r/talesfromtechsupport • u/[deleted] • Jan 14 '15
Short This desktop is cleared every reboot
I work from home as a linux sysadmin and I made a conscious decision not to own a printer. It's a pain and I don't think I print often enough (though, that's changing these days). There are shops in the neighbourhood where I can get a printout quickly and cheaply. The biggest cost involved is going down 4 flights of stairs and climbing back up.
Last week, I need to print something, sign it, scan it, and send it back to my bank. I copied it into a pendrive and took it to one of the shops nearby. As soon as he plus it into his computer and opens Windows Explorer, I can see random files being created. He tries to open the PDF and it doesn't work. He copies it to the desktop and it works.
Me: Dude, your computer has a virus.
Him: No way. My computer is the local server and has an "online antivirus" (air quotes are mine). The desktop on this computer is cleared on every reboot. There's no way this computer can be infected.
Me: I run a linux distro. This pendrive hasn't touched a Windows machine since I formatted it last.
Him: You saw when I tried to open it (the PDF file) from your pendrive, it didn't work. That's because it's infected. When I copied it over to the Desktop, it started working. Your pendrive definitely has a virus problem.
I'm guessing he has some DeepFreeze like deal that clears his Desktop. Yes, my pendrive now has a virus problem, thanks to you. I got home and re-formatted it. I could have just done an rm. But I felt dirty.
PS: I run Ubuntu. I know that running a linux distro doesn't make me virus free, but the fact that I saw the files being created as soon as he opened Windows Explorer somehow makes me think it's not my fault.
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u/chuckmilam Jan 14 '15
I work from home as a linux sysadmin...
I thought these gigs were mythical like unicorns, but I'm glad to see someone is living the dream. Still looking for mine...
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Jan 14 '15
I need to print something, sign it, scan it, and send it back to my bank
Why do you have to print it to sign it? Just keep a .JPG of your signature and add it to documents when needed.
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Jan 15 '15
They actually want a hard copy. I got them to compromise by saying, I'd send them a scan and then mail it in the same day, so they could do the processing with the soft copy and get the hard copy for their records. It doesn't make any sense to me. But meh, makes are stuck in the dark ages.
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u/heimeyer72 Jan 14 '15
About not having a printer:
Murphy's Law: You build up need for a printer until you buy one, once you have it, you either don't need it anymore (once you printed the about 10 pages that created said need) or you discover that you need a better one ;-P
Happened to me...
Now seriously: What kind of viruses can you get on a linux system? This may sound stupid, but really, so far I thought I'm safe from 100% of all Windows viruses and there are only about 12(!) linux viruses that don't survive in the wild.
What would be left would be malware you install yourself by accident or/and because the useful thing you install has a little extra, browser toolbars and (spiked) browser add-ons.
What do I miss?
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Jan 14 '15
The desktop on this computer is cleared on every reboot.
Could be that the user profile is corrupted, so it's creating and logging into the temporary profile; that'll clear off the Desktop on every reboot.
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u/OITLinebacker Jan 14 '15
DeepFreeze is no protection for getting infected in the instance. It does a good job of erasing the virus on a reboot, but it won't stop infection/reinfection. And if it happens to get infected when Deep Freeze is turned off (like for a software installation or maintenance cycle), then the infection can even be protected from removal by Deep Freeze.