Virus Scan found a virus on my computer!

georgiagirl8

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I haven't been posting much lately because I have been battling computer problems. I did a virus scan on the online McAfee free scan because my virus scan is so out of date, and it found a virus on my computer! I had to go and buy new AntiVirus software for my computer. I did a full system scan and it found four different types of threats on my computer. They hadn't been there long though. Also, They weren't really considered "viruses". I'm not completely sure what they were - all I know is that it is something called Spyware or Adware threats. I think they could possibly allow attackers to get information off your computer. I'm not sure what else they can do. But I got rid of them and my computer is now officially virus and threat free. I'm not sure how they got onto my computer in the first place. That's what bugs me. But it sure put a scare into me.
 

mzjazz2u

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YOu can get a virus so many ways and not even know it. Even by just visiting a web site. That's why it is so important to always have an updated anti-virus. And have it running all the time.
 

lorie d.

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That happened to me a while ago, and I was told that the source of the problem was some of the freeware that I had downloaded off the internet.
 

spideycat

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Originally posted by mzjazz2u
YOu can get a virus so many ways and not even know it. Even by just visiting a web site. That's why it is so important to always have an updated anti-virus. And have it running all the time.
I couldn't agree more mzjazz2u about keeping an up to date anti-virus program. There are free antivirus software out there that are just as good as the ones you buy.A good firewall is also a good thing to have on a pc there are also free software out there that do as good a job as the ones you buy. you can get free antivirus at www.grisoft.com and a fre firewall at www.zonelabs.com The name of the firewall is zonealarm I think every body should install both of these type of software.
 
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georgiagirl8

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I was told that the source of the problem was some of the freeware that I had downloaded off the internet.
That could be part of it because I downloaded a couple of freeware screensavers a while back. I even got rid of one of them for fear that one of them might have come from it. I don't think all four could have come from that though. I only downloaded one or two. And, I didn't recognize the files that were infected. That was the problem.
 

hissy

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Norton Anti-Virus is a good one to have and keep updated as well. Mine is always finding viruses, thankfully, this means it is working and doing its job.
 

a_loveless_gem

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Aaah...the perils of freeware. One of my friend once complained of bizarre programs that installed themselves without her knowledge. She had downloaded one program, and received five other programs and they were all Spyware/Adware. Being a good friend I got rid of them for her and recommended her to read what she was installing. It's not the easiest of things to detect at times but usually it's a "Because you want this for free, you will have to have that installed as well for things to run smoothly." type of message. And in most cases, you can remove the other unwanted program without causing problems.

Antivirus programs don't pick up Spyware or Adware as they are legitimate programs so to speak. Though Adaware is a freely available program that will detect Spyware and allow you to remove it. It won't prevent the Spyware from being installed so it has to be run regularly.
 

brocken

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The online virus scan at the McAfee website is good b/c it's constantly updated. But it would be convenient to install anti-virus software on your PC in case you need to scan and can't connect to the Internet.

AVG Anti-Virus Personal Edition is free and very good: http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php

Ad-Aware (basic version is free) does pretty good anti-spyware sweeps: http://www.lavasoft.de/support/download/

Spybot - Search & Destroy (free, donation requested) will generally find any spyware that Ad-Aware misses: http://spybot.eon.net.au/index.php?l...&page=download

Zone Alarm (free, fewer features than paid version) is a good firewall: http://www.zonelabs.com/store/conten...p9XdD80q9Hnc9y!1487438298!-1062696905!7551!7552!-1099538587!-1062696904!7551!7552

Kerio (free) is another good firewall: http://www.kerio.com/kpf_download.html

Remember to check for updates and to scan your PC weekly!
 

sammie5

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I am pretty vigilant about downloading things and opening attachments. So I was shocked when I got that virus a couple of months ago, the one that shut down your computer. (Can't remember the name, I must be losing brain cells).

It was installed on my computer without me doing anyting except being on line. The new generation of viruses just load onto your hard drive using "back door" or "trojan horse" programs, that don't need email attachments or internet downloads to work.

I got a firewall, which alerts me whenever a trojan horse is trying to access my system, and I get an attack about once every 15 mintues, all the time I am online. That means my firewall has stopped hundreds and hundreds of probes, meaning programs trying to see if my system is vulnerable.
 
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