MS-MVP advice needed

  • Thread starter Thread starter Allen
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A

Allen

Thanks in advance for your response. This past Sunday/Monday I had to
reinstall WinXP Home because of failure of Windows Explorer and IE 6 tool
bars.

When in reinstalled I had to call MS to get the registration to take.

Now, yesterday and today, I have had incredible problems with E-mail with OE
after I installed the MS security updates. My wife is not able to
communicate with me from school (important). I can use another e-mail
client but it works off-and-on.

If I have to reinstall WinXP again (like tomorrow morning) will MS make me
buy a new license? This is a reinstall to the original machine. It is the
FIFTH reinstall I have had to do because of difficulties with MS products. I
have never had a virus but WinXP simply goes bottom-up quickly in various
ways.

Let me know. If I have to repurchase a licence to use an already purchased
OS I will go back to Win98.

Al
 
Allen said:
Thanks in advance for your response. This past Sunday/Monday I had to
reinstall WinXP Home because of failure of Windows Explorer and IE 6 tool
bars.

When in reinstalled I had to call MS to get the registration to take.

Now, yesterday and today, I have had incredible problems with E-mail with OE
after I installed the MS security updates. My wife is not able to
communicate with me from school (important). I can use another e-mail
client but it works off-and-on.

If I have to reinstall WinXP again (like tomorrow morning) will MS make me
buy a new license? This is a reinstall to the original machine. It is the
FIFTH reinstall I have had to do because of difficulties with MS products. I
have never had a virus but WinXP simply goes bottom-up quickly in various
ways.

Let me know. If I have to repurchase a licence to use an already purchased
OS I will go back to Win98.

Al
Click to expand...

You will not have to purchase a new license.

But you need to do something about these recurring problems you are
having.

What security updates did you install? The ones listed as "critical
updates" on the Windows Update web site? Or ones that you received
via an email.

Microsoft never repeat never sends out patches or fixes by email.
Anything that you receive saying that a security fix or update is
attached is a hoax and almost certainly a virus.

If you installed an emailed security update then you are probably
infected with the Swen virus/worm which has been rampant these past
few days and which purports to be a Microsoft Security Update.

Get a free removal utility by going to
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/tools.list.html and
clicking on the W32.Swen.A@mm item

Or go http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/ and download the free Stinger
utility which will clean not only Swen but also a number of other
common viruses.

And make absolutely certain that your own antivirus software is
completely up to date, with the virus definition files not more than
10 days old and then do a complete scan of your hard drive. If you
need a good antivirus program try the free version of AVG6 from
www.grisoft.com

Good luck



Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."
 
The problem, Ron, is not a virus. The problem is Microsoft (who some think
builds viri and name them "WINDOWS")

If I were a novice or an idiot I would not be asking questions about
Microsoft policy.

Just for your information, installed on both XP computers in my home: Zone
Alarm Pro (with new upgrade 9/23), Norton AV Corporate Edition (new
signatures this week), Spyware Search & Destroy. DCOM is turned off
permanently (thank you Microsoft for making XP swiss cheese for all users
everywhere) plug-n-play is turned off permanently. I have been turning off
these so called enhancements for three months now. Anyone who does not need
them and still has them enabled are idiots.

I am learning to use other E-mail programs to do away entirely with OE
because OE itself is very weak when it comes to being security conscious
(one security expert called the program a Microsoft orphan). I have set OE
NOT to open e-mail automatically. All e-mail has to be double clicked to
open. This is true of my corporate computer (Windows NT), my personal
computer (WinXP Home) as well as my children's computer (WinXP Pro) in the
living room. A product is installed on the two XP machines that indicates
when mail arrives and allows a view of it while it is still on the ISP's
server. Once examined by a calloused eye and okayed, it is ported to the
machine.

Don't assume people are idiots, though obviously some people handle a
computer like they do a loaded Garand rifle and shoot themselves repeatedly.

