10 tips to prevent malware

I love comments on articles on the web. They are often educational and/or amusing. The following ten tips are in a comment on an excellent article on Tech Target by Michael Kassner, called The 10 faces of Computer Malware.

The reader posted a list that leans toward the paranoid, but that errs on the side of caution.

Here's a link to that comment: 10 tips to prevent malware

Find Your XP Product Key on the CD

I was working on my son's computer trying to remove Win32.virut.ce, a nasty polymorphic virus. I finally moved the data to the second hard drive and began re-installing Windows, only to discover I didn't have the Product Id Key. Both the PC tower and the Windows CD envelope did not have a sticker with the product key. Out of curiosity, I Googled the topic and eventually found what I was looking for. The first post that comes up is misleading and incomplete. Digging through comments, there was a lot of confusion, disagreement, argument, and even name-calling!


I found similar results on other sites, but one anonymous poster came through brilliantly and explained it all. I thought his post worthy of a reprint, so here it is, below. Thanks Anonymous, I owe you one. To see it in its original context, please visit: http://ehacks.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/how-to-find-your-windows-xp-product-key-on-the-windows-xp-cd/. The comment is dated September 19, 2008. Sadly there is lots of bickering and confusion in the comments, even afterwards. That is what prompted my post from earlier today with the stolen photo..!



Two things: 1. Turns out this is just a myth. You cannot get the real key from the cd, as it is encrypted. You may be able to find a key that will be accepted, but you will still need to validate, and it won't work for that.
2. You don't need to enter a key during setup. You can leave it blank, as is explained clearly in the on-screen intructions (that I didn't bother to read.) Do I ever feel like an idiot!

I steal photos. In this case I stole it from an excellent anti-malware blog, http://miekiemoes.blogspot.com. Go there and read if you want to learn a lot of useful stuff about malware. Or just look at the picture. It's not a nice comment, and something I would never say to someone, even in jest, but for those who work as tech support, it is funny, because it is amazing how people often seem to leave their brains behind when they are on the Internet. Not me though. No, never. umm....

Chain e-mails. We don't want them, but what to do?

Chain Letter Response: I recently received your chain letter. Over 1,000 people have sent me chain letters, and every one of them has died within six months, probably from the "Chain Letter Sender's Curse." You will probably die soon if you experience any of the following symptoms: 1) Tiredness at bedtime, 2) Hunger just before lunch, 3) Inability to remember your license plate number, or 4) Stupidity

AFP: Change.gov coming to the White House

AFP: Change.gov coming to the White House: "coming" Wow....!

TheStar.com | USElection | An Obama survival guide for that first Canadian trip Didn't realize this was by Pevere when I read it in the paper and enjoyed it...

Nancy Bird-Walton (1915-), Australian Pioneer Aviatrix

Nancy Bird - aviation pioneer ... a beautiful story.

Another favourite of mine: Hary Blank, Denture Therapist.

Ok,

Doctor Pus - Orthodontia - Kitchener, ON!

Dr. Kevin De Cock of the World Health Organization - circumcision advocate

Dr. Stubbs and Dr. Long - Cosmetic phalloplasty (penis-lengthening technique)

Had some other good ones, but forgot them! I need to carry a book with me at all times!

Another Synchroneme:
Ray Champagne - works in a nightclub

Macromedia - Developer Center: Choosing Between XML, Web Services, and Remoting for Rich Internet Applications

Gonzo Marketing - The Cluetrain Manifesto