$163,167,539.95 from scareware

[easysurfer]

'Scareware' ads proliferate across Internet - USATODAY.com

My desktop got one of these scareware programs a few weeks ago. It even locked out my anti-virus program and wanted to "scan" my computer at the User Logon sreen. Good thing I have a rollback program on my computer to get back to a time before the scareware hit.

 

[RonBoyd]

Good thing I have a rollback program on my computer to get back to a time before the scareware hit.

And what program would that be? (It is always good to be well informed in this area.)

 

[easysurfer]

And what program would that be? (It is always good to be well informed in this area.)

This is what I use: Horizon DataSys Inc. - System Restore Software PC Fix any computer problem without imaging


I used to use this program called "GoBack" but that would really really hog up my computer, this doesn't.

 

[RonBoyd]

This is what I use: Horizon DataSys Inc. - System Restore Software PC Fix any computer problem without imaging


I used to use this program called "GoBack" but that would really really hog up my computer, this doesn't.

Thank you. I will certainly look into this program.

I still have GoBack installed on an old XP machine and am still impressed with it -- it is a machine the grandkids use and I simply Restore when they go home. I always felt it was too bad that Norton bought it just to eliminate support for it.

Nowadays, I use True Image. I backup daily but also on a weekly (or so) basis, I make a mirror image on a separate Hard Drive. That has saved me a couple of times when the drive itself broke down. It is an easier task to simply replace the (nowdays, dirt cheap) hard drive than try to repair and/or recover a drive with mechanical problems. This switch, by the way, is particularly easy on a laptop.

 

[TromboneAl]

Is that app any better than XP's system restore?

 

[RonBoyd]

Is that app any better than XP's system restore?

Here is an article by Fred Langa written about 8 years ago. System Restore hasn't changed much since -- it is only a band-aid to get you back up and running. It doesn't really "restore" in any real sense.

Mr. Langa has newer articles but you now have to pay for his advice (worth it probably). For example here:

Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7, Internet Explorer (IE), Firefox, Windows Update

Langalist Plus, May 27, 2010
Use Windows System Restore with caution

By Fred Langa

Window's System Restore is a good, basic safety net for solving system problems, but what it doesn't do will surprise you.

To use Windows' system backup tool most effectively, you need to know its limitations — and have other recovery tools readily at hand

 

[Bimmerbill]

I've cleaned up a couple of those and some were nasty and very hard to get rid of.

 

[REWahoo]

I've cleaned up a couple of those and some were nasty and very hard to get rid of.

Are we talking about annuity salesmen - again?

 

[easysurfer]

Even with Rollback RX, I still make a Pristine copy of my computer ahead of time. I've had times when a virus hits, or my computer doesn't work right after I fiddled with something but forgot what I did (such as network settings), or the scareware situation and I quickly rollback to an earlier time.

I've also had my system go kaput totally at a lower level and I couldn't boot at all nor rollback, then I'd depend on my hard drive image.

What I really like the software for is to test out a program. To set a snapshot, then install and test and if you don't like the program, just roll it back.

More importantly than the system is I have a backup drive just for my data and keep this updated as the system is always restoreable (though tedius, even from scratch), but loss data could be more serious.

One thing I should mention about that Rollback RX software. Each liscense is tied to a hard drive. For example, you can't buy a liscense for your desktop then use that same liscense on your laptop. Or if your hard drive goes bad (happened to me), you can't use the liscense on a new hard drive.