Machine Embroidery / NP and X-S
Lula
I like the idea of machine embroidery very much and very interested in
free motion embroidery where I can "draw" with thread by machine.
Can create nice "mats" or borders to frame needlework pieces as pictures
or cushions. An example can be shiny little stars in metallics by
machine embroidery to frame a related motif in a needleworked piece such
as the cow jumped over the moon--or a colorful fish border around a cat
design.
I'm considering machine stitching a quilt border around one of my
needlepoint canvases and making a wall hanging out of it.
Since it's a garden lady in a fanciful patterned type of
outfit---fabrics with a botanical theme would be very
appropriate--another way to finish a needlepoint piece.
Can coordinate the needlepoint/quilted hanging with more needlepointed
pillows and objects for a whole look.
I've seen many cross stitched pieces in quilts but not too much
needlepoint. I can pick out heavier fabrics--like chintz and other
decorator type fabrics to go with the heavier stitched needlepoint
"fabric".
I'll be at the International Quilt Market in Houston tomorrow and I'm
sure I'll see even more ideas to incorporate into my needlework
"dreams"--so many ideas and not enough hours to "play" with.
Lula from Wooly Dreams Design
Susan Hayes
In article <327A77...@earthlink.net>,
Lula <wooly...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>I like the idea of machine embroidery very much and very interested in
>free motion embroidery where I can "draw" with thread by machine.
>
>Can create nice "mats" or borders to frame needlework pieces as pictures
>or cushions. An example can be shiny little stars in metallics by
>machine embroidery to frame a related motif in a needleworked piece such
>as the cow jumped over the moon--or a colorful fish border around a cat
>design.
>
>Lula from Wooly Dreams Design
This is a great idea. Maybe I can justify this new Pfaff yet!
Cheers,
Susan H.
lamb
KPaules531 wrote:
>
> I wanted to apologize for commenting on the apparently fictional "Good
> Times" virus. A friend of mine told me about it last evening and I had
> never heard of it before. I wanted to prevent my fellow rctn'ers any
> problems with the virus. I heard from two of you now filling me in on
> this scam. I really appreciate knowing this. I'm still kinda new in the
> 'net and haven't heard all of the "urban legends" that are floating
> around.
>
> Happily stitching away in York, Pennsylvania and still learning -
>
> "True friendship is like sound health: the value of it is seldom known
> until it be lost." Chatles C. Colton
>
> JoAnn
> <jame...@juno.com>
No problem, JoAnn...its better to be safe than sorry and its nice to know
that we all care about each other and it was good of you to warn us. I'm
glad to know that it was a "false alarm" and I hope no one will ever
hesitate to warn us if there are possible viruses out there. Happy
stitching-Marie K.
KPaules531
Kelpie
lamb wrote:
I'm
> glad to know that it was a "false alarm" and I hope no one will ever
> hesitate to warn us if there are possible viruses out there. Happy
> stitching-Marie K.
Ok here goes. I did a really stupid thing the other day, something I
swore I would never do - I down loaded a program off the net onto my
hard drive. I am fanaticallly paranoid about getting a virus and I have
never even put a disk in my machine that had been used on another
computer. Well I saw the post about trying out that winstitch cross
stitch program and I decided to go ahead and take the chance. Big
mistake. I downloaded it last sunday and tried to play with it but
couldn't get it to work. Things started to go from bad to worse with
the machine just locking up and all kinds of garbage coming up. I just
gave up and decided to turn off the computer and go back to it later. A
friend of mine came over and we needed to use my word processor so we
turned on the machine and when I tried using microsoft word things
started deteriorating fast. Yep I got a virus. My friend starting
yelling at me about how stupid I was to down load a program application
from the net. End result - I had to totally wipe my hard drive and I
lost a lot of memory to damage. I spent a long time having to reload
everything and I am having a computer specialist come and see if my
memory can possibly be restored. I WILL NEVER AGAIN DOWNLOAD A PROGRAM
FROM THE NET! Be warned.
Hope this is helpful,
Paula
Douglas and Jenn
>Ok here goes. I did a really stupid thing the other day, something I
>swore I would never do - I down loaded a program off the net onto my
>hard drive. I am fanaticallly paranoid about getting a virus and I have
>never even put a disk in my machine that had been used on another
>computer. Well I saw the post about trying out that winstitch cross
>stitch program and I decided to go ahead and take the chance. Big
>mistake. I downloaded it last sunday and tried to play with it but
>couldn't get it to work. Things started to go from bad to worse with
>the machine just locking up and all kinds of garbage coming up. I just
>gave up and decided to turn off the computer and go back to it later. A
>friend of mine came over and we needed to use my word processor so we
>turned on the machine and when I tried using microsoft word things
>started deteriorating fast. Yep I got a virus. My friend starting
>yelling at me about how stupid I was to down load a program application
>from the net. End result - I had to totally wipe my hard drive and I
>lost a lot of memory to damage. I spent a long time having to reload
>everything and I am having a computer specialist come and see if my
>memory can possibly be restored. I WILL NEVER AGAIN DOWNLOAD A PROGRAM
>FROM THE NET! Be warned.
