I am so sorry about the rushed and sloppy and generally disgusting comic today gang. I suffered a really big setback this weekend. My desktop computer got a really big virus infection. Pop-up ads kept blaring out every few minutes, and the whole computer got so slow-running that using process-intensive things like Photoshop (which I use for the comic) was almost impossible. Everytime I ran a virus scan and deleted one thing two more came in. Eventually the trojan I got shut off my internet access and the Windows firewalls and I figured out that my antivirus program had been compromised, so I had no internet and no security. I backed up my important files (including the comic stuff, thankfully) and will probably have to reformat.
I tried to finish the comic on my laptop, but drawing on this thing is unpleasant at best. Combined with my school projects and the time it took me to fight a losing battle against the virus, this is all I could do. Sorry guys, you deserve better.
In the next presidential election, I am voting for the candidate that promises a death penalty for virus authors and hackers. No such candidate yet exists that I know of, but the race is young.
P.S., the virus I got was something called XP Internet Security 2012. If you see a Windows Update prompting you to install this thing, DO NOT DO IT, IT IS A LIE. I fell for it’s trickery, don’t make my mistake!
Sad days, I almost did the same thing, but I figured it out due to having Vista at the time, and didn’t bother with even reading it when I upgraded to 7…. anyways, hope you can fix your problems, and I wish you the best of luck.
Drat. The same thing happened to me. I had to get an expert to fix it.
Good luck.
I think hackers ought to be locked up in a little 4 x 4 room with NOTHING
but a bed, shower, and toilet. The same quality of life of your average
hamster, minus having a wheel to run for distraction.
Have you looked at paint tool sai, it a much lighter program that would do your art style a lot of good I think.
^Great advice. Paint Tool Sai is magical.
Tch… you know, maybe he should at least consider getting back with Andi. I’m not talking right away, but they should at least try anew. Like Todd said, he’s got a kid involved in this now too, so maybe things could work out? Who knows.
I dunno. If a relationship fails once why would it work the second time around? It’s just making the same mistake twice. I mean if you were with someone who you never agreed with would you really want to go through all of that again just to be wrong again? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different results.
I would also vote for that candidate. It would be of limited utility due to the fact that a lot of viruses come out of eastern Europe (particularly Russia), but we’ll work on extradition later.
I also think that castration, blinding, and maybe also the death penalty should be available for convicted spammers. Maybe that should be another part of the “Internet Rage” party.
Marc, Marc! Don’t be so vindictive! A simple lethal injection would be perfectly humane and solve the problem admirably.
I vote for hanging, drawing and quartering. We´re trying to create a deterrent here.
In public, of course. A fun day out for all the family!
You just called for killing nearly all computer programmers, from Mozilla, Microsoft, Apple, and Google, to Sony, Toshiba, Samsung, and LG.
You can’t build new things without hacking into what exists.
Not all hackers are evil, ever hear about White Hat?
AVG, Avira, Symantec, antiviruse companies have hackers dissecting viruses.
You can’t put us in one bowl with them, since it’s a matter of ethics, not technicality.
http://www.2-spyware.com/remove-xp-internet-security-2012.html
I hope this helps, hon. And we totally understand, but i’d definately stick to PS.
I feel for ya, Dave. TB says he knows about that virus and it’s a bad one. That coming from a guy who can cure most computer woes… So no worries. We forgive you 100%! It ain’t yer fault, man!
She doesn’t know anyone else? That girl should get out more. Or indeed, at all.
I like the way the coloured figures stand out against the outline background, emphasising the characters- particularly in that fourth frame.
I *love* the way Andi looks in the second panel. It’s very clean and natural looking.
And ew, viruses.
Regardless of your computer problems and time constraints, I am really enjoying your new lining style. 🙂
I think it is really easy on the eyes, and makes it look more comic-y!
My suggestion would be to make sure your laptop hard drive is backed up and the virusscan is up to date, then extract your desktop hard drive, connect it to the laptop with an appropriate IDE to USB adaptor (your local electronic shops may have one, and if not, check Amazon) and run as comprehensive a scan as you can on the drive. If it’s being loaded as, in essence, a flash drive most of what’s on it shouldn’t be terribly active since those will be geared towards compromising the drive that the OS boots from, I would expect…
Also, hunting spammers, email scam authors, and virus senders would be an excellent use for all those Predator drones.
Is it supposed to be a black & white background? Because I think that really works for this scene.
When you’re having this sort of conversation with someone, all the colour just… drains out of the world.
