Virus Removal

[Thunderfoot]

Yeah you can't just do a search for malware bytes, because that isn't what the program is named. That will bring flawed results. Just like searching for micro soft, which brings up some virus laden "mirror" sight, (although I heard they were trying to fix that.)

It's kind of like where if you typed in whitehouse.com a porn site popped up, when what you were looking for was whitehouse.gov - the government has since bought all of the possible combinations and link them to the real site, but you do have to be careful with what you look for.

 

[Janx]

Yeah you can't just do a search for malware bytes, because that isn't what the program is named. That will bring flawed results. Just like searching for micro soft, which brings up some virus laden "mirror" sight, (although I heard they were trying to fix that.)

It's kind of like where if you typed in whitehouse.com a porn site popped up, when what you were looking for was whitehouse.gov - the government has since bought all of the possible combinations and link them to the real site, but you do have to be careful with what you look for.

I'm not that kind of noob to put a space in. If i wrote a space here, mind u im on an ithing. And i got clued in when the mainstream scanners i used all flagged malwarebytes on the system i was working.i then googled the name up.

Folks may like malwarebytes, but i have seen it on messed up rigs. There are bad copies out there prolly and noobs are hear about it being great from folks and getting the bad stuff

 

[ssampier]

Everyone's advice here is sound.

Once you have everything cleaned off and your pictures and files backed up, it is probably best to start fresh with a new Windows install. Once you all your patches and antivirus installed it is good to help prevent this in the first place.

I've had good success with either Spyware Blaster or host file entries. Basically SB does not remove spyware but prevents it from being installed in the first place.

If SB does not work for some reason, there are many sites that publish host file entries. Basically when you attempt to do anything from a potentially dangerous site it prevents it via DNS host poisoning (it goes to a localhost address instead).

Most of the host file places are a bit draconian on what they block (including doubleclick.com and others for legitimate advertising).

Here is one site for the host file

Blocking Unwanted Parasites with a Hosts File

 

[Thanee]

What are your favorite virus detection and removal tools?

Format C:, D:, ...

Bye
Thanee

 

[Rhun]

Format C:, D:, ...

Bye
Thanee

Or just buy a whole new computer, right Thanee?

 

[Scotley]

Lots of good advice here. I'll also recommend Avast anti-virus as a good free general purpose anti-virus software.

Malewarebytes anti-malware is good stuff and I've used it many times with good success. This current strain of virus pretending to be anti-virus morphs very quickly to stay ahead of anti-virus tools. You may have to shut your machine down for a few days and then download the latest version of whatever tool you like once it catches up to the virus writers in order to effectively remove this one.

It is also very important to keep you system fully patched. Get the latest version of whatever browser you like, update windows and make sure your java, quicktime, flash and such are all fully patched with old version removed. Try the free scan at Secunia.com to make sure you are up to date. Good Luck!

 

[Thanee]

Or just buy a whole new computer, right Thanee?

That would work, too, but might be a little decadent.

Bye
Thanee

 

[ggroy]

If a machine is infested with all kinds of viruses, malware, etc ... and is really showings its age, then it may very well be easier to just buy a new computer if one can afford to do so.

These days, this would mean any desktop machine or laptop which is older than 6 or 7 years old.

 

[Rhun]

That would work, too, but might be a little decadent.

Bye
Thanee

In the past I would have agreed...but you can get a new PC for what these days? $300-$400?

 

[ggroy]

In the past I would have agreed...but you can get a new PC for what these days? $300-$400?

Sure. A new recent $300-$400 bottom of the line machine is good enough for casual websurfing and playing some older video games. (Newer video games might not play very well).

In the past I put some of my older "hand me down" machines to use, by running something like Linux or FreeBSD on them. (Back then, I was running long number crunching jobs). Friends use to give me their old machines, after they got new ones.