Oh my, are we upset that we missed the 'nerdcoin' boat?

Unfortunately, an external drive backup using your scheme is of little to no use against this threat. It will encrypt all attached drives, network, USB or otherwise, so long as the user has permissions. It will start with commonly needed file extensions first.

Unless your backup is not visible to the virus, you are toast. This is a situation where unattached, or off-site backups and cloud solutions win. A simple user with an always attached USB drive will still be toast.

No one can -fix- cryptolocker. It is pay and hope the key is delivered and works of have a recent backup. Otherwise you and all your attached storage are fucked.

Here is the correct link: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/cryptolocker-criminals-earn-30-million-100-days-1429607

Whose?

One, any currency is a fiat currency. People have to agree to use it, be it beads, dollars, bitcoins or polished turds. Just because you have a problem with libertarian views (I do on some), does not mean an insulting argument is valid or appropriate

Printing and minintg currency has a big carbon/environmental footprint as well.

It is always easier to steal someones wallet than work for it. There will always be those that try to do just that. Your point?

This one really gets my goat. These markets (whether hideous or not), exist already, regardless of the currency. It doesn't matter if you by crack with blowjobs or acid with BTC, the market is there.

The blockchain is public. Once a wallet is tied to an individual, all its transactions are public, be they income that is untaxed or 'hideous market' purchases. Even years down the road, if a wallet I used to buy ecstasy in 2012 is tied to me in 2042, that purchase is now and forever tied to me (as well as all other transactions done with that wallet).

I was doing electronic research and purchased a bistable multivibrator from Adam and Eve once. It was not what I expected.

NASA's biggest challenge is putting -people- in space. The reasons for the difficulty of the challenge have changed from technical to fiscal and political, but it still remains the biggest challenge.

While I agree in theory to refusing, in my state (and others, perhaps all), you have to sign consent to give police samples for the purpose of alcohol/drug testing prior to getting you license. Refusing such a search is grounds for revocation of your license and worse. It does not matter if it is a traffic stop or some sort of checkpoint (papers please), probable cause and 4th amendment rights are gone because you agreed when you signed your drivers licence.

How dare you doubt the sacrosanct religiosity of my assertion? If I -believe- it is better and bigger, it it! This is murica!

Did you buy or pirate that Sherlock. If the DRM were intact you couldn't even use the title, therefore we are issuing a cease and desist letter as well as requesting that formal charges be filed.

Letter, ftw you bloody heretic. There is more room for my sacred scribbling.

Which provides the largest and least lubricated sphincter dilating phallus? FTFY

I wanted to clarify

I read

as I do not have the time to deal with the questions and problems related to changing her computing environment,

Not to be mean, but it is often true, and is in the case of family I help out. That is why I answered the way I did.

Like email, browsing, and perhaps some photos and videos, get a tablet. I hate to add to the PC market shrinking (it is my main bread and butter), but a tab is typically simpler, and more than enough for many use cases.
Additionally, you can root and do a nandroid backup on initial setup as a quick imaging routine in case of problems.
Disclaimer, I wrote this on the commode with a nexus 7.

...declare me to not be noble. Denethor be damned.
Oh, wait, argon, not Aragorn.