Infested with Viruses
We have two desktop computers at homeone that we affectionately refer to as “Trigger's Broom”, and the other that was given to us by my Dad when he became a Flight Simulator nut a few years ago (I gather his latest computer is some sort of liquid cooled superconducting mega beast from hell).
When I got in from work this evening I logged into Trigger's Broom, and went to check something on the internetand was somewhat surprised when the computer took the best part of a minute to show the browser. Hmmm what's going on?A few moments later I popped open Task Manager, and my heart sank. Malware. Lots of it. Dammit.
Since installing Windows 10 we haven't bothered with a virus killer on either computer, because it'ssupposed to have one built in. Har har. Microsoft obviously don't have a test case involvinga house full of children that click on “OK” on any and all dialog boxes, because in their Charlie Brown world the OK button really means “remove this distraction from my field of view, and let me get to the free web based game I want to beat my sister at”.
So yeah I've spent the greater part of the evening installing virus killing software, and running full virus scans on both computers. Oh. My. Word. I have never seen such quantities of pestilence reported by a computer before. Bear in mind that the kids didnot have local admin rightsthey arenormal users -on purpose.Our eldest daughter in particular (Miss 15) had amassed a gigantic quantity of infected files. She must have a special talent or something.
Needless to say, both computers are going to run a little more slowly now, because they have the computer equivalent of the Gestapo camping outside their doorwaysasking any and all packets of data moving to and fro “where are your papers?!“In other news, I spent the greater part of today on a conference call teaching consultants how to be Gits. No, reallythere is a piece of software called Git. Honest.
Oh, and if you're wondering about the computer being referred to as “Trigger's Broom”, perhaps I should explain. For many years there was a sitcom on TV in the UK called “Only Fools and Horses”. One of the principal charactersa mentally challenged individual called “Trigger”was a cleaner for the local authority. During one of the final ever episodes, Trigger noted that he had been using the same broom for something like twenty years. He then explained that he had replaced the head of the broom many times, and the handle many times, but it was still the same broomSo yesthe old computer under the deskthe one I get to use most of the timeis Trigger's Broom. Very little of it is original, but somehow it keeps going. Fingers crossed it survives a little longer.