Performing an Appendectomy by Phone

Usually I like to repair my own software problems if I can. I had one of those system maintenance software program for years. I like to experiment. Thomas Edison method - if this doesn't work, try that. It's how I learn.

I have learned not to experiment.

Things got so bad, I finally called up my long time Tech Support guy and friend in Delhi to bail me out. I found him years back using something called UpWork (https://www.upwork.com/). You enter your problem and indicate what type of consultant you need and see who answers. After several false tries, I found this person who actually knew his stuff, was patient with my idiocy, and kept me going. Even when I don't need him we keep in touch once in awhile, using Skype messages.

We connect using TeamViewer which allows him to take over my computer and fix stuff while I watch and pray. What I hoped would be a couple hours turned into a four day marathon. Apparently the system maintenance software can cause more problems than it fixes. So he started cleaning up the system. About two hours in, we lost the wifi connection. TeamViewer doesn't work without it. Dell's built-in wifi never did work (you can check it out online if you doubt me) so I use a Micro TL-Link USB connector.

Using Skype on my mobile, we performed surgery by remote. Try this and send me a picture. Ok, try that and send me a picture. Microsoft troubleshooter was less than useless as it kept feeding us a red herring. TL-Link driver may be corrupted. We found and downloaded to my phone an updated driver which took forever. It wasn't the driver. We quite and would start again in the morning. Once he hung up, I went back to Thomas Edison and found the problem, though I have no idea how. Accident.

Next day he got the bulk of the clean up done and went to look for the malware that had infected my chrome web browser. I use Malware Bytes Premium anti-malware and it kept the Chrome malware at bay, blocking attempted outbound ever few minutes but I ran searches and could never find the source. The Tech set up a custom search using Malware Bytes and after grinding for 3 and a half hours it found 13 serious problems. Once it started, we signed off and let it run. When it finished I quarantined the problems and we started again the next day.

We eliminated the Ad malware that Malware Bytes identified, saved the bookmarks, deleted Chrome and ran Kaspersky. Kaspersky ran for 5 and a half hours, searched 1.2 million objects and came up clean. The Russians ought to know how to make anti malware as it seems to me they made a great deal of the malware. We let it run and went about our business.

Next day we connected again and reinstalled Chrome. (Home free! Not so fast, my boy.) I said I am going to promote you on my blog (these days he can use more work). You have a blog? Yes, here is the link. Bang. he got the warning notice on his screen that had been plaguing me for 6 months. Was Blogger infected? Not necessarily.

The correct address for my blog is https://dablogfodder.blogger.com which I never realized and for Lord knows how many years have been telling people it was with a www.  Normally the server would simply redirect a www address to the correct address and all would be well but not anymore. What it does on your screen if you do the www address I don't know but when you do it, on mine it freezes the link I have open in Chrome and issues the following warning, believing that someone is trying to impersonate me. Since my Tech cannot access the Blogspot server, he can't correct this.

We got that sorted out and a few other glitches mended and called it a rough four days. I figure he never charges enough so I pay him like he was Calvin's babysitter so he will still work for me. If you need some clean up on your computer, let me know and I will message you his contacts.

I did ask if he could do a full clean, maintenance and replace the printhead on my printer but he says his technology isn't up to that yet.

Note, please check and see that you have the right link address for my blog. Get rid of the www.