User talk:Account created to post on Reference Desk

Loving the username. :D Garden. 18:33, 13 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks.--Account created to post on Reference Desk (talk) 18:39, 13 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Ditto. A bit long but it's direct. And thanks for the response to my question. Dismas|^(talk) 08:32, 21 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Welcome.--Account created to post on Reference Desk (talk) 02:06, 23 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Reference[edit]

Mhmm, I know that was meant to be nice and reassuring, but (and no offense to you, you're not a blatant liar) I'm not a Microsoft "fan". Not that I need to prove myself, but I run Linux, I've contributed code to Linux, I run Windows, I use an Playstation 3 and I hate the X-box. It's this kind of childish assumption and need to associate yourself with a "side" that drove me to add insult on top of pointing out SteveBaker's lies. I don't "protect" Microsoft, and they don't need protecting, and I'd like to see them go down just as much as anyone who has competing products as an employee for a competing operating system developer. I'd rather see the reference desk as full of insult and childish discussion, than being a place where wikipedia supports straight out lieing, so please don't even bother to respond with this kind of thing. Thanks anyway, happy editing. - Jimmi Hugh (talk) 21:31, 5 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Also, after reading the rest of your post... for some reason I missed it... I won't, and I immaturely need to make a point about it :-P, insult Open Source, firstly becasue I've released some source as open but pretending that isn't true, because I was attacking him (for the first time, no there's no history) because of his lies, I don't want todo exactly the same thing. - Jimmi Hugh (talk) 21:35, 5 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Oh. Then that's weird that you would chew him out over it, even if he did lie. Take it from a former telemarketer that you need to grow a much thicker skin. Try to save your battles for when people go after you. You already know this, but that kind of stuff happens on the net every once in a while. It's not as if he called your mom a whore or something. He seemed like an OK guy who just doesn't like Microsoft. If you'll keep chewing people out like that, then you probably should be banned...--Account created to post on Reference Desk (talk) 21:59, 5 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, I do have a serious problem with the whole talking to people, which is why I don't edit the reference desk much... though I think banning me considering my Main Space edits... which I didn't just pull out of my arse, is silly. Unfortuntately about the blocking, I honestly couldn't care less, it's not a threat to me, cause I'm far from addicted, I just wouldn't be affected in the slightest by a block, which is a shame. Sorry I got in the way of the normal running of the reference desk and wasted your time with this. - Jimmi Hugh (talk) 22:04, 5 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

No. You haven't. I butted in because I'm bored. I'm sort of the same way with people, being a programmer and all. Good luck. :)--Account created to post on Reference Desk (talk) 22:14, 5 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Windows Live OneCare[edit]

SAY WHAT?!?!?!!? --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 03:20, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Like I said, one of the worst. SpyBot S&D isn't that great, either. I'd rely more on manual removal than tools like these. Get some practice under your belt, because one of these days, you'll get hit with something really nasty, and programs like those won't even start up.--Account created to post on Reference Desk (talk) 03:48, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

A guy working at an electronic store told me OneCare was fine to use! I'm using the subscription, not the free trial! Now I'm confused. So what are the good ones out there? --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 04:17, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Kaspersky and BitDefender are the best. There's a free version of BitDefender that you can download here. All AV programs miss a virus or two every once in a while, though.--Account created to post on Reference Desk (talk) 04:30, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. And how do I get rid of that annoying URL from my registry, by the way? --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 04:39, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Not a problem. Once inside regedit, press CTRL+F, then type a part of the address. Once it hits the key, press DELETE. Then press F3 to resume the search. You can do the same for the name of the files used by the virus. If they're on your PC, you can be sure they're in the registry, too.--Account created to post on Reference Desk (talk) 04:41, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It said "finished searching registry", didn't turn up anything, which I guess means it's not in the registry. Yet oddly enough, it's still stuck in my browser. --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 04:54, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Is the home page changed inside your internet options, too? If so, that's just the virus changing it every time you launch the browser. Also, the virus could have messed with your hosts file. Sometimes, viruses use it to change the IP to the IP of that site that keeps showing up. So, for example, Google would resolve to a site in China. You'd fix that by opening up the hosts file in Notepad. Finally, try the Group Policy Editor (start --> run --> gpedit.msc --> User Configuration --> Windows Settings --> Internet Explorer Maintenance --> URLs --> Important URLs).--Account created to post on Reference Desk (talk) 05:06, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

How do you open the host files on Notepad? Forgive me for being annoying, but I'm clueless at dealing with viruses and worms the manual way. --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 05:24, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Just go to start --> run and type C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\. Then double-click on the hosts file and pick Notepad. Once inside, be sure to add the site to the bottom so it won't load anymore, like this:

