Great. My PC is riddled with viruses that AVG can't get rid of. Most irritating is Cryptor which lives in /resycled/ntldr.com. But there are more, and other than moving them to the vault repeatedly (it keeps getting recreated) I can't get any other action to take, including removing the threat.

And now Windows Defender won't update either...

ita, we have ben having great success with MBAM (Malwarebytes Anti Malware) at work for systems of varying quality and usage by our stores around the country.

Review: [link]

Main Website: [link]

I'll give that a try, DCJ.

I downloaded Avast and ran a boot scan. It found something else, and seems to have cleaned that, but the Cryptor remains, not even found by Avast.

A quick google found several examples where Malwarebytes successfully removed Cryptor specifically.

I have a question about all my technology. I love, love, love Apple, but they update so frequently that my version of whatever tech seems to become semi-obsolete before I can even consider spending money on a replacement. I have an iBook G4 running some OS X large jungle cat thingy (Panther? Maybe? 10.3.9, anyway), and it seems like applications have given up on making updates for my lagging-behind-the-times software. I bought this computer in August of 2004, and the hard drive died an abrupt death two years ago this month, so I bought a replacement. The new hard drive has been refusing to recognize my iPod mini (v. 1 - pink, of course) since that first day of coming home again. I was able to get my songs off it, but it hasn't recognized when the iPod has been plugged in since then, so I haven't been able to synch my iPod in two years (which I'm only now realizing. Wow. Long time.). Firefox said the other day that they would no longer do updates for the version I'm running, and I should upgrade to Firefox 3, but that would require an update to my OSX, which I didn't really feel like doing. But now I can't even buy eBooks, because they're all, like, "update your Adobe player, loser!" And Adobe is all, "why aren't you running a more recent OSX?? We totally can't help you. Sucks to be you." And I'm getting really frustrated. This computer still runs perfectly fine, though rather slowly at times, but I'm afraid of my new-ish hard drive dying a flaming death within the next year, since the computer guys were all telling me they only last about three years or so. And I saw that proven with my own eyes.

Tell me the truth. I am technologically backwards and should look into investing into some fresher technology or something, shouldn't I, even though I'd rather save money for LASIK, and traveling, and an iPhone? Because even my mom, who still enjoys the hunt and peck method of computer interaction, has a computer and iPod that are more recent than mine? So she could read an iBook on her computer and listen to "Circus" on her iPod if she wanted to, but I can't?

more technically knowledgeable people than me can give you a recommendation, but I wonder if your hardware can support you upgrading your OS? Therefore, you wouldn't need to buy a new computer, but upgrade the OS.

Yeah, we're running the current Mac OS on a desktop machine that's, I think, 7 years old (though we have had to add memory over the years to keep up with the OS upgrades.) The OS upgrades run about $100 I think, less if you can get a person with a student discount to buy it for you. And adding RAM is pretty inexpensive and you can DIY or ask a techier friend to help. If your computer still runs okay, and you've got a pretty new hard drive, this would bring you up to speed much more cheaply.

In general, upgrading your computer to 10.4 (Tiger, rather than the more recent 10.5 Leopard, which comes with slightly higher overhead) would probably make it run a tad faster rather than it runs now - Apple has often been pretty good that way. And most software still seems to be supporting 10.4.

If you are savvy, you can probably find somebody with the full 10.4 Install Disc who doesn't need it (having either switched from Apple or upgraded to 10.5) who will sell it to you cheap or give it to you. I no longer have my copy, or I'd send it along.

Example: [link]

I will have to agree that putting Tiger in your tank may even help your iPod issue.

Back up what you can, first, tho.

Oh, and 10.4.11 is the latest after updates.

Also, what amount of RAM do you have? Laptop ram is fairly cheap right now.

I believe I updated my 9 year old iBook to 10.4.somethingorother (I'd have to go home to get the specifics). It works great, except the processor just can't keep up with streaming video (my processor's fault, not my OS's). I can synch up my iPod without any drama (although it did taunt me about my ancient USB ports, until I told it to knock it off).