Repair Windows XP

In article , chrisv says...
Conor wrote:

Windows costs nothing when you buy a PC. Dell charge a £50 premium over
a Windows box to put Ubuntu on.

Thanks to Micro$oft back-door dirty-dealing "incentives"...

Hardly. Windows costs Dell to put on. Ubuntu is free.

What the £50 premium is for is to pay for the support as Linux support
is more expensive.

--
Conor

If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts. -- Albert Einstein

On 2007-08-16, Conor wrote:

Windows costs nothing when you buy a PC.

Yeah, M$ is just giving it away. Silly you.

When your computer goes tits up, you're more likely to find someone you
know who can fix Windows than Linux.

Make that "find someone you can pay".

When you buy hardware, you're pretty much guaranteed it'll "just work"
when you use Windows....

Haven't tried Vista yet, have you?

whereas in Linux, it's a bit of a lottery

Somewhat true, but getting better. My lastest linux install found and
configured everything automatcally.

recommend it, only for you to find out that it was in an older version
but not the current.

I see. You want it for free with no personal effort or responsibility,
too. Do you chew your own food?

I see no one has mentioned the biggest reason why Windows sucks. I
just experienced the 3rd drive-by download/infection in three years on
my little used Windows box. It wiped my main scsi drive. This
occured via Firefox with both java and java scripts disabled. I've
never experience this with Linux. It was a dual boot system I use for
little used Windows applications and linux hacking. Now, the whole
box is compromised and must be wiped clean.

I did discover one good thing, at least, for Windows users. The
virus, which also loaded half a dozen trojans, totally wiped/corrupted
a 34G scsi drive. I could still see files with Linux, but they were
all renamed crap and inaccessable. So, I tried almost a dozen
free/shareware programs to try and get my data back. All of them
failed. I finally found one, Power Recovery Professional, which did
the job. After a 20 min scan, not only could the files be found, they
were proper filenames. Only problem, the free software was actually
demo-ware with the recovery function disabled. Still, nothing else
even came close. Some wouldn't even see the drive. So, now I have to
fork over about $100 to buy the full software package and get my files
back. No problem. Cheap, in my opinion.

Just thought I'd make a plug for this product, as I'm not the only one
I know who has lost data from downloaded malware on a Windows system.
Happened to a friend while installing Vista. Like I said, it's the
third time it's happened to me, and I spend a lot of time and effort
attempting to make my Windows system secure. It's a losing
proposition. Also, you can bet that's the last time I set up a dual
boot machine. From now on, my Windows box will be an isolated system
with no shared drives and extremely limited, if any, access to my
network.

This is the critical problem with Windows. It's just not secure.
There's no way I'd do financial or commercial transactions on a
Windows computer. I've been using Windows since 3.1 and it just keeps
getting worse. I have to fight to retain control of my own computer,
as Microsoft and all the the software providers see it as THEIR
computer and have no qualms whatsoever about embedding phone-home and
control functions and a bunch of other crap they want, despite what
I, the computer owner, wants. This is just intolerable.

The real question is, do you want control over your own computer.
Linux puts the computer user back into sole control of his system.
The trade off is the user has to want to be in control. You have to
make a little bit of an effort to take responsibility for your
computer. You can't give up control of your box to software vultures
and then snivel when they do things you don't want. Vista is the
worst example of this. Microsoft considers you to be a complete
idiot. You not only don't own the software, you give away to M$ all
rights to access your computer. Who is this stupid!? Millions,
apperently.

/rant

nb

On Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:31:32 +0100, Conor wrote:

So Canonnical, the makers of Ubuntu, didn't have 5 of its servers taken
offline this week because they were attacking the others because of the
bug ridden state they were in which was mainly caused by the fact that the
current version of Ubuntu doesn't support the network cards that were on
the servers?

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Issue52#head-b009291e4151391137b8f04a53adea995d0ee280

Slashdot readers note: these machines were not hosted by Canonical and
were running an old unsupported version of Ubuntu.

lurk

--
Phil Stovell, Hampshire, UK

notbob wrote:

.... snip ...

Just thought I'd make a plug for this product, as I'm not the only
one I know who has lost data from downloaded malware on a Windows
system. Happened to a friend while installing Vista. Like I said,

Vista is a pig. For some specifics, read the following URLs.

--
http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.txt
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/423
http://www.aaxnet.com/editor/edit043.html
cbfalconer at maineline dot net



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

In ,
Conor wrote:

In article , Tony Houghton says...
In ,
Conor wrote:

Windows costs nothing when you buy a PC. Dell charge a £50 premium over
a Windows box to put Ubuntu on.

That's not strictly true. The situation is that Linux is only available
on a very few models and with the base spec it is cheaper than the
Windows version. But if you want to upgrade it it will probably cost
more than a different model number with a similar spec to what you want
that's only available with Windows.

When your computer goes tits up, you're more likely to find someone you
know who can fix Windows than Linux.

But it's less likely to go tits up with Linux.

Rubbish.

What do you think is likely to go wrong?

When you buy hardware, you're pretty much guaranteed it'll "just work"
when you use Windows whereas in Linux, it's a bit of a lottery
especially when the Linux distro authors tell you a network card is
fully supported in the current version of a ditro, even going as far to
recommend it, only for you to find out that it was in an older version
but not the current.

A lottery is something you have no control over. You do have control
over whether you buy hardware that's supported by Linux.

Yes you do.

Your main
bugbear seems to be with networking, especially wifi.

Wifi is very important for many people.

So they'd have to be a bit silly not to check they get a compatible
card if they want to use Linux.

A wired LAN
adaptor not working with Linux is quite rare and the situation you refer
to is a temporary bug, not a conscious decision by manufacturers to drop
support as is the common case with Windows drivers.

