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Corrupted PC's Find New Home In the Dumpster
The NY Times - Business Section ^ | July 17, 2005 | MATT RICHTEL and JOHN MARKOFF

Posted on 07/16/2005 11:54:18 AM PDT by summer

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To: summer
"Mr. Tucker, an Internet industry executive who holds a Ph.D. in computer science..."

More proof that Ph.D. is an abbreviation for Phony Doctorate.

All you need is ZoneAlarm, Mr. Ph.D., and a virus scan like Norton.
41 posted on 07/16/2005 12:56:38 PM PDT by Ghost of Philip Marlowe (Liberals are blind. They are the dupes of Leftists who know exactly what they're doing.)
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To: Terpfen; summer

Yes. You are correct. I use CCLEANER in conjunction with Spywareblaster. However, latest version of CCLEANER has utility which IDs all programs. Also, cleans Spybot S&D.
Just makes things easier/quicker.


42 posted on 07/16/2005 1:01:47 PM PDT by donozark (Restraining orders are just another way of saying I love you.)
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To: dhuffman@awod.com
See the dateline? Wanna bet there was more than malware on it?

I smell a let's shut down the eeeeeeevil Internet agenda here...

43 posted on 07/16/2005 1:06:15 PM PDT by null and void (You'll learn more on FR by accident, than other places by design)
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To: Ghost of Philip Marlowe

BS degree = Bull s--t degree
MS Degree = More of Same
PHD = Piled Higher and Deeper

;)


44 posted on 07/16/2005 1:06:16 PM PDT by ghostcat
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To: summer
Also, if you run Adaware (even free version is good) in slow mode, you may clean things up better. Spy Sweeper is good as well.

These dastardly things can get in to your PC and run in background.

Latest version of CCLEANER has new design. Try it-it's free.

45 posted on 07/16/2005 1:07:41 PM PDT by donozark (Restraining orders are just another way of saying I love you.)
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To: hispanarepublicana
...what do I do to prepare it for such so that it doesn't carry with it a bunch of my information? Do I use my restore disk that puts it back to factory settings or what?

My 2¢:

Unless you can find an organization that handles exactly this sort of thing, it can be difficult to actually find someone who needs an old PC -- and by old PC I mean three to five years old, not ten. A ten year old PC is just too unreliable and too slow to bother with, given the availability of cheap, fast, new and slightly used PCs.

I know that the computer probably still looks good, and it seems that it should have value to someone. It probably doesn't. Check eBay for prices on very old PCs -- they are just about worthless. Don't waste your valuable time fiddling with worthless equipment.

My standard procedure with old hard drives is to remove the drive from the case, drill a couple of close-set quarter inch holes through them to unbalance the platters, use a knife to slice through the exposed circuitry on the bottom of the drive, and ruin the power connector with a pair of pliers. This just takes a couple of minutes.

If you still have your Windows 98 CD and license, you might sell that on eBay. It is probably the only thing of value on the computer.

Properly disposing of an old computer and especially old monitors can be difficult. Your local landfill or an organization that handles recycling may be able to take them off your hands. Before you dispose of the machine, make sure the CD drives are empty.

46 posted on 07/16/2005 1:12:54 PM PDT by TChad
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To: summer

Anyone in the New Orleans area with a comp they don't want-Freepmail me. I want to learn to repair and build them, but don't have an old comp to just mess with. Sure not going to practice on my one and only comp!
Amazing to hear of people on the West Coast just putting comps out in the trash. There is almost NO secondary market here, and you pay high prices at thrift stores for old desktops. Guess we're not 'high tech'enough. People pass their comps down within families.


47 posted on 07/16/2005 1:13:59 PM PDT by ClearBlueSky (Whenever someone says it's not about Islam-it's about Islam. Jesus loves you, Allah wants you dead!)
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To: LouAvul
If the problem is that bad, why not just replace the hard drive?

Or boot Knoppix.

If you get a virus, simply reboot.

