This month I was attacked by a VICIOUS malware Trojan virus. I was infected approximately around January the 7th (2016), and battled it from the 8th (a Friday) until the 11th (Monday Night). I'd beaten it several times, only for it to pull dirty tricks on me, by resetting my startup, rewriting my operating system, altering my restore points, and somehow broke through my firewalls. it also behaved differently when the computer was connected to the internet.
I'd beaten it on that Sunday night when I installed a 3rd virus scanning program, with addition firewall protection, and removed it from my entire system. However, this was when it pulled a dirty trick of removing my windows start-up entirely, and also removed safe mode's ability to even run a program at all.
It wiped my entire drive by Monday, even tho' everything had been resolved. It seemed to have rewritten the shut-down & start-up, and switched restore points.
It also destroyed my new video card, the GPU, and overheated it.
It wipes all of my photography, my artwork, my audio, my programs, my video projects, and since my DVD ROM was broken since 2011 there was no way to save and back up THAT MUCH DATA.
I had about 800 gigs worth at least. Much of that was my prized audio and music collection some of which were backed up archives from 2001-2007, and not all of that was saved to disks, or are currently misplaced.
So, whatever I have left is either on my Yahoo/Flickr archive online, my Google/Picasa/blogger Archives, or possibly on other cloud or data archives.
I was smart enough to have at least published several of my photographs and blog entries as drafts, and still have several more in the Blogger archive or the Google archive.
However, I literally lost ALL of my RAW files of my photography. EVERYTHING.
I also have several pieces of my digital artwork in the PDF files which are COMPLETELY LOST FOREVER. Irreplaceable stuff.
And, also photos and videos of old friends whom have vanished from my life that cannot be replaced, as well as tones of documents, and evidence archives.
My computer was in the shop from January 12th until January 22nd. They claimed that data could still be retrieved, but could find nothing, just blank drive. They also took my video card without telling me. So, I had to get it back, and they also put in a new one, and a new DVD ROM. It cost me $150, and the reformatted the computer, and installed Windows 10 which i could not get to install during 2015.
I still have photos in the google archives which I can still publish since I had quite a bit.
But, my plans to publish all of it are now void.
I will still be publishing more content, especially the drafts I saved.
I've been trying to redo my computer, and adjust to the new OS.
This was a VERY odd experience for me. My skills/knowledge of computer science has it's limits. I have a degree in Computer Animation which involves Computer Science, but I'm Not a Computer Science major nor an expert, nor a true blue blood programmer. I also graduated in 2001. So, there's a limit to my knowledge and skills. generally, if i don't know I can look it up, try to figure it out, or ask someone whom is more knowledgeable than I.
I really felt I handled it rather well, but it really pushed me to my own personal limits, which was farther than I'd ever gone in matters like this. I'd been hacked before several times, since 2011 pretty bad, but nothing like this.
i really began to see and recognize that I probably couldn't do any more than i already was doing, and I'd need outside help. But, since i was broke, and jobless, and pressure from my spouse to get paychecks, I didn't know what to do. He kept nastily telling me that if I didn't fix it that it was just too bad, and Oh well... (has has severe stress issues including skin hives, stomach ulcers, hyper tension, and severe acid reflux, and at one point we thought he had cancer, but didn't... so when I have a problem, that makes him another level extension of a problem)
so, once my computer just died, I was really in a state of shock, and befuddled like it was unreal.... I seriously needed to get a new job, but i couldn;t do that until i could rewrite my resume.
So, I was expecting him to jump all over me like a jerk, and berate me for my hard drive having been slain by a vicious malware... but, instead, i came over to my computer, unplugged it, pulled out the wires and began lecturing me about how i had to pay for it to be looked at on MY credit card, and not his... which was yet ANOTHER source of his stress... paying down the debt balance on MY credit card, and he, himself, has a large credit debt also. Plus, I also still have student loan debt.
Anyways.....
