Is this a way to treat a windows virus?

[question everything]

Yesterday a warning was posted http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=34818

I use a Mac, but decided to copy the original message and distributed to my wintel user friends.

I immediately got a response from someone who knows - except I did not open my computer until now, here is what he says:

NO NO NO NO!!!!!

Do NOT run any of those non-Microsoft "patches." They have the potential to
really open computers to exploits. Here is a legitimate site that describes
the "bad advice" that's making the rounds with this chain email.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=143

PLEASE send your original recipients a retraction. God knows what those
"patched" dlls can do, but they at best are ineffective and at worst are
Trojans.

[we can do it]

1. Best Way to Avoid Wintel Viruses - Get a Mac

[bowens43]

2. To bad theres no software for them........

;-)

[Atman]

4. Flame bait.

What a load of crap.

Yeah, I can't get "Let's Count Sand" or Photoshop Ripoff Version 12. But I'm okay with that. You can keep 'em. I'll continue to use the quality stuff.

[meegbear]

5. Now that Intel based Macs are coming out ...

We'll see how long it holds.

[Atman]

6. It ain't the chipset, it's the OS

OSX just won't run apps you haven't authorized it to run. It has nothing to do with whether or not Intel is inside, it's whether that bug-riddled POS MSWindows is inside. It's like installing cancer into your machine!

[MsUnderstood]

3. I don't know why you would send out the advice

step 1, unregistering a dll is only slightly dangerous you are just stopping a program from working

downloading some file from some site and running it on your computer--then telling others to do the same is realy, really bad.

If you use a mac it means you didn't even test the download which is even worse.

You don't have any idea if the patch is a virus, trojan, spyware, etc cause you didn't see the effects of the patch on your machine.

Here is another scenario:

You are told that all chevy cars have a defect that will make them explode if you dont pull out a spark plug. You own a ford but warn all your chevy users PULL OUT THAT SPARK PLUG! Low and behold, all of your friends with chevy cars who followed your advice cant drive anymore.

[Nomad559]

7. Unofficial patch site

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/0d644d5e-7bb3-11da-ab8e-0000779e2340.html

Meanwhile, some security experts were urging system administrators to take the unusual step of installing an unofficial patch created at the weekend by Ilfak Guilfanov, a Russian computer programmer.

Unofficial patch site
http://www.hexblog.com/2005/12/wmf_vuln.html

[Avalux]

8. Locking.

Thanks for posting this information, but DU cannot verify that it is accurate. For any questions concerning Windows products, please visit Microsoft's official website http://www.microsoft.com/