AOL Renders PC Useless.

Somebody was about to throw a computer into a dumpster the other day but before they did, they asked if I had any use for it. I nearly told them to forget it since I could tell by first glance that it was at least 9 or 10 years old! For some reason, I decided to take it home and see if it could be salvaged to maybe use up at the school for minor tasks like typing etc. When I first plugged it in and powered it on, it slowly sputtered to life and began to boot into Windows XP. Now this old PC did not come with Win XP but apparently had been upgraded to it from Win98 or maybe Win ME. After a long time, perhaps 5 minutes, it finally managed to load the desktop. It seemed like trying to open anything after that was nearly impossible. Could barely get control panel to open or even to run a system tool like disk clean up or defrag. Then I suddenly noticed an AOL 9.0 icon among the others. The crazy thing is, and I am not making this up, somebody had renamed the AOL icon “Worst Internet”! I have been suspicious of AOL causing major performance issues with computers for quite some time now. What happened next once again confirmed my theory. I proceeded to go into add/remove programs and uninstall all the AOL stuff off of the computer. They included: the AOL 9.0 program, AOL connectivity services, port magic, and any other references to AOL. After these removals the PC prompted to be restarted. Wow you should have seen that old PC come back to life! The time to boot up into XP was a fraction of what it had been and suddenly, I could navigate in and out of stuff with decent speed.

Conclusion:

If you are one of the few that still use AOL, especially if you have broadband and even if you are on dial-up, there is a better, cleaner, (less ads) and faster way to navigate the internet and email. It will also give your computer a good boost to have all that AOL bloatware removed. I have a 5-6 year old Compaq desktop running Win XP that is still working reasonably well for basic email and internet use. Not having AOL on it has helped to make the difference I am sure.

To help get you through the switch, this site is very helpful>  Make The Switch

Carbonite.

I installed a 1000gig (1 terabyte) hard drive in this HP desktop earlier this year. Then I installed an evaluation copy of Windows 7 64bit on it. For some reason I was having trouble getting Carbonite installed on it. This has been giving me an uneasy feeling since I have a lot of valuable files on here such as Conrad and Delores’  high def wedding footage, countless pics, etc. A few months ago I don’t think Carbonite was supporting 64bit Windows. I am now happy to report that it has successfully installed on here now and is in the process of backing up nearly 40gig worth of data! I can now breath much easier!

Save yourself some potential heartache and get Carbonite now!

Click> Carbonite try it free.

The Narrow Road…

I am becoming more convinced that as time moves on, its not going to get any easier to walk the narrow road of true, disciple of Christ, Christianity. If a body of believers is truly taking a stand for Christ , they should expect opposition. They should expect to be called hypocrites. They should expect false accusations, ridicule, scorn, even to be hated. Lets not give in or give up. The narrow road is going to seem narrower as more folks cave and drift to the broad road. The thought saddens me greatly. On the other hand, those that endure to the end will receive a crown of righteousness.  Lets be determined to stay faithful. In the spirit of Joshua: “Choose you this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!”

Antivirus 2010 Removal!

Had a call from a distressed friend yesterday. Apparently, the PC she uses at work was infected by the virus that seems to acquire  a new name every year. I have also seen it show up as “Antivirus 2009″.  The symptoms of this virus are explained here:

Antivirus 2010 is a rogue anti-spyware program from the same family as Antivirus 2008 and Antivirus 2009. Like its previous incarnations, Antivirus 2010 is advertised through the use of advertisements on the Web pretending to be online anti-malware scanners. These advertisements pretend to scan your computer and then state that your computer is infected and that you should download and install Antivirus 2010 to remove these infections. These rogues are also known to be advertised and installed through Trojans that display fake security alerts in your Windows taskbar stating you are infected. Once you click on one of these alerts, it will bring you to the download page for Antivirus 2010, or even download and install it without your permission.

Once Antivirus 2010 is installed on your computer, it will be automatically configured to run when you logon to Windows. This is done by adding a startup that launches the C:\Windows\System32\wingamma.exe executable. This executable will then launch the AV2010.exe and the fake Windows Security Center. Once running, it will scan your computer and list a variety of infections that cannot be removed unless you first purchase the software. This infection will also randomly display fake security alerts on your computer stating that you are infected or have some sort of security risk. If you click on these alerts, it will prompt you to purchase the software. These fake alerts, along with a fake Windows Security Center that advertises Antivirus 2010, are used to further scare you into thinking you are infected so you purchase the software.

Another new addition to these types of rogues is the creation of a fake Blue Screen of Death. At random intervals, Antivirus 2010 will create what appears to be a Windows crash, but in reality is just a fake screen. These fake crashes are used to further persuade you into purchasing the software. If you receive this crash, you can simply reboot your computer , or try pressing Alt-Tab or Control-Alt-Delete to get out of it.

For more info plus screen shots of the virus..  click here>   Antivirus 2010

The thing I find interesting is that the virus high jacked internet explorer but not Firefox! This was good because at least Firefox still worked to allow her to download my recommended fix to get rid of the virus. My recommendation is found here>  Malwarebytes

This occasion allows me to reinforce a point that I have been trying to make for quite some time. Internet explorer is more susceptible to virus attacks than Firefox! And guess what: AOL uses Internet Explorer as it’s built in browser. Don’t you think its time to go the better, more secure, route and get rid of AOL. Also stop using Internet Explorer and go with Firefox. I will borrow a phrase from Limbaugh here: “Folks, DO NOT DOUBT ME!” Just follow my advice for a better, faster, more secure, computer/internet experience.

