I don't have any anti-virus or internet scanning software installed, primarily because I don't use Windows as my desktop OS, but also because when I have, I just didn't find the need for it given the way I worked online.

Can someone recommend a site that has the ability to enter a URL and perform a scan of the target site for virus/trojan/malware?

A friend/client just emailed me because one of his clients claims their McAffee installation is popping up a warning when they visit his web site: http://unclerichards.com

In the past, their host was compromised in some way and some javascript had been inserted into some of their pages. I cleaned that all up, changed all the passwords and the host said the problem had also been taken care of on their end. If the same type of situation has happened again I'd really like to know, because I've been telling this client/friend to dump that host (PowerWeb) for ages.

If anyone has a moment, and has such scanner software installed, maybe you can take a peek at the site to see if you get any warnings.

NOD from Eset didn't have a problem with it in either FF or IE.

Is it possible that the client is hitting a different web site? DNS spoofing? Internal vs. external network?


It took me quite a while to read that as something other than un-cleric-hards.

Many years ago, a friend of mine and I were having fun playing Stellar 7 on the C-64. At the end of each level, you drove into an object called a warplink to warp you to the next level. For the longest time, my friend wondered what a War Plink was.

I tested the site (all pages) with Avast and it didn't find anything. Then I went to the McAfee SiteAdvisor site and typed in the URL. It claimed the site had a link to an attack site (by IP).

I downloaded all the files from the site via FTP and searched their contents for that IP address. Nothing.

McAfee seems to have cached this error from when a page on the site was legitimately modified maybe a year ago and it hasn't done a rescan since then. At least that's my assumption based on the fact I can't find any such link.

II wrote to them asking for them to rescan or otherwise fix this problem or that I'd be forced to put up a warning telling visitors that McAfee software is problematic, out of date and does not provide any real-time scanning ability, with advice for people to uninstall it and install something else instead, like the FREE Avast which operates real-time.

I can tell you've never actually tried to uninstall McAfee.

The one (and forever only!) time I had McAfee on a computer (it was free, bundled with TurboTax) when I went to uninstall it after it expired it took an hour-long discussion with their tech support, and even then I am pretty sure remnants were left. About the only software I ever saw that did a "better" job of embedding itself into all aspects of the computer was Norton. I won't allow that one in my computer either!

tanstaafl.

Amen, Brother, Amen.

Same again from me. I've tried removing NAV from PCs before and the uninstall option never works properly. It'll partially remove itself and then error out. Your system will have half of NAV running at this point and be deeply unhappy.

I usually have the same issues with QuickTime. I've always found it really hard to uninstall for some reason.

Fyi: Norton offers on their web, an additional program to sanitize your system of it's product. I've used it, seems to do the job that the uninstaller should have.

Edit: Since every system sold today seems to have NAV installed on it, it's a must have.

Ah. Good to know. As you said, the uninstaller should have done that in the first place though.


I normally format any new system and reinstall without the bundled junk. Its been getting better however recently. It used to be that you'd have a huge amount of stuff installed but the manufacturers aren't doing as much now.

One manufacturer (can't quite remember who at the moment...) actually charges you more to have a clean install.

I have to say, I never use the software that comes bundled with the machine. So to me, it really doesn't matter how much or how little crap comes pre-installed, as everything gets completely wiped clean before the real stuff gets put onto it.

Even the uninstaller only sorta-kinda works. There's still stuff left over.

I've learned this lesson too late!
I should've wiped my new work laptop when I got it. Not to get rid of Norton or McAfee (it had neither bundled), but just to cut down on the number of processes running. There are 63 running now. I'm sure a fresh, 'unbundled' install would cut that down to 30 or so.
That seems to be the advice around the office nowadays.

*sigh*
Now I'm too deeply rooted in this thing to want to go for a new install.

The sad part is, for many laptops, a lot of those extra processes are needed.

My laptop, for instance, needs extra processes running to enable the strip of buttons that controls the speaker volume and the wireless on/off functions, as well as the special function keys on the keyboard. Another process is needed to govern its fingerprint reader, another for its built-in noise-cancelling microphone, and yet another for its touchpad.

If I had wiped the laptop when I bought it, those things would all have stopped functioning and I would have needed to scrounge their drivers and hope for the best.

Ah- good point, Tony. Well, that bolsters my spirits a bit.
I'm not disappointed with the machine's performance, though, and the search for 'which processes are definitely needed' has taken a far back seat to normal work. I do recall googling a few of them and finding them related to various wireless devices.
I guess as long as it doesn't bother me I'll leave well enough alone.

Any decent computer manufacturer should have all drivers available from their web site, available by putting in your model number or serial number. (Apple is the only exception to this rule, for obvious reasons)

Reformatting doesn't get rid of the drivers, it gets rid of the free trials for games, for print cartridge reording software, the crippled Microsoft office, the 60 day antivirus software trial, the keylogger that sends all keystrokes back to Dell/Sony/Toshiba, the windows install they've migrated over three laptop models because even their employees don't want to make a new image with all that crap, and the like. Reformat. Reinstall drivers. Don't reinstall crap. You'll be glad you did.

Reinstalling is definitely the way to go if you can get all the drivers. That's not always possible. Take even HP for example. A few years ago someone I know wanted to install XP Pro into their HP notebook. They couldn't find a couple of the drivers for it anywhere. The ones they had available on the restore disk for XP Home would simply not work.

The other obstacle is getting your hands on XP. I know plenty of people with Dell machines that didn't receive any XP media with their systems.

The system I redid for a friend a few weeks ago is like night and day. They are absolutely blown away by how the machine performs. Prior to my touching it, they were thinking of getting rid of it and getting another computer. They simply thought that machine was too slow.

How many people are out there with the same impression? How much waste has been created in landfills because of the crapware companies like Dell put on their systems? I could see a sinister scam of putting time-release crap on a system to bring it down over the course of a couple of years. However, why on earth would a consumer stick with the same brand? Anyway, the fact Dell are in business to this day is a testament in part to an unsuspecting public.

I only recommend Macs now. If someone tells me they don't have the budget for one I just tell them not to buy a computer. It's not worth the hassle to help support someone when they come running back to you after getting some POS Acer or Asus or Toshiba or whatever was on sale that week.

This doesn't apply to people who want a system to run Linux or who generally know what they're doing and can do reinstalls and setup themselves of course.

I found these two programs that can backup your currently installed drivers.

Double Driver or DriverMax

Double Driver doesn't backup a driver if it can't find a .inf file.

Enmpeg-car being one of those.

I didn't even find out what bundled junk came on my Samsung NC-10. I just borrowed an external DVD drive from the IT bods here and slapped Windows 7 Ultimate (beta, obviously) on it. I had to download the (Vista) drivers for the wired networking (but not the WiFi, oddly), and I had to install the Samsung hotkey software.

Other than a reluctance to go into standby when plugged into AC power, and the fact that it sometimes won't talk to the office Cisco WiFi AP (which appears to be a Win7 problem), I've had absolutely no problems with it.

I just bought a new computer and the only things installed on it were the drivers, Futuremark, and the burning software. Everything else (like the games and other software bundled with the components) were included on disks instead of installed. It was really refreshing after having seen all the crap Dell installs on new machines.

Oh yeah, that's another thing that can bite you when you bare-metal format a laptop. If you don't get all the right motherboard and chipset drivers in place, you can have troubles with standby and hibernate.

Of course, in your case, it could just be because of the beta OS.