Virus, Virus, Everywhere!
in [Laptops]
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From: Richard Bonner on 21 Jul 2010 07:28 Ron (ryon(a)dslnorthwest.net) wrote: > Richard Bonner wrote: > > Ron (ryon(a)dslnorthwest.net) wrote: > > > I hate Windows XP but it came with the laptop. But the AV program that > > > I use is AVG, but I can't use any program at all: *everything* I try > > > to run causes a message saying the program is infected! Unless I get > > > a better idea, I may have to do a root canal and replace the OS-- > > > preferably with something more reliable like Windows 2k. > > > > > Ron > > > > *** I have a friend that swears by Win 2K. (Snip) > Almost forever I've relied on NT-- 3.51, then 4.0, then to Win 2k-- > and I always relied on its usually rock-steady architecture. Every > time Microsoft gets cutesy, XP and Vista, there's always a disaster > just waiting to happen. *** One of the things that bugs me about Microsoft is that they never bother to perfect one of their operating systems. Once it's out, they are working on the next less-than-compatible system. It's always a moving target with them. That was one of the many reason I dumped Windows and Microsoft for good in 1999. > I have a Win 2k disk, but I lost the ID number somewhere. If I could > ever find it, I would get rid of XP and stick with something I know is > reliable. *** Your issue might be (as it is with my Win 2K friend) is that you will be unable to get newer Windows software, along with some hardware, to run on it. > I don't have the funds now, but I know Win 2k is fairly > cheap these days; I'm gonna buy a replacement copy when I can and > stick with an OS that I know I can count on. :-) > Ron *** If you own a legitimate disc, is there no way to procure the activation code? This is why it is good to always write the code on to the disc. (-: -- Richard Bonner http://www.chebucto.ca/~ak621/DOS/
From: BillW50 on 21 Jul 2010 07:38 In news:i23fu5$tij$1(a)speranza.aioe.org, John Doue typed on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:32:39 +0300: > On 7/20/2010 1:10 AM, BillW50 wrote: >> Richard Bonner wrote: >>> Ron (ryon(a)dslnorthwest.net) wrote: >>>> I hate Windows XP but it came with the laptop. But the AV program >>>> that I use is AVG, but I can't use any program at all: >>>> *everything* I try to run causes a message saying the program is >>>> infected! Unless I get a better idea, I may have to do a root >>>> canal and replace the OS-- preferably with something more reliable >>>> like Windows 2k. >>> >>>> Ron >>> >>> *** I have a friend that swears by Win 2K. >>> If you decide to switch to a different operating system, I suggest >>> Debian or Linux Mint. Regarding the latter, last year two friends >>> of mine switched from XP to Mint and won't go back for any reason, >>> now. >> >> Here are my OS stats: >> >> 1) Windows XP runs 100% of what I want to run. >> >> 2) Windows 7 runs 85% of what I want to run (plus it is much slower). >> >> 3) Windows 2000 runs 80% of what I want to run (as fast as Windows >> XP or sometimes faster). >> >> 4) Linux runs 5% of what I want to run. And Linux is also awful when >> it comes to running multimedia. As you need 3x more processing power >> than XP does on the same machine. Plus Linux support for different >> file types is very limited. >> >> So when somebody brags about Linux, I want to challenge them and make >> them prove that Linux is worth anything for the 99% of the computer >> users that hate it! All it does is turn your powerful computer into a >> glorified PDA. And why in the world would you want to do this for? >> > Bill, > > I am surprised Richard did not mention DOS ... I seem to remember he > is a big fan of it. What would your stats be? :-). Hi John! Yes I too am surprised that Richard didn't recommend DOS as well. And DOS was doing well up to about the year 1993, when Windows 3.1 came out. And Windows 3.1 was so good at the time, it did away with other competitors like GEM, GEOS, and even hit OS/2 hard. Why GEM and GEOS didn't bother to improve and compete against Windows, I have no idea. And to be honest, under DOS I can't do as much as I could with it back in 1993. That is because many of those programs don't even work on newer hardware for one. And the ones that get you online like AOL for DOS (which was really a GEOS application) won't even get you online for over a decade now. Worse, it only works on dialup and that is all. No browser either if I remember correctly. So my stats for DOS would be that DOS would only allow me to do 1% of what I want to do. Pretty sad, eh? -- Bill Gateway MX6124 ('06 era) 1 of 3 - Windows XP SP2