48 posted on 07/16/2005 1:15:43 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Drug prohibition laws spawned the runaway federal health care monopoly and fund terrorism.)
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To: Bommer
Man what an idiot!

I believe it was Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, who referred to these types as Mugwumps! People educated beyond their intelligence, as this PHD appears to be. Blackbird.

49 posted on 07/16/2005 1:36:15 PM PDT by BlackbirdSST
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To: Lockbar
"If he lived in a gun friendly state, he could have found a place to do some target practice....."

The grouping seems a bit sloppy but the sentiment comes through loud and clear. Distance to target?

50 posted on 07/16/2005 1:39:07 PM PDT by Desron13 (If you constantly vote between the lesser of two evils then evil is your ultimate destination.)
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To: hispanarepublicana

If PCs are too old, a lot of organizations don't want to bother with them. New boxes are so cheap any more that it's often less hassle to just go out and get them, and not have to fool around with making obsolete hardware and software work properly. Peripherals such as monitors and printers are a little more desireable as long as they work well.


51 posted on 07/16/2005 1:52:28 PM PDT by CFC__VRWC ("Anytime a liberal squeals in outrage, an angel gets its wings!" - gidget7)
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To: hispanarepublicana
We'll probably donate it to charity, but what do I do to prepare it

What I do is remove the hard disk and destroy it. That part goes to the landfill.
The rest goes to charity - where I live, both Purple Heart and AmVets take non-functioning computers, and sometimes the Senior Center is looking for spare parts for old computers.

52 posted on 07/16/2005 1:54:18 PM PDT by speekinout
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To: summer
...a Ph.D. in computer science...

Preternaturally helpless Dope

53 posted on 07/16/2005 1:59:13 PM PDT by solitas (So what if I support an OS that has fewer flaws than yours? 'Mystic' dual 500 G4's, OSX.4.1)
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To: four more in O 4
Hell, we charge less than $100 to reinstall the O/S do all the updates and ensure the machine is 'protected'.

Explain more, please. I had a Win98 laptop that I bought used. It got very messed up, and I didn't have a copy of Win98 to re-load. So, I took it to several different repair shops, and they all said that I would have to buy a new copy of Win before they could do a re-install. (If I had wanted to spend the money on a new copy of Win, I'd have re-installed myself!)
How can you get a copy of Win to install for less than $100?

54 posted on 07/16/2005 2:03:56 PM PDT by speekinout
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To: ASA Vet
My Coleco ADAM is impervious to spyware. Æ
55 posted on 07/16/2005 2:05:24 PM PDT by AgentEcho (If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers)
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To: summer
Mr. Tucker, a sorry-assed excuse for an IT expert, threw away a badly infected PC rather than reformat the harddrive and reinstall the OS. Instead, he decided to spend the pitiful $400 on a new computer that is probably a piece of crap.
56 posted on 07/16/2005 2:06:30 PM PDT by Petronski (So, ma cherie, you like ze boum boum?)
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To: hispanarepublicana

If you are giving it away to charity or even junking it you need to wipe the hard drive completely.


57 posted on 07/16/2005 3:56:51 PM PDT by The Great RJ
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To: ASA Vet

Oh, sorry. I guess my reading comprehension skills were offline.


58 posted on 07/16/2005 8:51:17 PM PDT by lasisra
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To: Texas_Jarhead
I've disinfected some machines where the process required some 8-10 man hours

four words: safe mode. hijackthis. spybot. no infection should take 8 hours to remove unless your PC is flat-out unbootable.

59 posted on 07/16/2005 9:01:33 PM PDT by Libertarian4Bush (the underwear goes UNDER the pants! that's why they call it under-******-wear!)
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To: lasisra
No, you're reading skills are fine. As written "it" could have been either.
My use of "it" was deliberate so as to give our FR comedians a straight line to use "the car would be gone" line.
60 posted on 07/16/2005 9:02:42 PM PDT by ASA Vet (Ignore the man behind the curtain.)
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