is this spyware/virus? large group of .tmp files appeared in My Documents folder?

Question

a group of 500+ .tmp files appeared, named pos1ef1.tmp and so on with the format pos1*.tmp the * being a random combo of letters & numbers.

Answer 1

Nope. There are plenty of legitimate programs that can create temporary files. Different programs use different naming conventions for temporary files. For example Microsoft Word puts the "~" in front of its temp files.

I recommend that you close all of your programs on your computer to make sure that none of the temp files are in use and then delete all of the files that end with ".tmp".

I hope this helps.

PS: Do not use the antispyware recommended above. They take kickbacks from vendors to ignore their spyware and adware. If you want to protect your computer from this stuff download and install Windows Defender. It updates automatically with your Windows updates and it is fully backed and supported by Microsoft.

Answer 2

No it's not a virus and yes you can safely delete it. This isn't the cause as this is merely a temporary internet file. These files are saved on your computer so that the next time you visit the same site, that particular file would be easier to find instead of loading it all over again.

Answer 3

Mgtools Download

Answer 4

It could be so just to make sure:

For starters, download, update and run a full scan using the following product:

http://www.superantispyware.com/

SuperAntiSpyware is exceptional and will remove the majority of difficult Trojans and Worms, not just the easy ones.

If possible it is recommended that you load the application in normal mode but run it in Safe Mode. Safe Mode can be started by continually pressing F8 during the boot sequence. If you are badly infected you might need to run SuperAntiSpyware more than once to help clean your system. If the only infections now being shown are in System Restore, once you are completely satisfied that you can boot normally, you can either delete the infected restore points manually, or temporarily turn off System Restore.



As I mentioned above no antivirus or antispyware protection is perfect so to make sure you are totally clean download & run SpyWareTerminator

http://www.spywareterminator.com



Okay, we have attacked the Spyware, now its time to have a go at the viruses. Download, update & run Avira. Unlike a lot of the free antivirus applications this one has a comprehensive database and in addition will give you real time protection.

http://www.avira.com

Another equally good choice is Avast

http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html



Assuming you have some real awkward infections that persist even after trying all the above I suggest you download a Smitfraud removal program from:

http://www.afterdawn.com/software/desktop_software/desktop_security/smitfraudfix.cfm

If possible run in Safe Mode.

Likewise try VundoFix:

http://vundofix.atribune.org/



Be advised that some infections will corrupt or disable your resident security products so for completeness I have listed a couple of online scans that may help you get started:

Panda - http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/Ac...

Trend - http://housecall.trendmicro.com/



Good luck & safe surfing.



wdw

Answer 5

First: Enable viewing of hidden files, system files and file extensions. To do this go to My Documents and click on the Tools menu and then click on folder options. Click the "VIEW" tab and select "Show hidden files" and click OK.



Run Ccleaner to clean out temporary files. http://majorgeeks.com/download4191.html



Now run combofix.exe & follow the prompts. http://download.bleepingcomputer.com/sUBs/ComboFix.exe



Now install, configure and run Spybot – Search & Destroy. http://www.majorgeeks.com/download2471.html



Now install, configure and run AVG AntiSpyware. http://www.majorgeeks.com/AVG_Anti-Spyware_d5287.html



If you have Windows XP Home. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/spencer.greystrong/XPHomeFiles.exe



If you have Windows XP Professional http://homepage.ntlworld.com/spencer.greystrong/XPProfiles.exe



If you have Windows 2000. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/spencer.greystrong/W2kFiles.exe



Now download mgtools.exe and extract it into the Local disc (C:) http://www.usaupload.net/d/joihhtl2ozh



Now run the MGTools.exe program by double clicking on it. It will finish automatically.



Toggle system restore if malware had been found during the cleaning procedures. Right click on MY COMPUTER and go to properties... Then go to System Restore and uncheck the box that says monitoring.



If still having problems, do this in Safe mode (F8 When restarting computer) and try all steps again.



http://tribulattifather.tripod.com

Answer 6

probably not

I would delete them then reboot and see if they come back.



worth doing a scan for virus's and spyware as well as a general cleanup anyway as a precauction

Answer 7

Probably not, but to be safe, go to http://free.grisoft.com/ and download the free version of AVG, and then do a system scan, if they are virus', it will find and remove them! Hope I helped.

Answer 8

The question is if you have any Popup problems when you are online? If so then it is a virus or spyware. and I could show you how to get rid of it.

Answer 9

I haven't found anything on the internet about it, but it doesn't sound good. Run an anti-virus scan.

Answer 10

could be, just do a disc cleap up and dump those temp files.

Go to start the system tools then disc cleanup

Answer 11

They are just snapshots of your picture files. You probably had alot of them in your folder.