When i went to the shop, it was a local small business that he'd apparently been to before...
the men their, seemed about my age, and altho' they seemed friendly, they didn't not really want to talk, and were often terse, and ended conversation quickly, and said: Thank, I'll see you later...
It was a bit off-putting, or semi-jarring... but, I didn't take it personal....
I was trying to explain some things, but they didn't really seem to want to here it, plus Id had a massive psoriasis/acne problem exploding all over my face, and no makeup on...
I noticed this unwillingness to chat or talk each time... and each time I had to remind myself they weren't interested in socializing even tho' they came off as friendly... I could give examples of this... but, they're not that big of a deal...
I did feel that they assumed that since i was female that I didn't understand anything, and kept assuming it was my husband's computer, and that HE didn't know anything, since HE would often defer to me... plus, i'm chubby, getting old, and having skin issues....
Well, I had to go there several times, and it was frustrating since they were never finished, and also didn't call us. Or, on the phone, they would say one thing only to get there and find that it was incorrect...
So, on Thursday, which was supposed to be THE last day *FOR REAL THIS TIME*, I had to go to a meeting for my daughter because of her struggling in school... so, I decided to put on some makeup, because my face looked HORRID, and I noticed that they treat me better, or received me better at her school when i did my makeup....
Well, it went well... but I was anticipating that.....
What I was NOT anticipating was the difference in how we, and especially MYSELF, were received at the workshop regarding my computer.
The MOST important thing, I think is to at least have your eyes done, but I went with an orange motif which was on the warm yet still neutral tone.
I noticed that they ALL came over to speak to me. And, they would LINGER THERE. They KEPT speaking to me, and would look me in the eye...
it was VERY noticeable. Even tho' I dressed like crap, bundled up in layers in the sub freezing cold, and my hair was messed up... I had MAKEUP ON.
They would also try this authoritative, somewhat mild dismissive thing, but didn't realize I understood the tech. it was subtle... they're, in their mind, the experts, and I'm just some helpless woman...
well, I paid greatly... $150, and I am a businessman.
So, as they would disagree, and I could counter, it was obvious to me that these guys were more educated than they acted, and would realize: Oh shit! I'm being an ass!
I caught them in a number of these subtle instances, and they seemed to actually have a conscience, and apologized to me.
So, I decided to come back on Friday. I was rather gracious, and magnanimous.
I said: Don;t rush, just get it done, and I'll be back.
Well, when i showed up, on Friday, I decided to see what it would be like if i wore a stronger makeup, especially more RED. there is something about RED LIPSTICK that often makes people, especially males, pay attention to you, but also to be less pushy. (Not that they were)
Well, the reaction was incredibly better.
But, again, they took out my video card. It was a dual screen, NVIDIA geForce in the highest model in that series, and it was NEW because I got it in September, at a discount of about $80. but, that's still like $80!!!!! The original price was WAY OVER THAT since it's NVIDIA which is VERY HIGH END.
I also did NOT authorize them to remove it. So, when I thought everything was finally taken care of and put it in my minivan, I had this feeling to inspect it... and sure enough, that's when I noticed it was missing.
So, I carried it back into the shop and asked: Hey! Where's my video card???
they kept trying to make excuses about it... but told me it already had a video card...
I said: yeah, but that video card can't handle the graphics work i do: art, video, photography, and I went on about RAM, GPU, rendering, etc...
What did u think I did with it? I told u I was an artist and photographer. Did ya think I just played games on it???? I did tell u I came here because i'd reached the limits of my knowledge in Computer Sciences...
You could see the guy's face, like: Oh shit!
The other guy, realized, yeah, this wasn't ethical...
So, I had to leave AGAIN, and come back later...
They found my old original video card, and gave me a replacement NVIDIA video card for 3D rendering.
i need this kind of card because the other video card in the computer can;t plug into my screen and I don;t have an adapter, plus, I need something like that to handle the graphics work...
So, I think I've learned quite a bit from this experience...
WEAR RED LIPSTICK.
And, makeup makes people pay attention to you...
Superficial as it is... that's what's up...
I will definitely have more entries to publish...
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