I think something’s wrong with my computer. While I was scanning for viruses, I was looking at my Windows folder and found two files that looked suspicious:
autoexec.bat
and
autoexec.cam
The the .cam one looked especially suspicious because it was created 3/15/2002, on a night when someone was fiddling on my computer (trying to set up adsl). I know I didn’t install anything in the last week.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Jennifer
autoexec.bat and config.sys are boot files left over from the old DOS days. If your PC can still boot MS-DOS, it needs those files to load TSRs and device drivers. Ignore them.
“autoexec.cam,” “autoexec.bak” and other file suffixes are more than likely backup autoexec.bat files created by programs that modify that file and automatically create backups (just in case you bottle out of an install.) They’re almost certainally benign.
Thanks! I feel kinda silly and paranoid. But I’m still having problem–no prob with any of my apps, but a lot of sites I can’t view right now, including my own. Cleared out my cookies and temp internet files–any ideas? I get a “cannot find server or dns error” msg and find it hard to believe all these sites are down including the mighty amazon.
Thx,
Jennifer
Here’s yet another file that I just noticed, maybe it’s always been there, but I think it may be one I just got in a ‘critical updates package’
WUCRTUPD.EXE
It has somehow become a ‘scheduled task’ and will run “every 5 minutes from 12:52 pm, for 24 hours, every day, starting 03/19/2002”.
Kinda scary I think. Help? Pretty please???
Jennifer
This is the windows update notification program. Nothing to worry about, unless it crashes your system.
More info here: http://www.aztcs.org/sigs/windows/wintips9906.html
If you get a virus scanner and update it regularly you shouldn’t need to worry about viruses. I would also recommend Zone Alarm, a software firewall. Free from www.zonelabs.com
HTH
Jennifer,
If you are getting DNS errors, it probably means that your ISP’s DNS server is just not responding well. This was discussed in another thread earlier. It has nothing to do with your computer.
The other possibility is that if you are looking at sites that are based in the US, they can be slowed down and become unreachable due to the fact that there is only one physical internet connection from Taiwan to the US. If that line is slow, it can cause sites to be unreachable.
Mark
Hexuan, thanks for the zonelabs recommendation. Got that link off a list and have been meaning to check it out.
Mark, that’s what I thought it might be. Thanks again!
Jennifer