Wow
Funny thing I downloaded Win stitch (i think) last week, the minute it
finished downloading it unzipped itself and started, this locked my
computer up and the only think i could do was turn it off (bad thing
to do with Win95) The program never did run again and i deleted it.
Where did you download the program from? I though i was downloading
it from their web page.
ps I am running a virus checker now but still haven't found anything.
Years of downloading of the net and I have yet to see one virus - Am i
just lucky?
Deborah Meinhart
Kelpie wrote:
>
<snip>
> started deteriorating fast. Yep I got a virus. My friend starting
> memory can possibly be restored. I WILL NEVER AGAIN DOWNLOAD A PROGRAM
> FROM THE NET! Be warned.
>
>
> Paula
Please don't be scared away from ever downloading again. There are so
many wonderful programs available to download from the internet. The
best
way to protect yourself and not miss out on so much of the internet is
to invest in good virus protection software. My favorite is McAfee
Virus Scan ( http://www.mcafee.com ). They have a 30 day free trial
during which you can use their software, after which you must either
buy it or stop using it. Install it, try it out, and if you decide to
purchase it they have frequent updates to the library of viruses that it
protects against.
I'm not affiliated with them, just a fan of their product.
Deb
--
Deborah Meinhart d...@pmei.com
Current stitching projects: Canvas Stitch Sampler, Chief Seattle's
Testimony
The Castle, Good Neighbors, Gomshall Flower Shop, Second Sunday....
Skyhooks
Hello there!!!!
Just yesterday afternoon, 3 Nov 96, I downloaded the WinStitch program
also. I linked to the WinStitch web page via Kathy Dyer's FAQs. So
far, I haven't had any problem with it as far as I can tell. I will, of
course, check my disk this evening to make sure.
I must admit, that the method by which this program downloaded was
different/peculiar than is usually typical. Instead of a "zipped" file
or simple self-extracting file, another procedure that I've never seen
before is used. *However*, the install method is even more peculiar
than the downloading method. By this I mean, the downloaded program
requires that the files be extracted to a floppy disk, THEN the program
is installed from the floppy onto the hard drive. Also, apparently
downloading the program automatically generates an e-mail message from
WinStitch which explains how to install it. The following is an excerpt
from the e-mail I received from WinStitch:
<From: DOWNLOA...@WIN-STITCH.COM>
(snip)
To install the WIN-Stitch package you have to
create an Installation 3 1/2 inch floppy. Please
make sure the Floppy is empty and formatted.
By double clicking onto the downloaded file you
start the decompressing process. Default wise the
program uses the A drive but you can change that
to drive B without any trouble. If A is correct
please press Y (YES). If you want to copy the
installation files to dive B please press N (NO)
and specify a destination drive.
After decompressing please run the INSTALL.EXE
file from the floppy drive. The program will guide
you through the rest of the process.
(snip)
I also downloaded their 32-bit manual for the WinStitch program, and
this again generated the very same e-mail message I received from
WinStitch when I first downloaded the program. I haven't had a chance
to look at the manual though, because I can't seem to find the darn
subdirectory with Win95 Explorer where the program installed so I could
open the file. I'll figure that part out sometime later tongiht, too.
I hope some of this helps.
Sweet Stitching!
Helen (Skyhooks)
hma...@uiuc.edu
http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~hmardis/index.html
> Douglas and Jenn <dr...@sk.sympatico.ca> wrote:
> >Kelpie <Kel...@worldnet.att.net> wrote
> >
> >Ok here goes. I did a really stupid thing the other day, something I
> >swore I would never do - I down loaded a program off the net onto my
> >hard drive. I am fanaticallly paranoid about getting a virus and I have
> >never even put a disk in my machine that had been used on another
> >computer. Well I saw the post about trying out that winstitch cross
> >stitch program and I decided to go ahead and take the chance. Big
> >mistake. I downloaded it last sunday and tried to play with it but
> >couldn't get it to work. Things started to go from bad to worse with
> >the machine just locking up and all kinds of garbage coming up. I just
> >gave up and decided to turn off the computer and go back to it later. A
> >friend of mine came over and we needed to use my word processor so we
> >turned on the machine and when I tried using microsoft word things
> >started deteriorating fast. Yep I got a virus. My friend starting
> >yelling at me about how stupid I was to down load a program application
> >from the net. End result - I had to totally wipe my hard drive and I
> >lost a lot of memory to damage. I spent a long time having to reload
> >everything and I am having a computer specialist come and see if my
> >memory can possibly be restored. I WILL NEVER AGAIN DOWNLOAD A PROGRAM
> >FROM THE NET! Be warned.