From: Richard Bonner on 21 Jul 2010 07:39 BillW50 (BillW50(a)aol.kom) wrote: > Bootable flash or USB drives are faster than floppy drives. *** Most of the time, they are - but not always. I make and change a lot of files in the run of a day (mostly html and .txt). At the end of the afternoon, I zip copies of my work to a floppy disc so as to bring them with me to put on my home desktop as an off-premises backup. Why not use my flashdrive? When I include the flashdrive mounting time, the floppy disc is actually faster. > Yes I have one of those USB floppy drives too, but who knows why I do >though? > -- > Bill *** It's convenient if one needs to get something from an old floppy backup, or when some friend shows up with a file or utility I want that is on floppy. Of course, it can be a life saver if one needs to diagnose a hard drive when no CD or USB is available. -- Richard Bonner http://www.chebucto.ca/~ak621/DOS/
From: Richard Bonner on 21 Jul 2010 07:50 BillW50 (BillW50(a)aol.kom) wrote: > Richard Bonner wrote: > > If you decide to switch to a different operating system, I suggest > > Debian or Linux Mint. Regarding the latter, last year two friends of mine > > switched from XP to Mint and won't go back for any reason, now. (Snip) > 4) Linux runs 5% of what I want to run. And Linux is also awful when it > comes to running multimedia. As you need 3x more processing power than > XP does on the same machine. Plus Linux support for different file types > is very limited. *** Those were similar complaints from my friend until he installed Mint. He had issues with wireless Internet as well, but none with Mint. His wife ran XP all the time he had Mint on another system in their home. She is an accountant, but yet she too, has switched exclusively to Mint. Am I saying it, or any operating system, is for every user? No. However, I urge people to expand their horizons and give other ones a good run if they are unhappy with their present operating system. > So when somebody brags about Linux, I want to challenge them and make > them prove that Linux is worth anything for the 99% of the computer > users that hate it! All it does is turn your powerful computer into a > glorified PDA. > -- > Bill *** I am sorry that your Linux experience has not been a good one, Bill. However, I belong to a computer group, of which more members run Linux as compared to Windows. I also belong to a Linux-only group. I don't see any of those users having the issues you describe. Perhaps you are running software that requires Windows, but for day-to day usage, Mint seems fine to me. I should also add that several of the Linux users in these groups are system administrators, and one is a retired IBM employee with 35+years of experience. If Linux is that bad, I cannot see persons with their experience sticking with such an operating system. -- Richard Bonner http://www.chebucto.ca/~ak621/DOS/
From: BillW50 on 21 Jul 2010 07:54
In news:i26mae$el4$1(a)Kil-nws-1.UCIS.Dal.Ca, Richard Bonner typed on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:39:58 +0000 (UTC): > BillW50 (BillW50(a)aol.kom) wrote: >> Bootable flash or USB drives are faster than floppy drives. > > *** Most of the time, they are - but not always. I make and change > a lot of files in the run of a day (mostly html and .txt). At the end > of the afternoon, I zip copies of my work to a floppy disc so as to > bring them with me to put on my home desktop as an off-premises > backup. Why not use my flashdrive? When I include the flashdrive > mounting time, the floppy disc is actually faster. > > >> Yes I have one of those USB floppy drives too, but who knows why I do >> though? >> -- >> Bill > > *** It's convenient if one needs to get something from an old floppy > backup, or when some friend shows up with a file or utility I want > that is on floppy. Of course, it can be a life saver if one needs to > diagnose a hard drive when no CD or USB is available. True, but who puts things on floppy anymore? Anything important should have been moved to another format by now, after all it is 2010. And an USB CD/DVD drive is far more valuable than an USB floppy drive anyway. And any machine without USB can't use an USB floppy drive anyway. So it won't help you there either. -- Bill Gateway MX6124 ('06 era) 1 of 3 - Windows XP SP2 |