OT: worldwide worm

[Andy Burns]

I think that even unbinding the "file&print sharing" and "client for microsoft networks" from the NIC doesn't stop it listening on ports 139 and 445.

[The Natural Philosopher]

yerrs. But is the 'bad' code still bound?

I don't know.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'm still using Win7. On both desktop and laptop. MS seems to follow a bath curve - a new OS starts out flaky, reaches a peak, then gets slower due to the millions of patches. And by the time the last bit happens, the current one is usually at its peak. So that's the time to change.

[AnthonyL]

A sensible solution at last!

And everyone else should take a proficiency test in IT security before being allowed to remain connected.

[Andy Burns]

Ah, the ECDL. I remember NHS trusts wasting time and money on that ...

[Bill]

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes

My current thought is this, after getting stuck with a load of other peoples' queries and problems yesterday:

W10 seems generally OK, although I suspect MS update servers have been overloaded by a frantic rush to check update status.

W7 is a disaster waiting to happen as so many machines in the hands of normal people have not been updating since Microsoft messed with the updating process. My memory stick with the two crucial updates has been working overtime.

Vista is probably similar to W7, as updates have been similarly borked.

XP is less of a problem because many XP machines are just used offline to support specialist hardware. However, morally Microsoft should not have delayed issuing their patch until disaster struck, support or no support. It was a design fault in their software that they knew about, and they must know that there are still hundreds of thousands of users around the world.

I'm still unsure about the advice and help for the 84 year old.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Eh? I get regular W7 updates here - and I've not changed anything. Actually had several in the last week or so - unusually busy.

[dennis]

I'm running the third iteration of windows 10 ATM. I can't say that its getting slower. I actually think its more responsive now.

Its a lot more stable than win7 was. The only significant problem I have had is with android game room which keeps forgetting what a mouse and keyboard do and decides to ignore them in the middle of a battle. A restart of the program fixes it but you have lost by then.

Can you run android games on linux yet?

[Bill]

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes

Well, this long winded post (I can't find the shorter original) points to what Microsoft (who rewrote someone else's work) advised people to do

The problem seemed to hit those who didn't use their machines regularly and somehow missed some updates when they first came out.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'm wondering if there's a problem for those who leave their machines on

24/7? Mine installs the updates when I power down. Probably what I told them to do in the mists of time.

[michael adams]

The problem appears to have hit everyone on intranets on which possibly only one other user opened a malicious attachment to an email.

Opening attachments to emails without first verifying the actual filename has always been a dangerous thing to do.

It appears to have hit people using XP whose organisations refused to pay Microsoft for security updates after a certain date.

I've been using Dell ex-corporate machines for yonks, using Dell OEM versions of Windows. Apparently Dell must have been bunging MS as virus and spyware definitions for Security Essentials were still updating regularly up until recently. I never bothered with other updates as these seemed mainly to concern IE which I don't use. I allow Opera updates but that's about it.

A few years back a registry editor script was posted on the net which creates a new class on the local machine which convinces XP its on an EPOS or similar, same as you get in Sainsbury. This will last until 2019 and restored the ability to update new definitions. So far there's been no "Unexpected Item in the Bagging Area" messages, anyway.

michael adams

...

[Chris Hogg]

Not with mine (Win7), on 24/7, sending AIS data to the University of the Aegean*. The computer alerts me when there are updates to Win7, and apart from those related to Win10, I invariable download them. Sometimes it requires a restart to actually install them, but not always. Whether it installs them automatically, or after asking, or never, is a selectable option.

[Bill]

In message , Chris Hogg writes

Hey, that's more interesting than failing Windows.

I've been trying to use WesselFinderFree on Android, but the yacht in question is never out when I remember to look.

[Chris Hogg]

Are you sure the yacht in question has an AIS transmitter? Not all small boats and pleasure craft have them. Obligatory only for vessels of over 300 tonnes displacement, AIUI.

[Bill]

Yes, it has AIS and I've found the yacht's picture on the Marine Traffic website and checked with my son. It will probably be out and switched on on Friday next week so that gives me time to have a look around.