Need HELP from the computer guys!

[Glenn (Gravitywell) Reach]

I am having trouble with my wifes computer.  A couple of days ago, everything slowed down to a crawl.  I have since:

1.   scanned the entire computer with Kasperski Antivirus....nothing.

2.  purchased and ran a registry fixer.  It looks for conflicts and such and repairs them.  It found a lot of problems, fixed them and the problem remained.

3.  I unloaded all programs that I have been messing with to see oif one of them was at fault....no difference.

Can anyone give me some direction.  I am lost here and if this computer goes down.....I can't afford to fix it!  Any help will be greatly appreciated!

[kenneth cook]

Hi Gravitywell first things first how old is your wife's computer and what OS are you running. As for regular tune up i suggest taking the case of the computer apart you should notice lots of dust if the computer is old causing heat issue. Now to clean this out don't use a vacuum or the static from the air could damage the computer instead use compressed air. the most major parts that you want to clean are the cpu heatsink and the case fans the cpu should have lots of fins make sure these are clear and as for the fans just lightly hit those with air. I really can't help much more because i dont know what your pc specs are. Hope this helps Shawn

[RandySmith]

I am having trouble with my wifes computer.  A couple of days ago, everything slowed down to a crawl.  I have since:

1.   scanned the entire computer with Kasperski Antivirus....nothing.

2.  purchased and ran a registry fixer.  It looks for conflicts and such and repairs them.  It found a lot of problems, fixed them and the problem remained.

3.  I unloaded all programs that I have been messing with to see oif one of them was at fault....no difference.

Can anyone give me some direction.  I am lost here and if this computer goes down.....I can't afford to fix it!  Any help will be greatly appreciated!

What type computer , what operating system, what spyware-malware , virus protection is active and running?
have you ran a disk check and a defrag? It may have a worm ,but it is impossible to tell from the info you gave

Randy

[Paul Taylor]

I see you scanned for virus and that is a start. But the other thing to check for it bots and spyware. Spyware will collect information and send it off to other sites. Bots are programs that use your PC's CPU to run other programs, other wise known as zombies. Google it and you will get more details.

A few years ago I noticed that my home office PC was running slow. As I dug into I found spyware what had all but consumed my hard disk. Kids were loading all kinds of junk on my PC. So I got them some old used computers and they were not allowed on my PC any longer.

Also one other thing you can do that might help is the defrag the hard disk.

Hope this helps.

[Eric Viglione]

The biggest complaint I hear lately from people with older PC's is that they run slow all of a sudden...

Unless you have an actual malware or virus infection, or hardware issue (overheating will make them run slow, check your fans) ...it's usually because they finally let Windows Update run, and got stuck with Service Pack 3. I'll tell you right now, if you have 512mb or less of memory, and an older single core pentium, Service pack 3 will bring your system performance way down.

Heaven forbid you are an AOL user too... The bloated AOL suite of junk in addition to the above scenario will make your PC into a very effective paperweight.

That said, without a better description of your hardware and your problem, it's hard to hazard a guess as to whats going on in your particular situation.

EricV

[John Tate]

My neighbor had the same problem last week. We removed his hard drive and installed it in my computer and ran McAfee on it and there were no reported problems listed on it. Then I went to the Microsoft web site and downloaded the latest Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool. We then ran the program. That fixed his slow running problem. The removal tool is free and worth a try.

John Tate

[Steve Helmick]

My computer guru makes me run CCleaner.com at shutdown, every time. It's set to empty the recycle bin, delete history, delete temporary files, etc. All that junk slows your machine down. You need to check the boxes for what you want to leave alone, and what you want to 86. If you want my list of checked boxes, I'll get back to you on that (bedtime approaches). It's free, but when your computer is dead dog slow isn't a good time to do a download, either.  You don't want to turn off cookies, or delete cookies, because you'll have to log into Stunt Hanger every visit.

