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Limewire/Incredimail - Yay or Nay?
BillieTheBot
Posts: 8,721 Bot
in General Chat
I work as a technician in a workshop, fixing customers' PC's on a daily basis. Everytime I have to fix a computer infested with spyware, I -always- find Limewire installed on it. Is there a payload on it, like what the old Kazaa used to do before it became KazaaLite? I know that Imesh is another bad one as it often causes Explorer problems. The P2P's I know to be safe are Soulseek and Winmx.
There is also a strong link between infected PC's and Incredimail. This is a program that piggybacks onto your existing email client and allows smileys in your emails. There is nothing to prove that it is spyware, although every PC I've seen it installed on has had either a virus or spyware infection.
I always warn to customers over the phone to avoid freeware that involve smileys, and Webshots-like programs that changes your wallpaper. Oh, and anything to do with cursors too!! (unless you're actively searching for .CUR and .ANI files).
There is also a strong link between infected PC's and Incredimail. This is a program that piggybacks onto your existing email client and allows smileys in your emails. There is nothing to prove that it is spyware, although every PC I've seen it installed on has had either a virus or spyware infection.
I always warn to customers over the phone to avoid freeware that involve smileys, and Webshots-like programs that changes your wallpaper. Oh, and anything to do with cursors too!! (unless you're actively searching for .CUR and .ANI files).
Beep boop. I'm a bot.
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Comments
As for cursor programs, I've used CursorXP for the past few years. It's usually the program of choice by the hardcore modding scene, and doesn't contain any spyware.
Just a note, though lots of people believe it's 'clean', messenger plus installs spyware / adware and 9/10 when friends are reporting problems it's because of messenger plus.
See, with Plus! there's a clearly labelled option in the installer. The radio button selected by default is to install it, but most people just keep hitting next so install it without realising.
Mum uses incredimail...
Ahhh yes. That brings back memories. We've not seen Messenger+ infections lately, probably due to being overshadowed by the new Windows Live Messenger, but it was a problem to customers about 3 years ago. If Microsoft have actually written the Messenger+ software, then shame on them!
Limewire/Frostwire are fine until you get to those who are clueless and download any old thing from the network in turn downloading a virus or trojan.
The problem is that there are still people who are uneducated when it comes to computers. The amount of time's I've said the words " Firewall " and Anti Virus Protection " to people and gotten the most confused of looks still occasionally amazes me. You even find some people who seem to find the moment they boot up the pc and turn on the monitor they are protected against everything !
Seriously, on someone's PC that was really slow, I just took off norton (which they got with their PC - 2005), and it sped up shedloads.
Then I installed AVG.
Then I put in a wireless router.
Fully protected, unless they find out how to turn the DMZ zone on for some obscure reason. Oh yea, and the youngest girl uses bearshare, but I think she would have killed me if I got rid of it
You can make a living from cleaning up a few virus' etc...?
I know somebody i work with who charges obscene amounts to set up a couple of PCs to share the users iTune collection from each of the PCs.
Or to re-install windows etc...
I would be riddled with guilt charging somebody £50/£60 for something that would take me half an hour to do and for a friend would cost them a drink next time we were out!
I just find it incomprehendable that somebody would be willing to pay such money to get somebody to come in and set up a basic family wireless network etc...
Not a dig at any of you guys, more a confession of how guilty i would feel doing it, paranoid that they know how much i'm taking the piss with how much im about to charge them, while i sit on my arse drinking their tea waiting for the succession of "Click Next" screens to appear!!
And a lan cable costs £20.
Seriously ripping the average consumer off!
I remember a couple of years back, where i work, we sold a basic scart lead for something like 69pence (We would trade to Comet as well as small traders)
The same product, same series, same brand, only difference being packaging, would be sold in dixon for £8.99
I think a similiar story would be with the new HDMI leads and stuff we're selling atm.
In fact I have just checked, we do a "Silver Series Pro" 1.5m male - male HDMI lead for £9.85, and our entry level one is £3.67!
A Belkin (average brand) one in Currys, 1.2m is £44.99, just how can you justify paying that for a lead?!
edited to add: Belkins top spec one (which isn't 99% oxygen free or silver plated etc... according to the prod spec) is... wait for it... £109 WTF
if its around half an hour then it would be £30 + Vat
I think its perfectly justified, all of the people who work here have studied for years to get where they are, and its a specialist service... just like plumbing and sparkys etc
If you know a mate who can sit down and do the job for you and you can buy them a pint for it then fair play, if not then its a reasonable price for something you could never do on your own, especially when compared to a lot of other trades.
i use a version i think i was diamondgeezer recommended.. cant remember the name... mine isnt bulky at all .. looks quite nice and smooth actually
and as for the spyware in plus.. its the same with a lot of programs bundled with spyware.. theres a radio box thats already ticked and people just go 'next next next' ... ive been guilty of it a few times myself tbh!
Yeah true, it's just I see alot of them as tasks that any muppet could do, i'm no computer genius, and don't pretend to be, but most of the problems seem like things any idiot could do.
But i guess like you say a sparky would probably consider installing a couple of new power points as a doddle that any muppet should be able to do, yet still wouldn't dream of saying "lets just say a fiver for my time"
I might start charging £15 an hour, undercut people :chin: 'no fix no fee' policy too...
PC world is a terrible place to get your PC fixed... the slightest thing wrong and they will just format the PC and reinstall windows, they wont back up your data either... that's your job.
I would use something like formatting as a very last resort unless it was needed or the customer specifically asked for it.
£15 an hour is an unrealistic amount of money, when you think alot of your time could be spent travelling from place to place, stopping for a lunch break, and keeping up a big work load... I think on average your going to maybe get 4 working hours a day, probably a lot less at the start and for the sake of supporting a company that's no where near enough. Especially considering the margin on components now days is very low.
Second time I went there he charged me £135 labour mind. :grump: That'd be £45 an hour probably which I guess is normal ish.