Help please.
 

kk, here is the thing, my hubby downloaded viruses. :gasp: I know one is a trojan and one is malware. I was able to locate them and remove them, I uninstalled my old version (which was expired because noone ever used my old laptop) and am installing a new anti-virus. Yes, it is Norton. I have always used Norton and NEVER had a problem. The only reason these viruses got through was because it expired over 6 months ago.
So, how do I find out what kind of damage was done and if I really really got rid of the viruses????

If you choose to answer, please keep in mind, I need laymen terms. :blush:

Though i cannot help u on the virus part i
must say norton is good... since ive used it i
have never had a problem with it.

Some ways to know that the virus is gone, is if your computer is acting completely normally, and not literally freaking out xD

Like there are no pop-ups, fake virus protection AD's, and just overall insanity ^^

You can't really tell if you fully removed it unless you seek professional help....but thats all I can tell you. :laugh:

Yeah, I got most of those stupid "fake" pop-up ads to go away, but I still get 1. dang it. I can't find it. I will try to find the name, maybe someone can tell me more about it if they know the name.

Can you give me a link for AVG?

Well another thing to also do is to consider getting other virus protection like AVG, Adware SE Personal, and everything else.

But like I said, professional help is the best road to follow.

Edit: I posted this before seeing Yosi's xD

The only pop-up ad I keep getting is Wyn-something. Norton is currently doinga full scan, and since it started the scan, no ads have poped up. Keeps fingers crossed. But, yeah tomrrow night I will look into AVG. It is my bedtime tonight and it is storming here something fierce. Already lost power once. Thank goodness the laptop (the one with the virus issues) has a back-up battery, so Norton can continue to scan it.


EDIT: WynSpyWareProtect is the ad that is STILL popping up, argggghhhh!!!!!

AVG's official website. And I do agree that Norton is too heavy and causes the compy to bog down.

CCleaner is awesome too.^^

This is the anti-spyware that I'm using at the moment.

As for the assurance of the trojan and malware being completely eliminated from your compy, it's no guarantee that they're completely gone especially that you installed anti-virus AFTER detecting the virus.

I know this seems too extreme but I do recommend that you reformat your compy. I do hope you have a back up of all your files and that the back up is truly virus-free/uninfected.

Does your Norton have updated virus definitions?

Yeah, I usually get more detections from Adaware or AVG than Norton anyway. McAfee doesn't even let me delete them. O__O

Thanks for the links and the info. guys/gals. It is just my old laptop that has actually been sitting there unused for a while, so there was no longer anything important on it. I had already taken off anything I wanted to keep. But, I am defintely going to try the AVG and CCleaner.

Spybot Search and Destroy might be able to find that adware you're having trouble finding. Spybot is a dedicated ad remover, and I recommend it highly to you if you're having problems with pop ups.

Another thing to prevent some pop ups is to go into your control panel > administrative tools > services. Disable and stop the service called "Messenger." It will not affect your internet browsing or instant messaging in any way, and I find it a vulnerability when you allow it to run. A fair amount of ads rely on this service to gain access to your computer.

I have one last step, if your running windows xp try windows update. They have a new online virus scanner thats free although it will look like they are planning on getting money from you when you start the process (if you read the license agreement).

Free Scan Microsoft live site safe promise official I swear

The scan takes awhile :(

i use norton to

Try safe mode and run your anti-virus programs from there. Also open your task-manager and look for suspicious programs.

How do I run in safe mode, and the programs are not showing up in my task manager. :sad:

link


I use Vista, so I restart and while it's loading up, tap the F8 key.

My laptop has XP on it, is that going to make a difference?

And I am at work, so I can't view the link, I'll have to wait until I get home.

XP and Vista are the same for safe-mode.

Restart amd when it starts to boot-up again, keep tapping the F8 key.

kk, thanks.

after reading all suggestions here....

it amuses me that no one suggested to you the most SIMPLE method...

yes, all of the software mentioned are good.... but its not 100% sure to remove all the malware in ur PC especially when its deep inside the registry. as you mentioned, you already remove most of it but theres still one thats popping out right? maybe that one is running along with an essential program windows is using.

i suggest that after/before you downloaded the CCleaner, AVG and SpyBot S&D(highly recomended), you make a SYSTEM RESTORE 1st. its in the system tools in your window XP. start>acessories>system tool>system restore. just hope that you havent deleted the restore point in which your laptop works without the viruses.

doing this while running windows may lower the chance of restoring it perfectly. so i think you should start your computer in command prompt (follow lvra's instruction but select the one with the command prompt)
i hope you know some basic DOS commands. but yeah...lol!

just go to "C:\Windows\system32\restore"

DOS commands you needed:

type "cd c:" or whatever letter your windows is installed in(ignore the quotes)
type "cd Windows\system32\restore"

then type rstrui (this is the system restore application)

just follow the steps. and choose the date you think your laptop is still working good. lol!

any questions..ill see you in game later after i go home. i hope this will help.

Rof exits :ninja: poof :ninja:

:3 I never got to use System Restore. That's a thought :D
but I still love to reformat@@ Fresh clean slate :3