Now see?  If you didn't have an anti-virus, you'd have been just fine!

its a damage mitigation issue- the idea is that everything in program files never gets modified during normal use, and as such that any unapproved modifications there are immediately suspect.

Always a good idea to do backups, I try to do one once a week.

Fuzzy 1 , dumb ass virus sites 0

Yes actually MS' idea is a good one, as crashmatusow said installed data normally doesn't change, and if it does it could indicate malware. Also, having multiple users on the same PC doesn't make saving user specific files in the data folder a pretty solution. Hence they opt for everyone storing their files in the profile folder, which is a decent solution if you ask me, Linux does it the same way (sorta).

The problem is that above method does not take partitions into consideration. I too use a different partition for all my games (I got a fast hard drive for them). Non OS partitions are usually quite save from malware, so they could easily store your saves on there too. Combine above problem with the problem that most game studios don't offer a choice where to store your saved files - the user profile as default is fine but I'd love a choice to select an alternative folder - and you are screwed in this case.

Is this a bad thing, is it Microsoft's fault? Not really. Microsoft does quite a lot to keep malware out the door and above solution is one of them. Nowadays you have to do some pretty dodgy stuff to get a virus to begin with. Backing up your profile folder is pretty simple, you'll have all the stuff you need to keep stored in a central place. Also if your hard drive crashes you may lose all your profile data but if saved games are stored in the game folder and that hard drive crashes you'd have the same problem.

It would make perfect sense, if we didn't all turn off the nag screen that pops up when someone alters the program files...

If you were running Linux or a Mac it never would have happend. Just saying...

If you think there are no virii in those worlds you are incredibly naive...

There were over 900 for Linux about 3 years back, would hate to think what its up to now.

...and if trolls were banned, threads wouldn't get derailled...

I'm NO troll.

Really? This was a thread about a virus I had, backups, games etc. That is until you came along, again with your Linux/Mac shit and hijacked the thread.

GO AWAY

Hey I'm sorry OK? I added a smiley. I thought you would take it as a joke. I admit I am a broken record with the Linux and Mac stuff so I'll quit talking about those subjects on WC. Fair enough?

I don't like being called a troll.

The funny thing is I run Windows on both my machines.

I'm surprised fuzzy, an open invitation to disaster. the only none affliated site that I venture into is cnet.