Malke
Sat Jan 29 21:45:04 CST 2005
Melissa wrote:
> I recently updated everything microsoft said to,I have the ME eddition
> phone connection,Im not too sure of all the technical stuff,if my
> computer is in fact infected can I get rid of it by re-booting it?
>
> "N. Miller" wrote:
>
>> In article <F4E11248-45D4-4B96-B3BC-DD2E87AAD785@microsoft.com>,
>> =?Utf-8?B? TWVsaXNzYQ==?= says...
>>
>> > twice when I was online a pop up from microsoft came up and asked
>> > if I wanted to run the antispy ware I clicked ok both times and
>> > nothing happened now one comes up and says 18% of my computer is
>> > infected do I want to fix it and again a clicked on ok and still
>> > nothing. Im not sure what to do from here. thanks for any advice!
>> > Melissa
>>
>> Well, what OS, and is it patched? Type of Internet connection would
>> help. Latest version of the browser? Which one? The pop up could well
>> have been something malicious, and you could well be infected. Do you
>> even have any antivirus program running? Is it current?
To remove malware (and no, rebooting won't cut it), do the following
steps. It is crucial that you do everything with updated tools in Safe
Mode. If, after reading the removal instructions, you are daunted by
the work that needs to be done, take the machine to a good local
computer repair shop (not a BestBuy or CompUSA type of store) and have
them clean it up for you.
1) Scan in Safe Mode with current version (not earlier than 2003)
antivirus using updated definitions.
Before you remove malware, get LSPFix (or WinSockFix for XP which you
can get from MajorGeeks) - see links below.
2) Remove spyware with Spybot Search & Destroy and Ad-aware. These
programs are free, so use them both since they complement each other.
There is a new version of CWShredder from Intermute. I would not
install the other Intermute programs, however. Alternately, there are
CoolWebSearch malware removal steps at SilentRunners.
Be sure to update these programs before running, and it is a good idea
to do virus/spyware scans in Safe Mode. Make sure you are able to see
all hidden files and extensions (View tab in Folder Options).
If the malware remains even after you used Ad-aware and Spybot, you can
scan with HijackThis. HijackThis is an excellent tool to discover and
disable hijackers, but it requires expert skill. See below for
HijackThis links, including sites where you can post your HJT logs. A
combination of HijackThis and About:Buster works well in removing the
About:Blank homepage hijacker. Again, this is an expert tool and
novices should get help with it.
3) If you are running Windows ME or XP, you should disable/enable System
Restore after the system is clean because malware will be in the
Restore Points. With ME, you must disable System Restore completely.
With XP, you can delete all but the most recent (presumably clean)
System Restore point from the More Options section of Disk Cleanup
(Run>cleanmgr).
4) Make sure you've visited Windows Update and applied all security
patches. Do not install driver updates from Windows Update.
5) Run a firewall.
Links to help with malware:
Software/Methods:
http://www.safer-networking.org - Spybot Search & Destroy
http://www.lavasoftusa.com - Ad-aware
http://www.majorgeeks.com - good download site
http://www.intermute.com/spysubtract/cwshredder_download.html
http://www.silentrunners.org/sr_cwsremoval.html. - SilentRunners
http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm - Repair Winsock 2 settings after
removing spyware
HijackThis:
http://www.aumha.org/a/hjttutor.htm - HijackThis tutorial by Jim
Eshelman
http://aumha.net - forums
http://spywarewarrior.com/viewforum.php?f=5 - Spyware Warrior HijackThis
forum
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/
http://forums.tomcoyote.org/
General:
http://aumha.net - look under "Security" for various forums
http://rgharper.mvps.org/cleanit.htm
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://www.aumha.org/a/parasite.htm - The Parasite Fight
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm
Malke
--
MS-MVP Windows User/Shell
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic"