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Archive for November, 2008

Windows’ own built-in virus finally found

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

For quite a while now, I’ve been skipping one of Windows’ Updates, the Malicious Software Removal Tool. I don’t want it on my computer, because I’m (irrationally perhaps, but still) afraid it might remove something that Microsoft deems malicious, while I intentionally installed it on my computer for whatever reason that’s none of Microsoft’s business.

However, it turned out that the opposite can happen too: AVG anti-virus found a “virus” on Windows XP computers and removed it. Unfortunately it was an important Windows file, user32.dll, without which Windows XP just doesn’t run. You can read the details here, but.. if your computer didn’t start up, would you have a clue that it was caused by the AVG anti-virus program you had installed? Would you have a computer to surf around and look for answers to the problem? And even after you’ve gone to a neighbour to use their computer to find the answers, you’ll read that you need the Windows XP cd to start to solve it. How many people do not even have a Windows XP cd because their computer came from the shop with XP pre-installed? They’re stuck with these instructions (for which you’ll still need an extra pc).

For me it’s just one more reason to not allow any programs to automatically remove anything from my pc.