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trusted_content · Aug 11, 2003, 10:50 PM

On every message board I use, the number of 'HALP MY WINDOWSE MACHIEN KEEPS REBOOTING' threads have gone from 2 a day to over 15 a day.

Almost all of those people are now propagating worms or serving as porn/warez dumps or DDOS slaves or god-knows-what-else.

Meanwhile I sit here on my Mac and Linux box, comfortably secure, with an always-on unfirewalled connection to the great internet beyond.

What really gets me is when I went into Virtual PC to patch my copy of Windows 2000. It took me over 30 minutes just to get Windows Update to work right because, at the default (yes, the default) security level, the ActiveX control threw script errors and I couldn't download the patch! Only after I unsecured it in a few more ways was it willing to run. This on top of reports I hear that on many peoples' machines, Windows Update incorrectly reports the patch as already being installed because it's reading the wrong registry key. And how, on others, it just freezes. I guess that's what happens when you make a critical system update facility a web page.

Please laugh with me.

shmerek · Aug 11, 2003, 11:03 PM

Ha ha ha. Maybe my boss has this worm when ever he connects to the net he has to reboot possibly?

Superchicken · Aug 11, 2003, 11:30 PM

You know... and lately the number of posts "haha my Mac is superior to their PCs" threads have gone up... of course this is not a bad thing

DeathToWindows · Aug 12, 2003, 11:50 AM

Mac OS X @ home
Debian Linux at work

...lets see them TRY...

---

DeathToWindows

Mastrap · Aug 12, 2003, 11:55 AM

Always on DSL without a firewall? That way madness lies. Or...something. Even on a Mac.

Keep an eye on your ports. Plenty of little shits having a look-see in my experience.

PS: Excellent. I can say 'shits'

xi_hyperon · Aug 12, 2003, 12:08 PM

Everyone in my office has their PC turned off per IT's instructions. Sure is quiet when you're the only one in a huge room who's tapping away on the keyboard.

-Q- · Aug 12, 2003, 01:53 PM

Originally posted by xi_hyperon:
Everyone in my office has their PC turned off per IT's instructions. Sure is quiet when you're the only one in a huge room who's tapping away on the keyboard.

Now that would make a great business/enterprise commercial for Apple!

'Company brought down by yet another Windows worm? Shoulda bought a mac' <sound of one guy typing>

lil'babykitten · Aug 12, 2003, 03:25 PM

Heh! My friend just said "wtf is goin on? My computer keeps shutting down!"

But what shall I tell her to do? I already said attach the comp to a truck and drive, then go out and buy a mac, she didn't take to kindly to that!

Seriously though how are they supposed to fix it if their computers keep shutting down?

Can anyone give me some serious pointers as to how I can help her fix it?!

Phanguye · Aug 12, 2003, 03:29 PM

1. install Patch

2. remove worm with this

lil'babykitten · Aug 12, 2003, 03:36 PM

Originally posted by Phanguye:
1. install Patch

2. remove worm with this

Thanks!

According to her, every time she connects to the internet, the computer restarts! So I wonder if she'll have time to get the patch!

Phanguye · Aug 12, 2003, 03:38 PM

Originally posted by lil'babykitten:
Thanks!

According to her, every time she connects to the internet, the computer restarts! So I wonder if she'll have time to get the patch!

as soon as the countdown to restart comes up... set the system clock back a year... that will give her time to do everything she needs to

maxintosh · Aug 12, 2003, 03:41 PM

Ugh, it's really hit our company hard. :-\ They've had to shut down all the mailservers. It's a mess for hospitals.

lil'babykitten · Aug 12, 2003, 03:49 PM

Originally posted by maxintosh:
Ugh, it's really hit our company hard. :-\ They've had to shut down all the mailservers. It's a mess for hospitals.

That must suck big time.
What exactly is the point in people doing this though? just to prove that they can?

Phanguye: Thanks again. We'll see how it goes.

Sherwin · Aug 12, 2003, 04:38 PM

Originally posted by maxintosh:
It's a mess for hospitals.

What the bleedin' heck are people running constant needs systems (like hospitals) doing running Windows?

AKcrab · Aug 12, 2003, 04:56 PM

Originally posted by Phanguye:
1. install Patch

2. remove worm with this

I thought 2 was first, then 1?
Maybe it doesn't matter?

Zimphire · Aug 12, 2003, 05:12 PM

My dad got the worm on the XP box I bought him.

lil'babykitten · Aug 12, 2003, 05:52 PM

Originally posted by AKcrab:
I thought 2 was first, then 1?
Maybe it doesn't matter?

Yeah it works both ways.

Thanks Phanguye, my friend is all patched up now!

Phanguye · Aug 12, 2003, 07:55 PM

Originally posted by lil'babykitten:
Yeah it works both ways.

Thanks Phanguye, my friend is all patched up now!

de nada... sometimes i actually like to be helpful

Face Ache · Aug 12, 2003, 08:18 PM

Originally posted by Phanguye:
as soon as the countdown to restart comes up... set the system clock back a year... that will give her time to do everything she needs to

Is a year long enough?

SupahCoolX · Aug 12, 2003, 10:34 PM

Originally posted by Superchic[k]en:
You know... and lately the number of posts "haha my Mac is superior to their PCs" threads have gone up... of course this is not a bad thing

I think they're inversely proportional.
Now this is the kind of stuff that would make a good Switcher ad. Seriously...

Superchicken · Aug 12, 2003, 10:52 PM

Originally posted by Zimphire:
My dad got the worm on the XP box I bought him.

Zimph! Honour your mom and pop, not dishonour your mom and pop! WHY"D YOU BUY EM A PC!?

iNub · Aug 12, 2003, 11:02 PM

I had the worm because I left my PC on all night as a DMZ host. Whoops. That'll teach me. I found it as soon as I woke up, though, and Blasted (had to say it) off my hard drive. Kapow! Fear the kung-fu grip!

maxintosh · Aug 13, 2003, 09:38 AM

Originally posted by Sherwin:
What the bleedin' heck are people running constant needs systems (like hospitals) doing running Windows?

As opposed to? Most hospital client computers are Windows. We have IBM, AGFA, AS/400, UNIX servers, but the cheap computers that are just terminals are pretty much Windows-only.

ryju · Aug 13, 2003, 09:53 AM

I have about 3 or 4 Windows XP machines in my house (along with this Mac which is mine) and I haven't seen the virus on any of the machines. Must be my firewall.

Meanwhile my friends are all getting it, very sad indeed, I kept telling them "get a macintosh" but they wouldn't listen. Now they can't even play CounterStrike. tsk tsk tsk.

Powaqqatsi · Aug 13, 2003, 05:27 PM

Originally posted by ryju:
Now they can't even play CounterStrike. tsk tsk tsk.

Oh ow, that means the end of the world for most of them

Sherwin · Aug 13, 2003, 05:38 PM

Originally posted by maxintosh:
As opposed to? Most hospital client computers are Windows. We have IBM, AGFA, AS/400, UNIX servers, but the cheap computers that are just terminals are pretty much Windows-only.

Why Windows? Knowing Windows' reliability and security issues, why not go with some flavour of Unix?