For all your little "script puppies" out there.... kiss my ass you little bastards! Grow up, get a life and, if possible, a girlfriend.
If the only joy in life that you can get is to hack into a system and dump stupid viruses or change the security settings then you need a sledge hammer to your gonads to make sure you don't breed. I have the sledge hammer and I am more than willing to use it, for the betterment of our world and the universe at large.
I can't understand the people in this world who just don't care. I know everyone has their selfish moments, I have quite a few actually, but in the end, I understand (or try to) the impact my actions have on other people. I may enjoy and get a little shiver of pleasure out of cutting someone off on the highway when they won't be nice and let me into their lane (I do use my blinker). But I always give a little wave while they flip me the bird.
The people who are creating the viruses, the spam messages and the spyware/Malware programs are the dregs of society. Ok, fine, maybe they have a couple brain cells but their impact on society and the world is not for the positive.
Well, fine, maybe some of those spam messages are giving people a chance to buy Viagra and porn but that just means that the idiots who are buying from the spammers are trying to breed.
It needs to stop. All you need is the right software... right?
Some people believe that the software companies that create the Virus and Spam blocking software are also the ones creating the Viruses and Spam. To an extent, this is true. Some brainiac figured out that if they send you a popup message telling you that you have a virus but "Click Here and we will clean your system for you", the innocent/ignorant users of the world will "click here". F'in Brilliant! Bastards, they were right.
In the last two weeks I've been chasing viruses and spyware because someone got into our system and dumped 30+ viruses on us. From there it traveled through our network to some vulnerable computers. Thankfully it didn't get to most of our systems because they were patched. But the older Windows 2000 systems got the worst of it.
I downloaded a free virus protection called "AVG" to do the initial cleaning of the viruses since my corporate edition was, apparently, sucking wind. AVG did a phenomenal job. I'm now talking to my company about purchasing the corporate edition for the servers and the work stations. One thing I really like about companies like Grisoft (AVG maker) is they feel it is their duty to help the average home user, thus they make the software free for home users. It's easy to use and they have a spyware version that is free as well. Grisoft is, in my opinion, one of the White Hat guys. They help keep the internet and it's users to be safe from the dingleberries who would like to cause havoc just because they can or to try and make a quick buck.
Kudos to Grisoft!! (and others like them). Symantec, Macafee and other similar companies are all out for the big $$. Renew every year to stay protected (for a price) and "maybe" they will find the viruses and cure them. 9 times out of 10 any software I have used could find the virus but could not "cure" or "heal" it. Plus they managed to slow my systems down to a crawl.
Well, for what it is worth, the dickhead that hacked into our system helped me in a few ways:
1. I lost 10 pounds by not eating or sleeping for a week and a half
2. I am now an alcoholic and my local liquor store is giving me discounts
3. I have a full, accurate inventory of all the computers in my company
4. I found some really neat games installed on users systems
5. I was able to reinforce our internet policy and write up the people I didn't like because they had installed games and Instant Chat software on their systems
6. I've always gotten a little thrill at typing "format c:"
7. Even the owner of the company is leaving me alone, for now. I'm sure his son's laptop needs to be tweaked before he goes off to college again.
If one more person tells me that this kind of stuff ensures "Job Security" the sledge hammer is coming out.
Showing posts with label Work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Work. Show all posts
Friday, August 10, 2007
Monday, May 7, 2007
The mystery of computers & their users
User Friendly the Comic Strip - The Daily Static
I love this comic strip. I've been reading it for years and I even go into the archives to check out the really old stuff every now and then. The geek in me really loves the dark humor and the anti-Microsoft attitude that the characters have. The most recent strips have been goofing on the Marketing guy (who loves anything Microsoft) who hasn't backed up his hard drive, ever, and of course, it crashes. The geek lectures him and makes fun of him, only to go back to his own desk to find his own hard drive has crashed and, well, I'm sure you can figure it out from there.
