Computer question.

[Argee]

Not infallible, but a good indicator is to go to the Gibson Research Corporation's website at http://grc.com Click on "Shields Up," then scroll down until you find "Shields Up" and click on it again. Click on "Proceed" then on "Continue" (if required), then click on "All Service Ports" and wait for the results of the scan.

What you're ideally looking for is a "Passed" notification on the Stealth Test. If you get that, there are no permanent "holes" in the security. That doesn't mean to say that her webcam connection is OK, but it will eliminate other factors.

Ray

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks Ray, the laptop is coming here tomorrow afternoon and I will give that a run.

 

[Benchwayze]

Topics like this annoy the Hell out of me.

There is simply no reason why anyone with a PC equipped with decent AV software etc should pick up a virus or trojan. The fact is that they do, and the subsequent botnets etc infest the rest of us with spam, spam and more spam.

No excuse. Laziness, ignorance or stupidity on the part of the owner.
.

Roger,

In this case you are probably right.

But ignorance is something we can all be 'guilty' of; depending on our field of expertise. We don't know if the lady is lazy or stupid though. Just naïve maybe?

As for Trojans etc... I have all the safeguards. Avast, Noadware, and CC, plus Firewall. Yet, I still managed to pick up a bit of malware just yesterday. (Buried in a piece of M/soft updating!) Ok, it was easy enough to get rid of, but none of my 'defences', caught it coming in. So... :duno:

John

 

[RogerS]

Topics like this annoy the Hell out of me.

There is simply no reason why anyone with a PC equipped with decent AV software etc should pick up a virus or trojan. The fact is that they do, and the subsequent botnets etc infest the rest of us with spam, spam and more spam.

No excuse. Laziness, ignorance or stupidity on the part of the owner.
.

Roger,

In this case you are probably right.

But ignorance is something we can all be 'guilty' of; depending on our field of expertise. We don't know if the lady is lazy or stupid though. Just naïve maybe?

No I don't accept that. PC's have been around long enough for everyone to be aware of viruses.

As for Trojans etc... I have all the safeguards. Avast, Noadware, and CC, plus Firewall. Yet, I still managed to pick up a bit of malware just yesterday. (Buried in a piece of M/soft updating!) Ok, it was easy enough to get rid of, but none of my 'defences', caught it coming in. So... :duno:

John

How did you know you'd picked it up?

 

[Benchwayze]

Roger,

Maybe , but it's unfair to call a person you have never met, and don't know, stupid or lazy.

I found out about the malware, when I noticed a pop-up window that was clearly a 'rogue-registry cleaner', and which would not go away until I did a proper scan. For sure, none of my 'defence programs' alerted me.

But I have been using computers only since the 1970's.


:wink:

John

 

[RogerS]

Ok..I'll let you keep your PC :wink:

Seriously though...there is no excuse for anyone not to have AV stuff and keep it up to date.

 

[big soft moose]

No I don't accept that. PC's have been around long enough for everyone to be aware of viruses.

given that some very old people are not up with the "new fangled technology" and can barely turn one on that isnt necessarily the case

which may be the case here, an old dear who has been given a pc purely so she can skype family living abroad, cant possibly be expected to be up to speed with AV/firewalls etc - that said the person who gave her the laptop should have ensured that it was ready protected (partuicularly if they were going to let the grand daughter use lime wire on it)

 

[Benchwayze]

Ok..I'll let you keep your PC :wink:

Seriously though...there is no excuse for anyone not to have AV stuff and keep it up to date.

Well, if the Government realise what they could make, by inventing a 'PC' Licence, none of it will matter to me. My system will be going begging! Unless persons over 70 will be exempt! :lol:

John

 

[devonwoody]

The lady in question is nearly 76 and recently widowed, there had never been a computer in the household etc.etc.

Regarding PC's Even the most qualified here get caught out, some windows updates in the past cause conflicts as we know and my PC supplier got caught our on the recent Adobe Flash conflict.

 

[RogerS]

There's a fundamental difference between conflicts and viruses, dw.

 

[devonwoody]

What I was implying is that even experts have to communicate with each other when a conflict appears. So that is why I think people ask each other re computer questions. Dibs brought up the point that people ask free advice and this exchange of information I think is valid.

 

[RogerS]

What I was implying is that even experts have to communicate with each other when a conflict appears. So that is why I think people ask each other re computer questions. Dibs brought up the point that people ask free advice and this exchange of information I think is valid.

Ah...with you now.