>
Nancy Lorraine Taylor
Kelpie <Kel...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
<very icky story snipped>
>Yep I got a virus. My friend starting
>yelling at me about how stupid I was to down load a program application
>from the net. End result - I had to totally wipe my hard drive and I
>lost a lot of memory to damage. I spent a long time having to reload
>everything and I am having a computer specialist come and see if my
>memory can possibly be restored. I WILL NEVER AGAIN DOWNLOAD A PROGRAM
>FROM THE NET! Be warned.
>Hope this is helpful,
>Paula
Paula,
Athough I simpathize with your story (trust me, been there, done
that), I don't think your sentiment is helpful. With a little
knowledge and preventative steps, this can be avoided. Please don't
frighten others away from what can be a very useful and entertaining
source for inexpensive programs and try-before-you-buy demos. (PS.
This is not a personal flame! :)
Don't think you're safe with the original disks, either. There are
several cases where a virus managed to find it's way onto 'original',
straight-out-of-the-box diskettes!
Yes, viruses are out there. Yes, they can be damaging. However, I
believe that swearing off all programs on the internet is extreme.
There is some truly wonderful software out there, written by some
amazingly talented people.
There are several precautions you can take to protect yourself:
First, purchase a virus detection and cleanup program.
Second, check EVERYTHING that you download BEFORE you run it.
Third, check again after you've run the program for the first time.
Forth, make periodic scans of your harddrive and the diskettes you've
used lately.
A virus cannot infect anything until you activate it. This happens
when you run an executable that has been infected already or has been
deliberately infected. That is why you I suggest you run the virus
detection program immediately after you run a new software package.
Make sure that you update the 'virus definition' file every time the
vender issues one. Most venders offer the updates to the 'virus
definition' file for free. Check before you buy. The virus
definitions tell the virus program what to look for and how to
identify a particular virus. As new ones are continuously being
written, the virus program must be updated to look for these new
viruses.
Cheers,
Nancy Lorraine
PS
Although I'm not an expert, I do have a University degree in Computer
Science. I studied how computer viruses are transmitted and how they
actually work. This is not heresay!
If anyone would like more information about viruses and how they work,
I'll gladly take e-mails off line. I don't want to see fear of the
unknown stop someone from enjoying the benefits of the internet and
computing in general. Knowledge is power.
I can be reached at the following address:
nta...@cyberus.ca
Marina Salume
> this scam. I really appreciate knowing this. I'm still kinda new in the
> 'net and haven't heard all of the "urban legends" that are floating
> around.
>
>
> <jame...@juno.com>
*No problem, JoAnn...its better to be safe than sorry and its nice to know
*that we all care about each other and it was good of you to warn us. I'm
*glad to know that it was a "false alarm" and I hope no one will ever
*hesitate to warn us if there are possible viruses out there. Happy
*stitching-Marie K.
Now that you know that "urban legends" exist, it would be better if any
time you hear about something you want to "warn" everyone about--try
sending it to just one person. Someone who seems to be quite
knowledgeable about this Internet stuff. That's the only way you can
avoid sending incorrect information to the thousands of people who read
this newsgroup. There is nothing so important that it can't wait one
day. I must say that I have NEVER seen one of these "important warnings"
on the Internet that turned out to be true, so you can almost bet they
are hoaxes.
--marina
Marianne Diehl
nsta...@nortel.ca (Nancy Lorraine Taylor) wrote:
>Yes, viruses are out there. Yes, they can be damaging. However, I
>believe that swearing off all programs on the internet is extreme.
>There is some truly wonderful software out there, written by some
>amazingly talented people.
I totally agree.
>There are several precautions you can take to protect yourself:
>First, purchase a virus detection and cleanup program.
>Second, check EVERYTHING that you download BEFORE you run it.
>Third, check again after you've run the program for the first time.
>Forth, make periodic scans of your harddrive and the diskettes you've
>used lately.
I'd like to add that getting a good backup tape drive system can "save
your bacon" in more than one way. Backing up your system regularly
can help you isolate when and where you may have gotten the virus.
Secondly, use some discretion when you want to download a program. If
it sounds to good to be free, it probably isn't an authorized version.
If somebody's homepage offers you Windows95 for instance, check the
source (go to Microsoft.com and check to see if they are offering the
free download) You'll also find that people who perpetuate viruses
are reluctant to leave e-mail addresses or anything that can be traced
back to them.
Enjoy,
marianne
Thomas & Mona Barham
>>Ok here goes. I did a really stupid thing the other day, something I
>>swore I would never do - I down loaded a program off the net onto my
>>hard drive. I am fanaticallly paranoid about getting a virus and I
have
>>never even put a disk in my machine that had been used on another
>>computer. Well I saw the post about trying out that winstitch cross
>>stitch program and I decided to go ahead and take the chance. Big
>>mistake. I downloaded it last sunday and tried to play with it but
>>couldn't get it to work. Things started to go from bad to worse with
>>the machine just locking up and all kinds of garbage coming up. I
just
>>gave up and decided to turn off the computer and go back to it later.
