One of our machines got hit with the Antivirus System Pro malware. This program masquerades as an anti-virus and it’s main objective is to get you to buy the fake program. It tell you your system is infected with different viruses and shows never ending popup windows and alerts. The infected machine had Avast Home Edition and Windows Defender but still got infected.

When a machine gets infected, we don’t just reboot. The problem can get worse because the malware can load itself on startup, possibly doing more damage. So the first thing I did was to disable the network connection. I don’t want any data being sent to another computer on the internet, or get another machine infected.

This virus disallowed most programs from running by making changes to the registry. I cannot run task manager, notepad, or any command-line programs. This is a big problem since you first have to kill the offending programs before you can clean them up. Without the task manager or the Windows command prompt, this was next to impossible to do. I also saw IE getting hijacked and trying to open up adult sites every few minutes. After some attempts to run programs from my USB stick, which didn’t run because of the infection, I had no recourse but to hard reboot.

On startup, I went to safe mode and did a system restore. After a few minutes, the computer was up and running normally again. Since Windows Defender or Avast did not detect this Antivirus System Pro variant, I installed Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware to get rid of any traces of the problem. I eventually got a full version of Malwarebytes to have real-time protection and schedules updates.

Multiple defenses is needed nowadays to make sure your Windows computers are secure. The next defense planned is malware protection on the firewall level. This should prevent problems from entering the network.

Despite of many attempts, there are many business offers being rejected in China every year. One cause of it is probably the limited knowledge of the offering party about the culture of China. Many business owners who aspire to gain a scene in the growing economy of China think that their dominant style of negotiating would work. And they are certainly not right.

If you are one of those entrepreneurs who want to do business in China, here are few cultural related tips to avoid a clashing of customs.

Be Polite

Calling cards must be handed out with two hands and must face the recipient in a readable manner. Accompanying it with a bow is also a great plus. More importantly, in the event that exchange of cards happens simultaneously, you should hand out your card under their card to show that you are giving them higher importance.

Enjoy Their Cuisines and Traditions

In most cases, you would be treated out in one or more of the ceremonial banquets with different authentic Chinese cuisines. Just eat a little of each so you can have a taste of every dish they have prepared. Keep in mind that refusing to eat would mean an insult to them. Moreover, some traditional Chinese believes that leaving a little food on the dinning table after the meal is a good luck, so this must be also taken into consideration.

Pay Respect

It is a fact that Chinese are one of the most patriotic individuals in the world. Even though they know how to speak English, they would still hire an interpreter when interviewed on international television. This is one sign of their love for their language. Chinese also demonstrate strong ties with their beliefs.

We know that cultures do not simply jive. Learning and respecting every culture are extremely important to gain not just good business but great friendships as well.