A very timely comic for me right now. A major concern for any computer guru is backing up data. Hard drives don't crash often but when they do it is always a problem for the geek and the user. As a geek with a heart (deep down, it's in there somewhere) I love to help those in need of geek services. Sometimes it's as easy as informing people what is going on in the virus/hacker/information highway traffic jam world we live in. Other times it's helping those who think I'm a goddess of inspiring intellect figure out why their home computers are flashing pornographic pop up windows when all they want to do is to place their Pea Pod order. A few simple questions for everyone to consider:
1. Do you have virus protection? What's that you say? Well, that answers my question.
2. Do you have children who access the internet? Yes, but they're good kids, they don't go to any "bad" sites.... yeah, ok, how about you or your husband/wife... hmmmmm? Curiosity killed the dog you know (Sorry, I'm a cat lover)
3. Do you leave your computer on at night? Most people say yes. This is a bad habit. Kinda like leaving your keys in your car all the time. Sure, send out an invitation to take your computer out for a joy ride. Free reign for all for those little 14 year old geeks who like to hack into vunerable, innocent computers at 2 in the morning. Don't you realize that the little hacker wannabees accross the globe can get into your system while you're sleeping? Turn the damn thing off. Take an extra 2 minutes to boot your computer when you need it.
4. Wireless in your house? Yes? Is it secure? Of course not, silly me.
5. Have you backed up your data lately? Burn CDs, save to floppies, anything, just make a point to do it ever few months or so, at least.
Well, I can't tell you how many computers I work on in the course of a day. I have 180 PCs at work plus 180 users and their home computers. I love my job, most days anyway.
Time for me to turn off the spiffy new laptop I bought for my husband. I wonder if he realized that he's been taking an empty laptop bag to work. He has a habit of carrying more bags to work than most women. Maybe my next rant will be about habits... that could be very interesting. Don't worry, I love my husband deeply, I'll try not to pick on his habits too much. :)
I love this comic strip. I've been reading it for years and I even go into the archives to check out the really old stuff every now and then. The geek in me really loves the dark humor and the anti-Microsoft attitude that the characters have. The most recent strips have been goofing on the Marketing guy (who loves anything Microsoft) who hasn't backed up his hard drive, ever, and of course, it crashes. The geek lectures him and makes fun of him, only to go back to his own desk to find his own hard drive has crashed and, well, I'm sure you can figure it out from there.
A very timely comic for me right now. A major concern for any computer guru is backing up data. Hard drives don't crash often but when they do it is always a problem for the geek and the user. As a geek with a heart (deep down, it's in there somewhere) I love to help those in need of geek services. Sometimes it's as easy as informing people what is going on in the virus/hacker/information highway traffic jam world we live in. Other times it's helping those who think I'm a goddess of inspiring intellect figure out why their home computers are flashing pornographic pop up windows when all they want to do is to place their Pea Pod order. A few simple questions for everyone to consider:
1. Do you have virus protection? What's that you say? Well, that answers my question.
2. Do you have children who access the internet? Yes, but they're good kids, they don't go to any "bad" sites.... yeah, ok, how about you or your husband/wife... hmmmmm? Curiosity killed the dog you know (Sorry, I'm a cat lover)
3. Do you leave your computer on at night? Most people say yes. This is a bad habit. Kinda like leaving your keys in your car all the time. Sure, send out an invitation to take your computer out for a joy ride. Free reign for all for those little 14 year old geeks who like to hack into vunerable, innocent computers at 2 in the morning. Don't you realize that the little hacker wannabees accross the globe can get into your system while you're sleeping? Turn the damn thing off. Take an extra 2 minutes to boot your computer when you need it.
4. Wireless in your house? Yes? Is it secure? Of course not, silly me.
5. Have you backed up your data lately? Burn CDs, save to floppies, anything, just make a point to do it ever few months or so, at least.
Well, I can't tell you how many computers I work on in the course of a day. I have 180 PCs at work plus 180 users and their home computers. I love my job, most days anyway.
