Realtor with major computer issues, any help?

The mind of me (and my Step-Father) | 11/19/2008 | me

[TheBattman]

OK... I will make this as brief as I can:

My Step-Father is a Real Estate agent just outside of Houston, TX (Tomball and the Woodlands area). He uses Windows XP, and has a history of computer troubles, mostly related to scripts and worms that for some reason every Anti-Virus he has ever used just won't seem to keep out.

I have jokingly told him to buy a Macintosh next time around... but he has held to his Realtor-related business requires Windows. Fine...

Well, about every two weeks, his Internet Explorer (latest version) will not work at all - it just loads then trying to get to any web site - comes up with an error. Firefox works just fine. Whatever the problem is also appears to affect his Outlook as well.

He just got his PC back from a shop that had to clean it out and get it back up - at the cost of just over $200. It came back working fine.

He is following the security/anti-virus guidelines of my mother's employer, Lonestar College district) which suggest Avast Antivirus, SpamBot, and AVG. He has the latest versions of these, and keeps them updated (Avast and AVG via their built-in auto-update). And scans daily in addition to auto protection.

The fact that the recurring issue always starts with IE and then Outlook, I have little doubts that it is a worm/virus of some form. He would just as soon dump IE as anyone... BUT

Remember, he is a Realtor. The Houston Area Realtor's Association (and the nationwide organization they are part of) use TEMPO MLS. TEMPO MLS requires the use of Internet Explorer. There is no workaround to this requirement that he or I have been able to track down. Opera and Safari both have User Agent switching to appear as IE. While you can login, the MLS search that is the core of functionality will not work. He and I have both tried every browser we can find on both Windows and Mac OSX.

He is rather frustrated. When he called this morning, I could hear emotion in his voice when he asked if you can run IE on Apple machines. I told him you can, under Windows. He then asked if they are affected by the same viruses and such... I said the Windows side - yes. But it shouldn't bring the whole computer down.

I am fairly confident that the TEMPO MLS issue is related to Active X. Without it, you cannot use the basically mandated software for searching, adding, and generally doing anything with listings with this organization. Active X is the portal by which so many problems enter a PC - turning it off is a good idea... unless you need it as he does for TEMPO MLS.

He has been unable to find any significant help with this problem. I have run out of suggestions.

I am open to any thoughts, common experiences, help, etc. He just cannot afford to keep throwing money at his PC. His business is WAY down anyway - the market is at a snail's pace in his area too.

Oh - and this is on the heels of a major crash that resulted in some serious data loss several months back...

I know - I have already scolded him about doing regular back-ups - to an EXTERNAL drive...

I really want to help him.

[Leo Farnsworth]

Some thoughts:
I use Avast! and I like it. It catches most stuff but occasionally things get through. I seriously doubt your Step Father runs a complete check everyday. I ran a full scan in Avast! yesterday and it took five hours. He's NOT doing that everyday. A full system scan should be conducted every month or so and he should expect it to take some time.

I also use Trend Housecall - it's free and online (just do a Google search). You MUST turn off the other virus checkers (AVG and Avast!) for it to work properly. Housecall finds other things that are missed by other virus programs. Once again this check will take several hours.

The backup is important. It's good he does it.

My wife is a Broker/Owner and I keep her computer up and running. Most MLS software (like Paragon and others) need IE 6.0 or later to function properly. Macs just are not proper computers for Real Estate.

Lastly, I would recommend that your Step-Father find another computer fix-it shop. How can it hurt? Remember: Norton and McAffe do nothing and should be removed from your Step-Fathers computer if they have not already been. Good Luck!

[Yo-Yo]

Oh, and as someone else here said, tell him to never, never, NEVER click a link in an email. If friends and family insist on sending him 'virtural greeting cards' then have him email back saying he appreciates the gesture but won't click on any links.

There's also settings in Outlook Express for security. Click on Tools>Options... the click on the security tab. Then checkmark all of the following:

* Restricted Sites Zone
* Warn me when other applications try to send mail as me
* Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus
* Block images and other external content.

The cute emails won't be cute anymore, but it should block most scripts and such.

[TomGuy]

Avast and AVG via their built-in auto-update

That may be part of the problem -- "too much of a good thing".

Running both Avast and AVG could be causing conflicts and slowing the system down.

The new AVG (version 8) has allot of built-in stuff that run in the background. They slow systems significantly. If you don't really need them, turn them off.

Does anyone else access the machine?

If he is running the latest IE (7?), he might try downgrading to the version 6. It is relatively stable.

[daniel1212]

I suspect something in addition to using IE is the problem. But he is not alone in his angst over being tied to IE, which is #4 on my list after FF, Opera, Maxathon a http://tempomls.wordpress.com/

But this uwe says Safari 3 successfully runs MarketLinx/Tempo MLS system. http://www.bloodhoundrealty.com/BloodhoundBlog/?p=1525

[LeGrande]

Have him get a Mac. Keep the PC solely to run the Realtor program, don't use the PC for anything else. Do everything else on the Mac, email and browsing especially. Time Machine will automatically back up everything to an external drive.

I had to do the same thing with my parents. It wasn't viruses or trojans so much as they were just messing up the settings somehow. It took me about 2 days to teach them how to use the Mac, but now all I get is Emails thanking me. I think it has been over a year and I haven't gotten a single, it won't work call.

[DManA]

I assume he would argue that it makes sense to hire professional for your real estate needs. Why not tell him to hire an expert to handle his data processing needs?

[Islander7]

Freepers have given you a gold mine of good advice.

I would add this: Password protect the system to ensure that no one is using his computer without his knowledge. Seems to me this is the most likely source of the problem.

