Laptop Saved From VISTA Virus

[junkman51]

I just finished repairing a malware infested HP Pavilion DV6500 laptop.

The main user is a high school student (pretty computer savvy, has played with UBUNTU a bit) who has used and liked Linux Mint 10 Main Edition I installed on the computers I built in the church computer lab.

I was able to recover all of the family photos by booting from a live MINT 10 CD and copying them to a flash drive.

The user said he hated VISTA and wanted it replaced with LINUX. The laptop has an AMD Turion 64 dual core CPU, a 160 gigabyte hard drive, but down to 1 gig of ram. The laptop failed the memtest with both 1 gig modules installed so I had to remove the bad module after I identified it.

I tried installing the 64 bit version of MINT 11 Main, but it seemed too slow so I went with 32 bit Mint 10 Main.

I did the installation off line and discovered that the Broadcom wireless didn't work right away, with a message that the firmware was lacking.

I then hooked it to the net by CAT 5 cable to my FIOS router and did a couple of rounds of updates. That resulted in the proper firmware getting installed for the Broadcom wireless and the best driver for the NVIDEA video card. After the updates wireless connected and worked fine.

The only additional software I installed was the MS truetype fonts and K3B burner software when I was disappointed with the relatively poor performance of Brasero when I tested it on the internal dual layer DVD burner. I had a 2 out of 4 coaster rate with Brasero and 2 for 2 with K3B.

I have found this forum a great resource in repairing and rebuilding computers plus choosing the proper software to make MINT run better. I use the search function to seek and find answers to get computers back working. I hope this post might help point someone with a similar issue in the right direction.

[richyrich]

Nice to hear of your success !
. . and here's to Mint !

[rivenathos]

It is great to know you are having such a good experience with Linux Mint. Welcome to the forum!

[Aevum]

I quote all the people above adding that as the forum can be a great source for anybody seeking help, anybody can be a great source of help for the forum!
Cheers to your success again!

[junkman51]

Thank you everyone for your kind words.

Within a couple of weeks I'm going to be trying a clean reinstall of WIN XP on my 5 1/2 year old DELL Inspiron E1505 laptop.

If I have hit the reinstall limit for XP, it too will be a LINUX MINT laptop.

Reinstalling Windows on any name brand desktop or laptop is a long process with first the OS, then hunting down and installing the right drivers.

Installing Mint from a live disc is faster and easier. I can easily connect the computer temporarily to the internet by a wired connection if needed to download drivers for wireless.

[Sookster54]

HP laptops are really not that great, not very friendly to Linux either but with several hours and a headache you can get things to work the way they should. I also had a Dell Inspiron 1505 (the broadcon wlan was the only problem) but gave it to my mother once I got a new Toshiba Satalite (which works out of the box with Linux).

[junkman51]

I'm back from a week in the Adirondacks - had a good time, but it was an Internet black hole.

I wasn't that super impressed with that HP laptop I rebuilt, but that's what they had and wanted to save the family photos and possibly get some more use from it. The high school student said that if I got it going again it may be the family game server.

I didn't happen to see any of the family members since I dropped off the redone laptop, but I also gave them my old Antec cooler. That laptop ran really hot, and I used the cooler with it while I was troubleshooting and rebuilding.


I didn't get to the DELL laptop yet. It's 5 1/2 years old, one of the first E1505s with a dual core processor. When I bought it online I upgraded the wireless to an Intel chip and it always worked well when I tried out Mint live discs on that machine.


My new laptop is a SONY Vaio F series with a quad core Intel i7 processor, 6 gigs of RAM, 640 gig HD, 16.4 in screen with NVIDIA video card with 1 gig of RAM, CD/DVD burner/Blu ray reader. I retired over 5 years ago but do some occasional tutoring on Windows and amateur level photo editing with Adobe Photoshop Elements. This spring I moved up to a digital SLR which produces large (25 megabyte) picture files.

After I redo the DELL for use by my wife I will try to post my adventures here.

[junkman51]

A few days ago I tackled formatting the old DELL laptop and trying to reinstall Win XP. It worked but it took a lot of the day while I first installed XP, then installed SP3 from a CD, the relevant DELL drivers from a CD I had burned after downloading them from the DELL support website. After those were installed, I installed the free version of AVAST antivirus and Firefox before allowing it on the Internet for updates. The updates eventually went on OK and I also installed Libre Office.

I rebuilt the DELL laptop for use by my wife, who is currently using a vintage 2004 DELL Dimension tower which I bought used very cheaply and still works. My wife uses her computer for email (currently using Outlook 2000), word processing for church bulletins and newsletters using MS Office 2000, and playing word and puzzle games.

The laptop wireless, DVD/CD burner, and display are the weakest links in my opinion.

The wireless performance of the old laptop just isn't as reliable as it once was when I have it in exactly the same position where performance used to be rock solid in the past. The wireless performance of my new SONY laptop IS rock solid in the exact same location and when my nephew brings his less than 2 year old DELL laptop from his work running Red Hat Linux and surfs the net from the exact same location, its wireless performance is also rock solid. I think this rules out my FIOS router as the source of the trouble. If my wife uses it as a replacement for her desktop where I can connect it to the router by CAT5 cable, that will not be an issue for her.