A
>>friend of mine came over and we needed to use my word processor so we
>>turned on the machine and when I tried using microsoft word things
>>started deteriorating fast. Yep I got a virus. My friend starting
>>yelling at me about how stupid I was to down load a program
application
>>from the net. End result - I had to totally wipe my hard drive and I
>>lost a lot of memory to damage. I spent a long time having to reload
>>everything and I am having a computer specialist come and see if my
>>memory can possibly be restored. I WILL NEVER AGAIN DOWNLOAD A
PROGRAM
>>FROM THE NET! Be warned.
>
>Wow
>Funny thing I downloaded Win stitch (i think) last week, the minute it
>finished downloading it unzipped itself and started, this locked my
>computer up and the only think i could do was turn it off (bad thing
>to do with Win95) The program never did run again and i deleted it.
>Where did you download the program from? I though i was downloading
>it from their web page.
>ps I am running a virus checker now but still haven't found anything.
>Years of downloading of the net and I have yet to see one virus - Am i
>just lucky?
>
>
well, I have downloaded bunches of stuff, and have never seen a virus,
also downloaded the winstitch from dmc, and had no problems with it.
Mona
Jmsavard
In article <327E1F...@worldnet.att.net>, Kelpie
<Kel...@worldnet.att.net> writes:
> I WILL NEVER AGAIN DOWNLOAD A PROGRAM
>FROM THE NET! Be warned.
>
>
11/4/96
I've downloaded programs, but before activating them in any way - I scan
them for viruses. So far, so good. Does anyone have additional suggestions
and/or recommendations?
Smiles, Julie Savard :-)
"Happily cross stitching away in beautiful Lake Orion, Michigan"
McLachlan Family
I downloaded this program and had absolutely no problem. All three
versions seem to work smoothly and not a hint of a virus problem. I run
Wiin95/Office Professional.
I really can't believe that the WinStitch program was the problem.
INHO
Happy Stitching
Dianne
--
Dianne's Designs
Desktop Publishing specializing in Needlework
Kate Fuller
anything downloaded. Its a very painless way to be disciplined about
scanning everything.
Kate in KY
MIDJ
>Ok here goes. I did a really stupid thing the other day, something I
>swore I would never do - I down loaded a program off the net onto my
>hard drive. I am fanaticallly paranoid about getting a virus and I have
>never even put a disk in my machine that had been used on another
>computer. Well I saw the post about trying out that winstitch cross
>stitch program and I decided to go ahead and take the chance. Big
>mistake. I downloaded it last sunday and tried to play with it but
>couldn't get it to work. Things started to go from bad to worse with
>the machine just locking up and all kinds of garbage coming up.
Yikes!!!! I downloaded the same program, but except not getting it to
work (there's no .exe file ) I haven't had any problems with the rest of
my computer. I hope I don't have any, but just in case I'm going to
delete all the files that came with the winstitch program. Incidentally,
I was reading up on virus' on AOL (member help section) and they had an
article by one of the computer watch groups that stated that unless the
file was executable it couldn't do anything to your hard drive. Well, the
Install part of winstitch is an execution program so who knows? There
wasn't an exe file to run the program winstitch but there was an install
program. Now I'm afraid to shut off my computer! Technomom are you out
there? What should we do?
TIA,
Not stitching, now worrrying!
Mary in Gainesville
_ _ _
/ \/ \ @ _| | @
|_|\/|_| |_| |__| _| |
|__|
Susan Pieper
In article <55n07k$q...@sjx-ixn5.ix.netcom.com>,
page...@ix.netcom.com(Thomas & Mona Barham) wrote:
>>>when I tried using microsoft word things
>>>started deteriorating fast. Yep I got a virus.
There is a virus associated with Microsoft Word. Have you checked that out yet?
Sue de LC
--
Susan Pieper/Las Cruces, NM
"To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else." E. Dickinson
Chris O'Donnell
In article <55oj0g$s...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, mi...@aol.com (MIDJ) writes:
> Yikes!!!! I downloaded the same program, but except not getting it to
> work (there's no .exe file ) I haven't had any problems with the rest of
> my computer. I hope I don't have any, but just in case I'm going to
> delete all the files that came with the winstitch program. Incidentally,
> I was reading up on virus' on AOL (member help section) and they had an
> article by one of the computer watch groups that stated that unless the
> file was executable it couldn't do anything to your hard drive. Well, the
> Install part of winstitch is an execution program so who knows? There
> wasn't an exe file to run the program winstitch but there was an install
> program. Now I'm afraid to shut off my computer! Technomom are you out
> there? What should we do?
If you are nervous, run a virus checker against the install program.
To get the exe program you'll need to run the install program. I'll betcha the
install will uncompress some of the other files that are there.
Win-Stitch is a very popular and very well known program. Personally, I'ld be
VERY surprised if it carries a virus.
Chris
Nancy Kohrs
There are a couple of morals to your story:
A) This is a painful lesson that shows that it's really a good
idea to use a virus detection/protection software package. Keep
in mind it's not good enough to use the ones that come with DOS
and Windows. The software must be kept *CURRENT*. Unfortunately
there are plenty of people out there writing viruses...do your
best to keep ahead of them.
