[thelist] Re: Yikes! Misbehaving machine - please help

[Techwatcher]

> > From: thelist-admin at lists.evolt.org
> > [mailto:thelist-admin at lists.evolt.org]On Behalf Of Marc Seyon
> > Sent: 18 June 2002 20:00
> > To: thelist at lists.evolt.org
> > Subject: RE: [thelist] Yikes! Misbehaving machine - please help.
> >
> > My resident computer-guru advised that it's likely that the
> > CD-drive itself is on the way out, and this may be the root of
> > the problem. What say ye?
>
> Says I:  either he's 100% correct, or it's the
> cable running between the IDE controller and the
> CD drive that's shot.  But on balance of probabilities,
> it's more likely to be the CD drive.
>
> ------------------------------------------
> John Handelaar
>
> T +44 20 8933 1494       M +44 7930 681789
> F +44 870 169 7657   E john at userfrenzy.com
> ------------------------------------------
Sorry I missed the first mention of this problem. Just about 3 days ago
our neighbor wandered in to complain that her R/W CD was giving error
message about its engine and "could it be broken (she asked my father,
the engineer)?"
Says I, "Have you checked for Klez worm?" Followed by lengthy
explanation, promises of telephone support (her house has steps, I have
physical limitations), and handing her diskette with FixKlez.com on it.

A few hours later, we have successfully removed all 135 infections of
said virus, and lo and behold -- her CD drive works again.

So, have you gone to Norton or other AV site and downloaded FixKlez
(small virus CLEANSER, requires repeated use, does not prevent
reinfection!)? And used it? If not, your software drivers could be
infected, causing this drive or any other to appear "broken."

Cheers
Carol Stein (techwatcher)

<tip type="suspect hardware LAST" author="Carol Stein">
Computer hardware (apart from floppy diskettes) does not often fail. It
is designed to have HUGE mtbf (Mean Time Between Failure) -- far more
than average user would ever experience (since repair is more
enormously more expensive than proper manufacture). If it's going to
fail, it should happen within a few hours of first use. Once broken in,
failure is VERY RARE.
Viruses, however, are very common. Once they reach your software
drivers, the machine doesn't know it's not the hardware.
</tip>