Beware of those who bit the hand that feeds them

[Ian Kenefick]

I got an email from a visitor to a.c.a-v requesting help to determine
if a: his pc had been infected and b: to rid his pc of this possible
infection.

The symtoms were adware like and included a mass of popup windows.

My initial step was to instruct him to run multi_av on his pc and use
the kav engine as this would be the most thorough one. On failing
this... I sent him a program to capture details including his registry
and running processes/modules and then set about requesting suspect
files from his pc. After thrawling the log of his pc's registry and
running processes/modules I found nothing out of the ordinary in and
there was nothing I could do other than repair internet explorer in an
effort to undo whatever changes possible malware may have made.

Granted this took a few days longer than usual as I was quite busy at
work and suffering with a bout of influenza. To my surprise I got this
reply from the person I was trying to help this morning....

I tried the procedure but it didn't work. The malware generated pop-up still
appears. I don't want to hear from you again. You, like David H. Lipman, are wasting
my time. I will post a complaint against both of you in alt.comp.anti-virus.

I, like David Lipman am beginning to ask myself... is offering help,
being the good samaritan if you like, worth it? Especially if this is
the response you are to expect!

<Begin Rant>
Removing malware from your pc is tough enough... especially if you
haven't a clue what it is. Patience is a virtue and idiots are a part
of life I guess.
</End Rant>

 

[Boris Mohar]

snip...

I, like David Lipman am beginning to ask myself... is offering help,
being the good samaritan if you like, worth it? Especially if this is
the response you are to expect!

<Begin Rant>
Removing malware from your pc is tough enough... especially if you
haven't a clue what it is. Patience is a virtue and idiots are a part
of life I guess.
</End Rant>

Let the peckerhead complain and make a fool out of himself. For those that
offer help to the clueless like myself , you are the angels of mercy.

 

[slartyb]

I got an email from a visitor to a.c.a-v requesting help to determine
if a: his pc had been infected and b: to rid his pc of this possible
infection.

The symtoms were adware like and included a mass of popup windows.

My initial step was to instruct him to run multi_av on his pc and use
the kav engine as this would be the most thorough one. On failing
this... I sent him a program to capture details including his registry
and running processes/modules and then set about requesting suspect
files from his pc. After thrawling the log of his pc's registry and
running processes/modules I found nothing out of the ordinary in and
there was nothing I could do other than repair internet explorer in an
effort to undo whatever changes possible malware may have made.

Granted this took a few days longer than usual as I was quite busy at
work and suffering with a bout of influenza. To my surprise I got this
reply from the person I was trying to help this morning....


I, like David Lipman am beginning to ask myself... is offering help,
being the good samaritan if you like, worth it? Especially if this is
the response you are to expect!

<Begin Rant>
Removing malware from your pc is tough enough... especially if you
haven't a clue what it is. Patience is a virtue and idiots are a part
of life I guess.
</End Rant>

When i get asked to assist members of my pc club, i always ask for the
EXACT wording of the error message or popup name etc, anything less
and we do not have the full story,


The ordinary man in the street pc owner is clueless, some do not tell
the full story and then admit to doing something that caused the
problem.

Are you sure this person was telling the absolute truth?

If i had charged $80 per hour for the assistance i have given over 10
years of sorting out other peoples virus and spyware problems, i could
buy my own lear jet with cash.

Ian, keep up the good work. also David, i use your multiav often in
identifying various virus problems.




ban rectum thermometers

 

[Joan Archer]

Some people just don't want to be helped.
I don't suppose there is anything you can do but carry on helping the
people who genuinely do need it and actually give the information required
and come back to acknowledge and thank the people like yourself and David
plus the others in here who provide the support.
Joan

 

[Adam Piggott]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

I, like David Lipman am beginning to ask myself... is offering help,
being the good samaritan if you like, worth it? Especially if this is
the response you are to expect!

<Begin Rant> Removing malware from your pc is tough enough... especially
if you haven't a clue what it is. Patience is a virtue and idiots are a
part of life I guess. </End Rant>

I've always found that trying to assist someone from removing
viruses/spyware via email or other method that's not "real time" is just
too difficult to be worth it. That might sound harsh, and those whom I'm
sure have been cured by such efforts would say otherwise, but that's my
opinion.

I hold those who do so in high regard though. Anyone that I saw whinging
about you, David or others would be seen as nothing but...well, whingers.

