Possible virus alert

[kentfx]

In the instructions for burning the Mint CD, there are two recommendations for ISO recorders. One of them is the ALEX FEINMAN / ISO RECORDER. It's the one I selected, and was screwed badly by a virus that came from the download site. It's taken me all morning to clean the mess up. Just now I checked Google for "alex feinman iso recorder virus" and got some 200,000 hits. I started reading some of the postings - a lot of anguish there.These warnings have been going on regularly since 2004. Why is that product suggested for new Linus Mint users? Wouldn't a warning be more appropriate than a recommendation??

[monkeyboy]

In the instructions for burning the Mint CD, there are two recommendations for ISO recorders. One of them is the ALEX FEINMAN / ISO RECORDER. It's the one I selected, and was screwed badly by a virus that came from the download site. It's taken me all morning to clean the mess up. Just now I checked Google for "alex feinman iso recorder virus" and got some 200,000 hits. I started reading some of the postings - a lot of anguish there.These warnings have been going on regularly since 2004. Why is that product suggested for new Linus Mint users? Wouldn't a warning be more appropriate than a recommendation??

Was this a suggestion from some "Official Documentations" or from a forum post?

[vrkalak]

Here on the Linux side ... we don't get viruses and such. So, we often don't look for them.

But, yes ... a 'warning' should be implemented.

And why did you select this 'iso recorder' in the first place?
I've never heard of it before, nor do I know anyone that has used it.

Did you manage to get LinuxMint downloaded and installed?

[kentfx]

Here on the Linux side ... we don't get viruses and such. So, we often don't look for them.

But, yes ... a 'warning' should be implemented.

And why did you select this 'iso recorder' in the first place?
I've never heard of it before, nor do I know anyone that has used it.

Did you manage to get LinuxMint downloaded and installed?

It's in the Official User Guide, Linus Mint 8 "Helena", Main Edition, under "Installation of Linux Mint". On page 9 is "Burn the ISO to CD", and a few sentences below that, on page 10, is this:

If you’re running Windows you can use a program like ISO Recorder or InfraRecorder:
http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm
http://infrarecorder.sourceforge.net/?page_id=5

The "ISO Recorder" is the problem reference. The other reference, from Sourceforge, is clean and effective.

kentfx

[kentfx]

Vrkalak: Two other questions you asked: first, why did I use ISO Recorder to begin with? The "Official User Guide" instructions say to "Burn the ISO to CD" (which makes sense, obviously), and they're very clear on how to do that.

Second, as to whether I got Linux Mint installed -- no, alas, I wasn't able to get it to work. After Step 4 of the installation, I started getting screens that are not shown in the Mint 8 User Guide, with technical questions that I wasn't understanding. Since I was trying to install Mint on a hard drive which also has Windows XP on it (which was supposed to work) -- and the pop-up windows were suggesting I could damage that operating system if I continued -- I had to give up.

Too bad. Maybe I'll try later, or when I have some money get another machine and go that route.

[Helmut]

Thats just too bad, kentfx.

Anyhow, thanks for pointing out some rubbish that somehow made it into the Mint User Guide. Hope it gets fixed real soon.

Aside from that, in my opinion a Mint installation is so straight forward (and totally free of blue screens!) that you very probably won't ever need the user guide to get it running, and better still, to operate it.

Helmut

[Husse]

alex feinman iso recorder virus

This has loads of hits, but most are a virus warning and the Feinman program is one of the programs in that computer, not necessary the virus thing
We are looking into it

[Husse]

Clem thought it was best to remove the "Feinman" app from the user guide - it's on his to do list

[markcynt]

This thread has been bothering me since the day it first appeared.

When I searched the web for "alex feinman iso recorder virus" I didn't find any posts saying that the program or the link was malicious. I found what you found Husse. People got infected and just happened to have that program on their computer and since it's a very popular ISO burning program it's not all that unusual.

I set up a sandbox XP installation just to test it.

I downloaded the program from that link, installed it, and burned a DVD.

I then ran multiple virus/malware scans with no hits for malware or viruses and the sandbox XP installation is functioning normally.

I figured this was a false alarm and this pretty much confirmed my suspicions.