Re: help again !!!

From: Phil Weldon (notdisclosed_at_example.com)
Date: 05/28/04 

Date: Fri, 28 May 2004 18:10:04 GMT

This time I WOULD suggest a new post starting a new thread, just mentioning
the virus problem. Include information like

Version of Norton AV? Were the virus definitions up-to-date?

Version of Windows? Were all the critical patches installed?

If Windows XP, was internal firewall enabled?

Third party firewall (like Zone Alarm or Norton Personal Firewall) present?
Hardware firewall present?

While waiting for an answer to your new post, you might want to try the
following.

(This is not an exhaustive test, but it is better than doing nothing, and
will give you more diagnostic information to post)
_____
Go to your start menu (in 'Settings') and rename the 'Startup' directory
(rename it so that is is "hidden" from the system, but can be restored just
by changing the name back.) Then restart your system.

Start 'Task Manager' ( CTRL-ALT-DELETE) or 'RUN' taskmanager.exe from the
'Start Menu'. Go to the 'Processes' Tab and copy the list of all
processestry to end processes, one at a time. You will not be allowed to
end critical processes, and will be denied access to other processes. Write
down name of each process, whether or not it could be ended, and the exact
message if it could not be ended. This may be tedious as there are likely
to be over 30 processes to start. Once you have ended what can be ended,
you should have a list that differentiates between processes that can be
ended and those that can't. Save that list, then try to use NAV and also try
to go on line. Post the list and the results of trying to go on line and
the results of trying to use NAV.

Once you get a solution for removing your mal-ware problem, you will also
need enough protection to keep your system protected. That includes

#1. Keep a good AntiVirus program with up-to-date virus definitions (at
least weekly updates) running ALL the time.
#2. Keep up with all Microsoft critical security updates.
#3. Download, install, update, and run weekly Spybot Search&Destroy
(free)
http://www.safer-networking.org/
#4. Download, install, update, and run weekly AdAware from LavaSoft (free)
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/
#5. If you have Windows XP, make sure the internal firewall is enabled,
if you don't have Windows XP, get a third party firewall, install it and
keep it enabled.
#6. Consider purchasing a simple hardware firewall (sometimes found
incorporated into routers or wireless base stations
#7. Consider using a email filter/text previewer program (Magic Mail
Monitor, for example; it useful as a spam filter as well as blocking the
flood of email that the worm swen can send to your mailbox even though
your system is not infected. Magic Mail Monitor is free and available at
http://www.geeba.org/magic/ . I use it to identify spam. Magic Mail
Monitor can download just the header information from your ISP mail server
and display just that information in a list of all mail waiting for you. I
sort the messages in ascending order of length, and can usually eliminate
ALL spam by just scanning the 'To', 'From' and 'Subject' columns, then
deleting those messages as a batch without ever downloading. If necessary,
you can view any entire messsage in text mode, which protects against viral
infection. Checking 50 emails a day this way eliminates ALL my spam in
about two minutes.
#8. Try to avoid suspicious websites and email attachments (ah, but how to
tell a suspicious website or email attachment?)
#9. I'm sure others have additional suggestions.

Finally, and I hope you get this far, it is all well and good to use the
Microsoft anonymous connection to post here, but when you don't also use
some 'From' name, there is no way to associate different threads you have
posted. That IS a problem for you and for those who try to provide help.
You could either use some 'From' name (could be anything as long as nobody
else is using it in this forum, as long as you stick with the same name) OR
(and this works for ALL newsgroups), you could set up an email identity in
your newsreader that is invalid. That will protect against getting spam or
messages generated by worms like 'swen' that harvest email address from
newsgroup postings. If you want the possiblity of being contacted directly
by a newsgroup participant, you can create an extra, valid email address,
just for newsgroup use, and sign your post at the bottom with a version of
that email addres that is easily interpereted by a human, but beyond the
capability of any simple program (or even complex program. See my signature
for an example. If you right click on this message you will see in the
properties *** the email adress identity I created for newsgroup posting.
This address,
notdisclosed@example.com
is associated with no real email box, and can't be, the domain, example.com
is reserved for testing purposes. You can set up your on syntatically
correct but invalid email address by using any letters followed by the 'at'
sign and 'example.com. The reserved domain name ensures that you are not
duplicating a existing email address and that useless, bouncing email is
not generated that becomes a problem for Internet Service Providers.

At anyrate, I would appreciate feedback if you use 'Task Manager' to get a
list of processes that can not be shut down. 

-- 
Phil Weldon, pweldonatmindjumpdotcom
For communication,
replace "at" with the 'at sign'
replace "mindjump" with "mindspring."
replace "dot" with "."
<anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:1421701c44495$7cac50a0$a001280a@phx.gbl...
> Thanks so much Phil,
>
>
> You were right, there were 2 problems, I changed the mouse
> and it's much better (the windows opening alltogether
> came from the cable probably...)
> My problem now is that my Internet connection disconnects
> itself every 10 minutes and also Norton is disabled : no
> way to scan on or off line...
>
>
>
>
> >-----Original Message-----
> >Well, pretty clearly you have two, unconnected,
> problems; a bad mouse/cable
> >and a virus. The virus  is NOT causing the mouse problem.
> Replace the mouse
> >and try  posting with whatever other information  you
> gave in your original
> >post (that is why  it  is  a good idea to posts followups
> under the original
> >post, rather than start  a new thread; few will bother to
> try to find the
> >other thread.)
> >
> >-- 
> >Phil Weldon, pweldonatmindjumpdotcom
> >For communication,
> >replace "at" with the 'at sign'
> >replace "mindjump" with "mindspring."
> >replace "dot" with "."
> >
> ><anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >news:1218201c44268$7087b370$a001280a@phx.gbl...
> >> Here I go again.
> >>
> >> I got a XXXXXX virus which drives my mouse mad : it
> opens
> >> all windows and sofware alltogether.
> >>
> >> My Norton is switched off and when I try to switch it
> back
> >> on then it vanishes.
> >>
> >> A member of the group suggested me to unplug it and try
> to
> >> scan online using the keyboard.
> >>
> >> When I unplug the mouse, I don't have any problem of
> >> everything opening at the same time.
> >>
> >> BUT when I come to try to scann online, my internet
> >> connection switch suddenly off. My Norton can neither be
> >> opened...
> >>
> >> Any other idea ?
> >
> >
> >.
> >