Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2013 April 6

= April 6 =

Check HD for errors
Carbonite says that my HD (on a Windows 8 system, NTFS) has a lot of errors when trying to read. Spinrite is supposed to test the HD and map out bad areas. Are there alternatives that do that (TestDisk may be one)? Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 01:13, 6 April 2013 (UTC)


 * Is CHKDSK still on Windows 8 ? It works, but it does take forever, so run it overnight (maybe one night for each disk). StuRat (talk) 01:57, 6 April 2013 (UTC)


 * Yes, it is still there. At first I ran it without the /R parameter, which it should have.  But I ran it again.  I had to tell it to do it when it reboots, and it only gives a % done, so I didn't get a report of errors. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 13:33, 6 April 2013 (UTC)


 * What exactly is the error you're getting from Carbonite? If it's complaining about I/O errors, you need to get a new hard drive. If it's complaining that, say, it can't read a particular file, that probably just means the file is open in another program. Either way, chkdsk and Spinrite are unlikely to help. -- BenRG 04:35, 7 April 2013 (UTC)

Antivirus companies creating viruses
I read some time ago that an antivirus software company (or companies) had been caught creating viruses in order to boost or drive sales of their software. I can't remember much more detail than that. I'm looking for articles (on Wikipedia or news sources) that detail these actions or allegations. Thank you ahead of time. Vidtharr (talk) 18:40, 6 April 2013 (UTC)
 * There's evidence of that happening in China, as this story details. (The Epoch Times is not a very trustworthy source, but that story looks legit to me.)  In spite of widespread rumors, that's unlikely to have happened in the US to any significant degree -- a company that did it would be risking its existence for a rather small gain. Looie496 (talk) 19:42, 6 April 2013 (UTC)
 * Not to mention, US companies could face lawsuits, damages, and maybe even criminal charges (IANAL). --Wirbelwind( ヴィルヴェルヴィント ) 00:21, 7 April 2013 (UTC)
 * Not quite what you're talking about, but related: Rogue security software 38.111.64.107 (talk) 14:23, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

Problem with uninstalling Plustek USB scanner
I have a strange problem to solve: there is a PC with Windows XP, which has a Plustek USB scanner drivers and utilities installed. The files have timestamps from 1995–2000, directories were created in January 2008.

The hardware stopped functioning about 3 years ago and went to trash. Now I tried to cleanup the software, and ...the uninstaller refuses to work! It says:
 * Setup requires a different version of Windows. Check to ensure that you are running Setup on the Windows platform for which it is intended.
 * Error 102.

Possibly the Service Pack 3 has changed something in the system, so that the uninstaller no longer recognizes it. What can I do to properly remove the scanner software? --CiaPan (talk) 23:29, 6 April 2013 (UTC)


 * I've used the free version of Revo Uninstaller when a program's own uninstaller fails. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 23:30, 6 April 2013 (UTC)