Best? Buy

This is one of the reasons I use NewEgg and MWave for anything more elaborate than components.

Rusty,
Any wisdom/direction/security on the CONFICKER Worm? Sounds like tomorrow "might" be a big day for it.
Tere

Here is a site with some good information.

http://www.channelinsider.com/...Fool-April-1-733488/

For my own part, I have updated MS and Norton on our computers, and will be offline from 2300 GMT until sometime tomorrow when television news tells me it is all right.

Probably overkill, but I usually give up some pleasure or other for Lent, anyway. I have already given up watermelon and removed the upholstery from my motorcycle seat, so a little more denial of pleasure will be good for my soul.

The geek world pretty much considers Conficker.B and .C April 1 date to be a non-event, although that obviously could change. Neither carries a payload; one could be installed starting 4/1/09.

However, it appears that as of 4/1, the worm will take steps to harden and make detection and removal more difficult. Original estimates were that 20 million computers were infected world-wide; that number is now estimated to be <2 mil, more like 1 mil.

Anyway, go here to download Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool, then run it.

More on Conficker here.

Note the next-to-last paragraph.

Conficker has done nothing.

Quick Check for Conficker C and A/B variants

Simply go here; the interpretation chart is below.

Good nooz!

Windows 7 will have WinXP embedded!

Bad nooz!

A noted security geek suggests discontinuing the use of Adobe Reader (Used to open .pdf files).

Alternatives are here.

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:
Good nooz!

Windows 7 will have WinXP embedded!

This from the "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" (or related) posts: Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC usually means "pretty much finished") will be trialed, with users allowed to use it for a year, free.

Rusty,
Re: Discontinuing use of Adobe Reader.

I downloaded Sumatra pdf, have not installed yet. Should I uninstall Adobe, & will I be able to read old pdf files. In other words will it be "seamless" in the use & application of.

Any suggestions or warnings before I proceed?

Thanks,
Tere

You don't need to uninstall Adobe Reader, unless you need the drive space (~138 MB).

Just make Sumatra your default .pdf reader.

EDIT: There's another ~29 MB of Adobe Language files that can be deleted.

And to set Sumatra as the default, in the toolbar, click "Files", and the setting appears in the popup.

Rusty,
I installed the Sumatrapdf & set default to it. In looking @ what adobe & acrobat I have I discovered several things:

1)in control panel - Add/Remove hardware I have:
a)Adobe Shockwave Player - 0 bites
b)Adobe Flash Player Active X - 0 bites
c)Adobe Flash Player Plug in - 0 bites
d)Adobe Reader 8.1.3 - 86.7 MB

2)in control panel-software explorer(which I have never looked in before today)has:
a)Adobe Acrobat permitted (I disabled today)
b)Adobe Updater permitted (I disabled today)

I don't need the room although 86 MB(Adobe Reader) sounds like a lot & I have no idea what 2)software explorer is or does & if I need to permit the the a)Acrobat & b)Updater I will.

Any warnings or changes I should make????

Thanks,
Tere

PS I found Adobe Linguistics on my C drive, it must be a part of the Adobe Reader 8.1.3?????? Don't know if that is what you were talking about with Adobe Language??

You can delete Adobe Reader 8.1.3 and Adobe Linguistics.

Leave both the Acrobat and Updater disabled. If you enable the undater, It'll try to reinstall the entire Acrobat Reader again.

Software Explorer is, AFAIK, a Vista-only feature...are you running Vista?

Hey Rusty,
I'll do what you suggested. No I'm not running vista. Software Explorers is on my Control Panel. It is a part of Windows Defender I think.
Tere

Rusty,
What exactly will CCleaner do? I just ran it & it wants me to allow it to delete 805.MB of stuff. Do I continue?
Tere