Should users be protected in getting HJT log advice ??

[diogenes10]

Interesting discussion here:

http://delltalk.us.dell.com/support...essage.id=22568&view=by_date_ascending&page=1

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It's 10 O'Clock ( somewhere! ).
Are your registry and data backed up?

 

[carrr]

I think that caveat emptor applies here.
You and I both see a LOT of users who seek reads on logs who clearly are totally clueless when it comes to ferreting out problems. This is the beginning fo the problem.

The next part of the problem is well-intended, but sketchy/poorly informed advice on what to do with the logs.

The bottom line is, IMHO, you ask for advice, you'll likely get it. It's up to you to decide how to best apply it.

This gives rise to another question: Should HJT (and a number of other equally powerful apps out there) only be available to the annointed? There'd probably be less mayhem made out there if many tools were kept out of semi-capable/incapable hands. But then, that'd be a little doctrinaire, wouldn't it?



Tired of waiting for an answer? Try asking better questions. See: faq222-2244

 

[CajunCenturion]

Should HJT (and a number of other equally powerful apps out there) only be available to the annointed?

In theory this sounds great, but how do you identify the annointed?

Good Luck
--------------
To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read FAQ181-2886
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[carrr]

That was intended as purely a rhetorical question.

Tired of waiting for an answer? Try asking better questions. See: faq222-2244

 

[Tarwn]

I'm not sure there would be less mayhem if the products were only available to techs of some sort. I think the reverse would in fact be true, at least this way if someone breaks there computer then they have to take it to a tech.
When someone gets malware or something on there computer if they have to spend money to get it fixed they are going to put it off. If the software is avaliable thouhg, then a good number of them will manage to fix things themselves, leaving a smaller percentage to break things and call a tech.

I would say this also pushes the arguments on a need for greater useabaility, greater education in basic use, etc.

<offtopic relevance="barely">
Course my father (PHD Physics, Masters Math, etc, etc) had his nice system completely overrun when I went over there the other day (300+ hits in SS&D, 30+ more in AdAware, still didn't get it all). He was using the laptop instead, even cleaned it once himself, he hasn't taught my little brother how to clean up aftwer his crazy internet game installs yet. So I think this means that if the software wasn't even generally available the situation would be even worse.
</offtopic>

-T

_{01000111 01101111 01110100 00100000 01000011 01101111 01100110 01100110 01100101 01100101 00111111}
Help, the rampaging, spear-waving, rabid network gnomes are after me!

 

[Spirit]

I agree with Tarwin on this on.

Look at XP SP2 oh it broke this, it broke that blah blah blah I'd prefer to be dragged round a mates house to fix the reason that he can't get on line to play Medal of Honour than get 1000's of email infected virus's and 10000's email spam hitting my servers all of it coming from some granny/grandad on AOL who doesn't know nor care what spyware / trojans are.

(To all the expert granny / grandads out there I merely use the names as examples I know there's a lot out there who help me out all the time!)

Just my tupence worth,

Iain

 

[edfair]

Anyone clueless enough to be infected and asking for advice from equally clueless support deserve the effects of using that advice. The worst case result would be an OS reload.

There is enough information available from multiple sources to avoid problems if people would use it.

People who look for medical advice on the web are equally at risk. They may be getting the advice from their 10 year old neighbor. Who really can tell?

I would be in favor of the tools being available to anybody with the usual disclaimers.





Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[carrr]

I'm not sure there would be less mayhem if the products were only available to techs of some sort.

The entire last paragraph of my post was not intended as anything more than a rhetorical question coupled with a hypothetical. A hypothetical that I denounced as "doctrinaire" were it ever possible that it be so.
I was making an - obviously not clearly communicated - attempt to flip the discussion that diogenes10 was pointing to.

I honestly believe that MORE mayhem would ensue if we kept our remedies locked in a cabinet, because:
1) while some do muck things up through the misuse of apps, many others LEARN and get better through the employment of such.
2) widespread usage of such apps actually discourages the relegation of such apps by the "annointed," as - at least I believe - mass usage encourages developers to make things more accessible, and this is a good thing.
3) ultimately, we'd all like to see malwares go away. While this is unlikely, the more that know how to fend them off/weaken their effect, the less potency the makers of this crap ultimately have.

Ok then.

Tired of waiting for an answer? Try asking better questions. See: faq222-2244

 

[MakeItSo]

There is enough information available from multiple sources to avoid problems if people would use it

Quite true - but not fully. It is not always easy telling good information from risky, which might get your machine even more infected..

I just got rid of an unwanted Search toolbar(LOP) - the solution to this problem kept me going for weeks!
Not only did my networks admins not manage to get rid of it, also did any "normal" treatment with AdAware, SpybotS&D and Hijack This not help!
Finally found help here:

http://forums.spywareinfo.com/index.php?act=SC&c=4

So, truly there is Info out there. But I already had performed most of the steps to remove the lop including the install of a SW firewall. Which is astounding since this was my computer at work - behind a firewall...

- I am mostly quite inventive, when it comes to solving problems but I can well imagine some not-so-confident user wanting to throw his machine out of the window due to malware...

I think, at the speed, Spy/Malware are currently increasing to spread, HJT help (or related) is urgently needed, no matter how (in-)experienced the victim is...

BTW: The solution for me was an uninstaller - provided by the malware provider himself... (Would you call that trustworthy when you're already infected?)
-->

http://lop.com/new_uninstall.exe