A friend wants to bring their infected laptop and use my pc to research the infection via Google etc.
My desk top computer is definitley 'wired' to the router. I don't know if i have 'wireless' enabled as such. The wireless light on the hub is lit up, however, i presume that is because of the hub phone that i use.
First question is a general one, can an infected laptop infect a desk top computer if it is next to it. I haven't a clue how laptops and wireless hubs or desk top pc's work.
Do laptops in the open air work in the same way as radio's do, as in plucking out of thin air in receiving and sending signals/data?. Will it automatically choose to use/hijack my router/hub if it is nearby in preference to thin air? If so back to my first question can in infect my router/hub/computer?
Thanks in advance of replies and apologies for being so uneducated on how computers work.
To clarify three important things.
The laptop will at no stage whatsoever be plugged into my router physically.
At no stage whatsoever will there ever be a physical connection between my desk top pc and the laptop.
Likewise there will be no use of flash drives or any media to transfer anything. She just wants to Google 'live' while she has her laptop with her. At this moment in time she can't connect to the internet because of the virus/es.
She just wants to scour Google, Norton forums etc on the basis of what is revealed on her laptop. For instance if her laptop shows it is infected by NastyVirus she will Google for how to remove it.
I'm just worried that her laptop will seek out the nearest available 'wireless' access point, be that normally thin air like a radio or a nearby free public wifi spot, or in this case my router! Although i use a hard wired connection for my computer the wireless light is on because of the hub phone.
Hope that explains things a little better and thank you for your reply.
You didn't mention if the wireless feature of the laptop is turned OFF. That should limit its ability to make contact with the outside world without permission.
I presumed that a laptop is always on. If one can disable internet connection on it, then obviously i would be safe. Although ideally her laptop may need to be connected to the internet at some point.
So long as it accesses the internet through thin air and not plumping for my router to do so, all would be fine.
It has to have access through the router, whether wired or wireless. It is the router that provides the "gateway" access to the internet.
Apologies, one last question. If i disable my desk top pc router's wireless internet connection, will the laptop then seek out a thin air (as in radio) connection instead?
Then her laptop will access the internet via thin ar and she can Google away on my computer to her hearts content and not risk infecting it.
As long as they are not on the same workgroup they will not be able to share any files or access each other even if her laptop goes online through your router.
And she actually might need to get online at some point to download scanners or tools, it would be a lot easier to get stuff onto her system that way. Otherwise the only safe way would for you to download them and burn them to a CD.
It's easy to change her workgroup name, it's a little different depending on what version of windows she's running.
In Windows 7 just type "change workgroup" under the search menu.
In XP go to" control panerl > system> computer name
Dave
Ok workgroup stuff just confused me sooooo sorrrry. Only computer on my router is, and always will be, MINE. That is my desk top pc.
I work alone lol, i don't work in no groups :)
Any necessary downloads needed for the laptop will be done with the laptop when it is able to connect to the internet.
I just need to know if my pc or router can be infected by whatever is on her laptop via thin air, no physical conections will be made at any time or use of external media.
1. Your friend will not be able to connect through the router unless you allow the access via password. At that point she will have a separate connection to the internet through the router but will not have access to your files or your computer.
2. Computers must connect via wire or wirelessly to an internet access point, ie router, DSL box, Even a WIFI hotspot is a wireless connection to the internet.
A friend wants to bring their infected laptop and use my pc to research the infection via Google etc.
My desk top computer is definitley 'wired' to the router. I don't know if i have 'wireless' enabled as such. The wireless light on the hub is lit up, however, i presume that is because of the hub phone that i use.
First question is a general one, can an infected laptop infect a desk top computer if it is next to it. I haven't a clue how laptops and wireless hubs or desk top pc's work.
Do laptops in the open air work in the same way as radio's do, as in plucking out of thin air in receiving and sending signals/data?. Will it automatically choose to use/hijack my router/hub if it is nearby in preference to thin air? If so back to my first question can in infect my router/hub/computer?
Thanks in advance of replies and apologies for being so uneducated on how computers work.