Re: My window XP inflected? Urgent Help need please

On Mon, 25 Apr 2005 02:01:11 -0500, "Shenan Stanley"
>Leythos wrote:

>> In the case of an inexperienced user, cleaning the system is not
>> fool-proof, even with good instructions a malicious app could remain.

"It's all so difficult"; yes, indeed it is.

>> The only true method, at least the only one a certified tech would
>> sign his/her name to, would be to format and do a clean install and
>> apply app updates/patches before reconnecting to the Net.

Think this through.

Yes, that's great CYA for the tech, who doesn't have to give a damn
about colateral damage. It's not his problem when the PC is
re-infected the same way within a week of being "clean".

If you are saying a user is too dumb to clean the system, then you
have to concede they are too dumb to rebuild it in a better way that
will be harder to infect again.

In fact, chances are they will simply follow the dots so that their
original unpatched OS is installed with duhfault settings and
re-connected to the Internet. What's more likely to win the patch
race; the OS locating, EULAing and pulling down patches from 1 MS
server, or thousands of malware'd Internet systems blasting tiny
attack packets at the exposed and unpatched surface?

>> Formatting for a compromised machine is the only certain method to
>> ensure that it's clean.

Misses the point entirely. The objective is not to reach a clean
state, but is to attain and maintain a clean state with a minimum of
colateral damage. "Just format" meets only 1 out of 3 criteria.

>I also argue that even the most experienced "computer tech" should
>weigh which would be more efficient - image the machine, backup certain
>settings and media and rebuild from scratch or attempt to clean this heavily
>infested machine.

Use the same yardstick, and you will see this is not so clear-cut.

If you want to criticise cleanup because it may not clean up
everything, then apply the same rigor to "just" format and rebuild.

Will current tools re-create the pre-existing installation with
prefect accuracy, i.e. not a single lost setting, no lost data, no
loss of patches or risk management, etc.?

If not, then just as you criticise cleanup fior possibly missing
malware, so must we criticise rebuild for possibly missing user data,
settings, or protections. Chances are, you'd find it as difficult to
do a no-loss rebuild as it is to do an effective cleanup - but there's
a difference; user data loss cannot be made good by simply
re-installing something. The impact is high and unfixable.

Or are you saying that whenever the possibility of malware arises,
users should just accept data and settings loss? That's obscene.

>However, my posting of these tips for people is in hopes that even if they
>have to rebuild their machine from scratch, they are better prepared.

You should "never" have to rebuild from scratch. If this is
necessary, it means OS maintenance has FAILED.

For us stand-alone end users, the things we fear most are:
- losing our data
- losing our installation
- hardware failure especially if causes the above

For us, an OS that reduces the risks of the above is a better OS, and
one that increases these risks is a worse OS. If you are saying that
the XP platform is so useless when it comes to maintenance that it is
impossible to clean it of malware, then it is a worse OS.

All this talk of "yes, but NTFS lets Ford Motor Company apply a
consistent desktop and lockdown across 200 000 PCs!" is as meaningless
and irrelevant to us as "yes, this parrot does indeed appear to be
dead, but... beautiful plumage!".

To hell with the plumage! Give us maintainability and survivability!



>---------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
Gone to bloggery: http://cquirke.blogspot.com
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