Time for me to turn off the spiffy new laptop I bought for my husband. I wonder if he realized that he's been taking an empty laptop bag to work. He has a habit of carrying more bags to work than most women. Maybe my next rant will be about habits... that could be very interesting. Don't worry, I love my husband deeply, I'll try not to pick on his habits too much. :)
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Vista Play by Play
Installing Windows Vista – Business Edition:
Ok, Time is 10:45am, lets go:
Boot computer and log in as Administrator (as long as you have administrative rights you will be fine just logging in as yourself, if you have to log in at all, and if you know what administrative right are at all) - check
Turn off virus protection (huh? Pesky installation files resemble viruses so your virus protection software will have a fit if it is on)… yup – check
Make sure your internet connection is active (see below for reason) – check
Insert CD/DVD for Vista – check
Click on Upgrade (screw that "check compatibility" stuff, bring it on!) – check
Hmm… First screen wants to know if I want to connect to the internet to download installation updates……to go online for latest updates or not…. Well… the description for the "Do not get updates" option sounds scary… "Without these updates, installation might fail and your computer could be more vulnerable to security threats".. OK, I can deal with that since I am a Tech Goddess but I'll let it get the updates anyway, can't hurt
Wait, should I check off the box that says "I want to help make Windows installation better"? … naaa live dangerously and let them fix it themselves – no check
Click on "Go online to get latest updates for installation" – check…
Now it is searching for installation updates……
Ouuuuu, my first error message:
Windows setup was unable to download update files at this time… blah blah blah, Click OK, I'll deal with this later – check
Type your product key for activation… hmmmm…. No, I don't want to. I'll take off the check mark for "Automatically activate Windows when I'm online" too because if I don't like the software, I want to be able to remove it and use the product key on another machine at another time. I don't want Microsoft to see that the key has already been used. I have that right and that ability. Click Next – check
Haha Microsoft isn't happy that I didn't put in the product key… "Do you want to enter your product key now? If you choose not to enter the product key now, you might need to reinstall Windows later and potentially lose data, information and programs or you might need to purchase another edition of Windows Vista" ouuuu scare tactics. I'm still going to click NO! Take THAT Bill! – check
"Select the edition of Windows that you purchased". This is probably the important part since the version is related to the product key. I'll choose the Business version since that is what I'm installing right now. I also have to check off a box at the bottom of the window that says "I have selected the edition of Windows that I purchased." Why? I don't know, probably some legal crap. There are some other scare tactics about the product key but all I hear in my head when I read it is blah blah blah. Click Next – check.
License terms… how many people really read it? Click "I accept" and click next – check
Well, it lists some software programs that "might not work". If I was really concerned about any of those programs I would exit out of the installation and contact the software company in question and see if there are any patches or new versions I may need for Vista. Since I don't really care about what is listed, I'm going to click Next to continue – check
Now its "upgrading". The window tells me that "your upgrade may take several hours to complete" great… There are 5 stages to complete:
Copying Windows files – started at 11:03am - finished at 11:06am – not bad
Getting files – Started at 11:06am – Finished at 11:12am – I'm not sure what the difference is between "copying files" and "getting files" but whatever, it was quick.
Expanding files - Started at 11:12am…. 11:13am The computer just restarted itself… DO NOT TOUCH THE COMPUTER. Just let the computer reboot on its own, it will go back into the installation when it's done. Ignore it… look away…. go do the dishes or something. Ok 11:14am and we are back to Expanding files (21%)… Finished 11:21am
Completing upgrade – Started 11:21am..11:23am The computer just restarted itself… DO NOT TOUCH THE COMPUTER. Just let the computer reboot on it's own, it will go back into the installation when it's done. Ignore it… look away…. go do the laundry since the dishes are done already. 11:23am Ouuuuu "please wait a moment while windows prepares to start for the first time" message ….. lots of little white dots going across the screen. False hope, 11:25am, back to the installation screen. 11:28am brief blank screen but it went back to the install screen quickly. 11:41am Computer restarted itself again. 11:42am back to installation (64%).. I gotta pee, hurry up! 11:46am Another reboot. 11:48am finished rebooting and now I am at a different "setup windows" screen.
