27 Comments

1. George Jochnowitz:

Best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery to both you and your computer. Computer technology is in its infancy. As time goes on, science will discover, bit by bit, how better to care for humans and their machines. You know my favorite
Chinese proverb: “Bu pa man; jiu pa zhan” (Don’t fear slow progress; just fear no progress).

Oct 21, 2009 - 11:04 am 2. David W. Lincoln:

Can the scam artists be found, and then receive more than a limp slap on the wrist? For acting that they prevent malicious code, while spreading it, I honestly conclude that they need to be taught a lesson
they will not soon forget.

And, speedy recovery, Phyllis. Take your time, and apply the wisdom that worked in the past to recover from your malady.

Oct 21, 2009 - 11:10 am 3. Fern Sidman:

Dr Chesler:

Wishing you a complete and speedy recovery. So sorry to hear that you are suffering the nasty symptoms of a virus, both physically and in the world of cyberspace.

In the last few months, I experienced two devastating crashes on my computer as well. The first one just happened without warning. Very shocking. Tragically, I did lose everything but was able to get my computer up and running. For those not too familiar with the etymology of computer viruses, software, lethal links, etc as is the case with me, we are in a quandary as to why this is happening.

So glad that you had your hard drive backed up. Now, for the real miracle. May G-d restore you to the very best of health and grant you a Refuah Shleima

Oct 21, 2009 - 11:19 am 4. Lisa:

antibiotics won’t cure a virus.

Oct 21, 2009 - 11:24 am 5. toritto:

I’ve had very good luck using Norton Antivirus / Symantec – Got it several years ago – costs about $40 to update on-line annually.

Haven’t had a computer crash since installing it.

Oct 21, 2009 - 11:32 am 6. Ken Besig Israel:

This happened to me too, but my computer tech was able to quickly remove the offending virus and also managed to insert a special blocking program which thus far has kept this sort of attack from happening again. Unfortunately these companies are always trying to find some way to circumvent PC defence systems but now I am very careful as to what sites and programs I visit so I can at least avoid potential problems.

Oct 21, 2009 - 11:33 am 7. David Thomson:

Somebody needs to consider purchasing an Apple computer. We elite and wonderful people rarely endure such grief. PCs are probably targeted more by hackers and virus creators because that’s where the money is. Most financial transactions are completed over Microsoft networks.

Oct 21, 2009 - 11:37 am 8. A. Nonymous:

Phyllis–
There’s no reason for you–or anyone–to put up with viruses, malware, or any other such nonsense. Either switch to the free Linux operating system (like I did), or buy a Mac. End of problem!

Oct 21, 2009 - 11:37 am 9. Debbie:

Within the last year I’ve had to replace my hard drive AND my motherboard. Luckily I had off site, online back up with Carbonite.com. The best money I’ve ever invested, a bargain to be sure.

As to your human virus, take care. My hubby the doctor says you are probably doing all the right things, it will just take time…

Be well. Use this as a time to reflect, to enjoy your surroundings and recharge.

Oct 21, 2009 - 12:13 pm 10. Hans Mast:

I hope you realize (and were being ironic) that “Viral Marketing” has nothing to do with the content of your blog post.

Oct 21, 2009 - 12:16 pm 11. logdon:

7. David Thomson:

Seconded. I started with Macs in 1997 and stuck with them ever since.

Pain sometimes as most stuff is formatted for PC and cross talk can be problematic.

I live with that.

Oct 21, 2009 - 12:52 pm 12. wayne:

Lisa, dear you need to reread Phyllis’ whole post – she said she had a virus AND a bacterial infection. I’m sure the antibiotics are for the bacterial infection.

As far as the PC viruses, while it does slow things down, have your PC update its virus protection EVERY time you get on the internet and run a virus scan at least once per week. You might also have your PC guy install a free program called “SPYBOT- Search And Destroy” which catches a lot of garbage, too.

