I think there has to be a special place in HE?? for people who create those virus'

So far, not so bad. On the downhill side of a bad case of strep throat. Still sore, but temp down into the 90s. Catching up on work and getting some strength back. Positive side of it? Lost nearly 15 pounds so I should be able to hit a donut hut as soon as I'm able to swallow.

Hope you got your backups restored and everything back to near pre-event status.

I'm on a high, working through the night on a project and for the first time in many years have not been sick at Chirstmas or in and out of a hospital. More than that am not a burden to anybody at this time of year.

I was with you through your whole story although yours was a double dose of problems I have had and fear every day. You never know when the "big one" will strike and the following reprocussion. It is a blessing to know how to proceed following a virus attack. You kept at it, as you had to and it could have gone any which way but you won.
It's a Christmas miracle!!

Well, I am glad you are back. I hoped all the working hours that I would not be one of the people sent home early. As is, I don't have many hours anyway. Every time it's slow in the store, people get sent home early....

Moni

I know how frustrating that is, and I agree that there is a special place in he)) for those who create viruses.

There is a valuable lesson in your story: "When this machine was new I had opted to make a set of startup discs..." I always make the startup discs. If you don't, and you need them, not only do you have to pay for the discs, but you also have to wait several days to receive them in the mail. That translates to down-time on the computer.

Glad you are back up and running, but I know it's a pain to have to re-load everything to get things the way you want them. Merry Christmas!

That happened to me last year. It's a particularly nasty marketing ploy to get people to buy their product. I'm surprised they're still in business.

Fortunately, I have two computers. So while one was incapacitated I went on the other one and Googled the problem. Sure enough, it had happened to lots of people, and more than one site described the relatively easy fix. Otherwise, I would probably have had a day like yours.

Yes sometimes reformatting back to LIKE NEW is the only solution for those viruses! You'd be surprised how many people actually fall fo that virus and give their credit card info to them only to have to close their credit card account because it is a scam to steal your credit card info! GAH people are so gullible sometimes! My husband is a computer repair man, so we see it all!

So always be sure and burn those recovery disks when you get a new computer because sometimes it the only way to fix it once it gets infested with viruses! And always keep your important files on a back up disk because sometimes even the pros can't get them off or they will charge an arm and leg to do it!

Once you've had a virus you should change your password on your server account and on your email account, especially the email.

I had a horrible day with my computer as well!! I checked my emails and saw that all of them were dated 2010.
All the 2011 emails were gone...I checked the "deleted" folder and nothing there either. I looked in the other folders..nothing. I checked C drive, program files, Outlook..nothing. After a couple of hours of this, I called my server tech. He said he'd check my account and see if they were still on the server...NO. He said I (or someone else) had to have deleted the emails, therefore putting them into the deleted folder. Then deleted them from the deleted folder, thus deleting them from the server..permanently.

I absolutely did not do that!! DH said, "Well, maybe you did it and forgot." I can't even tell you my reply. :(

I do delete the unnecessary emails as I read them. I flag the ones I need to save. I publish a monthly newsletter for our little city and have people who write some of the columns for me via emails. I try very hard to get the paper out by the end of the month with the details of activities for the following month. So as I was preparing to start the paper for January, my writers had emailed their articles. See? Now I'm rambling, of course.

The episode ended about 4 p.m. with 2 Excedrins, coffee and a nap. Pulled the cover over my head and decided I'd surface next year.

But, oh no, someone mentioned that Christmas had not come yet. Deep breath...I am now wrapping zillions of gifts, preparing bedrooms for DD and grands who will come home with us after Christmas & making cookies. Yep, all at one time. No stress...

Well, Lazy - sorry you had all that to deal with! I have to say, my day was better than YOURS!

I do wonder how profitable such a virus proves to be for the perp.

Had that happen to me last year!

I had the same problem last week. Microsoft security essentials is my virus protector (free), so they had to be called and they took over the computer and back dated it a few days and it seems ok now. I just hate when that stuff happens. I am so dumb when it comes to these things.

Alisande gave those of us with only one computer a message that, while tending to make us think that we can't make use of it ...

... should challenge us to think outside of the box, a bit.

I'm working on a computer at a library.

Many of you have a library nearby.

Most libraries have computers.

That they'll let you use (if you smile nicely).

o j

It's happened to me. I look in my Windows XP book and do a system restart back to a prior day. I usually pick a date about a week back. We once had a virus so bad (DH got a phony email from "Mmicrosoft", followed and clicked as directed, got all jammed up). We had to have a local guy computer geek come in and it cost us $120 if I remember right.