Believe it or not, I like seeing Andi and Todd in color and everything else sans. Kinda puts a certain serious overall tone to the whole thing. Hope everything gets better on your end!
I’ve known 5 people hit with this so far. Two went ahead and got it fixed, but this helped the other 3: https://www-secure.symantec.com/norton-support/jsp/help-solutions.jsp?docid=v60210391_EndUserProfile_en_us&lg=english&ct=united+states&product=home&version=1&pvid=f-home . And yes, they had the same problem about getting online with the infected computer you do. What they did was download the tool to a thumb drive on a clean computer, run it from that on the infected machine, per my suggestion. Took a couple of times in two of the cases, but got the job done.
Poor everyone! I think we’ve all had our moments like this, but for goodness sake, this is just terrible!
Oh shit. I had XP Internet Security 2008 virus a few years ago and still have nightmares. That was, by far, the worst virus I’ve ever had to deal with. It got into everything. I give you my condolences for the loss of your computer.
To be fair, this is why I’ve always advocated against auto-updates: If I need an update, I’ll seek it out myself.
But then again, I hate anything I can’t rip open and reprogram myself… I’m a control freak, computing is my oyster.
Therein lies my complaint: A hacker is someone who hacks, or manipulates/rebuilds, in general computing. I know it’s a common misconception because most news sources don’t give a rats ass for anything involved in any culture but their own, but it’s still irksome. I, as someone who knows my computer inside and out, regardless of which OS it boots in, am thus a hacker. The term you’re looking for is probably Cracker (Someone who uses password cracking tech or scams to steal bank account info via forgeries or other methods).
If you have Norton antivirus, get rid of it ASAP and get one that actually works. When it comes to trojans and things like keyloggers, Norton practically hoovers them out of the net for your nuisance. Another safe option would be to have a good antivirus on a CD/DVD, to use it to scan your computer (that way the antivirus program itsel can’t be compromised as it’s run from an outside source).
As for the comic, laptops suck in general, so I really feel for you there. Good luck with the computer. (And also before returning your backed up files to a clean computer, scan those files too. Some may be virus-corrupted without appearing to be.)
I use AVG Antivirus Free edition. I should probably upgrade to the paid version, in light of this…
No, you should get Kaspersky. It’s expensive, but it actually works! I think it runs $80 for a 2-year license but I haven’t had a virus in eight years of running it. Plus my hubby uses it to clean viruses off of other people’s computers… just sayin’…
I use that too, Dave, the latest build of it, but then I also have Windows 7, which has a few more inbuilt defenses. In the ~10 years I’ve had AVG free edition, I’ve had all of 1 virus (which I got via my own stupidity) and 1 adbot (which sent me the occasional pop-ups, but as I had pop-up blocker running at the time, it had to ask me for permission, which kinda foiled its plans).
Kaspersky, like Danzier suggests, is also a pretty good one, but it’s not free. With my budget being what it is, I seriously doubt I can afford that 40$ per year, while there’s a free version that works.
Also, have you been accepting the monthly virus cleaner via Windows updates? It doesn’t help with an acute infestation, but may help round up some usual suspects.
And last pro-tip from my uncle, who made his career in computer security; when you even DOUBT you’ve got a virus, the first thing you do is get the computer offline. Because usually one virus means there’s a whole zoo, or will be shortly. I still suggest having a non-writable (or, rather, non-easily-writable) copy of, say, AVG’s latest build and using that to try and clean out your computer. Don’t format until as last measure.
Good luck!
Funny story about the reformating thing: I decided to do that anyway since I backed up all my important files, and my hard drive has been getting full and bloated lately. Figured I’d clean house and nuke the virus out of existence in one blow.
My install disc is an XP sp2 disc. When I go to re-install, it erases the old installation, then goes to set-up… only to be unable to read setup files off the disc. I dunno if it’s the scratches on the disc or what, but my setup disc won’t work.
I am awaiting a Win7 package in the mail now. Probably would have needed to upgrade at some point anyway, and I hear it’s more secure than XP sp3. Hope that’s true.
I’ve had a lot of luck with Windows 7. It has a free anti virus program you can download made by Microsoft called Microsoft Security Essentials which has been wonderful so far for me. No fuss, it doesn’t have that feeling of your computer struggling against you like some can cause, and since I installed it two years ago or so I have had 0 problems.
Also, first time commenting I think, wanted to say I really like your writing for this comic. You do a great job creating situations and dialogues that feel real.