Also using extra drives (USB flash drives, external hard drives, DVD-RW, etc.) to back up your important files – things like photos’, documents, money programs, etc – to AND THEN DISCONNECT FROM THE SYSTEM when you are done with those files and are just surfing the internet or blogging. Multiple copies of important data is a plus – even if one copy gets somehow destroyed, you are still in business (I am studying AUTOCAD and having more than one USB drive for my homework has been a lifesaver!!).

Oct 21, 2009 - 1:01 pm 13. Grantman:

Macs are definitely the way to go. It’s true, they’re not 100% virus-proof but your chances are few and far between that you’ll acquire one.

I’ve been on Macs since ‘88 or so and never had a problem.

Logdon’s correct, there will be some times when crossing platforms is a pain but your overall experience will improve substantially.

Oct 21, 2009 - 1:16 pm 14. MiamaMan:

Phyllis, I hope you recover soon and well. As the French say, this takes 7 days OR a week to go away.

One of my 2 computers was maliciously attacked by 3 viruses (the worst one named Herus) 4 days ago. This virus is so mean, that not only entrenched itself in several drives, but invalidated/blocked 3 programs I keep to prevent their entrance: SpyBoot, SpywareBlaster, and AVG Anti-Virus. I cleaned the computer rebooting with a new disk, but the mean virus, hiding in the drives, reappeared every time I restarted. After a few clean ups, finally the virus was no more, but now several programs were damaged beyond repair, such as window media player. Finally, I had to backup all the data, and reformat the hard drive. Everything happened while trying to get information from a Brazilian website about a movie by director Glauber de Rocha called “Antonio Das Mortes, Cazador de Cangazeiros”, like a phantom or an apparition from Hell, looking bright like the Lord of the Nation when he appeared to Hitler at the Berghof, a red shield resembling the AVG logo, it prompted me to clean a possible infection, which I usually resist, but fell for this time, initiating a cascade of garbage from Hades. Yes, time, money, and effort wasted.

Many of these viruses come from Romania where a Draculian race convert their high unemployment rate into virus entertainment.

Oct 21, 2009 - 1:16 pm 15. Carol Gould:

Phyllis,
My computer has also been crashing and doing scary things.
You get well soon.
Carol

Oct 21, 2009 - 2:08 pm 16. toritto:

Get well soon. You’re needed.

(10-21) 11:32 PDT Peoria, Ariz. (AP) –

Police in a Phoenix suburb are looking for a father suspected of running down his daughter because she was becoming too “Westernized” and was not living according to their traditional Iraqi values.

Police say 48-year-old Faleh Hassan Almaleki of Glendale allegedly ran his daughter down Tuesday at an Arizona Department of Economic Security parking lot in Peoria.

The victim, 20-year-old Noor Faleh Almaleki of Surprise, remains hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

A second woman, 43-year-old Amal Edan Khalaf, also of Surprise, suffered non-life threatening injuries. Police say the women are roommates.

Oct 21, 2009 - 2:43 pm 17. bon:

This is happened to me on more than one occasion. Each time requiring a re installation of the OS and losing precious data meanwhile. I utilize Mozilla Firefox and AVG and occasionally use mal-ware removal tools found online. Internet explorer is severely liable to these types of attacks. While mozilla does not offer complete protection, it does offer additional protection.

Oct 21, 2009 - 4:08 pm 18. The Ferrit:

Dear Phyllis

Wishing you a quick recovery. Perhaps there is some solace in an early season flu in that your body will become a kung fu fighter against any others viruses that lurk near you over the Winter period.

Me not being computer savy but a friend that works on supercomputers advises people to have a mac computer. I myself developed the mantra of save, save, save, everything as attachments to my e-mail for that reason or in case of burglary or fire. It has saved me from my eyes rolling in the back of my head due to computer hassles after experiencing a faulty hard drive.

BEST WISHES

PS Spring Summerin New Zealand, thankfully.

