Computer Geeks! help me!

NinjaKitten:

Norton and Adaware are adequate for pc protection, I would guess you have some malware kicking your pc's ass right now and would suguest doing some hardcore cleaning. personally, I would format my system and start over (with my data backed up).

If you really want to try to clear it, heres what you do with xp. Right click My Computer and go to properties (or for shortcut hold down the Windows key and hit Pause) once there, click the System Restore Tab, and check the box that says "Turn Off System Restore" then apply OK and reboot your computer, before the black Windows XP loading screen comes up, tap the F8 key a few times so you get a menu to come up with a couple booting options, you want to run "Safemode with Networking" once your get to windows a pop up will come up asking about using system restore, click yes then you should be at your desktop.

once there, run updates for adaware and norton and then run full scans to clean it up. this should take a while, once its cleaned up, i would reboot and do it again in safemode then reboot back to regular windows.

once your back, i would use a reg cleaner, you said you have one, but id highly recomend trying Tune Up Utilities, it rocks, and you can get a 30 day trial at their website www.tune-up.com

now go back to the My Computer properties and turn system restore back on.

I hope this helps, if you need more help, IM or PM me.
 
^ yup, listen to Mike. I had a similar malware once, I use firefox and never get popups, but this was causing them to show up everywhere at random. Nothing would get rid of it because it was very clever at hiding itself during scans, since it had it's own operations running. The safe mode boot, virus/adware scan in safe mode was the only way I could get rid of it.
 
i use system suite by v-com. comes with (wellthe parts that'll help ya) virus protection from trend micro, firewall by sygate, and also some anti-spyware tools. all for a low price of like 30-50 bux (they got a lower thing without the firewall for cheaper), but this is nothing in comparison to how much norton's shit is.

i've fixed comps for money up at college (freelance shit, i'd goto people's dorms and fix them and then i'd get a few bucks for it).

"SpywareBlaster" i heard was spyware and a scam, but it may have been another thing with a similar name, either way i wouldn't trust it.

"reg cleaner" - very helpful utility (not sure bout the brand you suggested, but it seems legit) there's one included with system suite as well, very helpful.

here's my tips:
first off, turn off ALL windows xp "security" features and turn off system restore, just wastes space. do regular back ups of what you care about instead (system files are easily replaceable by reinstalling and such so make sure you got the discs) (i do back up every 6 months, probably a bit long, but back up is better than no back up).

second, update firefox! there are many security fixes and updates in the latest version (1.5.0.3) and remember to update all your extentions as well (like adblock and if you don't have this go get it!)

also if you don't wanna pay money, zone alarm is a very good firewall. i use it for my firewall. (zone alarm is said to be #1 and sygate #2 or so)

if after installing this stuff doesn't help, do what mike said about safe mode.
 
zmetallica said:
here's my tips:
first off, turn off ALL windows xp "security" features and turn off system restore, just wastes space. do regular back ups of what you care about instead (system files are easily replaceable by reinstalling and such so make sure you got the discs) (i do back up every 6 months, probably a bit long, but back up is better than no back up).
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to bust balls, but why turn off windows securities? unless you install something better that causes conflicts, its best to keep them on.

Also I can't tell you how many times I have used system restore on a client's pc to save me from having to format... so i never turn it off, but if you have a virus, and your pc saves and image, that image is infected.. turning it off and rebooting clears all your system restore back ups... so then you can clean the virus and turn it back on. but yeah, i tend to leave it on.
 
Hahaha mike, I was hoping she could get rid of it without system restore :lol:

Kitten: If you're still having problems after running spybot, definitely go for what mike suggested, it's a great way to ensure that everything is a-ok.
 
yeah, she cant definately toss it without having to back up from system restore.. but id definately clear out your system restore incase the malware your infected with is strong enough to replicate into your system restore, or your system saved its state post infection date.
 
Alright. Here it is. I hope I don't offend anyone by saying this, but most of the information posted so far is absolutely WRONG.

Mike had excellent suggestions, however. The man knows what he's talking about.

Now I feel the need to clear up some misconceptions and give a few helpful tips. I'm not trying to sound like I know it all, so sorry if it comes of that way. However, I do have a lot of experience and I ALWAYS do my research.

  • THERE IS NO "ONE SOFTWARE" SOLUTION! Adaware is not crap. Norton is not crap. SpyBot is not crap. But...NONE of them are going to fix everything! That's why so many different types exsist! There are all kinds of malware out there...spyware, adware, trojan horses, viruses, worms, etc. Moreover, there are literally thousands of new ones created every day. One program cannot even hope to elimate all of them. That's just silly. The best thing to do is have many programs that specialize in difference areas, KEEP THEM UPDATED, and run them often.
  • Formatting your harddrive and reinstalling everything WILL fix it, but that should be your last resort. It takes a long time, and is a real pain in the ass to backup everything, reinstall everything, and the restore the backups. In all the years that I've been doing this sort of work (roughly 15 years) I've only had to start from scratch twice. There is ALWAYS a way to clean it, if you dig deep enough, put in enough effort, and know what you're doing.
  • Malware does not only come from viewing porn. That is probably the easiest way to get malware, but you can also get it from cracked software, free software that comes bundled with it, following spam links in emails, and numberous other ways.
  • Pop-up blockers DO NOT fix the problem. They HIDE the problem.
  • Turn OFF sytem restore. That feature almost never works & takes up a lot of space. There is always a more elegant solution.
  • Work in Safe Mode, whenever possible, as you're cleaning your bad-guy(s). Most bad stuff cannot run in Safe Mode.
  • Avoid too many reboots. A lot of bad-guys restore themselves during the boot-up process.
  • A lot of malware installs other malware. If you've got a bad-guy, you've probably got a gang to deal with. Once you eliminate the pions, focus your attention on the leader.
  • There is no "magic fix"...or "do this and it'll clear it up". EVERY bad-guy is different, and the process for removal almost always changes. Most malware can be eliminated simply by turning on system restore, updating your protection/elimination software, booting into safe mode, and running a virus scan, adware scan, spyware scan, and anything else you have. If it can't fix something, it should tell you the name of the bad-guy. WRITE IT DOWN!!!
  • DO YOUR RESEARCH! Find out the name of anything you can't fix and search online for how to remove it. If you've got a really bad one, you may have to manually remove part of it. Remember removal software helps a lot, but nothing is a "cure all".