On a weekly basis, he wants me to run SuperAntiSpyware (free edition). It takes awhile. I leave it running, shut off the monitor, and go to bed. Same for the AVG scan...once a week...let it run while I snooze.

Spyware is the most likely problem, but if you stay away from those sites, you won't have a problem. If you get emails with url's and you click on it, your computer can catch a dose. Don't click on any links in spam emails. You just about can't catch a virus from any file sent to you in an email, but can catch a virus from a link, if you click on it. Frankly, having more than one person operating a computer is probably not a good idea. Better to get your own running. Some Senior Centers have computer help available...might see what you can scout up. That, or the Public Library.

I might be able to get my buddy to give advise, but I think the advise you've gotten is all good. MAKE SURE all your fans are running!!! They're cheap and easy to replace.  Steve

[Glenn (Gravitywell) Reach]

Holy mackerel fellas.....thanks for all the tips.  I have downloaded and am running. that anti-malware/spyware program from Microsoft.  It looks like its going to take a few hours yet to run its course.  I'll let everyone know in the morning, how its going.  Thank you everyone for the help and hints.

[Larry Cunningham]

Although I've pretty well got good control of my XP Pro system with Norton 360, Spybot, and Malware running regularly, I've noticed that Windows Internet Explorer seems to be getting updates from Microsoft on a fairly regular basis. And since Microsoft uses this program for all HTML, including all the internal uses, like the desktop, you have to ask why it constantly needs these updates, even using the latest version. What I've noticed is that IE regularly seems to crash when it comes to desktop applications, stating it has a problem sometimes, but not always, and "reloading" itself, which frequently mungs the desktop, moving icons around. Some programs, say Microsoft's directory search function, get shut down.

I'm running two video screens and using a program called UltraMon to manage them (seeing as how Microsoft's standard setup can't seem to deal with multiple monitors that well). Ultramon may have some problems but it has an icon save and restore function that works pretty well.

But, one would think, after all these years that Microsoft would have the core HTML manager function working pretty well, right? Not so, it seems. I've managed workarounds for all these problems and have it working adequately, but it is sad.

Of course, I realized a long time ago that Microsoft has a different perspective on what an average user is and what I am. I'm the sort of "rebel" who wouldn't even install Clippy, because I don't need an "assistant" that is an animated paper clip..

Ah, well, don't get me started.

L.

"Don't make me angry.. you wouldn't like me angry.." -Dr. David Brenner, the Incredible Hulk

[Dennis Moritz]

Sorry. I've run a Mac for the past 15 years. I know nothing about issues like this.

[BillLee]

The following came in yesterday's e-mail:

==================================================
Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:30:31 -0500
Message-Id: <TA10-055A.8954@us-cert.gov>
From: US-CERT Technical Alerts <technical-alerts@us-cert.gov>
To: technical-alerts@us-cert.gov

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1


                    National Cyber Alert System

              Technical Cyber Security Alert TA10-055A


Malicious Activity Associated with "Aurora" Internet Explorer Exploit

   Original release date:
   Last revised: --
   Source: US-CERT


Systems Affected

     * Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 on Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4
     * Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8 on supported editions of Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2


Overview

   Malicious activity detected in mid-December targeted at least 20
   organizations representing multiple industries including chemical,
   finance, information technology, and media.  Investigation into
   this activity revealed that third parties routinely accessed the
   personal email accounts of dozens of users based in the United
   States, China, and Europe. Further analysis revealed these users
   were victims of previous phishing scams through which threat actors
   successfully gained access to their email accounts.


I. Description

   Through analysis of the malware used in this incident, McAfee
   discovered one of the malware samples exploited a vulnerability in
   Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE). The vulnerability exists as an
   invalid pointer reference within IE and, if successfully exploited,
   allows for remote code execution.
   
   Microsoft has released Security Bulletin MS10-002, which provides
   updates for Internet Explorer that address this and other
   vulnerabilities.
   
   US-CERT is providing technical indicators that can be incorporated
   into an organizations security posture to detect and mitigate any
   malicious activity.
   
