How To never Worry About Malware Again!

[donetao]

Hi! How would you like to never have to worry again, about Malware causing you all kinds of grief??
I may have that answer! Yes you can always restore back to factory; if you have the restore media. Don't want to lose all your data and spend hours up dating and reinstalling your favorite programs??Neither do I, although a fresh start is kind a nice once in awhile.
Here's how I approach this hated malware. I have a 1TB seagate external drive. I have Macrium Reflect. Once each month I create a back up image of my OS with Macrium Reflect. One image of my OS compresses down to about 4GB. My internal HD is 500MB and I'm only using about 50GB. I don't know how many images I can put on that 1TB external drive, but more than I'll ever need to. I have one image that will take me back to factory and then several more as I have added programs and up dates. I know for sure that last month my PC was free from all malware. I'm pretty familiar with malware and I know how to keep my PC clean. Let's say I got a really bad dude and I just couldn't get rid of this dude, no mater what I did. I'd just pop my WE P3.1 rescue CD in my DVD drive and restore back to last month; when I'm sure that dude wasn't infecting my computer.
In 15 minutes I would be back up and running just like the day I created that Macrium image, and that nasty dude is history. I may have to up date a few windows up dates, but there won't be that many.
Is that not a simple way to deal with malware that is getting worse every day. The internet is a cesspool my friends. You need to wake up and smell the roses and start backing up your OS with a 3rd party program like Macrium Reflect, Paragon or AOMEI. If you don't want to take my advise, then please visit our Malware section and TwinHeadedEagal or Argus will help you clean up your infected computer.
Here's a screen shot of my seagate 1TB external HD. You think I might find a image that is free from malware. I have 13 I can choose from. I'll give some pretty good odds I can find one that is malware free.
Time to start backing up your OS my friends and save yourself a whole lot of grief
I hope this wakes up some of you that has never created a back up image of your OS.
If you have any thing to add or correct on this thread, please reply. That is the way I learn and pass forward.

 

[donetao]

Hi! Creating a back up image of your OS is the best favor you will ever do for yourself and it's so easy to do.
My 10 year old great grand son can do it. If he can do it, then you can also. I'm 76 years old and I learned how.
What's your excuse?? My great grand son says "Just hit Crtl ALT Delete Papa.
These threads are how I try to make a difference on MT. Please always reply and correct me or add to my thread.
MT is all about team work!

 

[Jaspion]

TL;DR(sorry btw) but I got the gist of it. There is always the possibility that the malware has stolen some vital information by the time you kill it, so you should always have a backup plan for that too.

 

[donetao]

TL;DR(sorry btw) but I got the gist of it. There is always the possibility that the malware has stolen some vital information by the time you kill it, so you should always have a backup plan for that too.

Thank you for your reply. Can you be more informative?? I realize that vital information can be stolen??

 

[Cats-4_Owners-2]

This is great advice which truly brings me to take a closer look at, historically, the least attended area of our personal systems' maintenance. I've some discs created, yet my goal shall be to test them and also familiarize myself with just how easy (or not) it shall be the very first time I attempt to get up and running again with Macrium Reflect, the free version.
Thanks for this reminder, now it is truly up to me to follow through.

 

[frogboy]

Well i hope everyone who doesn't reads this and follows your advice i know i do.

 

[donetao]

Yuppers It's up to you! @Cats-4_Owners-2 I'm always here if you need me

 

[donetao]

Well i hope everyone who doesn't reads this and follows your advice i know i do.

Thanks friend and I follow your advise also! Macrium is King!
Jack has allowed me to be who I really am on MT. A little bit windy, Two friendly, and very old. Many forums don't like that, and I'm not welcome on them. Do I care?? A little but not that much.
I am who I am. I enjoy passing forward what I have learned in my short 10 years of being a computer owner.

 

[Jaspion]

Thank you for your reply. Can you be more informative?? I realize that vital information can be stolen??

Of course!

Unlike the old days when people created viruses just for fun, malware now usually has truly nefarious purposes. So, if a malware that steals passwords manages to actually steal a password, i.e. vital information, since it can be from your alternate email password to your bank password, etc, then, well... you get the gist of it. More or less vital, usually it is vital things they want indeed, someone is trying to make a living behind those malware.