I downloaded the updates FROM MICROSOFT. I have loaded Windows XP FIVE
times and I can find the updates in my sleep. This morning will be #6.

al
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Allen,
To which, after your tale of woe, I can only wonder what hardware are you
loading XP onto?
I have never had such a smoothly running, reliable system as XP (although it
maybe does get a little cranky after 7 or 8 days continuously online, I'll
admit). A quick reboot and temp file clearout sorts that.
But I also thought the same thing about Win98 at the time, compared to
Win95.
I agree about the default level of (non) security, but we know all that from
previous MS systems by now.
There's certainly nothing left wanting in your protection measures, which
leads me back to the hardware thing.
Have you checked all your components for soundness and compatibility?
Chek
 
I am at a loss to understand this attack on a genuine
response to your issue Ron. You in fact present yourself
as both a novice and an idiot. If neither were true and
you have as much knowledge as you purport to have you
would not have asked about product reactivation as anyone
who has had XP and knows as much as you claim you do knows
that there is no limit to the number of times you can
activate XP as long as it's on the same machine. One other
thing it's "SpyBot Search and Destroy" not Spyware search
and destroy. For your additional information "it is best
to keep one's mouth shut and be thought a fool, than to
open it and remove all doubt." Keep smiling.
 
See comments inline

Allen said:
The problem, Ron, is not a virus. The problem is Microsoft (who some think
builds viri and name them "WINDOWS")
Click to expand...

Then vote with your wallet and move to some other operating system.
Nothing gets the attention of a company faster than seeing their sales
revenue decline.
If I were a novice or an idiot I would not be asking questions about
Microsoft policy.
Click to expand...

I did not see any specific criticism of Microsoft policies in your
original posting. What I saw was a question about reinstalling
Windows XP and the possibility that doing so might require you to
purchase a new license. And as I said that concern is groundless.
You can reinstall Windows XP as often as you like on the same
hardware, although if you do it too often you may eventually be
requested to reactivate it manually via telephone rather than
automatically over the Internet.

Just for your information, installed on both XP computers in my home: Zone
Alarm Pro (with new upgrade 9/23), Norton AV Corporate Edition (new
signatures this week), Spyware Search & Destroy. DCOM is turned off
permanently (thank you Microsoft for making XP swiss cheese for all users
everywhere) plug-n-play is turned off permanently. I have been turning off
these so called enhancements for three months now. Anyone who does not need
them and still has them enabled are idiots.

I am learning to use other E-mail programs to do away entirely with OE
because OE itself is very weak when it comes to being security conscious
(one security expert called the program a Microsoft orphan). I have set OE
NOT to open e-mail automatically. All e-mail has to be double clicked to
open. This is true of my corporate computer (Windows NT), my personal
computer (WinXP Home) as well as my children's computer (WinXP Pro) in the
living room. A product is installed on the two XP machines that indicates
when mail arrives and allows a view of it while it is still on the ISP's
server. Once examined by a calloused eye and okayed, it is ported to the
machine.

Don't assume people are idiots, though obviously some people handle a
computer like they do a loaded Garand rifle and shoot themselves repeatedly.

I downloaded the updates FROM MICROSOFT. I have loaded Windows XP FIVE
times and I can find the updates in my sleep. This morning will be #6.

al
Click to expand...

If you weren't aware of it there is a rampant virus epidemic at
present, with the Swen virus/worm masquerading as an emailed Microsoft
Security Update. I am getting upwards of 2000 emails per day
containing this virus, and numerous others are getting as many or
more.

There are literally dozens of posts every day in these newsgroups from
users who have been taken in by these forged emails and ending up with
the virus on their machines.

We respond so often to these messages with the same response that it
becomes automatic as soon as you see the phrase "installed security
update" in conjunction with errors.

I apologize if you felt insulted by my response, but under the current
circumstances I would probably respond in the same way to a similar
posting unless there was specific content indicating that a virus
problem was not a possibility.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."
 
Greetings --

There's no limit to the number of times you can reinstall and
activate the same WinXP license on the same PC. If it's been more
than 120 days since you last activated that specific Product Key,
you'll most likely be able to activate via the Internet without
problem. If it's been less, you might have to make a 5 minute phone
call.

Here are the facts pertaining to activation:

Piracy Basics - Microsoft Product Activation
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/

Windows Product Activation (WPA)
http://www.aumha.org/a/wpa.htm


Bruce Chambers

--
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having both at once. -- RAH
 
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