NSR-Need advice on computer.

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sc00ter
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NSR-Need advice on computer.

Post by sc00ter »

Names have been changed to protect the guilty! I have a "older" desk top computer I got from Best Box, and when I bought it I also got the Krapersky Anti-Virus protection. I got a virus on the computer, and Krapersky directs me to the subscription providers-Best Box and their "team" of Dork Squad agents. Best Box wants $200 to look at it, saying it's Krapersky's fault, and Krapersky says it's supposed to be covered by Best Box. I'm done with both of them-forever. I will speak with my wallet to someone else for now on. I hope Best Box ends up like Montgomery Wards. Anyways, thinking of going with a Apple product next. Any advice concerning who/what/why would be very welcome, as I'm not a tech guy. I just don't want to get stung again when/if I have a issue and both parties point the finger at each other, instead of helping a customer.
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az_slynch
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Post by az_slynch »

Not a fan of bog box warranties. Bought a Dell XPS 11 recently when one retailer was really blowing them out on price. The solid-state drive blew out on it within 24 hours. Called Dell, but due to the weird big-box warranty configuration, the base warranty required me to ship it in to Dell. To be frank, "f" that noise. I have Dell repair training and they couldn't send me a part because of the weird warranty. Training aside, I've done SMT repairs before for practice so swapping a drive is no big deal. Bought a bigger, faster SSD drive and set it up with that instead of a new cheap-ass part. Machine runs better and I didn't have to send it in. Long story short, big-boxes are of little help when stuff breaks unless you paid out the nose for a replacement warranty.

Important distinction: You may have malware on your PC, rather than a virus. There is a blurry distinction between the two, but that distinction is used to sell two different products (antivirus and antimalware) and also used as a disclaimer when your application fails to handle it. Antivirus apps seldom seem to work against malware.

Your friendly neighborhood computer shop is *probably* cheaper. When I worked at one, we charged $75/hour for desktop repairs. It may be pricier now, but shop around. You could look to see if there is a computer club in your area; they might be able to provide low-cost help or advice in handling it. Found this story, it's from 2011 but maybe they still can help:

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/04/tcc-com ... help-peers

Getting a virus is like getting a bad tank of gas in your scooter. It could just gum up the works and slow performance, or it could require a rebuild of the internals. The hardware parts don't need replacing due to a virus. A tech saavy-person can probably yank out the drive, read it from another PC (harder for a virus to run if they don't have autorun enabled and it's not loaded on the boot drive) and pull off your important data. Once the important stuff is safe, the drive can be wiped and reloaded (easier if your PC came with recovery discs). Once it's back up an clean, it's pretty easy to restore your files back.

If you're just dead set on a new PC (instead of padding the scooter slush fund), Apple makes nice stuff. Not a fan personally, but it works well and the user experience is pretty darn friendly. They will have a newer class of machines with an improved chipset releasing in late summer, early fall (based on the timeline of Intel's Tick-Tock release schedule). On the other hand, the new Windows 10 operating system will be coming out this summer. I've been fiddling with the technology preview and I like it a lot more than Windows 8. So, either direction might be worth the wait. See if you can get your desktop patched cheap-or-free until then.
At what point does a hobby become an addiction? I'm uncertain, but after the twelfth scooter, it sorta feels like the latter...

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srbbnd
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Post by srbbnd »

I have an Alienware X 51 and love it. Still can play all new computer games with high to max resolution and it is two years old. Easily customizable and fairly priced. It also uses very low power so if you are on your computer all the time you really start to notice a decrease in power usage over the years.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-x51-r2/pd
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srbbnd
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Post by srbbnd »

PS if you have malware you might try this:

TDSS Killer and Malwarebytes, run both. Restart your computer, repeat process until it is all gone.

If you have a virus use AVG. If you just use "Krapersky" which I think makes TDSS Killer it wont be enough to get rid of what you got.

