DEAR LIST, LAST SATURDAY, I BOUGHT A RECONDITIONED DELL INSPIRON LAPTOP. WE BROUGHT IT HOME, INSTALLED JFW INCLUDING INSTALLING A AUTHORIZATION. ABOUT 10 MINUTES LATER, AS WE WERE INSTALLING VARIOUS PROGRAMS, THE CD ROM DIED AND THE SYSTEM SAID THERE WAS NO LONGER DRIVERS FOR THE CD. WE TOOK THE UNIT BACK TO DELL, THEY SAID IT WAS THE CD DRIVE ETC. AND THEY DIDN'T HAVE A REPLACEMENT UNIT. SO, WE GOT A REFUND. BEFORE RETURNING THE UNIT, I TRIED TO RECOVER MY AUTHORIZATION. I GOT AN ERROR MESSAGE. I THEN TRIED TO CHECK THE AUTHORIZATION COUNT IN MY DESKTOP PC AND GOT THE SAME ERROR. IN ABOUT 15 OR 20 MINUTES,WE NOTICED THAT THE DESKTOP WAS ACTING WEIRD. THE SYSTEM REPORTED THERE WAS NO SCANNER, CD DRIVE AND MY CARD FILE WAS MISSING FROM THE DESKTOP. WE LATER FOUND CARD FILE IN THE RECYCLE BIN. SO, WE HAD A TECHNICIAN LOOK AT THE MACHINE TODAY AND HE DETERMINED IT WAS THE "STEALTH" VIRUS. HE HAD FORMERLY WORKED AT THE DELL FACTORY OUTLET HERE IN AUSTIN AND WAS VERY FAMILIAR WITH THIS BUG. SO, A WORD TO THE WISE.... I WILL TRY TO INFORM DELL OF THE VIRUS IF I CAN FIND ANYONE WHO CARES. MEANWHILE, MY POCKETBOOK IS 69 BUCKS LIGHTER WITH THE REPAIR FEES. HENTER-JOYCE IS GRACIOUSLY SENDING US A NEW AUTHORIZATION DISK. STILL, THERE'S GOT TO BE A BETTER WAY OF DEALING WITH COPY PROTECTION. FRED - Visit the jfw ml web page: http://jfw.cjb.net