Over the 5 plus years of its life, I have burned a pretty fair number of CDs and DVDs in the SONY internal burner. I'm starting to notice less than perfect compatibility between the internal burner, an external USB burner, and the internal burners on my main 2 desktops, despite making sure that all have had their lenses cleaned. My wife doesn't burn discs, so this would be a non-issue for her.

The laptop hinge is getting a bit weak, the brightness is no longer what it once was, and there is a darker discoloration which over the past year and a half (of course, right after the warranty expired) on both sides and the top which is now an inch wide - not that conducive to photo editing. My wife thinks it's OK for word processing and if it comes to it, I can set up her current desktop flat panel monitor so that's the main display.

If for some reason it goes again, then Linux Mint is a definite option.

[craig10x]

junkman51....you find that 32 bit Mint 11 main edition runs BETTER then the 64 bit version? That's surprising...i wouldn't have thought that to be the case
i wonder why that would be...

And i couldn't agree more...K3b is a MUCH better burner then Brasero...I find it to be VERY RELIABLE...and very easy to use...also it is much more flexible as well...

[z06gal]

junkman51....you find that 32 bit Mint 11 main edition runs BETTER then the 64 bit version? That's surprising...i wouldn't have thought that to be the case
i wonder why that would be...

And i couldn't agree more...K3b is a MUCH better burner then Brasero...I find it to be VERY RELIABLE...and very easy to use...also it is much more flexible as well...

I have found the same thing with Mint 11 32 bit. It flies on this computer. In other news, vista is a virus. It was the proverbial straw for me and I'm very thankful because Mint rocks

[craig10x]

hi z06gal
Interesting...i will have to try the 32 bit version and see (i use the 64 bit version of Mint 11)...

By the way, you know how i solved my "power regressions with kernels after .37" problem?

Bought a new Laptop...It is a new Toshiba 17" (which is the screen size i had on my previous laptop) but i got the Intel I3 Core processor...Intels are known to have much better power efficiency then the AMDs anyway and though it is a duo core processor it is "threaded" and kind of acts like a quad core (very efficient) and along with very likely much better bios power management settings in the new laptop, i no longer need fear the problem and mint 11 main edition is operating very cool and comfortable on it
I've even updated to the newer versions of kernel .38 (which came in through my mint updates...i have all 5 levels on) and no problem at all!

Actually, i didn't just buy it for that reason (though i figured it MIGHT solve the problem)...i got a great deal on my new laptop and couldn't resist, especially since it had such really nice features...
And from now on, i'm only going for laptops with the intel in the future...Unlike on my old laptop...fan is not coming on and going " into high gear" like it was on the old computer...

[junkman51]

Hi all,

I'm just now reading the last few replies since I last posted. I called it a night early on Friday to get some sleep for an early start on a Saturday photo field trip with a couple of other members of a camera club. We had a good time.

When I chose the 32 bit version of MINT 10 over the 64 bit version of Mint 11 on the HP laptop, I didn't do any real kind of benchmark. The laptop was down to 1 gig of RAM at that point and I didn't think they were going to put any money into it, so the ability of the laptop to address a lot of RAM wasn't an issue to me.

When I tried the laptop using a 32 bit Mint 10 live disc, it seemed a bit faster, so I went with it. I also think the student is a bit more familiar with Mint 10. When it comes to out of warranty laptops which aren't performing correctly, I think the following phrase applies to their longevity: "Don't buy any green bananas".

My new SONY laptop is still running cool, so I probably don't need to really bother with a cooling pad for it, but I bought one and paid for it, so I might as well use it.

I really like Linux vs Windows because there are so many choices of distributions, desktops, software etc. that people can set up a computer that runs the way the individual likes, not what a monopolist dictates.

[z06gal]

hi z06gal
Interesting...i will have to try the 32 bit version and see (i use the 64 bit version of Mint 11)...

By the way, you know how i solved my "power regressions with kernels after .37" problem?

Bought a new Laptop...It is a new Toshiba 17" (which is the screen size i had on my previous laptop) but i got the Intel I3 Core processor...Intels are known to have much better power efficiency then the AMDs anyway and though it is a duo core processor it is "threaded" and kind of acts like a quad core (very efficient) and along with very likely much better bios power management settings in the new laptop, i no longer need fear the problem and mint 11 main edition is operating very cool and comfortable on it
I've even updated to the newer versions of kernel .38 (which came in through my mint updates...i have all 5 levels on) and no problem at all!

Actually, i didn't just buy it for that reason (though i figured it MIGHT solve the problem)...i got a great deal on my new laptop and couldn't resist, especially since it had such really nice features...
And from now on, i'm only going for laptops with the intel in the future...Unlike on my old laptop...fan is not coming on and going " into high gear" like it was on the old computer...