B) If you have alot of data and/or programs on your computer, back
it all up. Tape drives are dirt cheap. The cost savings becomes
even more apparent if you have to spend hours restoring it all by
reinstalling something like MS Office off of 31 floppies!
C) Software *cannot* destroy hardware. But software *can
absolutely* destroy data. Vast portions of data on your hard
drive may have been corrupted, but your "memory" (i.e., RAM) was
not affected. (However, doing things like zotting your machine
with power surges and the like *can* damage your hardware!)
With regard to the virus aspect of what happened, my personal
preference is to use McAfee VirusScan. You can download
evaluation copies of the software and monthly updates to the virus
identification list from their homepage: http://www.mcafee.com
or from CompuServe if you GO: MCAFEE. I don't represent McAfee in
any way, shape or form...I just like them because they have good,
reliable, updated software that's free. There are versions for
hard drive maintenance as well as for when you download stuff from
online.
Hope this helps someone avoid the hassle you had to go through...
Don't let this bad experience color your judgement against using
information that's available online...there's too much GOOD stuff
out there!
Nancy
http://www.fred.net/nlk/xslinks.html
page...@ix.netcom.com(Thomas & Mona Barham) wrote:
>>>Ok here goes. I did a really stupid thing the other day, something I
>>>swore I would never do - I down loaded a program off the net onto my
>>>hard drive. I am fanaticallly paranoid about getting a virus and I have
>>>never even put a disk in my machine that had been used on another
>>>computer. Well I saw the post about trying out that winstitch cross
>>>stitch program and I decided to go ahead and take the chance. Big
>>>mistake. I downloaded it last sunday and tried to play with it but
>>>couldn't get it to work. Things started to go from bad to worse with
>>>the machine just locking up and all kinds of garbage coming up. I
>just gave up and decided to turn off the computer and go back to it later.
> A friend of mine came over and we needed to use my word processor so we
>>>turned on the machine and when I tried using microsoft word things
>>>started deteriorating fast. Yep I got a virus. My friend starting
>>>yelling at me about how stupid I was to down load a program application
>>>from the net. End result - I had to totally wipe my hard drive and I
>>>lost a lot of memory to damage. I spent a long time having to reload
>>>everything and I am having a computer specialist come and see if my
>>>memory can possibly be restored. I WILL NEVER AGAIN DOWNLOAD A
MIDJ
In article <spieper-0511...@165.247.47.170>, spi...@huntel.com
(Susan Pieper) writes:
>In article <55n07k$q...@sjx-ixn5.ix.netcom.com>,
>page...@ix.netcom.com(Thomas & Mona Barham) wrote:
>
>>>>when I tried using microsoft word things
>>>>started deteriorating fast. Yep I got a virus.
>
>
>There is a virus associated with Microsoft Word. Have you checked that
out
>yet?
>
>Sue de LC
They are called Macro virus' and there is a part of Word that will
automatically scan for them if you choose that option.
Good Luck
MIDJ
In article <9611052107591.T...@delphi.com>,
chr...@delphi.com (Chris O'Donnell) writes:
>If you are nervous, run a virus checker against the install program.
>
>To get the exe program you'll need to run the install program. I'll
betcha
>the
>install will uncompress some of the other files that are there.
>
>Win-Stitch is a very popular and very well known program. Personally,
I'ld be
>VERY surprised if it carries a virus.
>
>Chris
Thank you, Chris for being so prompt. I had already run the install
program and still no .exe. Maybe I'll try downloading it again. :-)
Linda McIntosh
Nancy Lorraine Taylor wrote:
<snipped>
>
> There are several precautions you can take to protect yourself:
>
> First, purchase a virus detection and cleanup program.
> Second, check EVERYTHING that you download BEFORE you run it.
> Third, check again after you've run the program for the first time.
> Forth, make periodic scans of your harddrive and the diskettes you've
> used lately.
>
> Make sure that you update the 'virus definition' file every time the
> vender issues one. Most venders offer the updates to the 'virus
> definition' file for free. Check before you buy. The virus
> definitions tell the virus program what to look for and how to
> identify a particular virus. As new ones are continuously being
> written, the virus program must be updated to look for these new
> viruses.
>
> Cheers,
> Nancy Lorraine
>
> PS
>
Hi Everyone:
Just my 2 cents (Canadian at that!) I am using Norton Antivirus for
Win'95 and am a happy and satisfied customer. I agree with Nancy
Lorraine - get a good virus checker! When downloading great "free-stuff"
from the Net, Norton anti-virus checks it as I download. They also have
free "signature" updates monthly to help you keep up with the new
viruses written daily.
