# WARNING: Insidious virus on Internet **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 27, 2016, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-insidious-virus-on-internet/750305 "2016-03-27T03:24:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-insidious-virus-on-internet/750305/61 "2016-03-30T17:38:11Z")
Tell me more about re-imaging, Simster. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-insidious-virus-on-internet/750305/62 "2016-03-30T18:14:15Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Tell me more about re-imaging, Simster. what office depot offered to do - ‘wipe and re-install’ windows 7 and applications… ‘imaging’ is more of a VM term , but its possible to create an ‘image’ of a machine (OS, apps, settings, etc) and then use tools to push that image onto machine(s). Bigger companies do this all the time as a way to make sure users PC meet certain specs. (this second part wouldn’t apply to you - sorr for the confusion) ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-insidious-virus-on-internet/750305/63 "2016-03-30T18:23:43Z")
Also those sites that helpfully tell you your flash player needs to be updated are lying. Whenever I go anywhere dodgy, I use “sandboxie” which, in effect, constructs a “virtual computer” inside your computer. Anything you let in is therefore isolated and disappears when you dump the sandbox. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-insidious-virus-on-internet/750305/64 "2016-03-30T20:20:22Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Tell me more about re-imaging, Simster. In my experience, before you can reimage a computer, you have to record what software is installed, locate and record the license keys for each program and verify that you still have the installation media for each program. You also need to back up all of your personal data on the old computer. It’s possible to mess up and forget to capture something. So what I’d recommend is to remove the old hard drive entirely, install a new one and install everything on it. That way, if you find something missing, you can swap the old drive back and get whatever info you need. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-insidious-virus-on-internet/750305/65 "2016-03-31T00:57:48Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > I have just downloaded and installed this anti-malware/anti-ransomware onto my computer. I did go to Office Depot, where they did a complete scan of the computer. > They ascribed these matters to viruses as well: > –Notice of updates being installed, when I log off a session on the computer, time and time again–over the last several months. > –Some of my USB ports not working. > –Cryptic pop-ups appearing as I log on. > –A box appearing during an Internet session, for “Windows 11.” > –The opening of iMesh when I’m opening some other program, or even starting something on my new printer. Ah, well if it replicates itself on your computer and aims to infect other computers then its a virus or a worm … a virus passively sits around somewhere for the user to perform an action, such as move a USB drive from your computer to another… AND a worm actively sends itself out ,eg as email or just directly onto the internet… However, “Anti-vrius” is known to find malware too … there are programs which call themselves anti-malware and others that call themselves anti-adware… The reason I say that is that some of them do a better job of removing this type of malware … And hence thats the reason to consider this adware or malware rather than as a “virus”… I’m just trying to say that there is a reason that its slightly wrong to call it a virus ! Ah yes the anti-malware programs may be better at finding browser exploits. Well malware isn’t known to affect the USB ports, and there is no reason it would HAVE to target the USB ports… but its possible that something outware does… I just think its unlikely… However yes things at login means its malware in the OS space , and not merely inside the browser… If it was just inside the browser , it might be only there until the browser is closed, OR it might have found a way to make itself a permanent feature of the browser… You could create a new user to see if the new user is infected. IF not, then its entirely possible to get a definitive list of the programs your user profile starts up, and one of them may well be totally obviously the one … so that a quick registery edit, or a “startup” program list editor , and its done in, and you can then find it in your hard drive and see if you can just delete… “Hijack this” was one way to find these hijacking malwares… ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2016, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-insidious-virus-on-internet/750305/66 "2016-03-31T01:08:03Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > In my experience, before you can reimage a computer, you have to record what software is installed, locate and record the license keys for each program and verify that you still have the installation media for each program. This is the main reason why I try to buy from the App Store wherever possible—those applications are easy peasy to reinstall, using your Apple ID. I imagine that MS has an identical setup for Windows these days. I know my corporate Windows 8 machine keeps trying to put me into a MS store–is that the equivalent of the OS X app store? Anyway, this goes a long way toward simplifying software reinstallation and key management. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-insidious-virus-on-internet/750305/67 "2016-03-31T16:27:09Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > **Footnote** : Some of you may have seen a box pop up on the Internet advertising “Windows 11.” I told the Office Depot technician about that; he said there is no such thing. Internet explorer 11? ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-insidious-virus-on-internet/750305/68 "2016-03-31T17:34:00Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > Internet explorer 11? Not that \*\*I \*\* know of! ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2016, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-insidious-virus-on-internet/750305/69 "2016-04-02T04:46:59Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Not that \*\*I \*\* know of! It WAS Internet Explorer 11. I paid better attention this time. I had been wrong.:o [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-insidious-virus-on-internet/750305.md?page=3)