Oct 21, 2009 - 4:29 pm 19. RWE:

Personally I think it is long past time that we should have started firing cruise missiles at the people who do phishing, Nigerian style scams, and the kind of crap that got your computer. A neighbor of mine knows someone who late last year lost $50K to a scam from Africa. I say the key is to drag them kicking and screaming into the real world, like vampires being hauled out into the sun. An AGM-109 will do that very nicely.

Recommendations:

First install the new HD and load the operating system and application software on it. Also install programs such as AVG anti-virus and Spybot Search and Destroy, both of which are free – and unlike Norton do not periodically decide not to work any more so that you have to buy a newer version. And update the programs, every day, if possible.

Then install the old HD as a slave drive. Use the anti-virus and anti-spyware prgrams to clean it up. Then take the data (Word, Excel, etc) files and e-mails and so forth off the old drive and put them on the new HD.

Then once you have all you want off of it, reformat the old HD. Or keep it as is, take it off the computer, and use it as evidence when you sue their sorry butts off!

And get well!

Oct 21, 2009 - 5:30 pm 20. marlene:

YES! A program called “Windows Pro Police” popped up (and kept popping up) and when I clicked on “NO”, I don’t want it, etc., apparently, the clicking allowed the virus through. I couldn’t use any programs for weeks. Then, suddenly, a whole page ad popped up, taking up my whole screen so that I couldn’t even hit “start” and had to pull the plug. When I tried to get on the computer again, it was still gray. I then reformatted with disc I had bought and everything seemed okay for awhile. Now I get Microsoft Internet Explorer popping up all over my page and sometimes I even covers my trying to log out or restart. Things are in such a mess and Microsoft is also responsible. Thanks for letting me vent.

Oct 21, 2009 - 5:40 pm 21. Marion L.:

Dear Dr. Chesler:

I hope you feel better soon. My computer almost suffered the same fate as yours.
Luckily Geek Squad (www.geeksquad.com) remoted to it, got rid of the malware, and helped me to install Norton AntiVirus; which thus far has been protecting my hard drive.

It was extremely annoying as the offending company kept sending me noisy fake emergency notices to take action against the malware it had installed.

I agree that more action needs to be taken against these sham malware companies.

Oct 21, 2009 - 7:18 pm 22. logos1j1:

Phyllis,
I hope we are not overwhelming you with unsolicited advice: we wish you well. I will then just speak from personal experience.

Buy a Mac. This has been said.

Stay away from Microsoft. Don’t trust them. They are cheap, incompetent and dishonest. The inconvenience of not using Microsoft is far outweighed by the convenience of not using Microsoft.

A more radical approach will absolutely protect you whether you use a Mac or PC: have a dedicated computer and a dedicated internet device. REMOVE ALL INTERNET CONNECTION DEVICES FROM THE COMPUTER. Dell is good in this respect in that you can build a completely custom computer from the ground up. I use a Mac, but if I used a PC it would be a Dell for this reason – though perhaps other competitors now do this: I wouldn’t know. Flash drives, etc. can be used easily to transfer data that needs to be transferred, while your personal data is as safe as it would be if it were in a filing cabinet in your basement. In my opinion the peace of mind gained by this far outweighs the added cost and minor inconvenience.

I nearly died of pneumonia a few years ago (and I’m only 37) when my doctor gave me the wrong medicine for it. I went to another doctor and got the “right” medicine, but three months later I was still unable to work and nearly bankrupt so I was desperate for another answer. The answer came from a friend and was so simple and EFFECTIVE it blew me away: raw orange juice – lots of it. I was well in two weeks. This after a total of nearly six months of being nearly unable to care for myself. I also used a mixed drink of hot water, raw lemon juice, grade B maple syrup and cayenne pepper, and a hot toddy of tea, brandy and cinnamon (and sometimes cayenne there too). I’m not going to swear off doctors like a conspiracy nut or something, but I don’t trust them or modern medicine like I used to – blindly. And while doctors complain about abusive lawsuits there are many like me who could sue, probably should sue, and don’t. I lost a good job over that and a half a year of work/income. I almost lost everything.