   Please see <https://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA10-055A.html>
   for further detail.
   
   The following signatures can be deployed to assist in detecting
   malicious activity associated with this incident:
   
   Primary Malware Beacon
   
   alert tcp any any -> any any (msg:"Targeted Malware Communication
   Beacon Detected"; flow:to_server,established; dsize:20;
   content:"|ff ff ff ff ff ff 00 00 fe ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff 88
   ff|"; depth:20; sid:7777777; rev:1;)
   
   Secondary Malware Beacon
   
   alert tcp any any <> any any (msg:"ORC:DIS:BEACON_380DFF";
   content:"|38 0d ff 0a d7 ee 9d d7 ec 59 13 56|"; sid:99980060;
   rev:1;)
   
   Note: US-CERT has not verified or tested these signatures and
   recommends proper testing prior to deployment.


II. Impact

   By convincing a user to view a specially crafted HTML document or
   Microsoft Office document, an attacker may be able to execute
   arbitrary code with the privileges of the user.


III. Solution

   The Internet Explorer vulnerability used in these attacks is
   addressed with the updates provided in Microsoft Security Bulletin
   MS10-002.
   
   Other recommendations include:
   
   * As a best practice, limit end-user permissions on systems by
   granting minimal administrative rights.
   * Enable Data Execution Prevention (DEP) for IE 6 Service Pack 2 or
   IE 7. IE 8 automatically enables DEP.
   * Inspect network traffic history for communication with external
   systems associated with the attack.
   * Examine computers for specific files or file attributes related
   to the attack.


IV. References

 * How Can I Tell if I Was Infected By Aurora? -
   <http://www.mcafee.com/us/local_content/reports/how_can_u_tell.pdf>

 * How do I know if my organization has been infected? -
   <http://www.mcafee.com/us/threat_center/aurora_enterprise.html>

 * McAfee Labs Tools Aurora Stinger 10.0.1.765 -
   <http://download.nai.com/products/mcafee-avert/aurora_stinger.exe>

 * Operation Aurora Hit Google, Others -
   <http://siblog.mcafee.com/cto/operation-%25E2%2580%259Caurora%25E2%2580%259D-hit-google-others/>

 * Vulnerability in Internet Explorer Could Allow Remote Code
   Execution -
   <http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/979352.mspx>

 * Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-002 -
   <http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms10-002.mspx>

 ____________________________________________________________________

   The most recent version of this document can be found at:

     <http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA10-055A.html>
 ____________________________________________________________________

   Feedback can be directed to US-CERT Technical Staff. Please send
   email to <cert@cert.org> with "TA10-055A Feedback VU#492515" in
   the subject.
 ____________________________________________________________________

   For instructions on subscribing to or unsubscribing from this
   mailing list, visit <http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/signup.html>.
 ____________________________________________________________________

   Produced 2010 by US-CERT, a government organization.

   Terms of use:

     <http://www.us-cert.gov/legal.html>
 ____________________________________________________________________

Revision History
 
  February 24, 2010: Initial release


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[kenneth cook]

Another good thing to do would be to get a linux boot c/d plug that in format your hd use firefox problem solved. These types of problem are why i can't stand Microsoft.

[Wayne Collier]

We use Microsoft XP professional at work.  No problem with multiple moniters that I know of.  I'm running XP home edition with service pack 3 at home.  Have never gotten good results with firefox -- many issues went away when I finally deleted it.  My daughter has Vista and uses firefox with no problems.

That said, I have had a recent slow down on my computer also.  I do not think it is because of Service Pack three because that was running for several months before the slowdown occurred. 

[John Cralley]

McAfee SiteAdvisor (a free add on for your browser) will flag known sites that have malware and/or viruses when you Google etc. If you avoid these sites it will go a long way towards avoiding malware and virus problems.

http://www.siteadvisor.com/

John

[Randy Powell]

Yea, on my wife's computer (Windows 7), I run AVG virus detection and AdAware Pro with the malware monitor. On my system, I don't need this stuff.

But I did get my first sorta Linux virus the other day. Someone figured out how to detect that you have Wine installed (linux program that runs Windows programs) and actually managed to get itself run by Wine. Of course, it couldn't do anything really and the Wine guys had a fix almost before I could detect the problem, but it's interesting that anyone, even a cracker, has taken the time to figure out how this could be done. I suppose it could have messed up the Wine installation in some way, but it seems unlikely since it would still have no way to get to system files, but it was interesting.

[Bob Kruger]

One package that has saved my bacon more than once comes from http://www.malwarebytes.org .  Download the free program and make sure that you run the update.

The package is so effective that some computers that I have worked on have trojans that actually redirect or block access to the Malwarebytes update site.  If that is the case, point your browser to http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam/database/mbam-rules.exe and download.  If you can't get to it from your computer, use another and put the file on a pen drive or some other storage device to get it to the infected computer.

I've used it to clean up two computers this week - both of which were running Symantec AV and given a clean bill of health.  Malwarebytes found the little nasties and got rid of them.

V/r

Bob Kruger

[Steve Fitton]

Sorry. I've run a Mac for the past 15 years. I know nothing about issues like this.

Can you run real software on a mac like Word or Excel or photoshop or Duke Nukem?

[Steve Fitton]

One package that has saved my bacon more than once comes from http://www.malwarebytes.org .  Download the free program and make sure that you run the update.


Bob Kruger

Malwarebytes does rock, it had found lots of nasties on my PC that McAffee blithley said was just fine.  Many thanks to Eric V for turning me on to Malware.  It does get a bit zealous about blocking IP addresses it thinks are bad though....

[W.D. Roland]

Things were sure simpler in the 70s!

Lots of good info from all.

XP is the only OS I know anything about.

Recently have found Hijackthis to be of help, still have lots to learn.
you can print out a copy of processes(?) on your computer and then at later times can run the hijackthis log and compare to print out to see if someone has added anything on you. You can then remove it with the same program.
Be care full and don't remove something you need.

The is a Microsoft process that causes problems in slow down that is not needed if you only run 2 speakers.
The process as I understand is part of the sound card/sound blaster.
The process is devldr32.exe
If this shows up in task manager and your machine is running slow end it and see if machine speeds back up.

 devldr32.exe can be manually removed permanently and all is good as long as you don't have 4+ speakers( I have 3).
This is the instructions I used.
http://leadingedgescripts.co.uk/viruses/how-to-remove-devldr32exe-from-windows-xp-how-i-did-it/

Most of the malicious programs I have dumped on me come from R/C groups.com.
Lot of liberals over there.

Its time to start jailing all the hackers and malicious program writers before the net becomes a useless place of confused turmoil.

[Glenn (Gravitywell) Reach]

Ok....so far I have:
1.  Run a full MS Diagnostic.  No conflicts found.  Although MS has NEVER found a conflict or located any problem that I have had over the years! LOL
2.  Run Disc Clean.  I do thids on a fairly regular basis, so it was quick, but made no difference.
3.  Ran Defrag.  This took a little time and made no difference.
4.  I unloaded all un-needed programs to see if there was a conflict....no difference.
5.  Purchased a program that hunts any damaged or corrupted files and wipes them.  There was 355 that needed to be fixed or eliminated!  It also cleans the Registry....no difference.
6.  Loaded a MS program that hunts and destroys all Malware, Spybots, cookies, etc., and cleans them out, there were 59 not including cookies!.....no difference.
7.  Ran a complete scan of the computer useing Kasperski Antivirus.  It showed the comp as being clean.
Nothing has helped so far, so if you have any further suggestions I am more than wiling to give it a try, even to the point of pulling the computer apart.  Thanks for the help so far fellows.  Can't tell you how much the help means to me.

.8  I have now downloaded Malwarebytes and am running it.  Will let you know how it goes.

And I forgot, someone asked for this info.
It's a desktop computer with:
OS name :  MS Windows Vista Home Premium
Version:  6.0.6001 Service Pack 1 Build 6001
System Manufacture:  Acer
Model:  Aspire M1640
Type:  X86 based PC
Processor:  Intel Pentium Dual CPU E2160 @ 1.80Ghz, 1803 Mhz, 2 Cores, 2 Logical Processors
RAM:  2.0GB
Memory:  3.74 GB

I hope this helps.

[W.D. Roland]

Might be time for reformat.

[Wayne Collier]

I just ran Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool.  It did not find anything.

[Glenn (Gravitywell) Reach]

I ran the Malwarebytes program but it didn't find anything new.  What does reformatting involve? 

[Bob Reeves]

Not sure if it's still a problem on Vista but check your printers and see if Microsoft installed .the FAX printer. If it's there delete it. If a document accidental gets sent to the FAX printer and it isn't set up to actually send a FAX it will use most of your clock cycles trying to do something it can't. I've seen this bring a computer to it's knees.

[Bob Kruger]

I ran the Malwarebytes program but it didn't find anything new.  What does reformatting involve? 

This is ugly.  Reformatting means getting your Windows XP CD ROM and starting over again.

One other thing I have done in the past to repair broken registries.  Using you original XP CD ROM, boot from it, but do a repair rather than a full blown reformat.  That sometimes fixes broken registries without having to go through the pain of reloading XP and all your programs from scratch.

If you need/want the specifics of how to do this, email me or send me a message through the service on the board and I will talk you through it.

V/r

Bob Kruger

Bob

[W.D. Roland]

I ran the Malwarebytes program but it didn't find anything new.  What does reformatting involve?  

Bob posted while I was typing.
Doing what he suggest works if its not to bad.
I do not think you go into the BIOS to do this--just insert disk?

No expert here but will tell you what I can.(Son in law is computer science major--he laughs at me a lot and helps me often) ALL I KNOW IS MY MACHINE.(original XP--updated and modified)

WARNING!!!!
I don't know what I am doing but do it anyway!
My 9 year old machine just keeps getting better!

Political sites can be as bad or worse than porn sites at installing malicious stuff.
And I think now our government is doing it also.
The BBC for sure is. Google it.(finally got the BBC spy ware out of my machine)

Reformat= reload OS
My understanding is every time you boot up things get out of whack just a little. Maybe ,maybe not.
Power failures will corrupt OS
Us that don't really know what we are doing cause corruption for the OS when we do things.
Malicious stuff installed that will stop virus scanners from finding things or up dating when it looks like they are working( when in reality they are not)
Kind of like our current government, it is corrupt and needs the original operating system reinstalled to fix-after all of the old is removed.
Maybe ,maybe not on all above.

First to reformat you need to have the operating system installation disk.
Save all pics and docs to disk---if it will let you. If not and you have to have it you will need professional help.

Then you can use a program to overwrite your machine to a blank machine and reinstall OS.

OR and probably best ----
Go into the BIOS and go to boot section and put the CD for first boot option.
Before exiting BIOS and saving setting put the install disk into CD
To get to the BIOS on my machine taping F2 while booting. use the arrow keys to navigate. right hand colum has information.
You may need to see your manual or Google it for your machine.

When it starts to ask questions in setup make sure that you remove any partitions as stuff can still hide there.
I have learned to not use a partition.
This last reformat I found some one(on line -malicious) had set up a partition to hid behind.

When you are up and running install a fire wall if you have one on disk and go straight to Microsoft updates.
If you don't have a firewall program your provider( or in windows?) should have one--make sure it is on.
Down load SP2 first and then SP3 if you want, i don't use sp3. SP2 is a huge security update.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=049C9DBE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3CDB5A&displaylang=en
This is the only SP2 I could find---its big--it works wonders.


