Back slowly away from the computer...

Place your hands above your head and don't make any sudden movements.

If there was such a thing as the geek police, this is what they would shout to me right now. I didn't get much sleep last night, yet here I am again awake at some ungodly hour. Why?

So I can fix my cousin's computer by tomorrow night (or tonight I guess now that it is way past midnight). This is why I can't touch a computer after 9:00PM. I get obsessed and want to fix everything and make it work before I go to sleep. I get all jazzed up and there is this huge adrenaline rush. Of course the energy drink may be the cause of some of that hyperness.

(Side rant coming... I actually was going to go to the 24-hour Starbucks earlier in the night, but my laziness got the best of me and I settled for an energy drink from Walgreen's instead. I had to stop there to get my sister a card for her birthday tomorrow / today. I went in to the store, picked out a card, and as I walked to the register I noticed that somehow an energy drink landed in my hands. I called it a miracle and assumed it was my destiny to drink the energy drink. Is it a coincidence that the energy drink is called "Monster"? I think not!)

Okay, since I'm awake I'll detail what I have found wrong with my cousin's system so far. He dropped off his computer complaining that it reboots every 30 minutes or so. His CD-ROM drives are also not working. And he can't remember if he has updated his virus software. Oh oh... I have a feeling I know where to start looking.

So, this is what I have found so far.

Viruses = 4 variations of different viruses. Twelve viruses total.
Trojan Files = 21 different files that had trojan software. Hence all the viruses.
Spyware = 1094 spyware objects (12 of them requiring a reboot into safe mode to remove them)

I had to use two separate anti-virus software to ensure that all of the viruses were removed. I'm glad I did, because the second anti-virus software caught an older virus that the first anti-virus software let slip through. I scanned over 120,000 files each time.

The only other issue is with the CD-ROM drives. I can not get them working for the life of me. I have tried swapping them with a known working drive (no luck). I have tried a different power supply (no luck). It's like there is a short somewhere and it may causing all kinds of wacky things. If I could only find my voltmeter...

While I'm writing my autobiography here, I may as well give a little history of myself. I used to work for a computer company a long, long, long time ago (in a former life). We handled all forms of hardware problems and software issues. I prided myself on not letting a computer get the best of me.

Daniel 1000, Computer Systems 0

Until today... I don't know if it's because I'm just getting older and not caring so much about the hardware. Or is it because I have been away from it too long? I have been doing the software side of computer for the last nine years. Could it be that I am getting rusty? I dont' know for sure, but to tell you the truth I don't care. There comes a point in your life when you have to evaluate whether spending days on an antiquated system is worth it. Or would it be better to tell him that his six year old system is dead now and it's time to move on. Let the system rest in peace man...

So I think I will call it a night and realize that at least his system is spyware and virus free now. Hopefully, I can get a few hours sleep in as well. Sleep is overated anyway. If my body really needs it that bad, then it can make me pass out at any time. Until then, I'm going down fighting...