127.0.0.1	sina.com.cn
127.0.0.1	com.cn

--Account created to post on Reference Desk (talk) 05:30, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I did just that and I get message that says "Cannot create the C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts file. Make sure that the path and filename are correct". --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 06:03, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Make sure it's not read-only. Right-click on it, select Properties, and uncheck the read-only check box, if it's checked.--Account created to post on Reference Desk (talk) 06:07, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The URL tried to start up again the next time I re-launched Internet Explorer, but instead showed the "Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage message". Is that good? --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 06:18, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Yes. Spybot S&D's Immunize feature also adds a bunch of entries for malicious web sites to the hosts file. These prevent your PC from connecting to their IP address. I'm not sure why your browser keeps trying to connect to it, though. Try setting your home page to about:blank. Also try typing ipconfig /flushdns at the command prompt. In other circumstances, I'd tell you to restart your computer, too. But if you still have a virus, it's probably a bad idea. The virus would have full control over your PC when it's starting up. I'm sure you pressed CTRL + SHIFT + ESC, and looked for the virus there, too, right?--Account created to post on Reference Desk (talk) 06:30, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Not yet. --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 06:35, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Whoops. I mean CTRL + SHIFT + ESC.--Account created to post on Reference Desk (talk) 06:35, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It brings up Task Manager. What do I do from there? --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 06:44, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Click on th Processes tab. Then Google anything suspicious.--Account created to post on Reference Desk (talk) 12:44, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The Spybot disabled Javascript, even though I go in Options (I operate on Firefox, but I still want to fix the problem in IE) and the Javascript box is already checked, but it still won't work. And is a dllhost file the suspicious file I should be looking for? --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 22:46, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The DLL Host is a normal Windows program. It normally runs from C:\WINDOWS\system32. To check where it is, go to Start --> Run... --> msinfo32 --> Software Environment --> Running Tasks. Spybot S&D never disabled JavaScript on my computer. Did you install Tea Timer? I just installed the core components. Maybe that's it.--Account created to post on Reference Desk (talk) 23:17, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

How do I find the Tea Timer and disable it? By the way, I ran multiple virus scans with OneCare and Spybot (I know you said they aren't terribly reliable, but they're all I have at the moment) and they came up with nothing, does it mean there is no virus in the system? The website asked me insert a Windows XP CD in order to install the language pack (which I never did) after I clicked install, but does clicking install already make it too late? --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 03:59, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

You run the Spybot S&D installer. I don't know what the site did. It depends on your browser and your OS (XP or Vista). I'm too afraid to check it out myself. If it's a malicious site, and you're running a vulnerable browser and OS (e.g., Internet Explorer 6.0 in Win XP), then it can do whatever it wants to your computer, even if you click Cancel. So, it often doesn't matter if you click OK or not, because it can hijack your PC anyway. If you clicked OK inside Vista, then it may have let it in. Chances are, if your home page was changed, and it keeps getting changed, then there's something still messing with your PC.--Account created to post on Reference Desk (talk) 04:13, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The saga never ends. But I would like to thank you for your incredible patience and help throughout all of this. I hope you won't mind if I continue to turn to you for further computer-related stuff. --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 04:49, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Not a problem. Feel free to ask any questions you have. Good luck.--Account created to post on Reference Desk (talk) 13:10, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Section break[edit]

My homepage finally appears as blank and the results of the Spybot scan were advertisement cookies on my computer, nothing suspicious (I hope). Does that mean I'm out of the woods (for now, at least)? I haven't shut off my computer in a while, I just put it in hibernation mode as a safety precaution, and I hope not to do that forever. By the way, I heard that Mac computers are less vulnerable to malware than PCs. Is that true? --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 01:16, 9 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It's probably safe to restart it, then. Hackers don't write many viruses for Macs, although the browser they come with (Safari) is easy to hijack. They're not less vulnerable to viruses -- it's just that hackers get more bang for their buck if they target Windows, because more computers run Windows. It's not worth buying a Mac just for that, though. You'd have to learn a whole new operating system and they're expensive.--Account created to post on Reference Desk (talk) 03:32, 9 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Can I delete TeaTimer from the registry without adversely affecting Spybot? --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 05:13, 9 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Probably, but I would just use Add/Remove Programs from the Control Panel. Select Spybot S&D. I know when it installs, it gives you the choice of installing Tea Timer or not, but you might have to click "Customize" or something like that.--Account created to post on Reference Desk (talk) 07:12, 9 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Official rootin' tootin' welcome[edit]

Hello, Account created to post on Reference Desk, and welcome to Wikipedia! I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few good links for newcomers:

I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! When making a comment on a talk page, please sign it using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically produce your name and the date. If you need help, you can explore the general help page, ask me on my talk page, or ask a question at the Help desk. Again, welcome! Dar-Ape 20:45, 11 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Why would you create sockpuppets when you have the chance to be a positive contributor to Wikipedia? --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 05:19, 13 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]