The usual disclaimers....just a happy customer
Linda
Montreal, Quebec
P.M. Burnham
Kelpie <Kel...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>Ok here goes. I did a really stupid thing the other day, something I
>swore I would never do - I down loaded a program off the net onto my
>hard drive. I am fanaticallly paranoid about getting a virus and I have
>never even put a disk in my machine that had been used on another
>computer. Well I saw the post about trying out that winstitch cross
>stitch program and I decided to go ahead and take the chance. Big
>mistake. I downloaded it last sunday and tried to play with it but
>couldn't get it to work. Things started to go from bad to worse with
>the machine just locking up and all kinds of garbage coming up. I just
>gave up and decided to turn off the computer and go back to it later. A
>friend of mine came over and we needed to use my word processor so we
>turned on the machine and when I tried using microsoft word things
>started deteriorating fast. Yep I got a virus. My friend starting
>yelling at me about how stupid I was to down load a program application
>from the net. End result - I had to totally wipe my hard drive and I
>lost a lot of memory to damage. I spent a long time having to reload
>everything and I am having a computer specialist come and see if my
>memory can possibly be restored. I WILL NEVER AGAIN DOWNLOAD A PROGRAM
>FROM THE NET! Be warned.
I have downloaded ALOT of stuff from the Net and had no trouble, I
have also downloaded stuff and got a virus. To be safe install a virus
detector/killer program into the startup of your computer (McAfee is a
great one, it can detect and neutralize alot of the most common
viruses and virus patterns)...that program will then automatically
scan and neutralize any viruses that might come with downloaded
information. There is no need to think that EVERYTHING on the net is
loaded with viruses!
Pam
David R. Bivens
Viruses can live in two places in these blasted self-extracting archives: they can be present in
the program package (in this case, the WinStitch program, which is not very likely, or they can
live IN THE SELF-EXTRACTOR, itself, which is a much more likely scenario.
You can prevent this sort of problem by following these rules:
1) Get a copy of WinZIP or PKUNZIP and use it to extract your downloaded files into a separate
directory. After extracting the files, delete the original archive. (No, it's not obvious, but
you can use PKUNZIP or WinZIP on .EXE files just as easily as you can on .ZIP files.)
2) Scan the resulting program directory with any good commercial virus scanner. (My favorite is
Symantec's Norton Anti-Virus, or "NAV").
3) If the files come out clean, you can safely run the installation program.
Remember:
A virus (with the exception of Word and Excel macro viruses) cannot infect your system unless you
either execute a program containing the virus or attempt to boot your machine off an infected
diskette.
To reduce the risk of infection, keep all your diskettes write-protected (open the little plastic
sliding door in the corner) unless you need to write on them and change the CMOS (hardware setup)
parameters on your machine to not allow booting off the floppy drive. Otherwise, if you forget and
leave an infected diskette in the A: drive, the next time you turn your machine on, YOU GET THE
VIRUS.
Best of luck!
--
David R. Bivens
Ash Grove Systems & Technologies
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
drbi...@mindspring.com
Deborah Meinhart <d...@pmei.com> wrote in article <327E43...@pmei.com>...
> Kelpie wrote:
> >
> <snip>
> > started deteriorating fast. Yep I got a virus. My friend starting
> <snip>
> > memory can possibly be restored. I WILL NEVER AGAIN DOWNLOAD A PROGRAM
> > FROM THE NET! Be warned.
> >
> > Hope this is helpful,
> >
> > Paula
>
Marg Bloodworth
I, too, had problems with the Win-Stitch demo. Luckily I stopped
it from running quickly, and although I had to reinstall Win95, I was
apparently saved from further problem with it. I didn't try it
again--I deleted it immediately! One good side effect though,
reinstalling Win95 got Windows to recognize my new 4X CD-Rom changer,
as well as finally getting my system running in 32-bit mode instead of
DOS compatibility mode. I use Norton Anti-Virus and check what I
download, and will get updates on a monthly basis to be sure I'm
covered as well as I can be covered.
Marg
Happy Stitching
smai...@aol.com
There are many "word Macro viruses" out there now. :P Some people need
other things to do with their spare time, I suppose (like take up
stitching? <g>)
Fortunately, first of all, if you are running a version of Microsoft Word
(Mac or Win) older than V6.0, you're safe. The macro viruses can't affect
you. (now I know why I left V5.1 on the Mac!) They're called "macro
viruses" because they use Word's "Macro" function (it's something that
loads things in for you predetermined, like letter headers you always use,
with just a few keystrokes), not because they're really big. :D
Second, there is a tool Microsoft has made available on their website
(somewhere...everytime I go there they've changed the site!) at
http://www.microsoft.com. Those on AOL can get the same tool at Keyword:
VIRUS I'm sure CompuServe and Prodigy have it on their services somewhere
too. With this tool, you can scan new Word docs, and in many cases,
elimintate the macro virus from those docs. If you've determined that you
had a doc containing Concept or any of the other macro viruses on your
system, you'd better scan *every* doc on your system to make sure it
wasn't passed on. Yes, that's a real pain. Which is why this virus is
annoying.
Fortunately, it does no real hard drive damage, tho it can trash Word
docs. This can range from being annoying (lost that letter I was writing
to Mom) to downright catastrophic (my thesis! Ten years! GONE!!!).
