I have never retained a copy of Windows that came with any machine I have ever purchased, as I typically pop in a linux disc and wipe away on first boot. Then I run Windows inside VirtualBox. I have a real partition for a windows installation now, but even so, when I use windows I only use the 90 day evaluation versions.

I am very limited in my use with Windows, but still it seems I always manage to mess something up. I never install anti-virus software, of any kind, nor malware anything beyond what ever Windows 7 has built in. I have not any had issues that I believed to be virus related, but I have yet to hit the 90 day expiration date before I have to wipe and re-install because of windows stupidity.

Example, just a week ago I updated to LibreOffice 4 and now when I open a folder by double clicking in Windows Explorer it will only open in a new window. I can right-click and select open and it will stay in the native window, but why should I have to do this? And what caused it?

I realize I could go search google and edit the registry to fix this, but that is still such an irritation that I want to wipe the system and start over. Not to mention the fact that when I select Devices and Printers from the control panel the window is completely blank.

What do I use this windows 7 install for? Occasional notepad++ editing of php, GoToMeeting, and Netflix.

I would love to create an image, but the 90 day limitation stops me. Unless there is a way around that, but I have not bothered to look.

On Friday, February 15, 2013 10:44:22 Eric Cope wrote:

The best advice I ever received IMO with regards to cleaning Windows machines was this:

Do a clean install, get everything installed and updated, then take an image of the drive. Keep your files (My Documents) backed up. When the machine gets infected, wipe the disk, restore the image, update (and generate new image) as necessary, restore your files and go.

Trying to clean windows is such a terrible experience, it should not be considered an option. Of course, I don't consider Windows an option in the first place, but that's another topic.

Eric

On Fri, Feb 15, 2013 at 10:12 AM, Stephen <cryptworks@gmail.com> wrote:

I think it might have been. I know Kaspersky was a Linux based live cd

On Feb 15, 2013 9:26 AM, "kitepilot@kitepilot.com" <kitepilot@kitepilot.com> wrote:

Is that a live-CD Linux distribution?
ET

Stephen writes:

Well I have had luck with the malware bytes disk, and avast.

On Fri, Feb 15, 2013 at 9:11 AM, kitepilot@kitepilot.com <
kitepilot@kitepilot.com> wrote:

No, he doesn't want AVG.
He wants a live CD Linux distribution with the necessary tools to clean an
inactive (but accessible) Wincrap filesystem.
I know what he is after...
ET

John J. Macey writes:

Wipe Drive, Install Linux. LOL! Give the AVG Trial a try.
On 02/15/2013 08:41 AM, Michael Havens wrote:

I Love Linux. That being said, what is the best OpenSource program for
cleaning an infected Microsoft computer (spyware/virus)?
:-)~MIKE~(-:
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--
A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from
rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.
Stephen

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