Saturday, April 11, 2015

CONTROL--ALT--DELETE/ REBOOT

Control--Alt--Delete keys/ Reboot. Recently, both home computers appear to have been infected with either malware or viruses. First, my PC displayed a message "call this number right away!" Nor would it let me click into another window without flashing warnings and emitting loud sounds. So, in desperation , I called the number displayed. The lady with the East Indian accent who answered hooked her computer onto mine and showed me the corrupted internal files streaming endlessly. Growing impatient, I said "Lady. I know it's corrupted . That's why I am talking to you ! Can you fix it," I asked. She then asks me some other questions, while touting their solution : pay $149.99 for virus removal and clean-up for 10 days; or $300.00 and virus removal and clean-up and unlimited access to them for an entire year. After being passed to some other folks; one a tech to pay the $149.99 with my credit card; the other one being the technical clean-up man, I watched as he cleaned up my PC. He told me it would take about 45 minutes, and that I should go and do something else, and they would call me when it was done. Undeterred , I stayed and watched as he downloaded Norton software and some other brands. This would cover all the computers on my network they said . At the end, I emailed my gratitude and went back online . My other computer , a laptop, was fine. It experienced no difficulty until today. To my horror, the loud screeching sounds heard before, began again. Another number popped up. I could not shift into other windows . So, I called again. An East Indian lady began the same spiel as before, asking me to connect my computer to hers by pressing the windows key and letter "R". I stopped her. Recounted to her my prior payment and experience with the other folks, whom she claimed to not know. I told her my whole network was supposed to be covered. So, why was this laptop now acting up after Norton and other software was downloaded? She told me to call back the first company and said good by. I could not get an answer on the number that the first company left. Nor had they ever responded to my email, which asked would the Norton download last longer than 10-days ? My mind wandered abstractly. Then. Something said "Reboot. Control-Alt-Delete." That was something I did frequently back in the DOS days on my massive IBM Desktop personal computer in 1986-1988. It worked! So, I saved myself another $150 and look like a hero to my wife! Old school is good school! CTR-ALT-DEL!