Wow craig! It really is funny how different one system is from another. Well, I am so glad you are enjoying Mint 11 now and you have a new computer too. Excellent! I didn't realize that about intel so I'll keep that in memory. I am running the 2.39.3 kernel and it is doing very well. I'll likely stay with it till Mint 12. You using the older compiz or metacity? I am using metacity and it is doing great. Question, have you ever tried lmde? I keep thinking about it but the one time I tried, getting wireless to work was a hoot so I'm a little nervous about it. Mint main is generally so easy to install for me and I don't want the issues. Anyway, just thought I'd ask. Welcome to the Mint 11 club


Robin

[craig10x]

Thank you so much, Robin

I'm not running compiz on it but yeah i just can't get over the difference running Mint 11 on THIS laptop as compared to the old laptop...The "tip" about Intels consuming far less power the amd's was from a fellow mint forum poster (sorry forgot his handle at the moment..i hope he will forgive me...lol) who owns a computer repair shop and he seems to know an awful lot about that...he said he also sells laptops and only Intels for that reason...

I'd imagine the bios power management was not set up to well in my old laptop but i know updating the bios can be "tricky" and i didn't want to take a chance...
But i did notice that amds to tend to run hotter...I've had both...This is the most advanced intel processor i ever had though...the ones i had usually had celerons or pentiums at best...

Regarding LMDE...i was on it for awhile, but found it wasn't as smooth and polished as Mint Main (despite Clem's valiant efforts) and got tired of the constant (almost daily) huge amount of updates and various breakages i experienced that were annoying...I think you really have to "know your stuff" to run it...otherwise, you will be posting a lot asking for solutions...

The new update packs will probably help with that...but still, i just don't feel it's as smooth, polished, stable and reliable as the ubuntu based version...
I liked the idea of the "rolling release" but overall, felt it was a bit too much work with it...

[Robin]

I too find "straight Debian" more troublesome on my hardware (and it's all Intel!) than the Ubuntu-derived versions. It's worth a shot at LMDE (the new Xfce version is also based on Debian rather than Xubuntu - same issues) because if it works, great! Lots of folks have written that it's faster and easier on resources than the Ubuntu-based Main edition. My trouble is that Debian (and LMDE, Crunchbang, etc) balks on my hardware. I can never get sound to work, configuring accessories (scanner, printer, etc) is a bigger pain in the neck, stuff like that. But the Ubuntu-based ones install, configure, and run effortlessly, quickly, and smoothly. Dunno why, don't really care. Just grateful that Ubuntu has done whatever it is they did to make Xubu and Mint "just work" for me.

[z06gal]

I too find "straight Debian" more troublesome on my hardware (and it's all Intel!) than the Ubuntu-derived versions. It's worth a shot at LMDE (the new Xfce version is also based on Debian rather than Xubuntu - same issues) because if it works, great! Lots of folks have written that it's faster and easier on resources than the Ubuntu-based Main edition. My trouble is that Debian (and LMDE, Crunchbang, etc) balks on my hardware. I can never get sound to work, configuring accessories (scanner, printer, etc) is a bigger pain in the neck, stuff like that. But the Ubuntu-based ones install, configure, and run effortlessly, quickly, and smoothly. Dunno why, don't really care. Just grateful that Ubuntu has done whatever it is they did to make Xubu and Mint "just work" for me.

I can absolutely relate to what you are saying Robin. It is hard to beat a distro install, in Mint Main, that gives me wireless start to finish. I can install Mint 11 in 15 mins which is just unbelievable really. I could not be happier so I'll likely stay with it but I am also more comfortable with it which helps alot too.

Craig, thanks for your input on LMDE. I peruse that forum frequently just to see what's going on but right now there are definitely alot of breakages going on via updates. I may give it a whirl when all that is ironed out. My money is on Clem in the sense that he'll have it smooth as velvet before he is done. Thanks and enjoy Mint 11!

[craig10x]

Thanks Robin (the female one) and also appreciate the other Robin's (the male one...lol) input as well
Yes...i guess if it gets to that smooth and polished (and more reliable) state with Clem's efforts i might give it another go...meanwhile i will check out each re-spin iso as they come out to see what progress has been made...

For now i am really enjoying Mint 11 main edition and look forward to installing Mint 12 when it comes out (November i should imagine)

[z06gal]

Thanks Robin (the female one) and also appreciate the other Robin's (the male one...lol) input as well
Yes...i guess if it gets to that smooth and polished (and more reliable) state with Clem's efforts i might give it another go...meanwhile i will check out each re-spin iso as they come out to see what progress has been made...

For now i am really enjoying Mint 11 main edition and look forward to installing Mint 12 when it comes out (November i should imagine) :mrgreen:

It's a sickness isn't it? LOL

[craig10x]

I think so....for which there is no apparent "cure"

[Realheroaustralia]

I can never get sound to work, configuring accessories (scanner, printer, etc) is a bigger pain in the neck, stuff like that. But the Ubuntu-based ones install, configure, and run effortlessly, quickly, and smoothly. Dunno why, don't really care. Just grateful that Ubuntu has done whatever it is they did to make Xubu and Mint "just work" for me.