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| Thread ID: 70413 | 2006-07-02 09:12:00 | Various Problems on an old PC | straka01 (310) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 467997 | 2006-07-02 21:36:00 | I'd say the floppy problem is likely to be a hardware problem. One thing to try before swapping a new FDD in - loosen the screws holding it in, so that the drive is just sitting loose in its bay, then try another floppy. Sounds looney but it sometimes is the cause (not in the bay right). As for this nutcase that thinks firewalls are pointless and the only virus and spyware defenses are Microsofts Updates, ignore him, I'd hate to see the state of PCs hes set up. Theres plenty of antivirus and antispyware protection around for Win98 PCs. If you rely on MS for it you deserve the results. |
pctek (84) | ||
| 467998 | 2006-07-02 22:49:00 | i think your forgetting its a mates pc . ie done for the fun of it . If he finds it fun, then by all means go ahead! I'm just saying that the investment isn't worth the result unless he does actually gain pleasure from patching up an old Win98 system . o god . . . . . don't tell me your another one of these IT gits i have to kick with my steel caps again . that attidude is so old its not funny its so disapointing that some IT pro's are still years behind the ball game . i'll be kind and leave the rant till another day . Please, PM it to me . I would like to hear why you like firewalls quite that much . I should tell you in advance that my only firewall is called iptables and is focussed on what can be done rather than what can't . I'm firmly of the view that firewalls on individual PCs where users run as administrators (who came up with that idea?) are completely and utterly useless . On a large network it's a completely different matter as you want to prevent users from running potentially vulnerable services . |
TGoddard (7263) | ||
| 467999 | 2006-07-02 22:56:00 | I'd say the floppy problem is likely to be a hardware problem . One thing to try before swapping a new FDD in - loosen the screws holding it in, so that the drive is just sitting loose in its bay, then try another floppy . Sounds looney but it sometimes is the cause (not in the bay right) . As for this nutcase that thinks firewalls are pointless and the only virus and spyware defenses are Microsofts Updates, ignore him, I'd hate to see the state of PCs hes set up . I said firewalls on home PCs are useless and an antivirus won't fully protect you . This is far from radical once you step out of cotton candy land and face the harsh reality of managing security . Antivirus software and anti-spyware tools are essential for Windows desktops - they're just not perfect and certainly not good enough to keep an outdated and no longer patched system working for long . Theres plenty of antivirus and antispyware protection around for Win98 PCs . If you rely on MS for it you deserve the results . Good luck . I don't believe you can rely on anybody to keep you safe on an old system, but you can always try . Just keep an eye on it and don't let your computer become a zombie or spam relay . |
TGoddard (7263) | ||
| 468000 | 2006-07-02 23:16:00 | Hmm, this is very interesting. It seems that although they publicly stated several years back (2003 I think) that they were discontinuing support for Windows 98, it looks like they're still patching the most critical problems. It's odd that updates were never available for our old Windows ME computer (also discontinued) but there are some patched flaws for 98 from this year listed on the FRSIRT site. It may in fact be almost as secure as XP, not that this is saying much. Sorry for the incorrect info on the point of updates. |
TGoddard (7263) | ||
| 468001 | 2006-07-02 23:20:00 | OK, I was completely wrong about the patches. Support is still present but ends on July 11 (8 days from now). There is already at least one serious vulnerability which MS have stated they simply will not patch: www.microsoft.com EDIT: Apparently support was extended: www.betanews.com "It's surprising how many consumers or businesses still use these older versions, particularly Windows 98. Their continued use partly accounts for an extension of support for about an additional 18 months--from January 2004 to July 2006," Jupiter Research senior analyst Joe Wilcox told BetaNews. |
TGoddard (7263) | ||
| 468002 | 2006-07-03 05:28:00 | I said firewalls on home PCs are useless Just keep an eye on it and don't let your computer become a zombie or spam relay. And how many years experience do you have in PC security? I guess I must be doing something right as my PC is, has and I expect it to continue to be malware free. On the other hand the huge number of MS updated things packed with malware I clean up all the time...... |
pctek (84) | ||
| 468003 | 2006-07-03 06:54:00 | I said firewalls on home PCs are useless and an antivirus won't fully protect you. I would be interested to know exactly why you think firewalls on home PCs are useless. Please explain in depth. |
FoxyMX (5) | ||
| 468004 | 2006-07-03 08:18:00 | sorry no PM's . rant can wait till later . lets just say i've worked on IT industrys peoples home pc's from time to time . one classic case had a firewall but had turned application control off . it had fully updated AV etc . turned application control and what should try to access the net . . . . a trojen . firewalls are not perfect but they sure help with 99 . 99% of infections home pc's have . the only people that complain about them are those you can't use pc's (they are thee type of people who seriously NEED a firewall, gamers who don't like and slowdowns and IT industry people who set home pc uses up for an expensive repair bill . |
tweak'e (69) | ||
| 468005 | 2006-07-03 09:02:00 | Heh heh, TGoddard, you should watch out for The Swarm (redwing.hutman.net) when it comes to personal firewalls round here. They do give people a comforting icon in the system tray though.... | BIFF (1) | ||
| 468006 | 2006-07-03 09:15:00 | LMAO biff :D very ironic concidering what i now do for a living ! | tweak'e (69) | ||
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