Chameleon

[Traditionalist]

If you have somehow managed to infect your PC with a virus or something that blocks your anti-virus program, then this will usually fix it;

http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/chameleon/

More info;  http://betanews.com/2013/01/14/malwarebytes-chameleon-can-remove-malware-from-an-already-infected-pc/

the software is very good and can solve even apparently "hopeless" cases. The software is free.

[Fishtales]

I used that on a virus that got onto my son-in-laws laptop and it worked a treat Doesn't it come bundled with Malwarebytes? I didn't realise it was a standalone product too

[Traditionalist]

These tools are included in the pro version  ( can't remember if they are in the freeware version, a while since I used the freeware);



The online protection is the major plus here, it looks like this;



The major problem that besets many people is that they only find out something has gone wrong when it is too late.  Much malware now has built in self defences, and can block programs which try to remove it.

Chameleon will usually trick such software into letting it through,  ( such malware has a sort of firewall built into it which Chameleon circumvents), and one can then run the anti-malware.

I have only had a few cases, ( of thousands!), where it didn't work, and most of those were rootkits.

( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rootkit  ).

The point being, you can use this stand-alone even if a machine is already infected, it will download the Malwarebytes and run it even on an infected machine.

Of course, it is better not to get infected in the first place!   Removing Malware will not always, ( indeed quite often), get a machine up and running properly again because various changes the Malware has made to the system are not automatically repaired.  This is inherently impossible. Once a system has actually been damaged, registry values changed, .exe files altered etc.  The only sensible recourse is a new install.

However, Malwarebytes will invariably allow you to recover your data from an infected system before you re-install.

If you have it running resident as shown in the PRO version above you are not likely to get infected.  Malwarebytes is NOT an anti-virus program,

http://helpdesk.malwarebytes.org/entries/20818081-does-malwarebytes-anti-malware-replace-antivirus-software

you still need such a program as well. On Windows I don't think Microsoft Security Essentials can be beaten.

There are plenty of others extant, but they all have various problems, some will slow down a machine so badly that it can be a pain to use.  The same applies to various firewall stuff. Even Windows own firewall slows a machine down very considerably and is best disabled.  ( See posts on firewalls).

[Fishtales]

I've never had to reinstall Windows at any time. In fact my XP installation is on its third motherboard and second hard drive It isn't easy to do though and took a lot of messing about in the registry  :roll:

[Traditionalist]

I've never had to reinstall Windows at any time. In fact my XP installation is on its third motherboard and second hard drive It isn't easy to do though and took a lot of messing about in the registry  :roll:

If you catch any problems quickly enough then you may not need to reinstall. The trouble with that is not really being certain about some things!

It was always my policy to reinstall infected machines, even after cleaning and any data recovery.  the longer various Malware and Viruses are on a machine the greater the potential damage.

If you want to reinstall to new hardware easily, get this;

http://www.todo-backup.com/products/home/free-backup-software.htm

you need the "home" version which costs 39 Dollars, but it will reinstall a backup to any hardware, and is well worth the money. If you JUST want a backup then the  free version is fine.


You can get it free with this;

http://www.trialpay.com/checkout/?c=c56761c&tid=RHy0uqT

The last three versions I got for friends were more or less completely free as they were never sent anything, and got full licenced copies of the software. The one before that he ordered a CD for 8 Euros and got the software free. 

By the way, if you are still running XP you should seriously consider installing Linux and running your XP in a virtual box if you still need it.

It has virtually none of the limitations and problems of Windows and Windows 8 is just a joke anyway.

Chameleon is also included in the freeware;

http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free/

[Fishtales]

I have never really had too many problems from Amiga OS through Windows '98, XP, Vista and now Windows 7, although the last one only since Christmas I have no interest in Linux to run anything as XP is fine at the moment running on the main computer and the laptops and iPad using an app to transfer files, all seem to like each other over my home network

Don't try and fix what isn't broken as far as I am concerned. If I do need anything Google is a handy friend to have. He has helped me out of a few problems that I couldn't figure out myself

[Traditionalist]

That's fair enough.  XP support will cease in early 2014;

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/endofsupport.aspx

Windows 7 does not support a lot of XP hardware. ( Neither does Windows .

Linux does, and also solves a massive load of problems that Windows users have. It is much easier to use and maintain. You simply don't need all the crap that you have on Windows. It is also free.

I was originally very reluctant indeed to change my private machines over to Linux but it was the best thing I have ever done. I still run Windows 7 and XP in virtual boxes on Linux as I still support them, but for everything else I use Linux.  At the moment a modified Ubuntu 12.04 with a MATE desktop.  It is smaller, faster, and more reliable than Windows.

Windows and it's environment IS broken, that's the major problem. Most people have little or no chance of keeping it running sensibly. Once set up, Linux basically runs itself. No problems with Viruses or malware, no problems with updates, no problems with hardware, and the vast majority of very high quality software is free.

[Fishtales]

That's fair enough.  XP support will cease in early 2014;

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/endofsupport.aspx

I have never used support in the twenty five + years of using Windows so I wont miss it

Windows 7 does not support a lot of XP hardware. ( Neither does Windows .

No problem there then as Windows seven isn't on the XP machine, XP is and the hardware will work even if I do change over to W7 as it is generic and not software specific. As I said I have upgraded the hardware on numerous occasions and never had to reinstall XP.

Linux does, and also solves a massive load of problems that Windows users have. It is much easier to use and maintain. You simply don't need all the crap that you have on Windows. It is also free.

I was originally very reluctant indeed to change my private machines over to Linux but it was the best thing I have ever done. I still run Windows 7 and XP in virtual boxes on Linux as I still support them, but for everything else I use Linux.  At the moment a modified Ubuntu 12.04 with a MATE desktop.  It is smaller, faster, and more reliable than Windows.

Windows and it's environment IS broken, that's the major problem. Most people have little or no chance of keeping it running sensibly. Once set up, Linux basically runs itself. No problems with Viruses or malware, no problems with updates, no problems with hardware, and the vast majority of very high quality software is free.

Probably the majority of forum members have never had a problem with Windows, I haven't, and see no reason to start using Linux. My biggest regret was having to change from Amiga OS to Windows, now that was user friendly and easier to use than either Windows or Linux

[Traditionalist]

You misunderstand, the "support" refers to the ongoing software and security updates.They cease in April 2014.  Even now nobody is developing stuff for Windows XP any more, it is a "dead" platform. A lot of new software wont run on it.

Windows 7 does not support the same peripheral hardware, ( printers, pads, etc etc ) as XP because there are no drivers for it.

Internally, Windows 7 will not run on some hardware. XP will also not run on some hardware.

Linux will run on just about anything.

[Wildfisher]

Probably the majority of forum members have never had a problem with Windows

Exactly.

Since XP I have had next to no issues at all. From that point onwards  Windows became a pretty good OS, W7 is even better. A company I still work  for now and then still use XP in their data acquisition systems. This is one of the biggest and most successful international oil service companies in the world.  I would say  that speaks volumes for the reliability,  for the strength, for the stability of Windows.  Very few members  here are likely to be interested in Linux or changing to it, it would be a  pointless exercise for most.

Lastly as was pointed out by Malcolm  a few weeks ago, this is a fishing forum. The "computer stuff"  board is there to assist members with issues or problems they might be having, it is relevant only insofar as computers are required to use the forum. It is not a mainstay of the forum. That is the way the members want it to be.

This topic is now locked (except for moderators) as it is of  little relevance to this community.