' every two or three days now. Updating your version of "Windows" on a regular basis is also HIGHLY recommended.

If you don't have a virus scanner, you can look at the most recent batch of released information every once in a while under their individual names. In the section labeled "distribution", you can find out the BASIC name that is typically shown in the Email subject line. Keep in mind that some of these virus actually "morph" as they evolve and can change things to better hide themselves. This will at least tell you what to avoid and make you more aware of what is currently circulating. The bottom line is that you HAVE to be cautious nowadays.

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/vinfodb.html
sean
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albertporter
4,927 posts
 
That comment about intelligence made me laugh out loud!

I needed that, I've been doing electrical runs all day on my construction project and am worn out.

As for Windows, our Dell has Windows ME and my son is not sure if its as stable as Windows 98. I don't use it very much as a photographer because my business operation software has been Mac (only) for the last nine years, (Hindsight in Colorado).

Both Photoshop and Illustrator run faster on Mac, but if I were in the usual business world, where EVERYONE uses Microsoft Office, I would either use the Dell with that software, or buy Microsoft Office for Mac.

Word on the street is that Office runs faster and with zero crashes in the new hybrid Mac-Unix (OS X), as it is native Mac, just like the version for Windows. Supposedly they "talk" well with each other.

I can't afford Office right now, have important things like music to tend to.............right after I get my space complete. Anyway, when did a computer ever do anything cool for us like make the hair on your neck stand up when you played it?
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swampwalker
5,132 posts
 
FWIW, my son reports that ME is more stable than Win98 (now that's damning with faint praise if ever I heard it). A local geek I know says Win2000 has NEVER crashed on him. I think its based on WinNT which is supposed to be very stable. Any Albert you are right, if you have to communicate with other businesses, share files, send attachments, whatever, then you are definately locked into the PC/MS world.
sean OP
6,229 posts
 
From doing a little research since i've gone to using XP, it appears as if Windows 2000 is the fastest and most reliable version yet. I guess it has problems with some DOS based programs though, so it may not be universal for all applications. For those not using DOS and wanting to stick with a Windows based system, it is probably the best way to go. That is what i'll be installing on this one and several other puters. Sean
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detlof
1,899 posts
 
Testing XP right now, the Prof and the home version. Seem more stable than any other forms of Windows I had. Maybe puters are like stereo. So many opinions as there are systems.
sean OP
6,229 posts
 
XP just MIGHT be more stable in the long run, but it is also slower than 2000 no matter what you do to it. I had a link to a website that did a very in-depth comparison between those two using several different computers, etc... Even under optimum conditions, the VERY BEST that XP was able to do was to run 89% as fast as Windows 2000 did. The more windows that you had running at the same time ( multi-tasking ), the bigger the difference in speed. At one point, XP literally took twice as long to process the same amount of information. As for me, i didnt buy a faster computer to load it up with a slower operating system. Sean
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