Adam Piggott,
Proprietor,
Proactive Services (Computing)
http://www.proactiveservices.co.uk/
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Version: GnuPG v1.4.2 (MingW32)

iD8DBQFDnEH17uRVdtPsXDkRAgDQAJ41z7SjXxBi9sjLLZhIswkxOvzfuQCfeTeG
rEcFbMNmWdcK6L3PwbJ8YcU=
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[optikl]

I, like David Lipman am beginning to ask myself... is offering help,
being the good samaritan if you like, worth it? Especially if this is
the response you are to expect!

If you have to ask the question, maybe you've already made up your mind.
I suspect the satisfaction you get from those who are grateful for
any help they get, regardless of the outcome, is why you help people in
the first place. There will always be those who are grateful only if the
outcome is to their liking. Forget them.

 

[Jaycee]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1



I've always found that trying to assist someone from removing
viruses/spyware via email or other method that's not "real time" is just
too difficult to be worth it. That might sound harsh, and those whom I'm
sure have been cured by such efforts would say otherwise, but that's my
opinion.

I hold those who do so in high regard though. Anyone that I saw whinging
about you, David or others would be seen as nothing but...well, whingers.

I would like to add my wee little bit here.
I'm an abs newbie and had my box all messed up by trojans and other
malware.( I had only NAV on my machine then)
It was only after advice received from David Lipman that I managed to
restore my computer to normalcy.
Following the advice of *Good Samaritans* in this and other groups I've
installed Adaware,Spybot.Spywareblaster,A-squared free, EZ AV,CCleaner,CW
shredder and am safe since then til date (touch wood).
I therefore assure all helpful souls that despite what the occasional idiot
may say there a lot like me who are extremely thankful to you all.
Thanks and keep it up.

 

[pcbutts1]

That's because you and David, mostly David, flood these NG's with spam
promoting your website and his crappy slow crashing multi avi tool that
rarely works. That leads people to falsely believe that you know what you
are doing, when you don't. Strange how they mention both you and David in
one email. Malware/Spyware and viruses are 2 different things. You and David
both know nothing about Spyware and you should leave support in that area to
the experts like me. Had you done that you would not have had to post this
ridiculous message. POP-ups are annoying and I don't blame him for getting
mad, he looked to you for assistance and you provided none.

--


The best live web video on the internet http://www.seedsv.com/webdemo.htm
NEW Embedded system W/Linux. We now sell DVR cards.
See it all at http://www.seedsv.com/products.htm
Sharpvision simply the best http://www.seedsv.com

 

[me]

I, like David Lipman am beginning to ask myself... is
offering help, being the good samaritan if you like, worth
it? Especially if this is the response you are to expect!

"No good deed goes unpunished."

Hang in there. Methinks the thankful outnumber the idiots.

J

 

[Max Wachtel]

(e-mail address removed) AKA pcbutts1 on 12/11/2005 in

snip usual crap

******************Reply Separator*************************

NEVER download files from anywhere unless it is from the website of the
developer,manufacturer or some entity you trust. The developers
websites ALWAYS have the most up to date files that haven't been
tampered with by some third party who is "hosting"(read Leeching or
Stealing) those files without permission.
max
--
Virus Removal Instructions: http://home.neo.rr.com/manna4u/
Keeping Windows Clean: http://home.neo.rr.com/manna4u/keepingclean.html
Windows Help: http://home.neo.rr.com/manna4u/tools.html
Specific Fixes: http://home.neo.rr.com/manna4u/fixes.html
Playing Nice on Usenet: http://oakroadsystems.com/genl/unice.htm#xpost
To reply by e-mail change nomail.afraid.org to gmail.com
nomail.afraid.org is setup specifically for use in USENET
feel free to use it yourself. Registered Linux User #393236

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

I got an email from a visitor to a.c.a-v requesting help to determine
if a: his pc had been infected and b: to rid his pc of this possible
infection.

The symtoms were adware like and included a mass of popup windows.

My initial step was to instruct him to run multi_av on his pc and use
the kav engine as this would be the most thorough one. On failing
this... I sent him a program to capture details including his registry
and running processes/modules and then set about requesting suspect
files from his pc. After thrawling the log of his pc's registry and
running processes/modules I found nothing out of the ordinary in and
there was nothing I could do other than repair internet explorer in an
effort to undo whatever changes possible malware may have made.

Granted this took a few days longer than usual as I was quite busy at
work and suffering with a bout of influenza. To my surprise I got this
reply from the person I was trying to help this morning....

Funny he picks the (usually) two most helpful posters to accuse of wasting time.

I, like David Lipman am beginning to ask myself... is offering help,
being the good samaritan if you like, worth it? Especially if this is
the response you are to expect!

