I'm sure its my moron ISP tech but....

[mattdoesntcare.livejournal.com]

Hey guys there isn't some brand spanking new virus that you're getting calls about that is infecting 2k and Xp boxes and only allows the user to to view certain webpages and log into certain instand messengers is there?

Comments

[dr-atheist.livejournal.com]

try checking the latest virus alerts on anti virus sites like
http://www.f-secure.com/

[mattdoesntcare.livejournal.com]

I've been using firefox for a year. Virus scanner updates itself and scans everynight at midnight. Spybot came back clean just for the hell of it. I'm quite sure its an ISP issue after calling some other users.

[dr-atheist.livejournal.com]

Sounds like it's time to ditch the ISP.
Unless you run programs provided by the ISP (ie aohell browsers, connection monitors) there shouldn't be any issues, the ISP only acting as a connection/bandwidth provider. Unless my ISP's servers crash they have nothing to do with the performance of my machine.

[mattdoesntcare.livejournal.com]

It's 8 bucks a month and local and doesn't require me to call long distance. Alabama fucking sucks.

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

ZoneAlarm?

[mattdoesntcare.livejournal.com]

is not a complete sentence, nor a coherent thought.

[dr-atheist.livejournal.com]

But he probably means is zone-alarm blocking ports or denying programs access.

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

It was a joke actually. All Zone-Alarm does, in my experience, is block ports and make the user more paranoid.

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

So... Text on a screen is not a coherant thought? Wow, you got me there..

Are you a tech?

[tmercenary.livejournal.com]

Sounds like Spyware of several varities.

[mattdoesntcare.livejournal.com]

meh, checked that out, almost positive the ISP has some issues--they've been up and down all week "updating the servers"

[igz00.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't recommend calling your ISP tech a moron in this community.

Search your running processes for things with a random combination of letters and numbers that is being run by your username. End all those processes. Now go into your Add/Remove programs list and delete everything that is a random combination of letters similar to anything in your processes list.

We have a ton of people who've called in with similar problems. Also try removing Zone Alarm or Norton Internet Security (the fire wall in it seems to screw things up.)

[mattdoesntcare.livejournal.com]

Having worked with the one, yes one, person who manages our local ISP for several years I feel comfortable calling him a moron because I'm almost positive that he's never used the internet.

[dr-atheist.livejournal.com]

take them as they come, some are complete morons, some know what they are talking about. I don't refer to my companies helpdesk as helldesk for nothing.

[igz00.livejournal.com]

The helpdesk I work at is kind of the red-headed step-child of the main IT department. Not because we're dumb, but because they've banished us to a completely different building about a mile away from everyone else. The main IT help desk often calls us on the phone to ask us questions about topics they claim to cover... idiots.

[ozdeadmeat.livejournal.com]

dumb question but have u checked the hosts file.

[mattdoesntcare.livejournal.com]

that was actually my first thought, but it came back clean

[prozacnation.livejournal.com]

People will never admit they have spyware on their computers. They always think it's the "morons" at the ISP putting it on there. "But this NEVER happened before when I was with AOHell!"

The only calls I get about win2000 and XP are Lusers who don't know how to run them or to scan their computers for spyware or viruses.

[mattdoesntcare.livejournal.com]

Nah this is actually a problem I've ran across and I've checked with other users on this ISP and they're having the same problem.

Oddly enough my ISP is a father son team in rural Alabama.

[tmercenary.livejournal.com]

They have computers, much less electricy in rural Alabama now?

[mattdoesntcare.livejournal.com]

Not only that we have a call center for a major PC company, and we do all of their wireless support.

[crankyholly.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately so... I work for a cable company that provides service to such areas. Most (not all) of the locals shouldn't have access to oxygen, much less highspeed internet.

[klyf23.livejournal.com]

Wonder if you could use another ISP's dns....

I did that for a while when I lived somewhere with qw3st DSL.

Let me guess....

[dragonsfancy.livejournal.com]

...alanu?

[pygmymetal.livejournal.com]

Try adaware and hijack this. Don't just rely on spybot, it is my *first* line of defense. Adaware is second, then for those other pesky buggers I use hijeack this and google for strange looking entries.

Not for your average user tho, use with EXTREME caution or you can really hose your system up.

YMMV.