And yes, this is the *one* type of virus in existence that can affect both
Macs and PC's and be passed between 'em. Ain't progress great? :/
Carolyn the (older is sometimes better) Small Bear
smai...@aol.com
In article <55k45i$r...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, kpaul...@aol.com
(KPaules531) writes:
>I wanted to apologize for commenting on the apparently fictional "Good
>Times" virus. A friend of mine told me about it last evening and I had
>never heard of it before. I wanted to prevent my fellow rctn'ers any
>problems with the virus. I heard from two of you now filling me in on
>this scam. I really appreciate knowing this. I'm still kinda new in the
>'net and haven't heard all of the "urban legends" that are floating
>around.
Aw, JoAnn...
Don't feel bad. It happens even in big corporations. My DH just got handed
an "official from the President Of The Company" warning about this last
week. After he had gotten over the hysterical laughter, he went in to tell
Mr. President about urban legends too! ;D
On AOL, you can always go to Keyword: VIRUS to find out if something
you've heard about is a hoax or not. Both the Mac and PC Virus InfoCenter
folx keep pretty up to date on these things. (I should know...I'm married
to the PC Virus InfoCenter boss!)
Carolyn the (now if I could only get a virus scanner for my body!) Small
Bear
Margaret Davaz
Man - oh - man ... do I know about this one!
I passed it on to several Stitchers by accident when I used to send a
newsletter via email (created in MS Word) instead of having a website. So
if any of you need the *cure* for the Concept virus, you can also e-mail me
and I'll send the file and instructions to fix it.
But going to the Microsoft website is also a good idea ... in case you
don't trust me!
--
Cameo @-->-->---
Came...@aol.com
http://www.nidlink.com/~ddavaz/margaret/studio/studio.html
smai...@aol.com wrote in article
<19961109013...@ladder01.news.aol.com>...
:[snip]
:
drm...@aol.com
>
>With regard to the virus aspect of what happened, my personal
>preference is to use McAfee VirusScan. You can download
>evaluation copies of the software and monthly updates to the virus
>identification list from their homepage: http://www.mcafee.com
>or from CompuServe if you GO: MCAFEE. I don't represent McAfee in
>any way, shape or form...I just like them because they have good,
>reliable, updated software that's free. There are versions for
>hard drive maintenance as well as for when you download stuff from
>online.
Actually, it's not intended to remain free. You're supposed to register
it after 30 days
Karen
Kelpie
Joy Merz wrote:
> Hi Paula
> Just had to get in on this.
>
> Have heard that you had problems with your computer after downloading
> WIN-Stitch. Sorry about that, but please rest assured that the company
> behind WIN-Stitch is not a "hit and run" show, playing around on the
> net, but a serious Software Development House, where software has been a
> main line of business for the last 16 years.
>
> Around 800 surfers visit our page daily, and this results in nearly 1000
> registered downloads per week. Our software is virus free.
>
> It would be nice if those who have encountered download problems would
> drop a line into my mailbox. I will try and get back to you as soon as
> possible.
>
> Look forward to your comments,
> J...@Win-stitch.com
>
> P. S.: If you do not find an Install.exe, it is most probably because
> the downloaded file has not yet been expanded to a floppy disk! Once the
> file has been expanded and before installation, the Install.exe is on
> the top level. When it comes to loading the installed program, the
> Install.exe is found under wstitch/bin/install.exe.
Well I was able to get winstitch downloaded and working. After I had
been playing around with winstitch and things were going ok for a little
while everything started to freeze up and all kind of garbage came on
the screen and the system crashed. I rebooted and tried again
- samething. And again. I had a computer wiz friend come over and play
around and things just kept getting worse and all other programs were
effected. I finally had to just clear the hard drive and reload windows
'95. I have a Gateway 2000, with a 120 pentium and 16mb ram hard drive
so I don't think the problem was that I didn't have enough memory. This
was the only way I could have had my machine infected (unless you can
get a virus from regular email or reading the newsgroups which I
understand is not the case). I don't go back and forth to other machines
and this was the first thing I had ever downloaded from the net. I also
never had any problems until then so I will assume the problem was
related.
Thanks everyone for suggesting the virus protection programs. I will
definetely invest in one of these. I don't know if I will get up the
nerve to try downloading anything from the net again.
Oh well you live you learn.
Paula
Nancy Kohrs
Thanks for correcting me. You can download the evaluation copy
and the monthly updates (which they called DAT, or virus signature
files) for free, but you should register your software after 30
days, if you like it.
Registered users are entitled to one product (i.e., the actual
Virus Scan software, not the DAT files) update in the first 90
days of ownership. You can also subscribe to a maintenance
program where you get continual product updates for a year.
When you download the evaluation copy, they ask you for all your
pertinent info (name, address, etc.).
FYI, lately McAfee has gone a bit scrolling banner and
frame-crazy...their home page takes a little while to load.
Sorry if I misled anyone into thinking that there isn't a fee
involved SOMEWHERE. Responsible users register their software.
