Running Everything Under Virtual Machine

[bgavin]

Re: Running Everything Under Virtual Machine

That must take forever. Most of the customers we get don't really have much worth backing up.

I get paid well for my time.
My clients really appreciate having their iTunes, Bookmarks, MyDocuments, Quickbooks and other data saved.
If they want a slam-bam repair, they can go to Geek Squad.

If I have to re-install I just delete stray .exe's and scan on the machine itself.

I wipe the system partition(s) clean, then GHOST the entire disk image if a hidden partition is present.
I retain this disk image forever, so it is available when the disk dies.
I reinstall the OS from scratch using a disk that matches their license key, or I use their System Restore CD (or partition), if it exists.

If I had to copy everyone's data and pre-scan it I'd never get any work done.

I get paid to do this work.
It isn't about slam-bam quality, it is about having a pristine install.

AD is a pain in the ass and windows policies are a joke.

And it is the standard in the business world.
I'm starting another year-long contract at Intel next week, and I am not going to tell them to ditch AD because it is junk.

Viruses in mail and on client machines are very easy to spot and as long as you don't execute them....

For you and me, but not for the average user.

[NxB]

Re: Running Everything Under Virtual Machine

I know, AD is standard. You can't ditch it unless you go to unix/linux.

If you get paid for it that's all the better. Our customers wouldn't pay for that level of service. They would rather pay less because they're poor. They just want their computer to work and keep their photos and music.

Average users will find a way to get virus-ed up no matter what you do.

[bgavin]

Re: Running Everything Under Virtual Machine

An interesting side effect of browsing from the VM: Firefox 3.0.11 and 3.5 both slow down to slug bait. IE6 remains snappy and full performance.

I run the AdBlock and YSlow plugins for Firefox.