Plug in an external monitor, speakers, a USB hub and you’re good as new.
In my experience,
KNowing how to properly prevent issues with windows will save you 99.9 percent of the issues you run in to. knowing what you are downloading tends to be the biggest issue, but if you have a few programs on your computer to stop issues from happening or clean up issues when they happen it will help you not have your current frustrations.
the programs i use are
Malwarebytes. - yes you have it, but you can set it to check for updates automatically. id suggest doing this with all of your protection softwares. This is one of the few programs i suggest purchasing instead of using the free version. its about 10$
CCleaner - helps remove malware and other adware based issues when you get them
Windows security essentials. Yes microsoft does attempt to protect you from the issues that do arise on their platform, and the reason they arise so much on their platform is because the vast majority use their platform. WSE is free and, much like malwarebytes, can be setup to check for updates on its own.
in my opinion, you should be mad at the BTP people. if they are affiliated themselves with shady programs that download malware then its just bad business. a computer program that cant run because the computer is FUBAR is bad business. I suggest sending them an email. Im gonna go check it out myself just because i enjoy poking the bear.
Good luck man:)
Both malwarebytes and MSE can be set to scan your computer regularly as well. i suggest a weekly scan as is.
Give man a break. He brew a good beer.
Ive looked at what got you. Its a paid for google hosted ad. Its unfortunate but thats what gets most people. My recommendation is to hover over a link and look at the address before opening it. if it comes from googleadservices.com just dont open it. its gonna get ya:(
Sucks man, good luck.
Thanks for the replies (or at least the ones that were helpful 
). I admit I was extremely frustrated about this because I am not generally a sucker and hate to be tricked and conned. So the “user error” comments really got under my skin. Apologies for the obvious steam coming out of my ears.
As far as Mac vs. PC goes. Yeah, Mac is more expensive. But you pay for what you get. I saw a comparison a few years back that if you built a pC with the same high end components that come on the Mac that the two are relatively close in price. It’s like the difference between an bottom end Honda Civic and a top of the line fully loaded Audi TT.
Denny, I think you are the anomaly. I have friends in the PC world (IT guys, programmers and software developers) who not only warned me about HP laptops but also have switched over to using Macs. These are guys that used to laugh at my Mac but finally got tired of having all the day to day security problems and just wanted a machine that worked. I’m glad your PC and Win experiences have been so positive. Mine have been nothing but utter frustrations. Seems we are at the opposite ends of the extremes.
I’m just going to back up what I have and take my machine in for repairs. Needs new USB drives and all kinds of other upgrades. I’ll probably run it for another year and switch back to Mac.
All my advice has already been given about malware and viruses.
Everyone needs an outlet for their frustration so no worries there and I hope you get the machine back online quickly for your sake.
When it comes to hardware it isn’t as easy as saying “HP sucks”. The HP Prolinia Desktop/Laptop series is targeted to home users is manufactured by the lowest bidder. These systems do tend to suck. Once you move up further up the product line HP systems are tanks that rarely break down. Never buy the super special at a big box store when it comes to hardware. These are typically really cheap, one off orders, and are terrible quality. I would take a HP Proliant server over an IBM or Dell most any day.
Sorry to hear about your troubles with the hardware, yes Windows is a crappy OS (but not as crappy as it used to be) and Linux is much less subject to viruses and malware (so far, just wait as it becomes more popular). Apple is a safer alternative for the same reason as Linux, it has a much smaller foot print so the criminals aren’t as interested.
Use what you are comfortable with and secure as best as you can. Most importantly, BACKUP YOR DATA.
Paul (Former/Recovering PC hardware geek)
Maybe that’s the problem. It’s a $600 PC I got from Costco. I should have returned it the day I got it because it started giving me glitches from day 1.
+1. I build my own desktops for about 1000 bucks. top of the line(minus the brand new 2% better 200$ more upgrades) and they last me for 2-3 years before i upgrade again. If what you stated earlier is all you do maybe a mac is for you, but at the same time, with how advanced tablets are now, why not just go buy an ipad? It should do 95%+ of what you want to do for a much lower price and they are virus free(for now).
I have an iPad but I need something than can run Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop (graphics is my other gig). I’ve also kind of gotten over my tablet. Really dug it for a while but a full size keyboard and a mouse is what I really like. Otherwise I’ll just use my iPhone.
Heh, as a graphics designer i cant believe you use windows. dont even get your laptop repaired, go buy a freaking mac;)
I would but I’m on a brewer’s salary now and I can’t afford one! :o
:) Start saving them nickels!
Cheers,
Jeff
He’s got a mac already! 8)
Anyway, I’m with ya on the tablet thing. I wiped mine a couple three months ago and it has set there unused ever since. Really doubt that another will be purchased again- ever.
By the end of the year a phablet to replace my current phone!
This is true. I actually have 2 macs. But my old Mac laptop is ancient and slow and some of the keys are missing. Still works like a champ though. The other one is a Mac Mini I got on ebay and it’s “ok” for surfing the interwebs at home and doing iTunes and stuff but its not going to run AI and PS (plus I needed a laptop to bring to the brewery to work on graphic stuff).
I’m really loath to drop $2K on a Mac laptop so that actually might not happen and I might end up sticking with PCs after all. Plus I have the last “non subscription” versions of AI and PS and its on Win so I might be stuck for a long while.
The Gimp is free and works very well. I’m not a wizz at PS but didn’t see much difference between the two.
Uhhhhhm … no. I am a wizz at PS and there’s nothing that compares.
This is just not true. For years I ran a digital recording studio and my wife ran a computer animation company. Contrary to the “conventional wisdom”, we both used networks of PCs for the jobs. It’s just not true that the have to have a Mac for artisitic purposes. My wife won an Emmy for animation produced on a PC system. Most of the big audio studios doing post production use PC based systems.
I’ll go a step further and say that I don’t think macs are superior in anyway except marketing. for the most part the components are the same now, all running on intel chips. The interface is confusing unless you were raised on it, just like windows. The Virus issue, as stated elsewhere is largely a case of the 20%-80% rule.
There may have been a time when mac was truly superior to PC but I think that time has passed.
So, here’s the deal. For years adobe just didn’t make AI or PS on PC platform. That didn’t happen until sometime in the 90s.
My PC runs AI and PS just fine. No complaints there. There are a few ways in which I prefer the way Mac OS handles the software but I can do anything on the PC that I could on the Mac.
But the look and feel of a Mac compliments the experience of the creative professional better in mine and many other visual professionals. Obviously not the only way to go but I can attest that in 22 years being involved in the visual arts field most people prefer the experience of the Mac OS. For those if us who think creatively it is hard to beat. But obviously it is not for everyone.
I don’t consider myself a fan boy. I just have had a better experience on Mac OS and I think that win platform is clunky, backwards in many ways and poorly thought out. Though, it certainly had gotten much better with Win 7. I don’t mind that platform if there weren’t so many security flaws.
I completely disagree. Marketing has nothing to do with it. The way Mac OS handles compared to win is much sleeker and the security is so much better it is night and day difference.
Mac OS continues to improve users experience while windows makes strides then takes a step back. Win 8 is so f’ed up I can barely stand to use it.