On Sat, Oct 19, 2002 at 12:45:56PM -0700, Steve Coffman wrote:
> I'm trying to identify which virus it is so I can try to clean up
> her computer.
I'm a little curious why you posted this query to so many not-windows
lists. What answer would you expect from redhat-list readers, aside from
"go install redhat"?
The easiest solution is to put the hard drive in another computers with
a virus scanner. Since a virus can install itself into the boot process
of the computer, installing a virus scanner now has only a marginal
chance of success. So do the virus scanning on another machine.
The next easiest solution is to simply reformat and reinstall. Depending
on how many documents your mother has created and how many applications
she runs, this may be easier than cleaning up after the virus. (This has
the especial advantage that you can use this opportunity to install an
operating system with access controls -- so your mother's email client
can't modify system files. Take your pick: NT 4, Win 2k, WinXP, any of
the Linux distributions, any of the BSD distributions -- only you and
your mother can decide what operating system is right for her. But pick
one where her email client can't trash the system.)
The next solution is to take this current tack and try to find out the
virus itself using the various information databases the antivirus
vendors supply, and do the work manually.
Whatever you do, you may wish to consider making a {christmas, hanakah,
ramadan, kwanza, all pagans' day} gift out of an antivirus software, if
whatever operating system you reinstall with has some available. :)
Oh yeah, and ask windows questions in windows mail lists. :) I've left
them in the CC: as a way of saying that I've already asked you to be
careful in the future, so no one else feels obligated to do the same. :)
--
"There's an old saying in Tennessee, i know it's in Texas, probably in
Tennessee, that says, 'Fool me once... shame on ... shame on .. you; but
fool--you can't get fooled again.'" -- Commander in Chief of the US Military
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