trouble with Steam- need help

[robomummy]

so my computer recently just got fixed from a failing hard drive and viruses and eveything is fine now but my parents have convinced themselves that the problems with my computer are all caused by steam. this is because they dont really know what steam is and my computer has had problems in the past when steam was on my computer. also we have a few other computers that have steam on them and some of them also have viruses so they think steam is responsible.

my question is that is it possible that steam caused these viruses and my hard drive to fail? I dont believe that steam is at fault but i could be wrong.

[Helonion]

.........Going to be honest. That is just pure retarded (please do not swear). No way is it possible for Steam to have caused that. Also your parents are retarded.

[Hellbreaker]

I've gone through this kind of discussion multiple times with my father. The best you can do is make them read a wikipedia entry on Steam (and other software they consider malicious.)
Steam itself isn't malicious and I hardly doubt Valve would be the cause of anything malicious in their system.

The only thing Steam does is drain your wallet from money and make you buy tons of games you'll never have time to play.

[robomummy]

Jan 12, 2013 0:53:03 GMT Hellbreaker said:

I've gone through this kind of discussion multiple times with my father. The best you can do is make them read a wikipedia entry on Steam (and other software they consider malicious.)
Steam itself isn't malicious and I hardly doubt Valve would be the cause of anything malicious in their system.

The only thing Steam does is drain your wallet from money and make you buy tons of games you'll never have time to play.

yeah thats what i thought, now just how to find a way to convince my dad that its not steam and if it is dont worry because i pay for my own repairs and its my computer.

[1deadcop]

you should be looking at the history...... if you know what i mean...

[Hellbreaker]

Jan 12, 2013 2:20:22 GMT robomummy said:

Jan 12, 2013 0:53:03 GMT Hellbreaker said:

I've gone through this kind of discussion multiple times with my father. The best you can do is make them read a wikipedia entry on Steam (and other software they consider malicious.)
Steam itself isn't malicious and I hardly doubt Valve would be the cause of anything malicious in their system.

The only thing Steam does is drain your wallet from money and make you buy tons of games you'll never have time to play.

yeah thats what i thought, now just how to find a way to convince my dad that its not steam and if it is dont worry because i pay for my own repairs and its my computer.

Tell them that the majority of malware (viruses, trojans, whatever) comes from clicking and viewing ads. It's nothing uncommon to say the least.
Any webpage can include script that runs a download of anything, without your notice as well. This includes external sources like advertisement.

Then direct them to AdBlock.

[wisdomseyes1]

Um, here is a good way. Go to a store and by a PC game that requires a disc.

Then, show them, as most PC games I have gotten have required, what is required on your computer to run the game.


An example is Dawn of War, which says to create a steam account to run it. The only reason I ever had a steam account to begin with.

GENERALLY, parents will accept that something is safe if you buy it in stores.

AAAAND, what Hellbreaker said.

[Overread]

Parents generally don't trust what their kids tell them unless said kids have a degree or a job in that field. Simply put they don't understand computers, so instead of trying to beat your head against a brick wall trying to convince them get the shop repair worker to do it for you. They can also give your parents advice on the best way to avoid future viruses and other problems which they are far more likely to listen to than yourself.

[Rakuall]

It is possible, though unlikely, that someone slipped malware through steam, using open ports to gain entry. But that can happen with anything, from internet browsers to games. Odds are, as others have mentioned, it came from ads (or porn). As for protection, I'd recommend AVG antivirus, scanning frequently with it, Comodo Firewall, And Firefox with adblock plus. all are free, user friendly, and I've had significantly less issues after installing those.

And about the hard drive failure: Is your computer particularly old? Or been through a rough move? A hard drive is basically a large spinning disk in a box, and hardware does sometimes fail. It's possible that the malware and the HDD failure are unrelated.

[Overread]

There are 2 kinds of hard drive in the world. Those that have crashed and those which are about to crash. If you have any critical data you should always back it up (these days hard drives are very affordable so having a backup drive is quite possible for most people).

[robomummy]

Jan 13, 2013 22:09:27 GMT Overread said:

There are 2 kinds of hard drive in the world. Those that have crashed and those which are about to crash. If you have any critical data you should always back it up (these days hard drives are very affordable so having a backup drive is quite possible for most people).

yeah all of that is done. Im just looking for a way to prove to my parents that steam is not at fault. unfortunatly my dad has convinced himself that he knows alot about computers when he really doesnt.

[wisdomseyes1]

Jan 14, 2013 0:53:50 GMT robomummy said:

Jan 13, 2013 22:09:27 GMT Overread said:

There are 2 kinds of hard drive in the world. Those that have crashed and those which are about to crash. If you have any critical data you should always back it up (these days hard drives are very affordable so having a backup drive is quite possible for most people).

yeah all of that is done. Im just looking for a way to prove to my parents that steam is not at fault. unfortunatly my dad has convinced himself that he knows alot about computers when he really doesnt.

Again, walk into best buy and ask someone about steam. The sheer fact steam is buyable retail should be enough.

Walk into any store that sells PC game discs and show them that the prerequisites for running the game is to have steam installed on the computer.

Adults trust stores and retail. Further, best buy in particular is supposed to have people who know a lot about computers. Now weather they actually do is not in question, all that matters is that there is a belief that they are.

Assuming your dad is willing to listen to actual logical arguments, this is a rather easy solution. If your dad is the opposite, I do suggest finding a way to get a laptop of your own, because you arent ever seeing steam until you move out by that end.

[Loplod]

So much real life in this thread.

My parents hated steam at first too, thought it was a scam, Had to get some older and wiser church mates to tell them it was fine. 6 years later and my steam account is worth nearly $5000 :3.

Get a better virus protection, or be smarter with what you look at. I've been running anti-virus free since '10 and have NEVER had any issues.

Just get smart nomsayin your parents will come around to steam in time. They're just worried about you bro.





But to answer the initial question, NO there is no way steam will give you a virus.

[zapunch]

Show him this thread