what to do when virus or the like takes over computer...?

Question

i seem to have lost numerous functions(control panel, abilty to system restore, lost administrative rights, etc...) due to virus, worm, trojan or something, but whatever it is , it's taken over. ran 3 different antivirus programs and have found "threats" and removed, all to no avail. what should i do...

Answer 1

Seems serious,

but are antivirus programs new/updated?

try latest 'symantec" and "avira" or "avg".if no result try to save your documents on cd/dvd or flash usb dep'd on file size.then format hard drive.install operating system.install antivirus and bring up your files back.that could be the way out.

good luck

Answer 2

You should only have 1 antivirus installed at any one time. If you install more than one they will conflict and neither will work right.



I strongly recommend Antivirus / Firewall from a RELIABLE vendor like McAfee... you must properly configure these to scan for PuPs and other things that are not always set out of the box.. and you must have them automatically updating!

If not, you are simply not protected whatsoever.



If you want to protect against spyware/adware then I recommend Spybot S&D from

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html



You must disable system retore (and once clean enable it again to create a clean restore point).

Uninstall all those non-working antivirus applications.

If you do have one form a reliable vendor such as mcafee you will have to uninstall that too and complete reinstall it or it will not work properly.



You can run a web based scan from http://housecall65.trendmicro.com



If you are able to clean the infection, you will be able to repair windows OR do an overlay of windows without the format option which may repair your system without having to reformat..

If you are unable to do this then you may have to reformat your computer and completely reinstall everything.





Good Luck.

Answer 3

There is only one answer to this. A complete clean formatting, and reinstall the new windows. There is no way anti-virus program will help you no matter which one of them.



After you install the new operating system windows then install Anti-Virus call kaspersky. This is the best AV program that can detect viruses and trojans before it enter/attack your pc. This will prevent your computer from being penetrated by the viruses.



I have use Kaspersky for 2 and half years. There is no sign of dangerous object attack my comp yet because the program detect them early. For example if you have a virus inside your thumbdrive, when you connect it to your comp the kaspersky will detect them automatically so you dont have to transfer the file into your comp.



Norton, or any other AV programs not really as effective as kaspersky in virus detection

Answer 4

Cool

What else do u expect me to say than reformat ur hard disc or the operating system



There is are many alternatives, but none will work until u clean all those pathogens



Then u can use ur Windows CD to repair ur installation of Windows



After u do that, immediately install a good antiviruus program (Kaspersky suits me)

Immediately mnz before opening ANYTHING

Dont open any drive, or anythin



Scan ur PC for Viruses, before anything

Answer 5

Critical files or settings could have been damaged by a virus or by hardware/software failures. The best solution is to back up all of your static files such as: DOC, JPG, XLS, TXT, and so on. Avoid copying programs: DLL, EXE, COM, BAT.



Format your hard disk and re-install your operating system. You can then copy your office documents, image files, and email phone book folders back onto the system.



You can buy a high capacty disk drive and simply copy everything to that drive, so that you can start fresh.

Answer 6

Format your HD and reinstall windows again.

Consider somethings in the new windows to avoid this from happening,

-A good firewall is amust,I would recommend ZoneAlarm as a free and very excellent one.



-Install also a good antivirus,you should buy for NOD32 orBitDefender,but if you need something free I think AVG or Mcafee free edition from AOL is good.



-Have a good Antispyware like ad-ware 2007 free edition,or Spybot SD to protect your computer from spywares,malwares and trojans.



-Configure your browser for security matters to block tracking cookies and unwanted popups.



Good Luck

Answer 7

1. Ctrl+Alt+Del

2. Go to processes

3. Delete any files that just take up space but don't have a name

Answer 8

You Should Go into you files copy what you need and Reinstall Windows

Answer 9

You need to get someone to clean your drive and reload your operating system.Techies we call them and they are everywhere.

Answer 10

if it has done that much damage, i would recommend reinstall windows

Answer 11

cal the computer guy

Answer 12

For some reason, I cannot post in the order I want to. (Everything just comes out blank) Please go to the bottom, (after Good Luck!) and start reading, then come back to the top. I am sorry for any inconvenience this causes you.



Try these free malware removers:



I prefer Avast, but AVG is just as great.



