Good news bad news. · 12:49am Aug 19th, 2014
Well, I like ending on a positive note so let's start with the bad news.
I got a deadly virus on my computer that disabled my virus scanner, firewall, deleted all my restore points, and did various other nasty things. After going so far to virus scan it with linux put on a thumb drive I couldn't purge the little demon. So I have to reinstall windows and lose everything. This is why this chapter is taking so long, because I couldn't touch my computer and work on it. This also means all progress on my little PF6 run is lost too.
The good news is I work on it in FIMFiction rather than any saved document on my computer so no progress was lost. I'm about 2/3rds through it and I should have it out to my editors by tonight or tomorrow morning. Also, I just started my PF6 run so I didn't really lose much. If you happened to miss it the first time around, guess what?!? You get the chance to see me do it...again...
*sigh*
It is what it is.
Sorry for the delay folks, I'll get things back on track soon.
is kay.
Shit happens, man.
Man, that's too bad. It really sucks getting a virus, especially the asshole kind you can't get rid of.
Expect the unexpected right?
Man, sometimes viruses are like STDs; you stay safe all the time then you click that one risky link and get some nasty thing and she stops returning your calls when you try and ask her what the hell she gave you because you can't afford treatment and GOD KAREN WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU YOU WHORE?!?!
... I think I got off topic, but you get the point, right?
If I were you, I would buy a new harddrive and install windows on that one and use the infected harddrive as an external harddrive to access files from. This would work to get your files unless the virus already vandalized the files/filesystem or is so sophisticated that it can jump from a harddrive that is not booted to another.
2381247
This is an excellent suggestion.
It's a shame I currently have 2 dollars and 93 cents to my name.
2381255 Dude I had a pic on my old phone of my account balances... $0.02
That's right, I could give my 2 cents and have absolutely nothing left, I told people that I had no opinions until payday.
2381265
I bet twenty that you go to college.
Actually I can't say that, because I have two, but still.
College is expensive.
2381255 Another option is to use GParted inside of the Live Linux operating system you have to shrink the infected partition, create a new NTFS primary partition with the freed space, and install windows on the new partition with your install disk (be sure you select the correct partition or you will be overwriting your old files!!!). If done correctly, windows will let you choose which partition to boot from and when you boot from the new operating system the old partition will appear as an external drive.
2381299
Oh crap.
That's actually sounds like an option I can use here.
Thanks dude.
2381334 No problem, I have a ton of trial and error experience when it comes to screwing around with partitions and operating systems. Tell me if you need any more help.
You shouldn't have to lose everything!
Even if you don't have backups, you should be able to copy over things like various text files, picture files, movie files, music files. Those are extremely unlikely to contain any viruses, and even if they do, they can't execute on their own as they aren't programs themselves. So access the partition with your important stuff after booting up in a safe way (like booting into Linux on USB) and then copy over your important stuff! Do NOT try to save any .exe, .msi, .dll, or similar program files. Things like txt, jpg, mp3, etc should be safe to copy.
Once you've copied over your personal data, then it's time to wipe. If you need a place to put the files, try putting them on the USB boot stick (or another USB drive you can connect if you have one) or put things on Google Drive or something similar cloud storage. Good luck!
2381363 Yeah very unlikely anything will happen if you do not run or copy any executable from the old partition unless you have a supervirus like Stuxnet (unlikely).
Cloud storage for the win!
Go GDrive.
Might I suggest a Chromebook? It is my magic typewriter and I love it.
2381363
Before attempting to copy, make sure that you have the "hide known extensions" option turned off (it makes virus.txt.exe show up as virus.txt, for example). Enabling that by default is one of the stupidest things Microsoft has ever done from a security perspective.
2381271 nope, I work event security... I snuck in on a lot of my ex's classes until she panicked when the prof asked her where I was... Apparently I was one of his favorite students, probably because I asked good questions.
Don't judge me, economic geography is fascinating.
PF6?
By any chance is that "Pony Fantasy 6", the fanmade pony hack of Final Fantasy 6?
I am sure you will recover nicely. But do you mind if I ask what you were using for antivirus?
2381586
Hey, learning is never wrong.
2381659
Yep! Doing a three character only no esper/equipment that teaches you magic run!
2381690
Malware Bytes Premium. Actually paid for, not a hacked copy.
2381754
Wow. That sounds like a challenge.
I love the game, though. Especially the way they divided abilities. What version are you playing?
2381762
Malwarebytes AntiMalware IS a good program, and its saved my butt a few times. The problem is that is that it's not an actual antivirus on its own. It's meant to supplement an antivirus program. (I use Avast, which has a good free version. There are other programs that are good, but stay away from Symantec/Norton or McAfee. Those tend to bog down computers.)
From the company:
"Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is not meant to be a replacement for antivirus software. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a complementary but essential program which detects and removes zero-day malware and "Malware in the Wild". This includes malicious programs and files, such as virus droppers, worms, trojans, rootkits, dialers, spyware, and rogue applications that many antivirus programs do not detect or cannot fully remove. That being said, there are many infections that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware does not detect or remove which any antivirus software will, such as file infectors. It is important to note that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware works well and should run alongside antivirus software without conflicts. In some rare instances, exclusions may need to be set for your specific antivirus product to achieve the best possible system performance."
No worries! We can wait and have been there. I remember when a virus got on my laptop and screwed up everything. When I tried to use the virus protection to clear it, the virus had already gotten into the virus protection, and had to reboot windows from scratch Xp
2381754 True but there is something ironic about a highschool dropout sneaking into university classes. Then again I was all for the learning, just not for the homework.
Then again I'm mostly happy with how my life has gone, minus security being vastly underpaid... and convention work actually costing money doesn't help either.
Stop downloading so much porn.2381966
But I'm pansexual, multi orgasmic, and have an insane libidoBut I was downloading season 1-9 of Red Dwarf.This is why I use gdocs for all my editing needs and backup all my important files to my dropbox. I would go with the gparted thing to see if you can get your files off, but you should start using some cloud services so this sort of thing doesn't hurt as much in the future.
I personally don't run an antivirus, but I reinstall windows every 6months to a year anyways. I've never had a problem with a virus like this though. Good luck.
2381762
Malwarebytes is a GREAT program...for what it does, but its a SUPPLEMENTAL program, meant to work in conjunction with several others. Have you considered adding additional programs to bolster your defenses?
Personally, I use Bitdefender which is a really good program if you're willing to pay the price. It also comes with a 'Rescue Mode'.
If not, using AVG free or Avast in conjunction with Malwarebytes is a nice alternative, I've heard.