Silicon Heaven (Paraphrased by Jerrold Schiff)

Silicon Heaven (Paraphrased by Jerrold Schiff)

Ever wonder if Computers were like People, would there be a Silicon Heaven when they die?

That’s a theological stretch! Or is it?

There are five main components to a computer, each can be compared to the human body, and each could fail catastrophically.

RAM or random access memory – is like short term memory – or words on the tip of the tongue.

The Hard Drive – is more like long term memory – where you store pictures, documents and emails.

The CPU chip is like the brain and does all the thinking.

The Power Supply is like the blood of the body – without it, there is no movement, no thought.

And the Motherboard – is the body – which ties everything together and keeps communication strong.

What attacks a computer?

Electrical storms, old age, and viruses from outside sources like the internet.

Some parts – whether in us or in a computer, are replaceable.

And viruses, like bad thoughts or deeds, can be stopped or “fixed”.

So, is there a Silicon Heaven?

Maybe, and only if your computer is very very good!

Response to Orlando Sentinel "Cape for Jobs"

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-ed-abortion-letters-042111-20110420,0,4356288.story


Caped crusaders are commended

Workforce Central Florida's cape crusade is brilliant. And I am shocked at the lack of business savvy the Orlando Sentinel has shown in belittling its efforts ("Super lunacy," Tuesday).

Please send Sentinel reporters to the mayor's job fairs, which are held every two months. They will see 5,000 people or more lining up, and getting turned down, for the pitifully few jobs that are paying $8 to $11 an hour. These people — many were business executives with high-paying jobs — are walking away with their hopes dashed. But they do get a free pen for talking to an overwhelmed human-resource recruiter.

I do not mean to compare a cape to a pen. Look at the total costs of initializing the cape program, the research, the computer programming on the agency's website and the publicity.

Now, think about the number of people underemployed or out of work and those who have given up or simply have run out of benefits and are not being counted. Workforce Orlando should be commended for its efforts.

Jerrold Schiff Apopka

http://www.schiffkey.com

huntbar - btiein (another of my favourite annoying viruses)

huntbar - btiein

Credit to author:
http://forums.spywareinfo.com/lofiversion/index.php/t16485.html

Thanks for submitting your HijackThis log. Since this reply is lengthy, please print it to help you keep track of the steps.

1 -- Please download About:Buster and unzip it to your desktop. Do not run it just yet.

2 -- Then create a permanent folder for HijackThis (such as C:\HJT) and move your copy of the HijackThis.exe file from its current location in the temporary folders into the new folder. (Or, you could simply download a new copy of HijackThis(v1.98) and unzip it into the new folder.) Either way, HJT needs its own folder to ensure that backup files are reliably preserved. Do not run HJT just yet.

3 -- Reboot into Safe Mode (How do I boot into "Safe" mode?).

3 -- Make sure all browser and program windows are closed, then start the About Buster program, hit Ok, Start, and Ok again to start the scan. It will generate a log. Save that logfile for now, as you'll be asked to send it back to us at the end of these instructions.

Now run About Buster again, and save that logfile for us as well.

4 -- Run HijackThis, press Scan, and put a check against the following entries, if they still show up.

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = res://C:\WINDOWS\ecmob.dll/sp.html#37049
R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = res://ecmob.dll/index.html#37049
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = res://ecmob.dll/index.html#37049
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Search_URL = res://C:\WINDOWS\ecmob.dll/sp.html#37049
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = res://C:\WINDOWS\ecmob.dll/sp.html#37049
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = res://ecmob.dll/index.html#37049
R3 - Default URLSearchHook is missing

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {CAD07FE9-6CBE-706E-AD3F-ABD30C3C2C92} - C:\WINDOWS\atlwq.dll

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ippy.exe] C:\WINDOWS\ippy.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\RunOnce: [atlyt32.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\atlyt32.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\RunOnce: [d3ig.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\d3ig.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\RunOnce: [netxt.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\netxt.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\RunOnce: [apicg.exe] C:\WINDOWS\apicg.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\RunOnce: [wingf32.exe] C:\WINDOWS\wingf32.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\RunOnce: [atlej.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\atlej.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\RunOnce: [sdkqu.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\sdkqu.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\RunOnce: [addss.exe] C:\WINDOWS\addss.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\RunOnce: [ieun.exe] C:\WINDOWS\ieun.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\RunOnce: [atlir.exe] C:\WINDOWS\atlir.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\RunOnce: [windj32.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\windj32.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\RunOnce: [syszt32.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\syszt32.exe

Once you have selected all the items for HJT to fix, make sure all browsers and program windows are closed except for HijackThis, and click fix checked.

5 -- Run About Buster a third time, and save that logfile for us too.

Go ahead and check if any of these files still exist, and if they do please delete them:

C:\WINDOWS\addss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\apicg.exe
C:\WINDOWS\atlir.exe
C:\WINDOWS\atlwq.dll
C:\WINDOWS\ieun.exe
C:\WINDOWS\ippy.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\atlej.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\atlyt32.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\d3ig.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\netxt.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\sdkqu.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\syszt32.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\windj32.exe
C:\WINDOWS\wingf32.exe

6 -- Reboot back into Normal Mode, and run HijackThis again. Press Scan, and put a check against the following entry.

O4 - HKLM\..\RunOnce: [Winnt32RunOnceWarning] user.exe

Then, make sure all browsers and program windows are closed except for HijackThis, and click "fix checked"

Then, find the file called user.exe on your system (using Start > Search > For Files and Folders) and rename it to "user.old".

7 -- Now let's clean out the common "hide outs" that malware might try to re-install itself from.

Go to Start > Run and enter: cleanmgr. Let it scan your system, then check these three boxes and then press ok to remove: Temporary Files, Temporary Internet Files, Recycle Bin.

Please disable Windows System Restore, then reboot, then re-enable Windows System Restore by following the instructions at: "How to turn off or turn on Windows XP System Restore"

8 -- Finally, after coming up after the reboot in Step #7 run HijackThis to create a new logfile. Repost it here along with the three About Buster logs. If you had any problems with the steps outlined above, please let us know what they were. If we need to take additional steps, your response and the new logfiles will indicate what they may be.

Once your system is cleaned, we’ll close with some general recommendations for avoiding malware infections in the future.

In the meantime, please read: So how did I get infected in the first place?

Definitions: What is a VIRUS a WORM or a TROJAN

Definitions:

Virus: is a self-replicating program which spreads by attaching itself to a host program. Viruses with a malicious payload cause damage to data, software or hardware.

Worm: is a program designed to replicate itself without human action. It disseminates complete copies of itself across computer networks or via email. THe worm itself may be destructive or it may do harm by consuming memory or bandwidth as it spreads, thus causing infected machines to stop responding.

Trojan Horse: is a malicious program wrapped in a benign exterior. Unlike viruses and worms, trojans do not replicate, but they can cause extensive damage to an infected system.