I got a freaking VIRUS!!

[luckygirl]

that sucks Nat....I am sorry you are going through such crapola!

 

[trouts mom]

Originally Posted by neetanddave

Your internet provider should have something...

Nope I don't have enough RAM or whatever for the one they provide.

 

[lunasmom]

Holy cow, OK.

If you think your computer is being HiJacked, got www.hijckthis.de

Download the software (should be a zip). Keep the web page opened. Install the software and run it.

Copy and paste whatever opens in the txt file into the white space on the website.

click on "Analyze This". Go through and check mark which every one they say to remove.

If that doesn't help and you feel comfortable doing this., restart the computer, press F8 right after the black and white text (but before the Windows logo (its easiest just to keep pressing F8 after the puter comes back on.)

Choose "Safe Mode"
You'll see a message that not everything is functioning, etc. (You won't be connected to the internet).

Run the A/V software (the HiJacker won't be able to connect to your computer).

Clean up anything that it finds.

If no luck, restart, and download Firefox (www.mozilla.org)

go into Add/Remove Programs (you may want to unplug your computer from the internet at this point), click Windows Components.

UNCHECK Internet Explorer. This "uninstalls" the program from your computer.

Install Firefox. Run the spyware, A/V and Hijack this. Good luck.

 

[lisasha3]

Sorry Nat. I've been stayin away from this thread cause it gets me so frustrated that I can't help. I do all my own computer stuff - software and hardware. I taught myself how to do it (trial and error - lots of error!

). I've just gotten so wrapped up in trying to figure these damn machines out that it drives me bonkers when I hear somethings wrong, but can't help fix it. It's just sooooooo hard to explain to someone in words. Sorry I've been avoiding your thread.

I would love to help you fix it - but I'd have to come to Canada to do it!

So I guess if your uncle can't do it - road trip for me!!

Originally Posted by icklemiss21

Yeah Nat, switch to firefox, you can have a cute kitty browser like me!

I love that!!!!!!! I want it I want it I want it!!!!!! That is soooooo cute!

(Can we get that for IE???)

 

[trouts mom]

I think I will be switching to firefox after all this..AND I won't be downloading MSN messenger EVER AGAIN

 

[icklemiss21]

You can use MSN through trillian (or other like software) the virus generally targets holes in Messenger and not all the other software.

no Red Cats (in blue or green flavour) for IE as far as I know.

 

[clu]

Hope y'alls problems are getting taken care of. Viruses are major bummers. That's a big reason why I switched to being a Mac user. Plus i'm studying web and graphic design as well as film editing. I don't have to worry about virsuses, spyware, adware, etc.

 

[duchess15]

Why is that? I don't know a lot about macs....

 

[katachtig]

Originally Posted by Duchess15

Why is that? I don't know a lot about macs....

Windows tended to have more holes - but also to be fair, more PCs run Windows so it more bang for the buck.

 

[clu]

Windows still does have way, way more holes and backdoors than Macs do. Especially now that Vista was just launched on Jan. 1st. I love my G4 Powerbook and i'll never switch back to a PC.

 

[katachtig]

Ok, Natalie,

After I'm done, you will probably just want to save your personal data, reformat and reinstall fresh.

Step 1) make sure that you have everything you need anti-spyware, adaware, anti-virus because you won't have the internet during this. And you should probably disconnect.

Step 2) From Start Menu, Select run and type "msconfig". On the General tab, select Diagnostic Startup and reboot.

Step 3) run all of the anti-virus checks, spyware checks, etc.

Step 4) Find the file C:\\WINDOWS\\system32\\drivers\\etc\\hosts (no extension) Remove all of the lines except for
127.0.0.1 localhost

Step 5) From the start menu select run and type "regedit".
You will be looking for the following keys

HKEY_Current_User
-Software
--Microsoft
---Windows
----CurrentVersion
-----run and runonce

Now you will need to use your judgment but select and delete the values that do not look right

Do the same with:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
-Software
--Microsoft
---Windows
----CurrentVersion
-----run and runonce.

Step 6) From Start Menu, Select run and type "msconfig". On the General tab, select Normal Startup and reboot.


Hopefully this will restore your sanity. Just be careful when you get a link.

 

[trouts mom]

Okay..yesterday when I got home, I found the package that came with the computer, and it had all these blank discs to copy everything on in case of a system recovery..So I did that.

I then did the system recovery, then installed like 53 million anti virus/adware programs.

I installed that AVAST program mentioned here, and it found 5 infections by that W32 thing..SO, at least I know it is ONE virus if it comes back..and at this point I could fin instrutions on how to delete it. The AVAST thing deleted them...BUT NONE of my other scans found those. I think this anti virus prgrm might be a good one.

Anyway, I am not going to jix myself by saying things are fine yet....BUT there is nothing fishy going on this morning..I will wait and see if anything does happen, then my uncle will help me. I did all the above by myself last night.

Okay, so keep your fingers crossed that what I did helped.