All free.
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jrsjr
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Post by jrsjr »

If everything you need to do on a computer can be done in a browser augmented by a photo-retouching program, audio player, word processor, spreadsheets, and a presentation maker plus some games, then I highly recommend you think about replacing your desktop with a Chromebox. They are available from Amazon for about $159. All the software I mentioned abouve costs $0.00. That's not a typo!

Chromeboxes boot in 6 seconds, update automatically, and have built-in security that actually works. They also have an HDMI port. I velcroed mine to the back of my TV and life went on just fine without any Microsoft OS, applications software, security software, crapware or any other of the expense and aggravation related to a Windows computer. Did I mention that it costs $159? Plus, you never ever have to call Dell or Microsoft tech support again as long as you live. What a friggin' concept!

I liked it so well that I also got a Chromebook which works just as well and costs $320 for a really nice one with a 13.3" full-HD screen.
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skully93
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Post by skully93 »

You can always back up your stuff (it should be anyway) and wipe it. It should have come with a disk to do so. Sure, you lose all your settings and such, but it won't bother you to pay up anymore!
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Syd
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Post by Syd »

skully93 wrote:You can always back up your stuff (it should be anyway) and wipe it. It should have come with a disk to do so. Sure, you lose all your settings and such, but it won't bother you to pay up anymore!
This is a good idea, if the desktop is still a decent performer (before the hijacks, that is). If you got a Windows CD boot to it (ask if you don't know how to boot to CD), and run through the beginnings of a new install. Delete the partition it finds, reboot and start all over.

Or if you think the PC needs some time to think about what it got you into, goto dban.org, burn the dban image to the PC, boot to the PC and type autonuke. then come back a couple/few hours later and the PC will have been suitably punished, and you can install windows or any other OS you like.
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sc00ter
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Post by sc00ter »

I nuked the bugs out of it! Only problem I had was getting the Krapersky back online, and I had to resort to the Dork Squad-since I pay for the subsciption on Krapersky. They remoted in and got it ironed out. Yes, I may have jumped the gun in calling them out, but Im still looking into that Chrome Box. Who makes it? My wife seems to think its a Google product, since she loves Google Chrome so much. All I use the computer for is to bother people on forums, keep up with music news, watch stupid stuff on You Tube, and basic games like Pop Cap stuff and Jigsaw puzzles (cats cant jump on the table and loose pieces).Thanks again for all the help!!!
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jrsjr
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Post by jrsjr »

sc00ter wrote:I nuked the bugs out of it! Only problem I had was getting the Krapersky back online, and I had to resort to the Dork Squad-since I pay for the subsciption on Krapersky. They remoted in and got it ironed out.
Well, that's a refreshing bit of good news.
sc00ter wrote:...Im still looking into that Chrome Box. Who makes it? My wife seems to think its a Google product, since she loves Google Chrome so much. All I use the computer for is to bother people on forums, keep up with music news, watch stupid stuff on You Tube, and basic games like Pop Cap stuff and Jigsaw puzzles (cats cant jump on the table and loose pieces).Thanks again for all the help!!!
Your wife is right. The operating system in the Chromebox is the Google Chrome O/S. There are a few manufacturers who make Chromeboxes now, but the one I referred to is the Asus M004U. Based on your description of your computer use, you sound like a good candidate for a Chromebox (or Chromebook). It's worth looking into.

Anyway, I'm glad you were able to get your Windows box working again.
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Post by bigmike7801 »

Once you go Mac, you never go back.
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Syd
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Post by Syd »

bigmike7801 wrote:Once you go Mac, you never go back.
You can't afford to. ;)
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sc00ter
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Post by sc00ter »

I ended up with a Chromebook. Got a ASUS, the cheaper sub $300 model. So far, so awesome! Thanks again for all the help! I feels weird catching up with the modern generation.
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Post by jrsjr »

sc00ter wrote:I ended up with a Chromebook. Got a ASUS, the cheaper sub $300 model. So far, so awesome! Thanks again for all the help! I feels weird catching up with the modern generation.
I'm glad to you that you like it (so far). Let me know if there's anything I can help you with.
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Post by Stormswift »