As with all Windows, it’s just as secure as you make it. Good luck with the new OS. 🙂
we had it. My man is brilliant, and just re-wound our computer to before we had it. its a virus that installs other viruses. The newest thing in a long line of mean people.
also it happens if you click anything not just install.
my roommate had that same virus. he had windows XP on his computer and was in the middle of updating something else relating to windows at the time that popped up. so he thaught nothing of it. we lost all of our data…
That’s EXACTLY what happened to me. “Windows update? Meh, okay, always some new patch coming out. Same old same old”
Then my computer begins re-enacting the soft jelly-thing scene from I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream.
Heh, I’m a suspicious bitch when it comes to updates I don’t recognize – anything odd gets me looking at Micro$oft’s own pages first. The legit Windows updates have database numbers to check them with. Not that it helps now, but for future knowledge. 😉
I actually really like this style, possibly more than the usual. Either way, this is an awesome comic, so please keep up the good work!
I’ll make sure to keep an eye out for that virus then, thank you for warning us. The fact that you managed to update at all is pretty amazing, you couldn’t have let us down no matter what.
I rather like the rough way the characters are drawn actually. It looks nice.
I feel for you there, Dave; my computer hard drive crashed not once, but TWICE last year. No doubt a huge freaking virus is to blame… so viruses should burn in cyber hell.
On to the comic…
Well, I am glad to see that Andi and Todd are no longer yelling at each other.
Phone ringing in the background… Selkie calling her dad to ask for a change of clothes, I’m guessing. Either that or her teacher or someone from the main office.
Is it the phone, or the door?
I´m still rooting for Selkie to bite whoever stole her shirt, so this might be a cop (the same who dropped Hamud off at the orphanage) delivering her home because she has been suspended for trying a new solution to bullying.
Use System Restore! Start-All Programs- Accessories-System Tools-System Restore!
I did a system restore back to September, and it didn’t help. 🙁
Oh goodness, I’ve gotten that virus as well. It’s a nasty one, hope you get it sorted out. It used to be (like, in its first iteration a few years ago) you could just end the process and delete the files but that doesn’t work anymore. Bleh. Good luck.
It’s okay that it wasn’t colored in! I actually thought you were experimenting again, and I like it a lot.
As for computer virus, get a Mac… lol. It does the same as a Windows, but doesn’t get viruses(I’ve had mine 4 years now, and nothing). But if you don’t have money to spare, get a paid anti-virus(the good ones) for Windows and just do scans every week.
Love the comic and can’t wait for the next update!
I probably should get a Mac, especially since I a graphic design major.
But… how do you people function with only one mouse button?! ;P
haha… its pretty easy once you get used to it, but the 3 button mice work well with Macs. I will say the Usb mice are easier to work with in PhotoShop though.
COMIC TALK
My guess is that the phone call is from Selkie, because this is the 21st century and grade-school children have cellphones.
Really? I know by middle school many kids start asking about cell phones, but is it common for third graders/eight year olds to have cell phones?
It’s becoming more common. I know there are phones you can buy for your children that only have a couple of buttons, and they Only call mom or dad. I could see giving one of those to a small child, but a full fledged cellphone still seems abit much to me.
Exactly. An emergency “call dad” cellphone in her backpack (which she has with her).
Although Dave’s reaction means that’s not very likely to be the actual outcome.
Maybe after this incident, she´ll get one of these? Perhaps with an additional “call the school secretary/nurse/whatever if you´re stuck in the bathroom because someone stole your shirt” function?
Only kids of Selkie’s age who I know have cellphones at their continuous usage (and even then they may be restricted to certain numbers), are those whose parents will not yet be home when they get there. As for those suggesting Selkie get one now – not unless she gets a lockable locker. Can’t you just see the shirt-thief snatching her phone too?
Thanks for the support and kind words, everyone. It’s much appreciated. 🙂
You´re welcome.
After all, aside from being a fellow victim of a virus, you´re also the guy who creates this wonderful webcomic for us, and who takes so much time to reply to reader comments. 🙂
I second Sir Chaos’s comment 100%. ^_^
The more I look at the comic the more I like it. The background seems to fit the mood between the two of them and draws attention to the situation.
The “no speech bubbles” thing works well, too. Maybe you should try that for a strip or two, Dave.
They make viruses like that because the internet is now populated by stupid people.
Thanks for the heads up! I freaking hate malware, in large part because I have a family member who works in IT. And the guy who wrote XP Security 2012 is a nutcase and should have some kind of big mitts permanently stuck to their hands so they can’t type. Jerk. Also, the background isn’t bad – just different. Hand-drawn elements look more natural.