P.S. How do I get firefox? Do I just search for it on google, then install it?
P.P.S. How do I change the resolution on my screen, its very little right now?
P.P.P.S. How do I set a homepage? It installed the old IE back..I forget how

Thanks so much guys..I hope its almost over.

 

[lunasmom]

Originally Posted by Duchess15

Why is that? I don't know a lot about macs....

The virus writers generally don't care about macs. There aren't enough mac users in the world, compared Microsoft users.

Macs do have just as many holes (as all software does), but most choose not to exploit it.

 

[lunasmom]

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

P.S. How do I get firefox? Do I just search for it on google, then install it?
P.P.S. How do I change the resolution on my screen, its very little right now?
P.P.P.S. How do I set a homepage? It installed the old IE back..I forget how

Thanks so much guys..I hope its almost over.

Firefox: www.mozilla.org

Download and install it.

If you want to get rid of IE, go into Add/Remove Programs > Windows Components and uncheck Internet Explorer. Only the file needed by other Windows programs will remain, but the IE icon will never tempt you again!!

Right click somewhere on your desktop (a blank area) and go to Properties. Click the Settings tab. On the left side you will be able to change the screen size/resolution.

To set the Homepage go to Tools > Internet Options. There will be a textfield on that General tab that you see to change it.

 

[cheeseface]

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

Okay..yesterday when I got home, I found the package that came with the computer, and it had all these blank discs to copy everything on in case of a system recovery..So I did that.

I then did the system recovery, then installed like 53 million anti virus/adware programs.

I installed that AVAST program mentioned here, and it found 5 infections by that W32 thing..SO, at least I know it is ONE virus if it comes back..and at this point I could fin instrutions on how to delete it. The AVAST thing deleted them...BUT NONE of my other scans found those. I think this anti virus prgrm might be a good one.

Anyway, I am not going to jix myself by saying things are fine yet....BUT there is nothing fishy going on this morning..I will wait and see if anything does happen, then my uncle will help me. I did all the above by myself last night.

Okay, so keep your fingers crossed that what I did helped.

P.S. How do I get firefox? Do I just search for it on google, then install it?
P.P.S. How do I change the resolution on my screen, its very little right now?
P.P.P.S. How do I set a homepage? It installed the old IE back..I forget how

Thanks so much guys..I hope its almost over.

Thanks for answering my earlier question. I assume that from now on you will never click on a link that pops up in a chat box without an actual conversation being engaged first.

You should be really careful about installing a zillion programs you don't know about. You mentioned "adware". It is one of the fake ones that people confuse with Ad-aware. Avast is good for anti-virus. I would have recommended it. It's possible that you may not be totally clean from hijacking though. Download Hijack This: http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/programs.php

After you've downloaded it, right click on it and select extract or unzip it.
Go into that folder and double click on the TNT icon.
Click on the button that says "do a system scan and save a log file"
It will scan and a notepad window will open on top of it.
Click inside the notepad window.
Press ctrl A to select all.
Pres crtl C to copy it.
Make a new post here and press ctrl V to paste it in a thread.
You can close all the windows.
I'll look at your log and see if there's anything in there that needs cleaning up and post here.

If you want to change your resolution first:

Right click on your desktop walllpaper.
Select properties.
Click the settings tab.
You should see the resolution slider.
Change accordingly. Then click apply.
Close the window.

 

[icklemiss21]

I wouldn't get rid of IE as some webpages don't work well with firefox and you have to use it.

you can get firefox from www.getfirefox.com, then if you click add-ons from the same page you can download any extras you want to go with it (themes, translators, IE tabs, adblocking, etc)

 

[katachtig]

Originally Posted by icklemiss21

I wouldn't get rid of IE as some webpages don't work well with firefox and you have to use it.

you can get firefox from www.getfirefox.com, then if you click add-ons from the same page you can download any extras you want to go with it (themes, translators, IE tabs, adblocking, etc)

I've been able to get along very well with IE View and IE Tabs. Especially at work where the standards are to design pages to work in IE.

 

[icklemiss21]

I have one or two pages at work that won't work properly in firefox (we use IE6 at work and they wont let me switch, meanies!)

Generally that the popups don't size correctly in firefox and you can't 'stretch' the boxes

 

[trouts mom]

Thanks Ryan!! I will try that stuff...

OKAY ANOTHER UPDATE:

I am now officially freaking out. My scan found another stupid trojan "matcash" this morning. And since last nights scan found all those Win32 infections, I am confident that there are still things in my computer.

For the record I did install ad-aware..not adware.

RYAN, if I do that stuff you tell me, paste my log in here..will you be able to see everything wrong or just hijackers?

:censor::censor::censor::censor:, I can't beleive I spent like 7 hours last night doing so many things and still things are showing in the scans

I feel like giving up..I am so not computer savvy.

 

[icklemiss21]

It will show a log of everything running at that time, if you can weed out the correct stuff you are running, you can work out what shouldn't be running and get rid of it