AVG AntiVirus

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1



Avast Home Antivirus

http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-...



You may also want some other tools to run and use as well



SpywareBlaster

http://www.download.com/spywareblaster/3...



Spybot S&D

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirro...



AVG AntiSpyware

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/20/lng/us/tp...



Adaware (Lavasoft)

http://www.download.com/ad-aware-2007-fr...



If you are currently having a problem:



◙ Download and install AVG. Use it first and see if it finds any viruses or trojans.



☞ http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1



◙ After running AVG go here and run this virus scanner online. There is no need to install it on your computer.



http://housecall.trendmicro.com/...........



◙ Microsoft's New Live Safety Center. Download this scanner to check and remove spyware, viruses, get rid of obsolete files and junk off your computer, and improve your PCs performance.



☞ http://safety.live.com/site/en-us/defaul...



◙ The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool checks computers running Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 for infections by specific, prevalent malicious software—including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom—and helps remove any infection found. When the detection and removal process is complete, the tool displays a report describing the outcome, including which, if any, malicious software was detected and removed. You can run this tool online FREE.



http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/detai...



◙ Before downloading email attachments in Gmail and Yahoo Mail click on the link that says, "Scan With Norton Antivirus".



◙ Before downloading any software from the internet type it into http://groups.google.com/ to see if that title is known for spyware or viruses. Google Groups has over 1 billion posts spanning 25 years to help you. Even after checking it there ALWAYS scan it before opening it. You just can't be too careful. -- Smart Computing Magazine



◙ A lot of the download sites like http://www.download.com/ and http://www.tucows.com/ scan software before releasing it to the public. But just for safety sake you should still scan it yourself.



◙ Here is a really great article on browser hijacking. This will show you how to get rid of it. There is a tutorial and software to get rid of part of it. You'll need to make some changes to your computer's registry to get rid of the rest of it. Click on the chatroom link on their main page if you need help.



☞ http://www.spywareinfo.com/articles/hija...



◙ Here is Yahoo!'s Internet Security section.



☞ http://security.yahoo.com/



◙ Below is Mcafee's Site Adviser. Type in a URL in the form here and you will find out if the site you want to go to is known for phising (getting your personal info under false pretenses), viruses, spyware, and many other things. You can use the tool on their site or download an program to do that.



☞ http://www.siteadvisor.com/



◙ Get more information at these PC Magazine Web sites.



☞ http://www.pcmag.com/

☞ http://www.smartcomputing.com/



◙ Top 100 Computer & Software Magazines.



☞ http://netvalley.com/top100mag.html........



★★ TOOLS FOR SPECIFIC VIRUSES & TIPS ★★



◙ Sometimes you'll get a particularly nasty virus that cannot be removed with conventional tools. For times like these you can (quite often not always) download a removal tool for that specific virus. Below are some sites you should look at.



☞ http://www.grisoft.com/doc/utilities/ing...

☞ http://www.symantec.com/security_respons...

☞ http://www.bitdefender.com/site/download...



◙ Below is a tool called "Stinger" that Mcafee put together with all 54 of it's tools in it.



☞ http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/............



◙ GLOBAL VIRUS ALERT -- The latest virus outbreak alerts from F-Secure, Trend Micro, Panda, and Sophos. Each anti-virus fighter is reporting the state of the Virus Battles on its front, which reflects a unique customer and geographic profile.



☞ http://www.trimmail.com/news/tools/#glob...



◙ Add free virus alerts to your web site.



☞ http://www.trendmicro.com/syndication/vi...

For Trojans try these ( free to try),

http://www.ewido.net/en/

Or

http://www.misec.net/trojanhunter/.........

Or

http://www.agnitum.com/products/tauscan/...





And always scan once a week with these free and trusted scanners as well if you go to gaming sites and porn and etc.

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/...........

http://www.webroot.com/freescan............

http://www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner......

http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/ac...

http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/virus...

http://www.bitdefender.com/



First, you need anti-virus software - download, install and update AVG anti-virus (it's free for personal use) - you can find it here - http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1



Then remove your System Restore points (viruses love to hide in the System Restore files), but be aware that if you do remove your existing Restore Points you will not be able to "roll back" your computer to a previous configuration. To find out how to disable System Restore see this page - http://www.pchell.com/virus/systemrestor...



Just to be sure you don't have other malware on your computer I recommend that you download SpyBot Search & Destroy and Adware - both are free spyware/adware detection and removal software.



Next, start the computer in Safe Mode - (as the comptuer is starting up, keep tapping the F8 key on your keyboard until you see a special start-up menu) - more on how to start in Safe Mode here - http://www.microsoft.com/resources/docum...



Using AVG - run a full system virus scan while in Safe Mode



After the viruses have been detected and removed, run SpyBot and AdAware (full system scans) then restart the comptuer, enable System Restore again and enjoy a virus-free computing experience.



If the problems are still there, try using MSCONFIG to help figure out how to manually disable the Trojan from starting up - see more about MSCONFIG here - http://netsquirrel.com/msconfig/...........



To help protect against malware you should install a firewall, Zone Alarm works perfectly well and is free – http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/c...



Also, don't forget to keep Windows up-to-date - using Microsoft Windows Update!



After following these instructions go to: http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/must-read... they will help you for free, no credit card or personal information needed, and they will analyze Hijack This logs for you, to make sure that your computer is safe. HijackThis helps If persistent spyware is bogging down your computer, you might need HijackThis. The tiny program examines vulnerable or suspect parts of your system, such as browser helper objects and certain types of Registry keys. Pressing the Scan button generates a log of dozens of items, most of which are just customizations. Don't check off an item and hit the Fix checked button unless you're sure it's malware. Clicking Info on selected item tells you why the entry was flagged as suspicious, but not whether it's actually malware. To find that out, search the Web for that item's name or go straight to a forum, such as SpywareInfo or Computer Cops. Saving the log creates a text document you can post to these forums.



The latest version adds powerful tools to the Config window. The process manager and hosts file editor help you excise virulent infections. The unique ADS Spy tool scans for alternate data streams, which some browser hijackers use to hide from spyware removers. The program still installs into whatever directory in which you unzip the file, which can make it hard to locate. HijackThis is a serious tool for any user who needs to root out a serious infestation, but wield it with caution. So, go to the site I gave you above, and they'll help you step by step.

Free registry cleaners:

CCleaner does not specialise in cleaning the registry, it's mostly used to speed up your computer by cleaning up your recycle bin, temp files/internet files, browsing history, application errors, log files and so on.. which frees up some space in your harddisk





I've tried these 10 free cleaners

http://www.regsofts.com/freeware/freereg...

I would recommend the following(click on the webpage and follow):



Free Windows Registry Repair(first one) - rather effective, the first scan i did after about a year showed over 500 problems with the registry, fixed them all



RegSeeker(2nd one) - fixed another 300 problems after using the previous one.



and like the two of them said, Eusing Free Registry Cleaner and Abexo Free Registry Cleaner(30 day trial)



Just run them all that'll fix most problems! But dont expect 100% fixes because programs might recreate registry entries when used and so a second scan might still show the same few errors. (ignore such errors)







those are all freeware, hope i'm of some help



P.S. First go to: http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/defau... Choose full service scan and let it install any active x components



P.P.S You can only have one AntiVirus program running at once, if you have more you will severely slow down your computer, and possible damage you computer through repeated crashes. It is OK to have several adaware/spyware removal tools. You can have one hardware firewall and one software firewall.



Good Luck!



First update your AntiVirus product. Then boot in safe mode: Getting into Windows Safe Mode

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/chsaf...



To use the System Configuration Utility method

Close all open programs.

Click Start, Run and type MSCONFIG in the box and click OK

The System Configuration Utility appears, On the BOOT.INI tab, Check the "/SAFEBOOT" option, and then click OK and Restart your computer when prompted.

The computer restarts in Safe mode.

Perform the troubleshooting steps for which you are using Safe Mode.



When you are finished with troubleshooting in Safe mode, open MSCONFIG again, on the BOOT.INI tab, uncheck "/SAFEBOOT" and click OK to restart your computer.



After booting in Safe Mode run a full system scan. If you don't have an AntiVirus I suggest you get AVG or Avast!. Also get AdAware and Spybot Search and Destroy and maybe even ZoneAlarm.