[TriLUG] "Cleaning" a Windows machine

[Ken M]

Use the live CD to install linux, everything is better.  HEHEHEHE

A reinstall is usually a time saver.  Then you can also have windows setup correctly.  Well as correctly as windows can be installed.  First off don't bring over executable files.  Also anything you do back up you should run against a virus scan.  I am a fan of Avast when dealing with windows.

As for a correctly setup window box.  Partition the drive and get his data off of C:.  This is something that has to be done at install time.  It is similar to how one would put /home on its own partition.  Also make sure they are not an admin all the time.  Vista and up can do sudo like operation when the admin account is needed.  Als the pagefile/virtual memory is never set up right.  It is always set to let windows manage it and I have never seen that work out well.  Set it up like you would swap on a linux install (granted it is not its own partition) and you should be fine.

Going back to the linux thing.  I do not run windows on bare metal as it is just too much of a pain to deal with windows problems at home that my wife and kids get themselves into. Windows is only on a VM.  If they have the specs to go that route see if you can sell your friend on the idea.

Ken

On Sun, Dec 21, 2014 at 10:27:42PM -0500, C TC wrote:
> My mobile typing-foo is not so good today.  :-)
> On Dec 21, 2014 10:26 PM, "C TC" <c.crider at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > I've have luck with sysrescue. Other than that, backup supposed clean data
> > (no exe , dll, system files), and reinstall. Years ago I got so tired with
> > the length of time it took to clean a win machine, I found that a new I
> > stall would take maybe 10percent of the time.
> > On Dec 21, 2014 10:18 PM, "Brian McCullough" <bdmc at buadh-brath.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Did the title intrigue you?
> >>
> >>
> >> I have a friend who has managed to get his M$ machine infected. ( I
> >> know, 1=1. )
> >>
> >> I was planning on taking a Live Linux disk over ( CD ) and seeing what I
> >> could do without booting that machine.
> >>
> >> What tools would you recommend?
> >>
> >> My impression is that ClamAV, that I use in my mail chain, is best used
> >> for single files, but is there a way to use it over complete filesystems?
> >>
> >>
> >> Anything else that is already on an Ubuntu disk, or can be installed
> >> with apt-get on the live cd?
> >>
> >> Do you prefer another live CD for this purpose?
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Thanks,
> >> Brian
> >>