I've been wondering if it is possible to apply the same solution to the never-ending problem of Windows corruption (and the resulting degraded performance) that data centers use. As I understand it, Windows is booted over the network, so what happens to the local hard drive does not matter. Is there a way of doing the same thing to a home PC? Can you make a hard drive "read-only" after putting a bootable Windows image on it, and then use a seperate hard drive for data storage? I really detest the solution that MS sponsors (virus protection/firewall software) because it is just another thing that you have to buy which supports it's business partners. Any other ideas?
posted by ackptui on Jul 16, 2009 - 7 answers

How can I reinstall Windows onto an old Toshiba Portege 7010CT with no external drives? [more inside]
posted by ajp on Dec 21, 2008 - 13 answers

My friend's only Admin account on Windows has been ripped to shreds by a virus, an uninstaller program, or both; his CD drawer won't open or shut manually at all; and his BIOS settings, which are protected by a password we don't know, are to boot from a CD in the drive before anything else. Help me to not destroy his computer with an axe. [more inside]
posted by Acheman on Nov 14, 2008 - 20 answers

Those stories about Windows PCs getting infected within minutes of connecting to the internet... does that still apply in Vista SP1? Soon I'll be setting up a new PC put together from parts and doing a fresh install of Vista Ultimate with SP1 (retail). Should I do anything special to maximize security?
posted by kidbritish on Sep 15, 2008 - 22 answers

I've read so much here lately 1 2 3 about not browsing as an admin, decided to check it out and yepper, I surely was using an admin account. I've set up a non admin account, made a few other changes (described inside), hoping to find out from The Hive Mind if I am now safe enough to breathe easy(er). [more inside]
posted by dancestoblue on Jul 21, 2008 - 14 answers

What free Windows malware detectors/removers should I put on a CD or USB stick? [more inside]
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen on Jul 9, 2008 - 6 answers

I seem to have corrupted files, but don't know how to replace them. [more inside]
posted by Flying Saucer on Jun 12, 2008 - 7 answers

What is this mysterious process that hijacked my shortcut? I was using Photoshop CS2 and entered the shortcut key for "Save for Web" (Alt+Shift+Ctrl+S) and instead of getting the Save for Web dialog, a very minimalist login box appeared. Intrigued, I brought up the Task manager, right-clicked on the "Login" entry in the list, and selected "Go To Process." The process turned out to be C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\vidifker.exe. [more inside]
posted by Optimus Chyme on Jun 4, 2008 - 9 answers

Windows XP TrojanFilter: I caught a trojan, cleaned it out, and now...100% CPU usage making my computer unusable, and I can't turn on Windows Update besides. With System Restore off, and every piece of software I've run so far telling me it's now clean, how can I fix my system without wiping my hard drive? [more inside]
posted by StrikeTheViol on May 27, 2008 - 18 answers

Advice/recommendations for a Mac to Windows switcher please [more inside]
posted by bonaldi on Nov 13, 2007 - 18 answers

My Windows 2000 system suddenly has many services problems. Details inside. [more inside]
posted by MtDewd on Oct 14, 2007 - 6 answers

Help! What is making my MS Word program suddenly seize up and look like scrambled pink and blue static? [more inside]
posted by applemeat on Jun 25, 2006 - 9 answers

How do I clean a large, stubborn, aborted media download from my PC, and how do I interpret all this strange, buggy behavior that has plagued me since I terminated the download? [more inside]
posted by zaelic on Jun 7, 2006 - 5 answers

Please help a Mac Guy diagnose and correct a problem with a Windows XP machine! [more inside]
posted by Dr. Wu on Nov 25, 2005 - 22 answers

The following message keeps popping up in Windows concerning a virus on my computer. Is it coming from my computer or the Internet? If it's a fake (and it may be since I noticed that it's gramatically incorrect) how do I get rid of it? (message inside) [more inside]
posted by Idiot Mittens on Oct 1, 2005 - 8 answers

After fruitlessly trying to remove a port scan virus buried deep within the system services (even AVG couldn't detect it), I am starting a fresh W2K installation. What software packages can do rollbacks on the registry and /winnt, and cancel all the damage from any particular software install session? Sometimes the registry and /winnt seem like a wide-open mouth where junk is dumped endlessly, and preventing this would be an effective way of keeping the computer clean.
posted by rolypolyman on Jun 17, 2005 - 3 answers

Since installing XP professional in November, I have experienced a spontaneous shutdown and restart of my desktop. When it returns, it tells me the system has recovered from a fatal error that is caused by an unspecified device driver. I have uninstalled both software and hardware one by one over the last several weeks in hopes of identifying the problem. Nothing. Even system restore does not solve it. Is is time to reinstall XP, even with the risk that it will likely happen again?
posted by terrier319 on Feb 11, 2005 - 13 answers

My mother's computer has picked up a persistant trojan virus. She's over 1,000 miles away so I can't work on her PC myself, so I've been talking her through things on the phone. AVG Free 7.0 detects the virus and claims to remove it, but it always comes back the next time she scans. The only thing she can tell me about the virus is that AVG removes a file with a mixture of English and Cyrillic letters in it. Any idea how I can help her slay this thing once and for all?
posted by Servo5678 on Jan 24, 2005 - 15 answers

On WinXP, every minute, I get a new file in my temp directory, and it appears to be a downloaded webpage. I'm sure I have a virus or summat, but I can't see where. MI. [more inside]
posted by ajbattrick on Jan 4, 2005 - 8 answers

PCFilter : Is there any way to tell what program inserted something into the registry?
I've been attacked by four seperate virii that sophos claims don't exist in the wild. One of them (netclnc.exe) keeps reappearing in my registry and the system32, and I want to know what's putting it there so I can kill it. Ideas?
posted by twine42 on Jul 18, 2004 - 14 answers

Windows XP firewall + Zone Alarm = problem?
I've just upgraded to Windows XP and I have three questions (so far...). [more inside]
posted by Termite on Jun 7, 2004 - 8 answers

Multipart question: Scumware, spyware, adware, it's all malware, I say. Currently using both Spybot and Adaware to catch and kill most of this crap.
1. Looking for feedback on the best spyware killers for home and work.
2. Are Norton and Macafee working on adding spware killers to their anti-virus packages?
3. Some of this stuff launches using svchost.exe. Where in the registry, besides
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run and its relatives, do services launch?
[Inside, there is more] [more inside]
posted by theora55 on Jun 3, 2004 - 12 answers

Since I de-sasser-wormed my Compaq machine and updated WinXPHome, I haven't been able to get Mozilla to work; re-installed it twice, re-downloaded 1.6 once, I get nothin' but little warning boxes saying "script error", that, after I un-installed Mo, now pop up when I start IE. Wendell sad. Wendell dumb.
posted by wendell on May 13, 2004 - 3 answers

Virus Question: I have something nasty. It closes any type of anti-virus application I install, closes regedit if I try to get in there, prevents access to anti-virus websites, and yes, there's [more inside]. [more inside]
posted by banished on Apr 28, 2004 - 14 answers

What the hell is msiwin84.exe? Somehow this has been installed on my computer in c:\windows\system. Zonealarm warned me that it was trying to access the internet and act as a server. And then about 300 identically sized exe files (136 KB each) with random filenames showed up in c:\. Symantec virus scan didn't pick anything up, and google comes up empty for variations of the filename. I deleted questionable files with today's date stamp, and rebooted - am I okay now?
posted by PrinceValium on Apr 27, 2004 - 10 answers

What's the best free antivirus for Windows?
posted by signal on Dec 17, 2003 - 13 answers