Don't be discouraged, this person probably doesn't want to make an effort
at troubleshooting his system. He only wants a quick fix so he can be on to
getting more crap installed on his PC.

Adware symptoms are not always the result of locally running adware. I have
seen DNS settings that were altered, and that is something anti-adware progs
wouldn't be able to detect unless the false or poisoned DNS address were
known to the prog.

<Begin Rant>
Removing malware from your pc is tough enough... especially if you
haven't a clue what it is. Patience is a virtue and idiots are a part
of life I guess.
</End Rant>

Well ... there's just no helping some people

 

[Ian Kenefick]

That's because you and David, mostly David, flood these NG's with spam
promoting your website and his crappy slow crashing multi avi tool that
rarely works.

BS

That leads people to falsely believe that you know what you
are doing, when you don't.

More BS

Strange how they mention both you and David in
one email.

Malware/Spyware and viruses are 2 different things.

Who mentioned viruses or spyware? Malware in an umbrella term
incorporating viruses and spyware for that matter. Is this your best
attempt at wit?

You and David
both know nothing about Spyware and you should leave support in that area to
the experts like me.

Hmm - I wouldn't even go as far as saying you reverse engineer someone
elses code and make it your own. That's giving you too much credit.
Instead... you use a text editor and simply replace the actual authors
name with your own. Yes, you are an expert at this, theft! . This
might seem off topic in reply to your two cents but hear me out... How
would someone like you be able to differentiate between someone who
knows what they are talking about and someone who is bluffing when all
you can do is copy. If this were school you would be kicked out of
class. But since this is usenet I think I will just plonk you

Had you done that you would not have had to post this
ridiculous message. POP-ups are annoying and I don't blame him for getting
mad, he looked to you for assistance and you provided none.

Huh? Stop pretending to know anything about anything... or anyone for
that matter. You are a troll - nothing more... nothing less.

 

[Max Wachtel]

(e-mail address removed) AKA Ian Kenefick on 12/11/2005 in

I got an email from a visitor to a.c.a-v requesting help to determine
if a: his pc had been infected and b: to rid his pc of this possible
infection.

The symtoms were adware like and included a mass of popup windows.

My initial step was to instruct him to run multi_av on his pc and use
the kav engine as this would be the most thorough one. On failing
this... I sent him a program to capture details including his registry
and running processes/modules and then set about requesting suspect
files from his pc. After thrawling the log of his pc's registry and
running processes/modules I found nothing out of the ordinary in and
there was nothing I could do other than repair internet explorer in an
effort to undo whatever changes possible malware may have made.

Granted this took a few days longer than usual as I was quite busy at
work and suffering with a bout of influenza. To my surprise I got this
reply from the person I was trying to help this morning....


I, like David Lipman am beginning to ask myself... is offering help,
being the good samaritan if you like, worth it? Especially if this is
the response you are to expect!

<Begin Rant>
Removing malware from your pc is tough enough... especially if you
haven't a clue what it is. Patience is a virtue and idiots are a part
of life I guess.
</End Rant>

******************Reply Separator*************************
Ian-
There are more users who are grateful for the help that you provide
then the"one". Sometimes it is hard to help "long distance". They have
infected themselves so badly that it is next to impossible to help them
from afar.
Cheer up!
Here is a portion of a e-mail I received yesterday-

"Just wanted you to know that you saved me from throwing my computer
out the window, not to mention my brain from exploding. I had tried
EVERYTHING to get rid of that virus over the last couple of months and
nothing worked until I clicked on your solution link on the McAfee
page. Thank you sooo much!"

max
--
Virus Removal Instructions: http://home.neo.rr.com/manna4u/
Keeping Windows Clean: http://home.neo.rr.com/manna4u/keepingclean.html
Windows Help: http://home.neo.rr.com/manna4u/tools.html
Specific Fixes: http://home.neo.rr.com/manna4u/fixes.html
Playing Nice on Usenet: http://oakroadsystems.com/genl/unice.htm#xpost
To reply by e-mail change nomail.afraid.org to gmail.com
nomail.afraid.org is setup specifically for use in USENET
feel free to use it yourself. Registered Linux User #393236

 

[Joan Archer]

Inline

That's because you and David, mostly David, flood these NG's with spam
promoting your website and his crappy slow crashing multi avi tool
that rarely works.

You mean you don't.

That leads people to falsely believe that you know

what you are doing, when you don't. Strange how they mention both you
and David in one email. Malware/Spyware and viruses are 2 different
things. You and David both know nothing about Spyware and you should
leave support in that area to the experts like me.