So Canonnical, the makers of Ubuntu, didn't have 5 of its servers taken
offline this week because they were attacking the others because of the
bug ridden state they were in which was mainly caused by the fact that
the current version of Ubuntu doesn't support the network cards that
were on the servers?

That's not necessarily the true version of events. It seems more likely
that the exploit was from running inherently insecure software due to
negligence rather than the choice of kernel and OS base. Nowhere does it
say that the current version of Ubuntu doesn't support the cards or that
they're recommended by Ubuntu.

Having to use an
older or patched Linux kernel for a while isn't as drastic as never
being able to run the version of Windows you want on it.

Yet it left Cannonicals servers wide open.

Not likely. Other human error did.

And why doesn't
Windows XP include network drivers for one of the most common brand of
chips, nForce?

It isn't one of the most common. Realtek and Intel ones are by a
massive margin. nForce chipset motherboards are found in niche market
sectors.

You'd better have them handy on disc in case you need to
reinstall Windows, because you won't be able to download them until
they're already installed.

At least you'll have them on a CD.

As for wifi, if you're adding a card, one
supported by Linux costs and performs much the same as one that isn't,
and if you're buying a laptop you'd struggle to find a reason to get
something other than Intel, which is no problem with Linux.

Rubbish. I think you'll find Broadcom ones installed in most modern
laptops.

Doesn't mean it's a good reason to avoid an Intel chip. Anyway, they're
compatible with ndiswrapper.

Buying a Windows machine really is a lottery: whether it'll work
properly after you've tried to get rid of the factory-installed malware,
and your licence key is probably tied to a special version that can't be
reinstalled without said malware.

Rubbish.

I've temporarily got a laptop with wifi that won't authenticate WPA
since I removed Norton and Napster. Maybe coincidence because it
couldn't make up its mind whether it was going to work before I
uninstalled them.

Many PCs do come with versions of Windows on special installation discs
or even hidden partitions bundled with whatever extra drivers it needs -
and crap like Norton. I don't believe you can use the key with a
standard Windows disc.

--
TH * http://www.realh.co.uk

"notbob" wrote in message
...
On 2007-08-16, Conor wrote:

Windows costs nothing when you buy a PC.

Yeah, M$ is just giving it away. Silly you.

When your computer goes tits up, you're more likely to find someone you
know who can fix Windows than Linux.

Make that "find someone you can pay".

Why do you have to pay? I happily trade my ability to work on PC`s for
other peoples ability to work on my car, the electrics in my house or
anything else. But even ignoring this, finding support for Windows IS a lot
easier than getting it for Linux, whether you pay for it or not.

When you buy hardware, you're pretty much guaranteed it'll "just work"
when you use Windows....

Haven't tried Vista yet, have you?

Well all my hardware has worked out of the box with Vista, so I fail to see
your point.

whereas in Linux, it's a bit of a lottery

Somewhat true, but getting better. My lastest linux install found and
configured everything automatcally.

recommend it, only for you to find out that it was in an older version
but not the current.

I see. You want it for free with no personal effort or responsibility,
too. Do you chew your own food?

I see no one has mentioned the biggest reason why Windows sucks. I
just experienced the 3rd drive-by download/infection in three years on
my little used Windows box. It wiped my main scsi drive. This
occured via Firefox with both java and java scripts disabled. I've
never experience this with Linux. It was a dual boot system I use for
little used Windows applications and linux hacking. Now, the whole
box is compromised and must be wiped clean.

In other words you haven`t bothered securing your box, which is an issue
when you use any OS (As the makers of Ubuntu have found). For myself i`ve
NEVER had any kind of infection on any PC in my network, which are protected
by a free virus checker, and a router. If you don`t know how to secure a
computer properly then whatever OS you`ll use you`ll have problems.

On 2007-08-16, Simon Finnigan wrote:

In other words you haven`t bothered securing your box.....

Either you can't read worth a damn or you simply choose to ignore what
I very plainly stated. Typical.

nb

On 2007-08-16, CBFalconer wrote:

Vista is a pig. For some specifics, read the following URLs.

Yeah, Vista is a real horror. It's single handedly doing more to
further the adoption of Linux and the migration to Apple than anything
either one of those two could possibley imagine in their wildest
dreams. Ol' Jobs must be shaking his head in bemused amazement. What
really astounds me is the continuing blind loyalty to M$. It's one
thing to be treated like a fool by the makers of your OS, but to
rabidly defend them for doing so? How bizarre.

nb

"notbob" wrote in message
...
On 2007-08-16, Simon Finnigan wrote:

In other words you haven`t bothered securing your box.....

Either you can't read worth a damn or you simply choose to ignore what
I very plainly stated. Typical.

Your original post said:

I see no one has mentioned the biggest reason why Windows sucks. I
just experienced the 3rd drive-by download/infection in three years on
my little used Windows box. It wiped my main scsi drive. This
occured via Firefox with both java and java scripts disabled. I've
never experience this with Linux. It was a dual boot system I use for
little used Windows applications and linux hacking. Now, the whole
box is compromised and must be wiped clean.

I fail to see how I`ve misread that when I claim that you didn`t secure your
box properly. Can you please explain why disabling Java and javascript is
sufficient to secure any computer that is connected to the internet.

On 2007-08-16, Simon Finnigan wrote:

I fail to see how I`ve misread that when I claim that you didn`t secure your
box properly. Can you please explain why disabling Java and javascript is
sufficient to secure any computer that is connected to the internet.

What do you think I meant by this passage which you still fail to
acknowledge?:

"third time it's happened to me, and I spend a lot of time and effort
attempting to make my Windows system secure."

Could I have stated it any plainer?

nb