Shalom and get well soon. And what ever your strategy – if it isn’t working, try something else!

Oct 21, 2009 - 7:34 pm 23. mavra:

Oh, sorry. I got cut off. Anyway, the site is Malwarebyte’s Anti-Malware. You can ask it to scan your computer and get rid of the malware. I did. However, I still have weird things going on with my computer. Which is not new. So what do I know?

Oct 21, 2009 - 8:46 pm 24. MiamiMan:

Having given my input about the virulent computer viruses, please allow me some space about the one that infects humans and other creatures, of which biologists can’t agree on whether they are “alive”.

I digress a little from Monsieur Pasteur, and consider – at the personal level – vaccination to be in the real of Voodoo medicine.

Having studied Ayurveda (ancient medicine system from India) for several years, with Dr. David Frawley (Vamadeva Shastri) in the US, Atreya Smith from France, and in India, my approach to illness is a bit unorthodox.

The problem is not the virus itself, or the bacteria, but the nervous envelope that surrounds and protects the individual that allows, once out of balance and temporarily damaged, for the intrusion. Otherwise the person is “immune”. A microbe is a materialization of a vibration or a will, often not a good will. Strong emotions, stress, fatigue, dissatisfaction, depression, shocks, bad diet, toxins and toxic environments, or combinations thereof, scratch the vital equilibrium, so the illness enters through the subtle body. The best remedy, once the viral illness has taken hold is peace and equanimity and confidence, faith in health, undisturbed repose and quiet contemplation.

As for diet,which is a very important part, I offer a 40-page eBook on eBay that tries to summarize the nutritional benefits from Ayurveda that apply to all constitutions (Main 3: Kapha or water, Pitta or fire, Vata or air and combinations of them.). The system is called “Perfect Sense Nutrition”.

Oct 21, 2009 - 9:48 pm 25. Indoeuropean:

Dear Phyllis, be well very soon! I’m personally going to think about you. Wishing you all the best. About the virtual virus … well … you must be one of the best in the fight against “pirates”, therefore they targeted you. I just warmly hope their criminality won’t succeed. Ever. A virtual healing hug to you. Best regards.

Oct 21, 2009 - 11:33 pm 26. MiamiMan:

22. logos1j1:

“I’m not going to swear off doctors like a conspiracy nut or something, but I don’t trust them or modern medicine like I used to – blindly.”

Not a surprise here. Let’s see, the trend continues, medical doctors in the US live an average of 10 years less than the rest of the population. Why? Could the answer be that they auto-medicate themselves numb, and work constantly under stress? There was a time when the Healer was also the example to follow, for…how can you follow the guidance of the unhealthy? Isn’t it like the blind following the one-eyed? Is the shrink crazier than the client?

The healthcare system in the US is in a sorry state of affairs. It is like a black hole sucking money. Forget Mr. Obama’s so-called reform. Until we don’t shake off the vampire of the Pharmaceutical and Drug companies (Dracula companies), stop looking at the human body like a mechanical, Newtonian system where the liver does this, and the kidneys do that, return the family doctor into the picture and decrease the hold of the so-called specialists, not even Superman and Batman will get us out of this loop.

Luminaries like Dr. Fritjof Capra have been sounding this warning for 30 years now, to no avail. The Ayurvedic community faces bigotry, restrictions, licenses, BS.

Oct 22, 2009 - 5:07 am 27. Mark Goldberg:

I know it’s droll, but you could just go to a Mac computer. Apples OS X is way way more secure from that kind of maliciousness, although it’s not foolproof but the difference is profound when you consider your current issue. Also, their own backup system with an external hard drive backup will prevent the utter destruction you’ve suffered.

JMO

Mark

Oct 26, 2009 - 8:25 am

Write a Comment

Name:	(required, displayed)
Email:	(required, not publicized)
URL:	(optional, displayed)
Comments: