FixMeStick Rears Its Ugly Head [Again]
With slick Madison-Ave style commercials, glitzy props and paid actors, FixMeStick reminds us that you don’t have to honest to get rich, you just need some good snake oil and a willingness to lie. FixMeStick, is not new, it’s been around for at least 4 years – but the commercials have gotten very slick. The millions of people they’ve ripped off have made it possible for them to pander FixMeStick to the many who believe in one click fixes. In short, those who believe in computer miracles.
We wrote about FixMeStick and other products of its ilk back in 2014 – you can read that article here. The price has come down, it’s now $9.95 (limited use of course) and getting closer to what it’s actually worth – nothing.
But the funny thing is almost every antivirus company makes a “rescue” file available for free from which you can make a rescue USB flash drive that you can use to right from the USB flash drive to scan for viruses, malware, “rootkits”, Trojans, etc. Emsisoft makes the Emsisoft Emergency kit from which you can make a USB flash drive and scan your computer. The Emergency Kit is free of charge..
The Emsisoft Emergency Kit contains a collection of programs that can be used without software installation to scan for malware and clean infected computers: Emsisoft Emergency Kit Scanner and Emsisoft Commandline Scanner.
Emsisoft Emergency Kit Scanner
The Emsisoft Emergency Kit Scanner includes the powerful Emsisoft Scanner complete with graphical user interface. Scan the infected PC for Viruses, Trojans, Spyware, Adware, Worms, Dialers, Keyloggers and other malicious programs.
Many other antivirus developers also offer free software from which you can make CD, DVD, or USB media, some bootable, and scan your PC and clean off malware etc. All of them we know of offer this software free of charge. Here are a few:
There are many others. All those listed above are free, and all made by reputable companies, not snake oil salesmen.
FixMeStick claims PC Magazine rates it highly, however FixMeStick makes no mention of two very important paragraphs from the PC Magazine review:
Cons
Can’t disinfect virus-infected files, can only quarantine them. Quarantine of system files rendered two test systems unbootable, requiring full undo. Can’t handle malware traces in Registry. Alleged removal failed to prevent several detected rootkits from running.Collateral Damage
FixMeStick can be a bit heavy-handed, wiping out files that it shouldn’t. When its engines detect a valid file infested by malware, it can’t disinfect the file back to its original status. All it can do is toss that file into quarantine. If this happens to an essential Windows file, you may be hosed.
Since that review was written, FixMeStick claims they can fix Windows system files. Right…Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse.
FixMeStick is $9.95 for a 30-day trial. $59.99 for a one-year “Home” “unlimited” license. And get this $299.99 for one-year “Pro” license for unlimited computer. Who exactly would the pros be who would actually use FixMeStick on a customer’s computer? And what professional in their right mind would ever pay $300 for it?
What about the 45-day money back guarantee? From the FixMeStick website:
REFUNDS
We want you to love your FixMeStick! If you aren’t satisfied with your purchase or you’re having trouble getting started please contact our support team, they’d love to help you get set up. We offer a 45 day money back guarantee on both the 1 year Home FixMeStick and the 1 year PRO FixMeStick. The 30 day trial is eligible for a refund (minus your shipping and handling fees) within the trial period.
Interesting… if you buy the 30-day trial for $9.95 , you will pay $7.95 for regular shipping (maximum six days). If you want to get it in 2 to 3 days, you’ll need to fork over $16.95 for shipping/handling – for a $9.95 item. What does that sound like to you? They’re going to get you for at least $7.95 (and you’ll have to pay the return shipping).
We want you to make informed decisions, but FixMeStick was and is snake oil. Save your money. Steer clear of FixMeStick.
It’s too bad that society rewards these kinds of people with millions of dollars derived from the trusting folks who believe in one-click and wonder fixes. FixMeStick has made so much money that it now can afford slick professionally produced TV commercials and air them in prime time. ,There are very few left to tell you the truth. Telling the truth sure doesn’t make you rich, most of the honest ones are struggling to make ends meet.
No one ever said that life was fair.
I am so glad you wrote specifically about FIxMeStick after Dragon’s Den gave such a glowing report. Many people watch the program and listen to what they say. We sure don’t want to contribute to their 1.2 billion company when it is a scam and can do more damage that good
Good on you for telling it like it is and for keeping us safe.
Susan
Hi Susan, thanks. Dragon’s Den is an alias for FixMeStick. Owners/Employees of FixMeStick operate Dragon’s Den.
Correct me if I am wrong, is this item sold on one of the cable shopping channels or is that something else?
I’ve seen it being sold on HSN
It’s supposedly sold at Best Buy and Walmart too but that doesn’t mean it’s not a scam. The tell you to take the product back to the store if you’re not satisfied – have you ever tried to take back software to a store that’s been opened? I’ve even seen the first iteration of it in Dollar General for $2. Leftovers from the first big commercial push.
I am not implying it’s not a scam just because it’s sold at Walmart or wherever. I would ask, for my information and others, if Emsisoft is as good as you say it is, why would you need a rescue disk in the first place? As you say, many anti-malware vendors offer a rescue disk.
Emsisoft does not offer a rescue disk. Emsisoft offers an Emergency Kit free for those who don’t have Emsisoft. Obviously anyone using Emsisoft would not need the Emergency Kit. Not everyone uses Emsisoft. Some antivirus vendors offer rescue disks that run outside of Windows (i.e. boot disks). They do this to help those who don’t use antivirus, or don’t use effective antivirus. It seems to me that the intent of your comment since our opinion is to differ with our opinion of FixMeStick. If you want buy FixMeStick, that’s certainly your prerogative.
Thank you for your comment!
I agree with Susan. Thanks again for keeping all of us up to date on all of the bull going on out there. Have A WONDERFUL DAY.