I would not touch Kaspersky with a 10 foot pole. Bloomberg did recent write up on Kaspersky. Google it. Once it installed into my system and I had b***h of a time getting rid of it. Had to reformat the entire drive and re-install everything
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jrsjr
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Post by jrsjr »

With the Chromebook you will never EVER have to think about Kaputsky or Norton and any of the rest of that baloney again (not to mention waste any money on that crapola again). Ever! It's a gigantic relief, is it not?
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Edwub
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Post by Edwub »

Syd wrote:
bigmike7801 wrote:Once you go Mac, you never go back.
You can't afford to. ;)
hehe :lol:


Threads like this always make me think about getting a Chromebook for traveling. Currently using a Zenbook (ASUS' ultrabook) for laptop/travel, and various assorted computers (PC/MAC/LINUX) at work.
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arnette
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Post by arnette »

jrsjr wrote:
sc00ter wrote:I ended up with a Chromebook. Got a ASUS, the cheaper sub $300 model. So far, so awesome! Thanks again for all the help! I feels weird catching up with the modern generation.
I'm glad to you that you like it (so far). Let me know if there's anything I can help you with.
Good choice. You can do so much with the Chromebooks these days and they'll always stay up to date for protection against all the internet bad things.
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Post by PeteH »

I picked up a refurbed HP ChromeBook a week or two ago on Woot. $209. I'm quite impressed by its simplicity and startup/shutdown speed. A nice improvement over conventional laptops.

My intent was to pass it to my wife. She is a mail-and-browse sort of girl, and gets quite frustrated with security and AV patching and restarts. Patch Tuesday usually means Angry Wednesday chez nous. She's fine with the browser part, but unfortunately (and _why_ did I ever rig her up this way?) she uses Outlook as a mail client for her MS-based mail accounts. I could get her to use Outlook.com in a browser, but she's somewhat now trained and attached to the Outlook 2010 UI. I'd have to move all her old kept stuff in local folders back up to the mail server via IMAP or something, which while do-able, is a bit of a pain. So transition will be hard.
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Post by iMoses 2 »

Syd wrote:
bigmike7801 wrote:Once you go Mac, you never go back.
You can't afford to. ;)
I have an Apple PPC laptop that I bought new in 2001 it still runs without any issues-it just doesn't support the newest software. But it works well for going online and it hooks up to my TV for streaming. My daily home computer is an 2004 iMac that I run the latest Adobe CC 2014 software.

I have PC friends who have to get new PC every 3 to 4 years. And it is usually a host of issues including malware that they can't remove or Best Buy will charge an arm and a leg to look at.

Buy computer that fits your lifestyle. I used to travel 2 or 3 times a month for work that laptop came in handy. I no longer travel with my current job so I use it when I go to rally's or on vacation. I use it to dump my photos (I literally take thousands of them) when I get home I transfer them to my iMac.

Buy that new iMac if you envision just using it at home. Buy an Apple laptop if you think you will take on the road with you or even to the local coffee shop.
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Post by New2Scoots »

I went through several PC's; lasted 1-3 years usually & decided to get a Mac Mini 2 years ago. A cheap commitment because I didn't know if I'd like Macs. No problems yet & I'm happy with it. I use an anti-virus called "MacKeeper" which I'm happy with.
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Post by jrsjr »

For Father's Day, I received a used (cheap) Chromebox, which I jacked into my TV via HDMI and control via a super-cheap Logitech wireless KB. I set up a slideshow of some of my favorite images from this board. Perked the family family room up in a hurry. It's not a bad computer, either. It would certainly do in a pinch and it's great for anything that involves pictures or video or music. I'm watching the Flat Track racing prep live from Hagerstown, MD via FansChoice.tv on it right now.

P.S. The scooter tie-in is that they are inspecting the track via a scooter which keeps riding by the camera every minute or so.
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