You an expert <lol> if you mean stealing other peoples work then yes I
agree.

Had you done that

you would not have had to post this ridiculous message. POP-ups are
annoying and I don't blame him for getting mad, he looked to you for
assistance and you provided none.

He provided a damn site more help than you ever could, and I'd sooner take
his and Davids advice than yours any day.
Joan

 

[pcbutts1]

Ask me if I care BITCH!

--


The best live web video on the internet http://www.seedsv.com/webdemo.htm
NEW Embedded system W/Linux. We now sell DVR cards.
See it all at http://www.seedsv.com/products.htm
Sharpvision simply the best http://www.seedsv.com

 

[Max Wachtel]

(e-mail address removed) AKA pcbutts1 on 12/11/2005 in

snip usual crap

******************Reply Separator*************************

NEVER download files from anywhere unless it is from the website of the
developer,manufacturer or some entity you trust. The developers
websites ALWAYS have the most up to date files that haven't been
tampered with by some third party who is "hosting"(read Leeching or
Stealing) those files without permission.

max
--
Virus Removal Instructions: http://home.neo.rr.com/manna4u/
Keeping Windows Clean: http://home.neo.rr.com/manna4u/keepingclean.html
Windows Help: http://home.neo.rr.com/manna4u/tools.html
Specific Fixes: http://home.neo.rr.com/manna4u/fixes.html
Playing Nice on Usenet: http://oakroadsystems.com/genl/unice.htm#xpost
To reply by e-mail change nomail.afraid.org to gmail.com
nomail.afraid.org is setup specifically for use in USENET
feel free to use it yourself. Registered Linux User #393236

 

[Dave Cohen]

(e-mail address removed) AKA Ian Kenefick on 12/11/2005 in

******************Reply Separator*************************
Ian-
There are more users who are grateful for the help that you provide
then the"one". Sometimes it is hard to help "long distance". They have
infected themselves so badly that it is next to impossible to help them
from afar.
Cheer up!
Here is a portion of a e-mail I received yesterday-

"Just wanted you to know that you saved me from throwing my computer
out the window, not to mention my brain from exploding. I had tried
EVERYTHING to get rid of that virus over the last couple of months and
nothing worked until I clicked on your solution link on the McAfee
page. Thank you sooo much!"

max
--
Virus Removal Instructions: http://home.neo.rr.com/manna4u/
Keeping Windows Clean: http://home.neo.rr.com/manna4u/keepingclean.html
Windows Help: http://home.neo.rr.com/manna4u/tools.html
Specific Fixes: http://home.neo.rr.com/manna4u/fixes.html
Playing Nice on Usenet: http://oakroadsystems.com/genl/unice.htm#xpost
To reply by e-mail change nomail.afraid.org to gmail.com
nomail.afraid.org is setup specifically for use in USENET
feel free to use it yourself. Registered Linux User #393236

If one doesn't like or agree with a third person's advice, then disregard
it. There is no excuse for rudeness when someone offers help in good faith
regardless of the outcome. Of course, if money is involved or someone makes
a bad situation worse, then there is cause for complaint, but even then
there are appropriate ways to express one's feelings.
Dave Cohen
Dave Cohen

 

[Norman L. DeForest]

I got an email from a visitor to a.c.a-v requesting help to determine
if a: his pc had been infected and b: to rid his pc of this possible
infection.

The symtoms were adware like and included a mass of popup windows.

My initial step was to instruct him to [...] [snip]
Granted this took a few days longer than usual as I was quite busy at
work and suffering with a bout of influenza. [...]

If you are still ill, here are my wishes for you:
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~af380/temp/getwell.gif

 

[Heather]

Ask me if I care BITCH!

OK....do you care, BITCH??

Take a hike!! You wore out your welcome on the MS news groups and I would
assume you are now banned there....good for them if they took that action.

 

[kurt wismer]

Ian Kenefick wrote:
[snip]

I, like David Lipman am beginning to ask myself... is offering help,
being the good samaritan if you like, worth it? Especially if this is
the response you are to expect!

well, i don't think i ever got that kind of a response but i did grow
tired of the whole thing once... i took a break... of course, at the
time a bunch of people had taken up the charge so i felt like taking a
break was an option...

and having taken a break i got to see what it would be like without
helping people... i no longer try to answer each and every request for
help as there are others who can and do give satisfactory answers (in
fact i rarely come across a request for help that hasn't already been
answered these days), but i do have a certain amount of knowledge and a
certain amount of awareness of 'noblesse oblige' so i continue...

perhaps what you need is to find a new balancing point...