Anyway...I'm ranting right now so I'll force myself to stop...I'll probably post more later anyway.
 
unless your surfing habbits are bad and you like to download free crap, i would advise to NOT keep system restore off. it DOES work... if youve had a major software problem like this for 2 weeks, you obviously cant restore to a week ago and hope everything is gonna be fine... if you catch a problem early, system restore could be your saviour.

he's right, ive had adaware, windows defender, spybot, and avg all set to monitor someones pc for them, when it comes to programs, hes right, you can mix and match all you want.. just not with virus scanners, they conflict with each other.

he's right about the rebooting, if you feel like trying to figure out whats starting up, you can check your start up lists.

Click Start, go to Run, then type MSCONFIG when that pops up click the start up tab at the top, and you can tell stuff to not load on start up, this is handy in any situation, but especially good for viruses, malware, etc..

The second list is way more complicated and you might not want to try, go to start, run again and type REGEDIT then browse to these locations

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

and delete anything that looks like its a virus or malware (do research first) you can always go to google or google groups and type the names of anything running in your start up list or your task manager... you will almost always get a description of it.
 
IronGuillotine said:
Alright. Here it is. I hope I don't offend anyone by saying this, but most of the information posted so far is absolutely WRONG.

Mike had excellent suggestions, however. The man knows what he's talking about.

Now I feel the need to clear up some misconceptions and give a few helpful tips. I'm not trying to sound like I know it all, so sorry if it comes of that way. However, I do have a lot of experience and I ALWAYS do my research.

  • THERE IS NO "ONE SOFTWARE" SOLUTION! Adaware is not crap. Norton is not crap. SpyBot is not crap. But...NONE of them are going to fix everything! That's why so many different types exsist! There are all kinds of malware out there...spyware, adware, trojan horses, viruses, worms, etc. Moreover, there are literally thousands of new ones created every day. One program cannot even hope to elimate all of them. That's just silly. The best thing to do is have many programs that specialize in difference areas, KEEP THEM UPDATED, and run them often.
  • Formatting your harddrive and reinstalling everything WILL fix it, but that should be your last resort. It takes a long time, and is a real pain in the ass to backup everything, reinstall everything, and the restore the backups. In all the years that I've been doing this sort of work (roughly 15 years) I've only had to start from scratch twice. There is ALWAYS a way to clean it, if you dig deep enough, put in enough effort, and know what you're doing.
  • Malware does not only come from viewing porn. That is probably the easiest way to get malware, but you can also get it from cracked software, free software that comes bundled with it, following spam links in emails, and numberous other ways.
  • Pop-up blockers DO NOT fix the problem. They HIDE the problem.
  • Turn OFF sytem restore. That feature almost never works & takes up a lot of space. There is always a more elegant solution.
  • Work in Safe Mode, whenever possible, as you're cleaning your bad-guy(s). Most bad stuff cannot run in Safe Mode.
  • Avoid too many reboots. A lot of bad-guys restore themselves during the boot-up process.
  • A lot of malware installs other malware. If you've got a bad-guy, you've probably got a gang to deal with. Once you eliminate the pions, focus your attention on the leader.
  • There is no "magic fix"...or "do this and it'll clear it up". EVERY bad-guy is different, and the process for removal almost always changes. Most malware can be eliminated simply by turning on system restore, updating your protection/elimination software, booting into safe mode, and running a virus scan, adware scan, spyware scan, and anything else you have. If it can't fix something, it should tell you the name of the bad-guy. WRITE IT DOWN!!!
  • DO YOUR RESEARCH! Find out the name of anything you can't fix and search online for how to remove it. If you've got a really bad one, you may have to manually remove part of it. Remember removal software helps a lot, but nothing is a "cure all".

Anyway...I'm ranting right now so I'll force myself to stop...I'll probably post more later anyway.
Click to expand...

apparently I'm chopped liver for offering up some simple quick-fixes -.-
 
dont sweat it steve, nothing wrong with your posts dude... its just the standard bullshit that come from people who start off with

IronGuillotine said:
Alright. Here it is. I hope I don't offend anyone by saying this, but most of the information posted so far is absolutely WRONG.
Click to expand...

"I hope I dont offend you, but let me emphasize just how wrong you are"
 
:lol:

kk rock on then I suppose :headbang:

Of course I'm sure I've done my fair share of that in political threads on various forums, but I generally don't say 'no offense, but you're a bitch'. I just say 'you're a bitch, and should be offended'. :lol:
 
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