So using a clean computer to change your passwords ASAP following an infection is good practice, for example.

 

[donetao]

So using a clean computer to change your passwords ASAP following an infection is good practice, for example.

Excellent advise!! Thank you!!

 

[Behold Eck]

This is great advice which truly brings me to take a closer look at, historically, the least attended area of our personal systems' maintenance. I've some discs created, yet my goal shall be to test them and also familiarize myself with just how easy (or not) it shall be the very first time I attempt to get up and running again with Macrium Reflect, the free version.
Thanks for this reminder, now it is truly up to me to follow through.

You`ll be fine Cats,why not check out a few youtube videos first just to see the whole proccess from start to finish, that`s what I did.

Regards Eck

 

[donetao]

Hi Great advise @Behold Eck Macrium Reflect has some great videos. Thanks Eck!
http://www.macrium.com/help.aspx
PS If I didn't really think creating a back up image of your OS was so important, I would stop trying so hard to get members to do it!

 

[Tony Cole]

I have never (well once) backed-up my computer. I did use Acronis, which I tried out to reinstall my computer it crashed halfway and it would not boot, so I'd rather use a Windows CD and install a brand new operating system.

 

[donetao]

I have never (well once) backed-up my computer. I did use Acronis, which I tried out to reinstall my computer it crashed halfway and it would not boot, so I'd rather use a Windows CD and install a brand new operating system.

I have been using Macrium Reflect for nearly 10 years and it has never failed to restore my PC back just like it was the day I created the image

 

[Cats-4_Owners-2]

You`ll be fine Cats,why not check out a few youtube videos first just to see the whole proccess from start to finish, that`s what I did.

Regards Eck

Thank you, Eck!! Encouragement is worth more than gold! ..and even though it may not weigh anything, it weighs in quite effectively!

I have never (well once) backed-up my computer. I did use Acronis, which I tried out to reinstall my computer it crashed halfway and it would not boot, so I'd rather use a Windows CD and install a brand new operating system.

One interesting fact about Macrium Reflect is that it was developed by Paramount Software in the UK Ltd, and when I first downloaded it at donetao's recommendation, I remember thinking: "I wonder if Tony Cole has tried Macrium, and whether he'd like it?" which is an unconscious compliment. They just released an update too.

Here is some wiki-info:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrium_Reflect

 

[frogboy]

Thank you, Eck!! Enco You should have no problems as uragement is worth more than gold! ..and even though it may not weigh anything, it weighs in quite effectively!


One interesting fact about Macrium Reflect is that it was developed by Paramount Software in the UK Ltd, and when I first downloaded it at donetao's recommendation, I remember thinking: "I wonder if Tony Cole has tried Macrium, and whether he'd like it?" which is an unconscious compliment. They just released an update too.

Here is some wiki-info:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrium_Reflect

Yes do not worry it is a very reliable and easy to use imaging software. I used to make lots of mistakes and used Reflect to get me up and going again all the time. As Eck suggested watch a couple of videos and all will be good.

 

[WinXPert]

I used to do that but creating an image on an aging machine takes too long. Anyway I can always remove any infection (sality included) thrown at my netbook.

Having backups of data is prudent. Better safe than sorry.

 

[donetao]

Hi! @Cats-4_Owners-2 Here's a short cut and what you can expect to see when you use Macrium Reflect to back up your OS.

 

[Behold Eck]

Hi Great advise @Behold Eck Macrium Reflect has some great videos. Thanks Eck!
http://www.macrium.com/help.aspx
PS If I didn't really think creating a back up image of your OS was so important, I would stop trying so hard to get members to do it!

Yeah it`s good for anyone to consider back-ups in general and Macrium is a step further still.

It froze on me once but that was due to a hardware problem on my test machine.

Keep up the urging donetao.

Regards Eck

 

[donetao]

It froze on me once but that was due to a hardware problem on my test machine.

Hi! @Behold Eck Macrium is good,but not if you have a hard ware problem. It will however allow you to replace a HD and restore your image to a brand new HD that is equal in size or larger. Thanks for your reply!