New version of MyDoom worm hits Microsoft's Web site.

[mikeymike]

When will people learn how to install Windows (or pretty much any OS for that matter) properly...

[mikeymike]

Properly how?

If you're installing an operating system:

* Use trusted-clean binaries to install it with.  Eg. a vendor CD, and known clean installation packages.

* Do not connect to an untrusted network or the  Internet until the OS is fully configured and patched up-to-date!

I have written some install guides:

http://www.legolas.com/wac/installguides.html

PS - this thread reminds me of a bonehead MCSE guy at a company I previously worked at.   He was installing Windows 2000 on a load of servers, and hadn't even spotted that each one had been compromised by the nimda work while he was installing it.  I had to point it out to him.

[mikeymike]

Hehe! Standard procedure, in other words...
Problem is that I don't have any trusted network at home; I have to go directly out on the net to update the system.

Do what I do.  Download the patches manually, keep them for a reinstall.

I also have a VBS script to install them on the quiet.

[mikeymike]

How does that keep you from getting infected with viruses? Maybe some, but not most. Unless there is a new way to patch the users themselves from opening an attachment in an email from someone they don't know.

Yes, avoiding viruses just requires a brain :-D

I was under the impression that even if you have the latest Windows updates you can still get infected with things like MyDoom for example.

Viruses are different from worms.  I'm not sure Mydoom is actually a worm, I don't think it exploits a vulnerability in Windows, but I'm not well-read up on it.

[mikeymike]

Except of course he's in the HAL mainframe room, as you can see from the visor reflection :-P