Q: Hello world, i've been experiencing some.. problems with my computer. All the time it does a "Crash dump" and it is annoying as all hell. I don't really do anything on my computer, i'm 14 and I have a serious feeling it was my 21 year old sister. She puts all this limwire bull sh!t and just tons of useless crap. I hardly do anything when i'm on, but when I am on, this is annoying! She says, "oh I didn't do it" and makes up bs excuses. (sorry about the rant >.>) anyways, it does this so often I can hardly spend time on the computer. I know this computer was not cheap so telling my parents it is screwed up is not going to be easy. Someone tell me what I should do about this "Crash dump" it happens all the time.
A: As per the P2P or Limewire - Even the safest P2P file sharing programs that do not contain bundled spyware, still expose you to risks because of the very nature of the P2P file sharing process. By default, most P2P file sharing programs are configured to automatically launch at startup. They are also configured to allow other P2P users on the same network open access to a shared directory on your computer. The reason for this is simple, file sharing relies on its members giving and gaining unfettered access to computers across the P2P network. However, this practice can make you vulnerable to data and identity theft. Even if you change those risky default settings to a safer configuration, the act of downloading files from an anonymous source greatly increases your exposure to infection. That is because the files you are downloading may actually contain a disguised threat. Many very malicious worms and trojans, such as the Storm Worm, target and spread across P2P files sharing networks because of their known vulnerabilities. http://www.pcworld.com/article/126230/identity_thieves_lurk_in_ptop_networks.html http://www.techpowerup.com/index.php?41354 http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Cybercriminals-Use-P2P-Tools-for-Identity-Theft-Security-Analyst-Warns/ For your current situation, your most likely going to have to rebuild. After that, make sure your sister can NEVER run the computer with Admin rights. Give her a normal user account with no rights to install anything. To rebuild your computer - 1) Back up all of your files 2) Ensure you dont forget things like "Your Favorites" 3) Make sure you have all of your Software and Licenses 4) Make sure you have the current drivers for your NIC and your Video Card! 5) Use a VALID version of Windows OS and ensure you have a working key for it! 6) Ensure you update it FIRST prior to installing anything else! 7) Ensure you put AV on it and that its updated and running!