Download Microsoft security essentials  , for some reason I had to go back to get the virus protection?
http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/


This is some more good stuff.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=0D5F9B6E-9265-44B9-A376-2067B73D6A03&displaylang=en

Microsoft in my opinion was not that great at protection in the past----my opinion has change recently.

This guy is pretty sharp
Black Viper
http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/supertweaks.htm
Home page
http://www.blackviper.com/

This is his new site and I have not checked it out.
In the past I have used his instructions on setting up the registry by turning of things I don't use.
Frees up memory and gives less places for things to hide.
I did not do a search for this as I have it printed on hard copy. It helps especially on older machines that are speed challenged.


Using Mozilla/ Fire fox helps some. I like it.

for older machines
If you have room for more ram that helps.
Add an extra hard drive helps or replace with bigger one.

CLEAN THE MACHINE!!!
open it up and blow/ brush it out.
Make sure you have no static electricity in your body, touching the metal case first with one hand an leaving it there helps with this.



WARNING!!!!
I don't know what I am doing but do it anyway!
My 9 year old machine just keeps getting better!

[W.D. Roland]

Wow

Have no idea how I quoted myself....deleted


WARNING!!!!
I don't know what I am doing but do it anyway!

[Steve Helmick]

Again, make certain that your cooling fans are all clean and running. Replace if noisy or suspect...maybe $10 each in CDN$, except at the West Edmonton Mall...  Steve

[Brett Buck]

Can you run real software on a mac like Word or Excel or photoshop or Duke Nukem?

 . People buy Macs just to run Photoshop and it is a very superior graphics system. Word and Excel, if you feel compelled, but OpenOffice is superior and *free* (see dock screenshot). Word on the PC is a horrifying buggy mess - I use it all day long every day and it was better in 1998 than it is now.

    I am sure the Mac version of Duke Nukem Forever works as well on the PC!

     
   Brett
     

[Wayne Collier]

  Word on the PC is a horrifying buggy mess - I use it all day long every day and it was better in 1998 than it is now.

    I am sure the Mac version of Duke Nukem Forever works as well on the PC!

     
   Brett
     

After several years getting used to Microsoft Office 2003 at work, we were recently "upgraded" to Microsoft Office 2007.  Numerous compatibility issues and now having to "get used" to the system all over again.  About a week ago a light came on for me.  I was at a local software retailer and saw that they had Microsoft Works with spreadsheat (really dumbed down excel) and Microsoft "word processor" bundled with a few other items.  They also had Microsoft student with a "home edition" of Word 2007 and Excel 2007 bundled with some other stuff. Besides these there was Microsoft Office 2007 with its version of Word.  Suddenly I'm wondering just how many versions of microsoft word processors are out there -- several of them being sold concurrently over several years.  Some starting off as one thing and then going through numerous updates and upgrades.  I know from experience that all of these are not seamlessly compatible. 

If I create a document or a photo on a Mac and put it on a flash drive, can my buddies with a pc open and view or use it?

I really don't know anything about Duke Nukem.

[catdaddy]

Sorry. I've run a Mac for the past 15 years. I know nothing about issues like this.

And you should thank everyone that doesn't run a MAC for your lack of problems. If the day ever comes when even half the computer world runs a MAC then your days of not experiencing this sort of thing will be over

[billbyles]

<snip>

Word on the PC is a horrifying buggy mess - I use it all day long every day and it was better in 1998 than it is now.

<snip>

Hi Brett, I started using MS Office 97 Professional in 1998 and upgraded to Office 2003 Professional when it came out.  I use mine extensively every day making my living and I just don't experience the "horrifying" problems you describe above...not sure what the difference is except that mine is on my Dell laptop and not running from a server...

Bill

[Dennis Moritz]

Office goes cross platform, no problem. Which means, Excel, Word, Powerpoint, cross from MAC to PC and visa versa. Incompatibility issues occur within Microsoft versions of the software. Old office may not be able to open New Office. Microsoft is careful to make sure that Office works cross platform. For one thing most graphics and publishing is done on MACs since they're better at it. Using a native graphic interface that is more sophisticated then the PC imitation.

