I need antivirus protection!

[zedd151]

What, do those folks like wiping their disks and reinstalling their OS?

I resemble that remark.    I don't mind it, it only takes 20 minutes (or less) to do a format (not a full wipe) and full reinstall of the OS here (including my most used programs, etc). Trouble is remembering to do it somewhat regularly. 

[NoCforMe]

Yabbut, what about all the

• Desktop items
• Toolbar items
• Program options
• Other tweaks and modifications

?
No way am I going to spend all day resetting all that stuff. Do you actually do that? Talk about an exercise in masochism ...

[jack]

if the bios is infected no amount of OS reinstalling will make a difference
also, you may want to disable IPv6, hackers found a weakness in IPv6 to infect a PC with the only requirement that the PC is connected to the internet and that IPv6 is enabled

[zedd151]

Yabbut, what about all the

• Desktop items
• Toolbar items
• Program options
• Other tweaks and modifications

?
No way am I going to spend all day resetting all that stuff. Do you actually do that? Talk about an exercise in masochism ...

No, I keep a .wim disk image with a clean install plus all settings, and my favorite programs preinstalled. Easy peasy, at least for me. Took me at least 6 months (little by little) to get everything in there just the way I like it. Not for the faint of heart.

if the bios is infected no amount of OS reinstalling will make a difference

Ever heard of flashing the BIOS (updating or reinstalling it)? Assuming it is still bootable of course.

[NoCforMe]

So every time you add something to your setup you have to make another backup? No thanks.
I tried using Dism to create a backup image and restore it, but it was no go (forget exactly why).
Oh, and I should mention that Advapi32.dll was not among any of the infected items found by Total AV, so I don't know what Acrobat was complaining about ... maybe it was because I ran the AV scan after doing a system restore. Who the hell knows?

[zedd151]

I should mention that Advapi32.dll was not among any of the infected items found by Total AV

Acrobat infected before maybe? And giving a faulty error. Who knows.

[NoCforMe]

also, you may want to disable IPv6, hackers found a weakness in IPv6 to infect a PC with the only requirement that the PC is connected to the internet and that IPv6 is enabled

Good to know, I guess.
So what exactly does IPv6 do for me, and what do I miss if I disable it?

[zedd151]

So every time you add something to your setup you have to make another backup? No thanks.

With experience, it becomes easy. At first, there were a lot of mistakes made. I've been doing things like this for years, and think I have perfected my system. (while windows 7 is near death, as far as compatibility) 

[zedd151]

Looks like jack has left the building... this wiki should give you some insights.

IPv6

[NoCforMe]

tl;dr
What I want to know is, can I disable it without losing essential internet functionality? IOW, will my web browser (Opera) and email client (Thunderbird) still work?

[jack]

NoCforMe
yes, you won't notice any difference see grok: How to disable IPv6
Dave Plummer Explains IPv6 vulnerability

[NoCforMe]

Thanks, buddy: just what the doctor ordered.

There's a Micro$oft document linked within that page. It says:

Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is a mandatory part of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and newer versions. We do not recommend that you disable IPv6 or its components. If you do, some Windows components may not function.

I'm assuming that by "some Windows components" they're referring to Internet Explorer or Edge, and since I don't use those (directly at least) I should be OK.

Turns out you have to edit the registry if you want to totally disable IPv6; that page says "Using the Control Panel method will only set your system to prefer IPv4 over IPv6, but not disable IPv6 fully."

Easy enough to do. If it messes me up I can always restore it.

[sinsi]

We do not recommend that you disable IPv6 or its components. If you do, some Windows components may not function

That's a joke, since my ISP doesn't even run IPv6.

[NoCforMe]

Just disabled IPv6. Easy peasy, just change one registry value to 255. We'll see how it goes.
Dave Plummer's video is a good one to watch.

[NoCforMe]

That's a joke, since my ISP doesn't even run IPv6.

What, are they still using the Morse code protocol?