Funeral Plans.

The schedule for the viewing and funeral can be found below as it was copied from an email from Jon…

Dear friends and family,
Forgive this form letter, but we do want each one to know that your expressions of love and regrets are being taken directly into our hearts. We as a family praise God for the wonderful time that we could have Dawn here on earth with us. We are sorrowful, but not forsaken, and it is because of people like you who care, and are lifting us up to the throne of God. Gloriously, we sorrow not as those who have no hope, because we know where Dawn is right now, enjoying fellowship with the One who created her and worshipping at His feet, the same way she lived her life. She was the best example of someone who walked with God, and I was privileged to be her husband! Although we may not sleep, we are securely safe in God’s perfect love, and his perfect timing. God bless you for your prayers and support during this time.

Jon Yoder and family
Atmore, AL 36502

The funeral will be 2:00 pm Saturday, July 11 at First Assembly of God Church on Main Street in Atmore. There will be a viewing from 4-9 pm Friday July 10 at Mennonite Christian Fellowship, 245 Tennant Drive, Atmore, AL 36502, and also prior to the service on Saturday. We treasure your prayers during this time.
Jon and Dawn Yoder
Atmore, AL 36502

Dawn Is Home.

Please pray for the family… my heart aches for them.

As posted by Jon Yoder…

Dawn, our amazing mother, wife, daughter has been declared brain dead by 2 doctors, with her EEG showing no activity.  We believe that she entered heaven instantaneously 2 days ago, but we are now as a family turning her body over to the organ donation center of Alabama, so that she may share her life with others.  That is typical of the life she lived, and it is so much like her.  We will miss her, but we know she is in God’s protective care, and we want to praise Him for his faithfulness.  I write with this tears in my eyes, but with joy in my heart as Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his saints.  And she definitely received “Well done, thou faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of the Lord.  She is free at last!   Jon, Robert, Kristin, Amber, and Stephen and all the family

Article on Dawn.

The following article was written by the local news in the Atmore AL area.

>> Atmore News

Keep their daughter Amber in your prayers as she is flying in to be with the rest of the family. I am sure its got to be a tough, lonely trip.

..But God Is Strong…

The following email was just sent by Jon on our immediate family’s email group….

My soul finds rest in God alone, my salvation comes from Him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, He is my fortress, I will never be shaken….One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard:  that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving..Psa  62:1,2,11,12..Some friends of ours read that Psalm to us last night before I retired to a fitful sleep, and although they read the whole psalm, my spirit latched on to those verses…My heart cries out to God, as I see my wife, and our children’s mother lying helplessly, and I ask why?  But two things I know is that God is strong, and that he is loving.  Dawn remains essentially in a coma this morning with only the faintest response to pain, and minimal fluttering of the eyelids.  It is hard to see her like that, but we are praying for faith for a miracle–Help thou my unbelief…
Kristin and I slept fitfully at the hospital last night, and the boys were over at a friends house for the night.  Dan and Phyllis, Mark and Caralee, Rosalee, Mom and Dad Good were all over here yesterday, and Mom and Dad, and Dan and Phyllis and Rosalee also stayed over in Mobile.  And we have been overwhelmed by all the support from our church family, and friends.  There is this huge knot in my abdomen where my stomach used to be, and I know that it is only your prayers that are keeping us as a family.  Tears are flowing down my face as I anticipate the unknown future, but God is strong!  I will never be shaken…Jon for the whole family

A Plea For Prayer Support.

Its been one of those days where the thought came to me “Lord, why don’t You just come back and put us all out of our misery?!” I was at work this morning when my wife called saying she had bad news. Oh how I hate those kind of calls! I swallowed hard and tried to brace myself for what followed. She proceeded to tell me that Dawn, her sister-in-law, had been struck by lightning while taking out some trash. Unfortunately she was not discovered right away which leaves uncertainty on how long she was not breathing. She is currently in the hospital with stable vital signs but the big concern is the possibility of brain damage. Please keep the family in prayer during this most unsettling time in their lives. Jon and Dawn have four grown children as you will see in the photos provided in the link below. One of their daughters (Amber) is currently serving a term of VS. over seas and has to make a decision on whether or when to come home. There is a lot to pray about for certain. Would you join us in praying for the family?
Many thanks and may the Lord receive all the Glory.

Click for recent photos of the family >   Jon Yoder Fam

2009 Crab Trip #1!

Our first crabbing trip of the season occurred yesterday. It sure started out slow but got much better as the day progressed. Even though its a little early for Wye Mills, we started there hoping to do well. We struggled for about 3 hours and moved several times but only came up with 8 crabs. By about 9:30, I had enough of slow crabbing and decided to pull up and head to Tred Avon near Easton since its only about 12 miles south of Wye Mills. We got our lines back in the water by around 11:00 but things still seemed very slow. It just seemed like we could not find them or perhaps the outgoing and slack low tide was causing the problem. We again moved several times and by 1:00PM still only had just over 1/2 bushel. We decided to try one more move and suddenly things began to happen. Our first run on one of our two 600 foot lines produced 4 nice crabs! Things were looking up. We laid the second line and it produced similar results. It was not long until the first bushel was packed and we started on the second bushel. It was about 3:00PM when we had the second bushel nearly full. After taking chicken necks off the first line to wrap it up, we ran the second line one more time before wrapping it up. That final run yielded 15, yes, you heard me right, 15 crabs! Somehow we found room to pack them in the baskets resulting in 2 lid-busting, bushels!

Check out a couple of pics! click> Crabs!