Fix Me Stick - your reviews?

[azher91]

Have you guys heard about this new fix me stick.. ?

It's just a USB that you plug in and it removes your malware/virus

more details: Malware and Virus Removal | Use FixMeStick, Stick It To Malware

I think a good antivirus would do fine, but who minds a portable solution, what do you guys think.

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Sorry a newbie to the board, if I'm posting this in a wrong place

[Steve R Jones]

There's too many other free options that do the same thing. Even Microsoft has a bootable cd app that you can download for free. Only the newer pc's can boot off a flash drive.

[RicheemxX]

Ughh I wouldn't buy it, you can get free software from all the companies that that fix me thing uses and build your own bootable for far less than that thing costs.

[stroyal]

Remove all viruses, and malware, is a lie right off the bat.

Nobody found flame, and that is just one.

[coreyvelan]

Hey guys,

I'm one of the FixMeStick founders. You are all definitely right- there are a bunch of free Rescue CD/USB options out there. What we found interesting was that, despite the fact that this approach is known to be extremely effective at detecting and removing malware, it is only used by "techies." Basic users with a malware problem either bug a techie friend or pay well north of $100 to a computer repair shop.

Our goal is to bring this technology to the masses by:
1- Making it really easy to boot (basic users find the BIOS too confusing).
2- Making it really easy to run a scan with multiple engines (with FixMeStick, this is automatic since we license the technology from the vendors and integrate it into one app/UI)
3- Making it really easy to update (you don't have to reburn anything and you don't even have to know your wifi credentials to connect to wifi and update the malware definitions)
4- Make it compatible with the widest range of systems (many rescue CDs fail to run on certain hardware)
5- Make it affordable compared to going to a repair shop.
6- Make it really easy to get (e.g. BitDefender Rescue CD is another great tool, but you need to burn it- Bitdefender Antivirus Software and many basic users have a hard time burning an iso).

Make sense?

@stroyal- you're right. No one can claim to remove all malware. We mean all types- i.e. viruses, worms, keyloggers, rootkits, etc.

Thanks,
Corey (one of the two FixMeStick co-founders)

[RicheemxX]

Hey Corey,
Thanks for the response from the vendor side, but I'll ask you, and not to "call you guys out in any way" just want to clarify!

Your points 1, 3 and 4 really don't make sense.

1) If a user is going to boot from your USB stick they need to be in the bios no matter what to switch over. So that's is a major contradiction. How is it easier to boot from USB than CD/DVD

3) Updated without wifi/internet? How is that done? MS offers a one time, "right now" downloadable scanner that is up to date when you download it. Every other software isn't ready to go if it's on a preload or a disk.

4) More systems are CD/DVD bootable than USB, that is changing but still

[coreyvelan]

Hey RicheemxX,

Really great questions. I see you are a skeptic like most great technologists

1- If you are technical, you can boot FixMeStick from the BIOS. Most users find this very difficult and it is hard to talk them through it because there are many different types of BIOSes. If you are not technical, you just insert the FixMeStick and double click "Run FixMeStick.exe." This little program configures your PC to boot from the FixMeStick and then reboots the PC.

3- The FixMeStick definitely needs an Internet connection to update itself. A lot of non-technical consumers don't know their SSID/password, so what we did is when the "Run FixMeStick.exe" program runs, it extracts your SSID/password from Windows and stores it on the FixMeStick so after the PC reboots into Linux, it can automatically connect to the Internet.

4- The way "Run FixMeStick.exe" works, it will boot from the FixMeStick even if your PC is old and the BIOS doesn't support booting from USB.

Thanks,
Corey

[RicheemxX]

Cool thanks Corey

Nice to see you guys active and giving feedback to questions

[Mac.yates]

Seems legit to me to be honest.. for people without knowledge on computers and stuff, this stuff might work great for them.

[stroyal]

Seems legit to me to be honest.. for people without knowledge on computers and stuff, this stuff might work great for them.

I wouldn't call it "WOW", but it certainly has, some interesting features for people that know nothing about computers.

The problem is, these people are so clueless, about computers, that they will never even get a hint, about this product, unless a geek, fixing their computer recommends it.

I have never cleaned up a heavily infected computer, with just 1 program.
I doubt the clueless ones, can do it either.

All the computers, I revived, had a working, paid, Virus scanner.

They all had viruses, the scanners were not finding.
These were nowhere near the sophistication, of a program like flame.

The fact is, everyone from the Pentagon, to the most clueless user, is vulnerably to malware and viruses.
Last I read, there are more than a million of each, and more everyday.
On top of that, most are designed, to evade scanners.

I've been reading lately that many security experts think we need a whole new approach to the way we prevent viruses, and malware.
The white pages method, is one way I have heard.

I see some good tools here, for a beginner.
Although the definition list method, has the same problem as any other virus/malware scanner.
It also still has the problem of a virus, of malware, being designed to get around it, just like any other scanner.

I'm not trying to pick on any one scanner program maker, it just makes me crazy, that after all these years, it is so easy to pick up a virus, and your scanner can't find it.

I don't think I have any viruses, but I can't be completely sure, unless I have just done a clean install, off a factory disk, and the computer hasn't been connected to the Internet yet.

Even then, the factory disk could be infected.(very small chance though)

When I started playing with computers, a floppy was the main way viruses were circulate.
Many came in new blank floppies in sealed pack, from a store.
That's why many computers, won't shut down, with a floppy in the drive.

Virus makers quickly found their way around that, and every other kind of prevention since.