Tech Questions

[ManchestrMorgue]

Originally Posted by Fred Krueger

I just don't see the benefit in downloading movies illegally and burning them. Movies are not expensive, you just may have to save some money and wait a few weeks, big deal I'd rather have a DVD quality copy, plus the case and extras than a poor copy with artifacting that doesn't work on 50% of DVD players.

Just my opinion of course

I agree with you. I like to buy (rather than rent or anything else). However there is lots of media on the internet that is not commercial. For example, have a look at the Internet Archive, under their Moving Pictures section. They have lots of video - including old/public domain films but also episodes of the Computer Chronicles etc that are downloadable. It is ok to watch these things on your computer monitor, but sometimes it is nice to watch them on the TV, hence the need to convert to DVD.

Personally, I don't download copyright movies because DVD's are cheap, I prefer the quality and like having a collection of DVD's with their cases/artwork etc. And I want to support the release of cult/horror films because I want to see more films released, especially older/more obscure titles.

But there is a lot of media in the AVI format that is not copyrighted movies - eg video podcasts, and media similar to what can be found on archive.org. A lot of this stuff CAN'T be purchased (and is provided willingly by it's creators at no cost, electronically). For this stuff, the tools that have been mentioned in this thread are very valuable. And it is in that spirit that I have provided advice/links.

[Disease]

What's the deal with spyware, aparently i have some on my pc, Can anyone of you tell me a safe program to download to get rid of it?

Norton doesn't seem to be helping......

It has got me beat.

[ManchestrMorgue]

Try these:

Windows Defender www.microsoft.com/spyware

Spybot Search and Destroy www.safer-networking.org

Spyware can be hard to remove, though...

[Disease]

are they both safe?

[Disease]

How do I even know if I have gotten rid of it or not?

[LoudLon]

I use a program called Spyware Doctor. You can download it for free and run a scan, but you'll have to register it (for 35 bucks) for it to remove the malware/spyware it finds.

But, I will attest to its effectiveness; the first time I ran it, it found over one hundred and twenty spyware/malware objects that neither Spybot S&D nor Adaware picked up. I've been using it for about three years now, and I've yet to encounter a better spyware/malware remover. It also provides an On-Guard function and will alert you if you're entering a site which may potentially contain harmful content. It also locates and removes trojans, BHO's and CWS.

Also of use is a program called CCleaner, which cleans all temporary files from you computer. And as for a good anti-virus program, I recommend Avast! anti-virus. You can get both from www.download.com. Both CCleaner and Avast! are totally free.

Funny thing is, even though Avast is totally free, it's way better than Norton or McAfee and located viral activity on my computer that neither Norton nor McAfee picked up on.

[Disease]

I've been getting pop ups for spyware doctor, i was going to downloaod it, but I didn't trust it.....Aparently I might have a trojan, is that hard to get rid of?

[Disease]

I did the free scan with spyware doctor, but what will actually clear all these crap viruses of the system?

[ManchestrMorgue]

The two that I recommended are well known, trusted, and safe. One is from Microsoft.

As to how you know if you have truly gotten rid of everything - that is the problem. Spyware makers are getting good at making these things harder to detect and remove.

Sometimes, depending on what you are infected with, and how much spyware you have, the easiest and most sure thing is to reinstall windows. It is a pain to have to back up all the data etc but at least you know that all the unwanted stuff is gone.

[The Mothman]

Spybot and adaware. both free and both the best. run them each around once a month.