Direct MP3 Download: Podnutz Daily #231 – Data Mike
Steve is joined by Mike Evans ofDataMike.net and Valencia Data
Computers Worked On:
- HP pavillion getting dll popup error since upgrading to explorer 8, traced to wildtangent game service installed on HP, also replaced DVD drive
- Acer laptop with limited hard drive space, merged both partitions under vista
- HP laptop with “cleanup antivirus”, cleaned with malwarebytes, but then was still getting redirects to different sites on explorer,pulled drive to scan on another system, then getting cycling reboots, wiped from recovery partition
- HP slimline computer with “security tools antivirus” customer was OK with reinstall
- HP laptop playing audio clips from commercials, (also seeing occasion pop-up screen inviting you to join game service, found iexplorer process in task manager, ran malwarebytes, found adware.adrotator, installed MSE and ran full scan
Topics, Tips and Links Discussed:
- Clonezilla backup disk
- Kapsersky Live CD
- Getting computer parts from Amazon with 2 day delivery
- Microsoft Security Essentials
- HijackThis generates an in-depth report to enable you to analyze and fix your infected computer
- Two websites to use with HijackThis for interpreting results: hijackthis.deand hjt.networktechs.com
- Creating doorhangers for advertising
- Ophcrack for hacking XP and Vista user account passwords
- HSPC techstation for my bench computer
- Running craigslist ads
I (Mike) got a little tongue-tied when discussing YEXT, so let me describe it better, Yext is a web listing service that ranks high on sponsered links on search pages for different categories such as “computer service”. When a potential customer goes to their site, they’re asked for their ZIP code and are shown listed companies in that area with a phone number. The phone number given is supplied by yext. The customer calls the number, it goes through yext and is routed to you. The conversation is monitored by yext computers using speech-recognition and is transcribed. If the computer determines a sale was made as a result of the call, the business is charged $30. There are advantages and pitfalls to this as discussed onthis thread at localseoguide.com (this thread is VERY interesting as it includes a lot of responses from unhappy customers)
Mike’s personal Checklist for computers before they leave his shop:
- Wireless access OK
- Ethernet port access OK
- All windows updates up to current release including media player,explorer 8,.net framework, and silverlight
- New windows media player, installed, validated and settings set up
- Explorer 8 setting are set
- All java updates
- Remove any installed toolbars and as much trialware as possible
- Play CD
- Play DVD
- Install CDBurnerXP
- Go to youtube and see if flash needs to be installed
- Current version of Adobe reader
- Go to folder options and set view to show file extenders
- Install Quicktime and Itunes (if necessary)
- Reload any data from before a reinstall
- Remove any downloads that I installed (malwarebytes, superantispyware, etc.)
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Music provided by Evan King
Notes by Mike Evans at datamike.net
