The magic wand approach
A sense of déjà vu; trying to remove some well-anchored malware from a laptop. Actually, I had seen that same laptop, only a few weeks ago. On to the next step in the process, where the user will be shown the process of removal. A lost cause, perhaps, but when people believe that the technician has a magic wand that cures their problem, it’s time to involve them.
I explained that polite software has certain visible signs. An uninstall procedure. Clearly named directories. A removal procedure in the control panel. Processes that can be killed without danger. Etc. Etc. And then, there are the rogue programs.
They install without permission. The removal procedure is non-existent. Access to the registry is blocked. Etc. Etc. You can guess what I’m up against. I demonstrated renaming sections of the program when it is finally found, since deletion is impossible when the program is already in memory. I showed that rogue programs “jump back in the game” at the first opportunity. And with that said, we ran out of time.
Fast forward to tomorrow. I will be hard at work, alone, removing the malware myself. We’re back to magic wand time. Users don’t have enough patience to watch the repetitive spiraling that the technician uses to remove problems. That’ s our forte. Users simply reply yes to whatever a program offers, and when things go sour, there’s nothing they can do.
No wonder I feel tired at the end of the day. And once in a while, there’s more of the same waiting at home. Users are predictable.
