Re: Startup virus: infinite Help and Support Center execution
From: Malke (malke_at_nospoonnotreally.com)
Date: 09/25/04
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Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2004 11:01:00 -0700
Marik Clemens wrote:
> I have a virus that will execute the windows help and
> support center on booting up to 400 times at which point
> my system runs out of memory and all processing power is
> used up by requests for more memory. I have done a
> complete reformat of my hard drive and the same thing
> happed on the first boot after i installed windows. None
> of the antivirus software i have tried has been able to
> detect anything, and windows just replaces the help
> program if I delete it. I know the problem is external
> to the support center itself because i have disabled it
> in the boot configuration and still get errors
> complaining that the program can't be found. If anyone
> has any idea where to look for the infected files, please
> post, as I have run out of ideas. TIA.
What antivirus software are you running? Was the computer connected to
the Internet after the first boot after the clean install? Does the
computer only have one hard drive in it? Here are a few suggestions for
your troubleshooting:
Assuming your computer has only the one hard drive, boot it with your
official (not a burned copy) Windows operating system disk (I'm
assuming you have XP - if you don't, please tell me).
If your computer has a second hard drive in it where you keep your data,
unplug that hard drive. Perhaps you have infected data on that drive.
Go into the installation routine and delete all partitions. Create the
partitions you want. Format all partitions. Go ahead and clean install
Windows, making sure the computer is *not* connected to the Internet.
If you need to install third-party drivers at any time during or right
after the installation, make sure you scan the disk with those drivers
with an updated av on a known-clean computer.
After the installation is completed, is everything OK now on first boot?
If so, do *not* connect to the Internet or add anything else until you
have patched Windows - apply updates that you have downloaded from
another, known-clean machine and burn to cd-r - *and* installed a
current av and updated it. Again, download all necessary updated virus
definitions on a different, known-clean machine. Install a firewall. Is
everything still OK?
Now make sure you scan everything you are going to add to that computer
first. Perhaps you were transferring some of your data from a cd-r and
it was infected.
Post back with more information based on the above suggestions and let
us know what happened and if you need more help.
Malke
-- MS MVP - Windows Shell/User Elephant Boy Computers www.elephantboycomputers.com "Don't Panic!"
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- In reply to: Marik Clemens: "Startup virus: infinite Help and Support Center execution"
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