Virus Infected PCs
by Ed Sawicki
Accelerated Learning Center
Tailored Computers
July 26, 2007
When home users suffer a virus infection on their Windows computers it can take many hours or days to solve the problem. Some never solve the problem - they simply live with it. Businesses can't affort to spend this much time and they can't afford not to remove the virus(es) from their computers. Of course, medium to large businesses are less likely to suffer a successful attack because they keep their virus scanners up to date and they have administrators who work towards keeping the computer systems secure. Still, succesful virus attacks do occur - far more often than they should.
An increasing number of managers are taking the attitude that it's not worth cleaning up after Windows viruses. It's less expensive to buy a new computer system unit - you don't need a new keyboard, display monitor, and mouse. This is especially true of small businesses who use consultants or repair depots. The cost of removing viruses could easily approach or exceed the cost of a new computer.
Additionally, there's no guarantee a cleanup operation will succeed entirely. I visited a friend who paid the Geek Squad a few hundred dollars to get rid of the viruses on her PC. The most visible and troublesome viruses were removed but the system was still not running properly afterwards when the Internet Explorer browser was used. Not wishing to spend more money, she installed the Firefox browser and her visible problems went away. She knows that her PC is probably still infected and maybe doing nasty things but she can now use it again. Businesses can't afford this uncertainty - valuable business data could be stolen or lost.
There are two issues that come to mind:
- Is there something you can do ahead of a virus attack that would make cleaning up after the attack quicker and more likely to succeed?
- What do you do with the old, virus-infected computer?
Pre-attack Precautions
There are several things you can do to prepare for a virus attack. Here are two:
Virtualization
Install virtualization software, such as Microsoft's VirtualPC or VMWare, and only use the virtual machine for doing your work. If it becomes virus infected, just create a new virtual machine. Of course, you must also make periodic backups of your data. External, USB-connected hard drives are nice for this.
Copy the Image
When you first buy your computer or install a fresh copy of Windows on it, have someone copy the hard drive image to another (a backup) hard drive. If your computer becomes virus-infected, use the backup hard drive. Most people who do this use a Linix LiveCD to copy the hard drive image.
This suggestion may not be practical time-wise. Given the amount of bloated software installed on a new Windows computer, it can take a few hours to copy an image. Medium and large companies that maintain their own images are in a better position to more effectively deal with them.
Disposing of the Old Computer
Many virus-infected home computers end up in a closet or garage. Then a few years later, in the trash or donated to a school or charity. Businesses can't afford the space to store much equipment that is not useful now or in the future. It may be a good idea to hang on to a few hangar queens for spare parts but others need to be disposed of.
You probably know that there are places where you can bring old computers - in Portland, for example, there's Free Geek in SE Portland or any Goodwill drop off. I wonder how many Goodwill computers end up being useful when they're virus infected - probably not many. A far greater number of these computers will become useful if placed in the hands of people who use them for running Linux. These people don't care that the computer is virus-infected because they won't be using Windows anyway. You can contact local Linux user groups to see if you can donate your computer to them.
If you'd like to offset the cost of buying a new computer, you can sell your old one. My company, Tailored Computers, buys virus-infected computers. We don't pay much - expect to get under $100. The price we pay depends on the vintage of the technology. If you're interested and you're in Oregon or Washington, call us at 503-635-6370.
A Long-term Solution
One last suggestion to consider. When your PC becomes virus-infected, go to the Apple Store and have someone give you a demonstration of an iMac or a MacBook. Be sure to see a demonstration of Apple's equivalent of Media Center where you use Apple's cute little 6-button remote control instead of Window's 50 or 60-button control.