Trouble In Computer Paradise!

Mike,

One of the downsides of my incessant (by necessity) hammering away at the subject of Windows Updates, AntiVirus, and AntiSpyware updates/protection is that it (mis)leads people into thinking that these three areas are the ONLY cause of computer problems, and/or that paying attention to these three things will eliminate ALL problems.

Alas, none of this is true.

The truth is, a computer can be hijacked and spyware infected and messed up even when full attention is paid to these three areas. Spyware programs simply don't get everything off, and when a computer reaches a certain critical mass, nothing whatsoever can be done except a clean reinstall. That's bad news #1.

Bad News #2 is that the kind of problem you are describing is often the result of small rogue programs or "applets," anything from laser printer configuration "applets" to Apple Quicktime startup programs hanging up and interfering with the proper operation of Windows/IE. There is nothing the average user can do to sort out these rogue programs/applets because it takes an expert to go through the start up/running programs ONE BY ONE and kill or nuke the programs that may be intefering. It is tedious trial and error, and again, it takes a pro.

Since I use up all my energy (and then some) giving the "WIndows Updates, Spyware, and Antivirus" lecture over and over again (to little effect, most of the time), I have no time (and my clients have no patience) for the lectures that would (in an ideal world) follow: The idea that, after you get your system done over by the guru and you are in that two week honeymoon period where it actually runs well before it gets messed up again, you should IMAGE the entire windows install with all programs and data etc. Then, when it gets sick, and when your own best efforts (including system restore) fail to make it run properly, you can "REIMAGE" the drive and get perfection back. But I wouldn't dare mention what such a hardware and software solution would cost (even though I know to the penny, having acquired just such a system last week, to replace my previous one, which replaced the one before that, and etc.).

But as I said, this takes time, energy, attention, and effort. I think I'd get along better in life if, when asked by people "what should I do?" I would simply answer, "I Don't Know." This is the best answer I can give to those bravehearts who would attempt to rectify their own computer problems. If they could walk that way, they wouldn't need the talcum powder.

Steven Salemi
The Computer Guru
Santa Fe, NM 87501 USA

E-MAIL: ssalemi@earthlink.net
TEL: (505) 992-8462
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