Nancy
http://www.fred.net/nlk/xslinks.html
Joy Merz
Glad to hear that you are willing to try the download again.
How about I save you some time - on our busy overloaded net -
and attach a copy to your mailbox.
Please let me know if you would like that.
Rest assured that WIN-Stitch does not have a virus.
Joy
Joy Merz
Kelpie wrote:
> Well I saw the post about trying out that winstitch cross
> stitch program and I decided to go ahead and take the chance. Big
> mistake.
Hi Paula
Sue Thing
In article <328681...@worldnet.att.net> Kelpie <Kel...@worldnet.att.net> writes:
>Joy Merz wrote:
>> Hi Paula
>> Just had to get in on this.
>>
>> Have heard that you had problems with your computer after downloading
>> WIN-Stitch. Sorry about that, but please rest assured that the company
>> behind WIN-Stitch is not a "hit and run" show, playing around on the
>> net, but a serious Software Development House, where software has been a
>> main line of business for the last 16 years.
>>
>> Around 800 surfers visit our page daily, and this results in nearly 1000
>> registered downloads per week. Our software is virus free.
>>
>> It would be nice if those who have encountered download problems would
>> drop a line into my mailbox. I will try and get back to you as soon as
>> possible.
>>
>> Look forward to your comments,
>> J...@Win-stitch.com
>>
>> P. S.: If you do not find an Install.exe, it is most probably because
>> the downloaded file has not yet been expanded to a floppy disk! Once the
>> file has been expanded and before installation, the Install.exe is on
>> the top level. When it comes to loading the installed program, the
>> Install.exe is found under wstitch/bin/install.exe.
>Well I was able to get winstitch downloaded and working. After I had
>been playing around with winstitch and things were going ok for a little
>while everything started to freeze up and all kind of garbage came on
>the screen and the system crashed. I rebooted and tried again
>- samething. And again. I had a computer wiz friend come over and play
>around and things just kept getting worse and all other programs were
>effected. I finally had to just clear the hard drive and reload windows
>'95.
My SO is a software designer and test engineer. He took a look at your post,
and he thinks rather than a virus, the software you downloaded either 1)
conflicted with existing software on your system, 2) is not compatible with
Windows '95, or 3) was corrupted in the download or in the unzipping if it was
a zipped file. How does corruption happen? It just does; sometimes all
it takes is a little click or glitch on the phone line at the wrong
time. Viruses usually are designed to *attack* something, i.e. your hard
drive. They usually display crude messages, like "Happy Birthday, Adolf" and
then delete important bits of your hard drive. The symptoms you described
aren't consistent with what a virus does. That makes the more likely culprit
one of the three possibilities listed above. He suspects that if you download
the same software after first checking that it is compatible with Windows '95,
and if you follow the installation instructions scrupulously, it will probably
work OK. Most programs create a directory. Almost all of them have a file
called readme.txt and troubleshooting tips and installation information can
usually be found there. It's always a good idea to look at the readme.txt file
_before_ you run the install.exe or setup.exe. Have your computerwhiz friend
stand by while you download.
It's good to be cautious about viruses, but there's no reason to be totally
afraid of downloading software from reputable companies. An anti-virus
program is a good idea, and strongly recommended, but not really necessary as
long as you know whom you're dealing with. With reputable software companies,
there's usually an email address where you can ask for help. If you reload or
are interested in reloading Winstitch and still have problems, definitely
contact J...@Winstitch.com; I'll bet she'll help or find somebody who will.
This goes for any software company, not just Winstitch.
Best of luck.
Sue
------------------------------------------
Sue Thing plbu...@mail.goodnet.com
Those who do not learn from history
are doomed to repeat it next semester.
------------------------------------------
jseip
Thought I'd toss this out, there is a good free (for personal use) virus
scanner out there called F-Prot. I do not remember exactly where I got it
from unfortunatly but it's fairly popular so it should be easy to locate.
It's small, fast, and free! I'm not sure how good it is at killing viruses
(viri?) since the two it found on my system were boot viruses and not
killable through standaard means.
Ob-XS: My lion is comming along great! Being sick last week really helped my
progress. Problem is I got so behind that I haven't stitched for 5
days I'm so tired from catching up!
Jeremy Seip
smai...@aol.com
>Thought I'd toss this out, there is a good free (for personal use) virus
>scanner out there called F-Prot. I do not remember exactly where I got
it
>from unfortunatly but it's fairly popular so it should be easy to locate.
You can get it via ftp from any of the Simtel sites. FTP to
ftp.simtel.net;/pub/simtelnet Select msdos/virus and scroll down. The
file name is generally FP-XXX.ZIP (where XXX is the version number) For
example, on that site now, you can get F-Prot V2.24c, file name
FP-224C.ZIP
People on AOL can get it from the Virus Information Center library at
Keyword: VIRUS
I'm sure Compuserve has it too, but I'm not as familiar with that service.
:)
F-Prot is freely distributed to individual users...corporations are
expected to pay a fee. :)
HTH,
Carolyn the (helpful) Small Bear