"Help protect windows automatically"…. Usually I don't like to let anything upgrade or check on-line for stuff without me initiating the download myself. Just the control freak in me. For this reason I am not going to use "recommended settings" which would "install updates, help make internet browsing safer and check online for solutions to problems". I can either "Install important updates only" or click on "Ask me later". For now, I will click on Ask me later… I really have to pee. Click next - check
"Time zone and date settings"… everything looks good click next – check
"Choose computers current location… Home, Work or Public". Since Public will put restrictions on my system I'll choose Work. I don’t really know what the difference between Home and Work are and I don't think it matters too much anyway. Work – check
11:55am A nice Thank You message, how sweet. Click Start – check
Strange screens flash across telling you all about how awesome Vista is. You can "turn everyday moments in to lifetime memories" or "Connect, play, have fun" or have "The power to find everything"… hey I lost an earring last week…. You think? I also have a "more secure environment" and "getting it done just got more fun" or "connect and communicate like never before" or "turn everyday…" wait, repeat window, how lame. Now I have a blank screen…. Ok it is Preparing your (my) desktop 12:01am…
12:02am I have a DESKTOP!
The Windows Welcome Center has opened and I can now begin to play with Vista and test my software.
Note: No animals were harmed in this installation of Windows Vista. Can't say the same for the guys I work with.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Hmmmmmm
Well, this should be interesting. My first Blog. Hmmmmm, what to write? So many things to rant about but so little time to waste doing it. Why bother ranting when I can just ignore the idiots and get on with my job/life? Are they worth ranting about? No. Will I feel better for lambasting them in a blog? Maybe... well, yeah I would.
First Rant: Management
Why have a Network Administrator/IT manager if you are not going to listen to her anyway? Why ask me to go to a meeting if you don't want my opinion? Why the hell should I get out of my warm bed to drag my butt work for 7am if you are going to ignore my recommendations and tell me that I don't know what the big picture is? Well, if your Network Manager doesn't know what the long term plans are, because they are top secret, how can the company expect to get the big picture? Flipping burgers at McDs is looking appealing more each day. I have to practice my "Want fries with that"?
My one saving grace is that my immediate boss is great. He understands, somewhat. He's a CFO so doesn't understand all the technical stuff but he lets me do my job with only minimal harassment and torture.
I do get a kick out of my job. The users are very entertaining, most of the time. Their little idiosyncrasies keep me laughing (usually I try to wait until AFTER I've gotten off the phone with them). I do love what I do. The potential for reckless abuse of power is very attractive to geeks like me. In the end, I only want to help, and feel good for doing it. Not much to ask for right?
Well, that's it for my first Blog. Kinda reminds me of my old diary. I type faster than I can write anyway so this may work out ok. After a couple glasses of wine, this should get REALLY interesting. :)
First Rant: Management
Why have a Network Administrator/IT manager if you are not going to listen to her anyway? Why ask me to go to a meeting if you don't want my opinion? Why the hell should I get out of my warm bed to drag my butt work for 7am if you are going to ignore my recommendations and tell me that I don't know what the big picture is? Well, if your Network Manager doesn't know what the long term plans are, because they are top secret, how can the company expect to get the big picture? Flipping burgers at McDs is looking appealing more each day. I have to practice my "Want fries with that"?
My one saving grace is that my immediate boss is great. He understands, somewhat. He's a CFO so doesn't understand all the technical stuff but he lets me do my job with only minimal harassment and torture.
I do get a kick out of my job. The users are very entertaining, most of the time. Their little idiosyncrasies keep me laughing (usually I try to wait until AFTER I've gotten off the phone with them). I do love what I do. The potential for reckless abuse of power is very attractive to geeks like me. In the end, I only want to help, and feel good for doing it. Not much to ask for right?
Well, that's it for my first Blog. Kinda reminds me of my old diary. I type faster than I can write anyway so this may work out ok. After a couple glasses of wine, this should get REALLY interesting. :)
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