Yeah, these viruses just try to trick you into thinking they’re legitimate virus software. Awful stuff. They’re probably some of the worst things out there right now. Takes a lot of finagaling to get rid of one and each one is different :(. I’ve had to fix 12 computers with this stuff so far…and of course NO ONE can have a format cause their data is SOOOOO important lol.
I agree, the background looks fine. The lack of color makes Todd and Andi stand out more. It’s fine for this bit. Also, GRRRRRRRRRR at viruses. I’m super thankful my brother is like a computer genius, because he’s had to fix my laptop twice ’cause of wicked viruses. Thanks for warning us all about this one, I probably would’ve fallen for it too! Also, what is that tattoo on Andi’s back? At first it kind of looked like piercings that were laced like a corset, I was confused! But I think the bit I was seeing is part of the sofa, maybe..
I don’t want to overdo it, but the only antivirus software I’ve seen that does what it’s supposed to is Kaspersky. http://usa.kaspersky.com/ No I’m not an affiliate or anything–nor am I related to an affiliate–I just know a lot of computer guys, and I have yet to hear of anyone having trouble with Kas.
Curious how Andi and Selkie will get along.
I had a virus like that a few years ago. Then I bought a Mac and viruses became history. As an artist I love it (though my Dell was a manificant machine for 3d). I also will never again work for a company that has its artists work on PCs. Graphics software runs VERY slow when bogged down with tons of legit security software and anti-virus apps. It made getting work down torture.
Unfortunately Macs still aren’t compatible with a whole host of computer games, so they’ll remain a non-option for a gamer like me. Also, I started using Windows back before it was properly named Windows, and still think Windows 3.11 was the best edition so far. 😛
Oh geeze, it’s been a while since I had to deal with one of those bugs, but they are the worst. I think WinCleanPro (insert year here) was a pretty unpleasant one to deal with. I remember the popup that brought it in would go around popup blockers (so it must be legit!) and pressing any of the buttons in it, including clicking to close the window (are you SURE you don’t not want a non-virus?) would put it on your machine. The only safe bet was to close out of everything via task manager, run a virus check, and hope for the best (and liberal cleaning of reg files, if it got to that point)
Good luck banishing this foul construct, and don’t despair, we know you’re doing what you can as you can get it done.
Easy, get a usb mouse with more than one button. 🙂 I currently use a Microsoft (*gasp*) mouse on my Mac for gaming. Also, all apple mice can be configured for two mouse buttons (though in the case of the newer mice, it is one physical button that senses which side you click on). The “standard” Mac way is to use the one button mouse with CTRL-click for the “secondary” aka “right” click. I tend to do that when using my track pad.
By the way, I think the simple background works in this strip. It’s stark and seems to go with the emotional feel I get from the conversation. The characters pop out as if the depth of field were narrow. Just my two cents.
Hmm, my message got detached from the one I was replying to. It was in reference to surviving on a Mac with only one mouse button.
Don’t mean to be a nitpicking illegitimate son in light of your situation… But you forgot Selkie’s kiss on his cheek again… Or is it that bad?
yrglblrgl, I did forget that again… >_< Thanks for pointing it out, I'd rather that then have a error like that go unchecked.
(huggles) Don’t stress too much Dave the comic is great. These things happen ^^. In Robinson Crusoe, which is considered a literary classic, the main character strips naked to go swimming. Whilst on this swim he finds some pretty stones and fills his pockets with them. :3 Yaaaay continuity error lol
I once had the same problem, though it was called 2011 Security. And it gave my computer a worm (which is almost impossible to remove without wiping your computer.) unfortunatly by the time we had it wiped clean, the worm had deleted my System Restore, Sound Device, and Internet Connect File. And it’s impossible to get those back without some complicated stuff. (which is why I now have a laptop :D)
Hey Dave the macs really are not that difficult to convert to it takes about a week to get used to the mouse button thing it took me longer to get used to the the minimize tabs and close buttons on the left side of the page but other that that they are top par i have had mine for over 4 years now no real problems and never had a virus
on the comic i have to say i love it it doesn’t matter if sometimes you miss a little detail or life gets in the way i just enjoy the story your telling and how you continue to improve. Thanks for the great comics.
This has probably been said a million times already, but thanks so much for continuing the comic despite being so busy. Another comic that I was just -in love- with seems to have stopped running altogether because the artist had trouble finding the time to stick to a schedule. Schedule shmedule, I say! Just give me my comic fix when you can! D:
As for the virus problem, have you tried a system reboot? And I’m sure you already have some sort of anti-virus. I use Eset, and it seems to work pretty well. You can find it here if you’re interested: http://www.eset.com/us/