It was via a graphics maker I came across P2P Networks. I wanted to make pretty layouts and the sort, and this chick directed me to Shareaza. Which was all very nice and good until I downloaded the graphics maker in question. That's when McAfee went nuts and started wailing about some computer nastie that it could do sod all about.
So I just ignored it and played with my shiney new program. In days to follow I caved into temptation and started downloading music, tv videos and movies. If McAfee was a person at that point, it would have hit me so hard upside the head I'd be knocked out, because it was going mental. Popping up every few seconds with another warning about something it could do nothing about.
To justify this all, I have to say: I was just Ten at the time of all this, so I didn't know how to update my (slightly naff) protection and download firewalls and stuffs.
Uhh... lesse... what was on there? Pynix, CWS, Bargain Buddy, numerous Trojans, Worms and Viruses I don't even want to start upon. It was messy, I can asure you. Looking back with the knowledge I have now, I feel like slapping myself upside the head.
Three years later, I'm just happy we did no internet banking or anything of the sort on there.
The final crunch came about... ooh... almost four months after I first downloaded Shareaza. I was happily sitting there, watching some reruns of Doctor Who, when Windows had an epeleptic fit. I shut the bugger down and tried to reboot about an hour later.
No avail. It was, as my Father so politely put it, as knackered as a racehorse. We spent a good hour with all the wires around our feet, throwing the manual about and trying not to spill any alcoholic substances on anything.
We disconnected/reconnected every wire known to man on that thing, but it wouldn't start up. It was dead. All my music, homework, files, everything. Shattered.
And now, three years later, I'm tapping away on my sexy black hunk of a Dell Desktop. (Okay, Dell kinda sucks, but it's so sleek
) and much more clued up about everything. To the point of insane paranoia, I feel. Every time something encounters an error I'm shoving away various siblings to get to McAfee (a more reliable version haha).But, y'know, it's all good. I learnt my lesson. I'm now in Bootcamp here at SWI to hopefully stop people getting into messes such as mine. So yeah, it's all good.
(Btw - more people should post here. I love reading "Spyware Horror Stories")
