[Tfug] Customer Service

[johngalt]

Unless the system is not stable and too much trouble to fix, blowing away
the file system and starting over is a NooB sort of solution. In addition,
finding original CD's is sometimes impossible.

Be sure to run Windows Update and get current anti-virus signatures.
Otherwise, you will be right back where you started real soon. Get the user
educated so patching the OS and AV sigs is routine. Tell them to trash spam
without looking at it. Never install anything a website asks you to unless
its something like Acrobat Reader or Macromedia Flash, Shockwave. Be wary of
fake controls on pop-ups. Close pop-ups from the OS.

Using a personal firewall (Tiny, Zone Alarm) is good too.

Ask the question on a Microsoft list / group. You may get better answers, or
at least ones with links that don't require a subscription.





----- Original Message ----- 
From: "ewf" <erich at dakotacom.net>
To: "TFUG listserv" <tfug at tfug.org>
Sent: Monday, June 14, 2004 4:21 PM
Subject: [Tfug] Customer Service


>
>       Well, it's a Micro$oft world out there, and people know I'm a
> Linux user and want them
> to help me fix their computers.  They want:
>
>                          1) their hard drives purged of
> viruses/adware/spyware.
>
>                          2) preserved their personal files, e-mail,
> photos, etc
>
>       I tell them that compromized systems can become so badly
> contaminated that the
> only way to guarantee complete repair is to satisfy 1) but not 2). That
> is, the partition(s)
> have to be erased and the OS/applications have to be reinstalled. After
> which I install
> Anti-virus/adware/spyware modules to give them protection from future
> invasion. I've
> done this once already.
>
>       Is there a way to satisfy both 1) and 2)?
>
>       Here's an ethical question: There are a lot of naive MS users out
> there. Should
> we eduate the dupes and let them continue to use, (protected), MS
> products? I look
> on with alarm as the amount of viruses/adware/spyware goes up
exponentially.
>
>
>
>  Cheers,
>
>
> Erich
>
>
>
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>