Someone may be visiting websites with porn and malware. Happened to a friend of mine.

BTW, I’m a Realtor and our MLS requires IE also. I use Firefox of all other web adventures.

[justlurking]

He needs to stop opening email attachments without first scanning them.

He shouldn't be opening email attachments at all unless he:

• Knows the person that sent them.
• Expected the person to send it to him.

The same goes for any URLs in email.

[6ppc]

A lot of folks here will flame me for this, but I recommend he get rid of his existing anti-virus and spyware programs and get Norton Internet Security.

The reason I recommend this is because it packages everything he needs as a suite from a single manufacturer and it can easily be configured to automatically download updates. It is a subscription so all he has to do is renew the subscription each year.

I purchased a three pc license four years ago and have had no problems on any of my pcs. It catches just about everything. This includes my adult kids who do not practice safe surfing.

[justlurking]

1. Get his system cleaned up. I recommend a complete wipe and re-install, as it's the only way to be sure.

2. Update all his software, especially Windows XP. Install ONE comprehensive anti-virus/anti-spyware suite. I use AVG.

3. Ban the use of Internet Explorer for anything except the sites that don't work otherwise. This should be a very short list. Configure Internet Explorer to only allow those sites.

4. Install Firefox, and set it as the default browser for everything else.

5. Tell him to get another computer for "personal" use. If someone else is using the computer for "personal" purposes, ban them from this one.

[Uri’el-2012]

Have him get a Mac. Keep the PC solely to run the Realtor program, don't use the PC for anything else. Do everything else on the Mac, email and browsing especially.

Get a Mac install VMware Fusion
and under it run the Realtor program
in the virtual PC.

Use OS X for everything else.

[Liberty Valance]

You can run windows easily now on the new Intel based Macs.
Check out bootcamp on the apple website.
http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/bootcamp.html

[waynesa98]

Honestly, while avg, et al are good, for a computer that receives a lot of stuff from the great unwashed, the dreaded norton 360, or trend micro are a must. He needs real time scanning to prevent infections before they become problems. Go to ebay and buy any norton 360 that's new, unused. (they update to ver 2.0 regardless). PS make sure he has at least 1gb ram. If not make him upgrade. (by the way these packages are generally 3 seat licenses.) Before installing I would take all my data off the system, wipe it then rebuild (ie reformat and do a full reinstall) yea Its a long pain in the arse but its the only way to guarantee there are no missed infections. Other things to remember, you can only have 1 anti virus, but you can have many anti-spyware and usually more then one firewall. Lastly Backup backup and did I say backup.

[LeGrande]

Your solution is better : ) My solution is easier : )

[DManA]

Who needs a realtor? Just do it yourself. Can’t be more complicated than setting up a business computer system.

[Islander7]

Shhh! Keep it to yourself.

[krogers58]

Sounds like he has a root kit installed. No matter how many times you clean the system, it gets reinfected. A clean install is probably necessary at this point. No anti-virus/anti-spywaere will help him at this point. He may also wish to hire a computer person with a security background to set up his network correctly, to avoid root kits in the future. A root kit is a malicious program which allows the hacker to gain a lower level control of your computer than even the anti-virus. Once infected, it is virtually impossible to remove this root kit, without a low-level format of the drive. I would hire someone with a CISSP level of cerification for maintenance and management of his network. Most good security guys can remotely monitor and maintain his network from afar after an initial visit.

[Kirkwood]

He’s trying to run a business, so he has to open a lot of suspicious documents. Not everyone can afford to throw away may from people they don’t know.

[JerseyHighlander]

First, yes you can use MLS websites that require IE on a MAC.

1. Buy a newer Mac, that is I mean a intel cpu based Mac.
2. go here: http://www.codeweavers.com/
3. Buy Crossover Mac
4. Install Crossover Mac
5. Download IE7 final executable, and install it inside the Crossover Mac program. You can also install your father’s Windows-based Outlook software inside Crossover Mac, (if he doesn’t want to convert to a Mac-native email/contacts/calendar program)
6. If on the Mac you install firewall software, allow the Crossover Mac program access to the internet.
7. Install the patches for IE6 (and Outlook) inside Crossover Mac.
8. Create a quicklink to IE and Outlook on the Mac bar.

http://www.codeweavers.com/support/docs/crossover-mac/ and http://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility/browse/name/ for more info

[JerseyHighlander]

Sorry, I posted that without reviewing it:

Correct version below:

Note that Crossover Mac runs inside the Mac OSX environment, unlike Bootcamp which requires an annoying reboot each time your father needs to do a MLS search. You simply create a shortcut to “Crossover Mac IE” on the OSX desktop.

Note that Crossover Mac and Crossover Mac Pro only are compatible with IE6, NOT with IE7.

So yes you can use MLS websites that require IE6 on a MAC.

1. Buy a newer Mac, that is I mean a intel cpu based Mac.
2. go here: http://www.codeweavers.com/
3. Buy Crossover Mac
4. Install Crossover Mac
5. Download IE6 final executable, and install it inside the Crossover Mac program. You can also install your father’s Windows-based Outlook software inside Crossover Mac, (if he doesn’t want to convert to a Mac-native email/contacts/calendar program)
6. If on the Mac you install firewall software, allow the Crossover Mac program access to the internet.
7. Install the patches for IE6 (and Outlook) inside Crossover Mac.
8. Create a quicklink to IE and Outlook on the Mac bar.

http://www.codeweavers.com/support/docs/crossover-mac/ and http://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility/browse/name/ for more info

NOTE: I wouldn’t personally go this route, but i do service work for two small real estate agencies that have women on staff who refuse to use anything but Macs. And this is the work around.