MACs are a far more stable computer/operating system than PCs. I know nothing about Virus protection software or incompatible software issues that would shut my MAC down. Interesting isn't it. I've been on a MAC since 1987 or so and I have no back log of arcane debugging info. Never needed it. The PC world on the other hand is flooded with formulas to get their box to light up and print. In the late 90s I was in business partnership that required me to use PCs. We had three. Luckily the IT engineer from Princeton was a friend who could counsel us through the periodic traumas of PC usage. His complex workarounds took up a lot of time, but usually patched things up. Honestly, I never had similar issues with MACs. Princeton at that time used MACs and PCs equally. PC issues outnumber MAC issues 10 to 1. Perhaps things are better now in the PC world.  But I still often hear of PC  problems like the ones described above.

I am often amazed that PC users continue along with their difficulties. After all you can buy a mini MAC for $550.

[Brett Buck]

Hi Brett, I started using MS Office 97 Professional in 1998 and upgraded to Office 2003 Professional when it came out.  I use mine extensively every day making my living and I just don't experience the "horrifying" problems you describe above...not sure what the difference is except that mine is on my Dell laptop and not running from a server...

Bill

    Try using Equation Editor for a while and tell me how that works!  The big issue is document corruption in Word.

     Brett

[George]

Only time I used a Mac very much was when I worked at a place that had both Mac's and PC's back in the 3.5" floppy days. I would occasionally lose my work when I would hit the power button on the Mac to eject the floppy...Bummer!

George

[Randy Powell]

I think I'll stick with my linux box. Man, I jsut never have these sort of problems. I'm already spending more time "fixing" my wife's brand new Gateway laptop with Windows 7 than I want.

[john e. holliday]

Get someone to tell her to watch what sites she is getting on.  I usually have to reboot ours after the wife has been on it for a while.  But, I still get blamed for any tie ups and troubles.  Easier to take the blame than argue.

[Bob Kruger]

I think I'll stick with my linux box. Man, I jsut never have these sort of problems. I'm already spending more time "fixing" my wife's brand new Gateway laptop with Windows 7 than I want.

Randy;

You got that right.  My CAD PC runs on Windows XP - I just haven't found a way to get AutoCAD to run right on a Linux box, regardless of distro.

But, my internet and every other thing box is running Ubuntu.  Mozilla and Open Office fill 95% of my needs.

Linux has come a long way from downloading the source code and compiling for apps you wanted to run...(although that was fun as well).

V/r

Bob

[kenneth cook]

I think I'll stick with my linux box. Man, I jsut never have these sort of problems. I'm already spending more time "fixing" my wife's brand new Gateway laptop with Windows 7 than I want.

what he said.

[Larrys4227]

I think I'll stick with my linux box. Man, I jsut never have these sort of problems.

I'm certainly on this bandwagon as well. Office programs, video, audio, internet, LAN connectivity and more runs absolutely outstanding.  I was away with Mr Gates for awhile, but I'm back to Linux and not going anywhere. 3 of us in this house running Linux boxes and its been weeks since I've had to do any so called 'maintenance' to keep things running.

And the best part ...... every single bit of it ..... FREE!!!!

[Paul Taylor]

OK,
You might have covered this already... but is your computer slow OR is your internet connection slow?

[Richard Grogan]

OK,
You might have covered this already... but is your computer slow OR is your internet connection slow?

Paul, It was revealed on another site that it is his internet/browser, not his computer.

[Glenn (Gravitywell) Reach]

Yes it is the internet that is slow.  It is excrutiating to watch it start up as well.  I never even thought about what was actually slow till one of the fellows asked me.  I will be calling my Provider Monday morning and hopefully this will all go away!  Thanks much to all the help from everyone....I really appreciate it.