A virus and an annoying friend

[billybobsatan]

So I have this friend and whenever he uses his computer, he keeps getting pop-ups. He also got some mysterious program on his computer called "Regcleanpro 2000" and I keep telling him to use his virus protection but he never listens to me, instead saying things like "NO IT'S FINE THAT WAS THERE ALREADY" and I am at a loss. What should I do?

For any of you wondering, it keeps saying there's 5000 or so errors and this is on a windows 7.

[Kryten]

What you should do is show him this thread, where there'll probably soon be at least half a dozen people confirming there's no way that's not a virus.

[Capt'n Skunky]

Stop trying to help this "friend" that does not want your help. When he comes to you asking to fix his PC, refuse.

I absolutely refuse to help people with their PCs if they can't take a moment to protect themselves as well as practice safe computing.

I used to try helping, but all you end up doing is providing a crutch. I still have a friend that refuses to do *anything* preventive and constantly plays any online free flash game she can find. She reinstalls her entire system several times a year because it just gets loaded with crapware, malware, and everything else. I just don't get it.

Cheers!

Capt'n Skunky

KSP Community Manager

[Djhcc26]

In my lifetime I've had about 10 different computers, 8 of them have been completely destroyed by viruses. Everytime I got a virus, it usually came from some website I downloaded something I shouldn't have or from a porn site, and all of them had some sort of virus program. The last 2 computers I've had are, this one (My gaming computer), and my laptop. Neither of them have had any sort of virus protection on them other than a windows firewall, and have yet to get a virus. I've had my laptop for 5 years of continuous use and my desktop for 1 year of continuous use, Viruses come from questionable sources and as long as you stay away from those you will be fine. That program sounds like a "Free easy error fix/driver updater" you get from mediafire or Isohunt/Piratebay. Tell him to stop pirating games and movies.

[SuperWeegee4000]

Frankly, if he isn't smart or experienced enough to figure out that anything with a name like "Regcleanpro 2000" is not a legitimate program, he's simply going to have to learn by experience.

[Crush]

Everytime I got a virus, it usually came from some website I downloaded something I shouldn't have or from a porn site

Fun fact: Statistically it is three times as likely to get a virus from a religion-oriented website than from a porn website.

(The reason is that the porn industry got a lot more professional and customer-oriented in the past decade, while religion-oriented websites rarely have competent sysadmins and technically-inclined users, making them easy targets for hackers who plant malware on other peoples websites)

Edited July 8, 2013 by Crush

[Capt'n Skunky]

Viruses come from questionable sources...

They can also come from legitimate sources too. Most websites deliver content from multiple servers, sometimes over a dozen different ones. Any one of those can be compromised and set to deliver malware. While these are often caught within minutes, to make a blanket statement that viruses only come from questionable sites is just wrong.

I've been using computers since long before the Internet and have even built them by hand with a soldering iron. In my 30+ years of working with PCs, the only time I've ever been infected was when I had forgot to turn my A/V back on after some testing. So, personal experience is extremely variable and for most people, practicing safe computing isn't something they think about. This is why these people NEED an A/V solution.

Whatever A/V solution you use, I recommend against ANY that are subscription based. These companies have a vested interest in having their software pop up a message every now and then claiming they've protected you from some unknown bad guy. This is how they get you to keep paying for the subscription every year when there are perfectly usable FREE solutions out there.

Personally, I have been using Avast for many years and have never had it cause a problem. The issues with KSP and Avast are related to having the game installed in Windows protected folders. Since KSP does not have a proper installer, files copied to these windows managed folders do not get the proper permissions set and Avast might think something funny is going on in your system. This is always solved by moving the program to somewhere like C:\Games\KSP.

Cheers!

Capt'n Skunky

KSP Community Manager

[Monkthespy]

Personally I've gotten viruses before but they were always small and I always get rid of them real easy. I don't have realtime scanner but Malwarebytes is pretty good if you just scan every so often and gets whatever malware, adware, viruses you have.

[techonce]

Avast is great, although they need to make one change. When it updates your definitions you either get a mails or female voice saying "Virus definitions have been updated."

With a name like avast I want to hear a pirate voice calling "Ye virus definitions, they be updated!"

[The Destroyer]

For me, I don't really use a firewall except the standard one, (which is really bad idea probably), but I use malwarebytes. I scan every week or so, or when something looks suspicous, like a download.

Before that time, I did have to wipe my PC once. From some virus that said EVERYTHING ON YOUR PC HAS A VIRUS PAY ME MONEY AND I'LL FIX IT kinda thing. Wouldn't allow me to open ANYTHING.

Later viruses included.

-Windows quantum defender or whatever. It is the dumbest virus ever. It clames to be a A/V, but no lol. I easily got rid of it by right clicking on its Icon, open file location, and delete. LOL.

-Some virus that locks up your PC from "ENGLISH INTELLEGENCE" or something like that, claiming to be doing all this bad stuff. You have to pay $200 to get rid of it. I found a soloution: Disable internet. After I found a soloution in the libary, I managed to get rid of it.

-Another thing similar/exactly the same of my first virus. But I managed to remove it via libary again.

That's all I've had.

AND

I use google chrome+ adblock. I find ads usually contain viruses, even if you don't click.

[jwenting]

sounds like your friend is just incredibly naive, and fell for another scam, a website popping up an ad for "regclean pro" (which actually does nothing at all) telling him that "your computer is at risk, download our free scan tool here", which then confirms that you're indeed at risk and tells you you can buy the full product somewhere.

The internet is full of such things, and sadly even a lot of people working in computer stores trying to "fix" problems with customers' computers fall for it and install that crap on the computers they're given responsibility to get working again.

[Jnrdingo]

The avast Facebook page has sound files for that annoying voice btw, there's even an aussie one :-P

Edited July 9, 2013 by Jnrdingo

[drakesdoom]

See I think I found your problem, you have an annoying friend.

Step 1, Tell him he is annoying ignorant tool and to go jump off a bridge.

Step 2, ???

Step 3, Profit!

[EvilotionCR2]

Mom of my friend is thinking that every ad (click here to complete a quick and free survey to get iPhone/iPad/iPod for free,this is not a joke) that they show her on the internet is true.She never got a virus thought.

I personally never got a virus and I'm always give caution to what I click and not.

And your "friend" is a m*ron.

Edited July 10, 2013 by EvilotionCR2

[redwolfy]

-Some virus that locks up your PC from "ENGLISH INTELLEGENCE" or something like that, claiming to be doing all this bad stuff. You have to pay $200 to get rid of it. I found a soloution: Disable internet. After I found a soloution in the libary, I managed to get rid of the banana

DAMN HOW DID YOU KNOW about us?!?!?