Photo Archive
Building: BUILT: MK ZX9R. Raced rotax max kart and now flyin
posted on 6/11/13 at 11:02 PM
Free PC Problems
Cut a long story short, i was given a pc by a workmate. He said it "wouldnt work" so i decided to give it a go and try to clear it out of
unwanted junk files. Managed do do a defrag and disc clean up and now works alot quicker. Downloaded a virus scanner and done a scan to find many
types of win virus's. Not knowing much about pc, what do i do next?
Is it a case of sod it and throw it away or do i have to re program it all? Didnt come with and discs.
Was going to use it for the garage but if its going to cost the earth to put right i wont bother.
I have acquired several old pcs and I put Ubuntu operating system on them all. Its very forgiving of older hardware, replaces windows, very safe from
most viruses.
You don't need to be a techy nerd to run Ubuntu. I have not found any barriers or problems to using it.
And its free, so no cost at all.
Worth a try.
Dutch bears have terrible skin due to their clogged paws
if you wanted to try ubuntu then google it, download the file, burn it to a CD.
Then run the CD, you will have two options, 'try Ubuntu' or 'install Ubuntu'.
You can leave windows on the PC and everytime you boot the PC it will ask if you want to run Windows or Ubuntu.
I tried it about 4 or 5 years ago, had very limited knowledge.
But as you have a free spare PC to play with, its worth giving it a go.
Once its installed you can then download whatever programs you want, all from one place and all (well almost all) are free. So if you want a word
processor program, click on it and install. A music player, click and install. Games, search, click and install.
Dutch bears have terrible skin due to their clogged paws
Photo Archive
Building: Matchless G3LS. As now minus the V8 Viento :-(
posted on 6/11/13 at 11:57 PM
Before you scrap the windows I would get a key reader programme and recover the installion key (it may even be on a Windows sticker on the PC case).
Then you can reinstall a fresh copy of windows at a later date if you dont like Ubuntu.
I agree ubuntu is pretty good, its stable, and like most forms of Linux it just works.
Its a different way of thinking, and you need to find a friend who is using it so you have someone to help you when you get really stuck.
Ubuntu would certainly get my vote.
If you are keeping windows, go to www.malwarebytes.com and get the free copy of Malwarebytes and run that as well on your windows machine. Make sure
you do a chek for updates after installing it. This prog will get rid of annoying programmes that Virus software will not touch as they are not
viruses. Namely just malicious crap that will slow your PC down, Advertising trackers, and stuff like that.
Well worth getting it.
Just my 2d's worth.
1. The point of a journey is not to arrive.
2. Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
Photo Archive
Building: Phaetons gone... replaced by a Capri
posted on 7/11/13 at 07:36 AM
I read on here a while back about Linux mint, which I finally tried out a couple of weeks ago..
I am very impressed out how easy it was to install (As simple as windows 7) all the bits and bobs like sound cards, Networking and USB worked straight
off..
Im now using it for work and added a couple of extra's with almost no effort (VNC client, Cisco VPN and TS Client)
if you can still run software on the PC then try Malwarebytes, CCleaner and Deraggler (Windows defragging is OK at best) to help maintain it. Several
good free Virus checkers around but Avast or MS Security Essentials are well proven.
All good advice, and +1 for Ubuntu. AVG Free is also pretty decent.
However, until you decide what to do with this, keep it off your network (we call it an air-gap). If this thing is riddled with the pox, it's
bound to be reaching out and trying to infect other windows based machines. If you have rootkits on it you could have major problems cleaning it down.
The safest option is to scrap the OS and start again. Let Ubuntu do a full format for you on the way.
You'll also be surprised just how much snappier it seems compared to windows.
When all you have is a hammer, everything around you is a nail.
Photo Archive
Building: BUILT: MK ZX9R. Raced rotax max kart and now flyin
posted on 7/11/13 at 10:36 PM
Thanks for the advise guys.
I have now completed a full system virus scan with avast and it found 50 viruses and has put them all in a chest. What is a chest and what do i do
with it?
Now i redone a full scan and it says its clean.
If all else fails i will try installing the whole system. Never tried this so might go badly wrong.
Photo Archive
Building: It is an ex-Locost - it has gone to the IOW!
posted on 8/11/13 at 10:30 AM
A re-install is no great task - just follow the on-screen instructions and you should be fine. You will lose any data and programs you had
originally, leaving you with a bare but working operating system. If you do this then I recommend that the first program you load is the free version
of Avast, the well-known anti-virus program.
This is a great time to try out Linux Mint - it's easy to install and may surprise you. It also comes with a heap of good programs that will
save you a fortune. If it turns out that you don't like Linux then you can re-install Windows as originally planned, and the only thing
you'll have lost is a bit of time.
David is right. I would also council that having cleared out 50 viruses your machine will be extremely unstable and probably still has some trace of
the pox. Our corporate policy is to rebuild if a machine is infected.
When all you have is a hammer, everything around you is a nail.
Photo Archive
Building: It is an ex-Locost - it has gone to the IOW!
posted on 9/11/13 at 08:34 PM
The process is usually - put the CD/DVD in the drive, and start the PC. Normally the machine will boot from the CD/DVD drive first, and start the
installation process. From then on, just respond to the prompts on-screen.
If it insists on starting from the hard drive - ignoring the CD/DVD drive - you'll have to interrupt the boot up (usually by hitting F2. F8 or
F12 - look for clues as it starts up) then instruct the PC's BIOS (the start-up firmware) to look at the CD/DVD drive before the hard drive.
This isn't as hard as it sounds!
posted on 6/11/13 at 11:02 PM
viruses and has put them all in a chest. What is a chest and what do i do
with it? 
