Re: Virus killed my machine

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Date: Sun, 05 Jun 2005 08:26:31 -0700

Charly wrote:

> I believe a virus is killing my machine, it can take up to 8 hours
> just to load up to the desktop.
>
> I cannot load or run anything on the computer now as it is
> sooooooooooooooo slow.
> I can however start up in Safe Mode. but obviously this does not load
> many of the drivers or apps required to locate and repair system.
>
> I have tried obvious procedures like Restore Points, but these have
> been
> wiped. Windows Installer will not load so I cannot try any heavy duty
> Anti-Virus Programs.
>
> Will reformatting my hard drive get rid of the virus. I believe this
> is my only chance.
>
> TIA
>
> p.s. it's a new machine with all the whistles and bells, running the
> latest XP Home Edition, unfortunately not with any
> anti-virus/spam/firewall (apart from XP's own) software.

Yes, formatting your drive will get rid of the virus and everything
else, too. You haven't done anything useful to remove the virus though.
Perhaps you'd like to try that first? I'll give you some things to try,
or you could take the machine to a professional computer repair shop
(not your local equivalent of BigStoreUSA). You will need to get all
tools/updates from a different, known-clean computer with an Internet
connection and a cd burner. All removal work must be done with updated
tools in Safe Mode.

Since you obviously have no antivirus program installed, start by
running TrendMicro's Syclean. Then get a full-featured av, install it,
update it, and do a thorough scan in Safe Mode. Then continue cleaning
with non-viral malware removal.

First delete all Temporary and Temporary Internet Files. For IE's
Temporary Files, go to Control Panel>Internet Options>General tab.
You'll see where you can delete cookies and files. For Firefox, clear
its cache by going to Tools>Options>Privacy>Cache> Clear. For Windows
Temporary files, Start>Run cleanmgr [enter].

A. Sysclean - TrendMicro's Sysclean is an extensive antivirus tool which
has the advantage of not needing to be installed. It requires two parts
- the scanning engine and the virus pattern files. Delete all Temporary
and Temporary Internet Files before running the program.

1. Create a new folder on your Desktop or the C: drive named something
useful like "Sysclean".
2. Go here and download the two parts of the program to that folder:

http://www.trendmicro.com/download/dcs.asp - Sysclean
http://www.trendmicro.com/download/pattern.asp - virus pattern files

The pattern files will be zipped - extract them with your unzipper (like
WinZip) or if you have XP, you can just open the folder. You need to
put the extracted files in the Sysclean folder you made. For a more
automated way to get Sysclean, use Dave Lipman's Sysclean_FE from
http://www.ik-cs.com/got-a-virus.htm .

3. Restart your computer in Safe Mode. Get into Safe Mode by repeatedly
tapping the F8 key as the computer is starting up to get to the proper
menu.
4. Go to the Sysclean folder you made and double-click on sysclean.com.
Start the scan. After the scan is finished, look at the log. You may
need to make a note of where any viruses were found if they were not
able to be removed so you can manually delete them.

B. Non-viral malware removal - You can find all the links to referenced
programs and sites on my website here:

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

1) Scan in Safe Mode with current version (not earlier than 2004)
antivirus using updated definitions.

Before you remove malware, get LSPFix or WinSockFix for XP - see links
below.

2) Remove spyware with Spybot Search & Destroy and Ad-aware. These
programs are free, so use them both since they complement each other.
There is a new version of CWShredder from Intermute. I would not
install the other Intermute programs, however. Alternately, there are
CoolWebSearch malware removal steps at SilentRunners.

Be sure to update these programs before running, and it is a good idea
to do virus/spyware scans in Safe Mode. Make sure you are able to see
all hidden files and extensions (View tab in Folder Options).

If the malware remains even after you used Ad-aware and Spybot, you can
scan with HijackThis. HijackThis is an excellent tool to discover and
disable hijackers, but it requires expert skill. See the links on my
website for a HijackThis tutorial and places where you can post your
HJT log. Again, this is an expert tool and novices should get help
with it.

3) If you are running Windows ME or XP, you should disable/enable System
Restore after the system is clean because malware will be in the
Restore Points. With ME, you must disable System Restore completely.
With XP, you can delete all but the most recent (presumably clean)
System Restore point from the More Options section of Disk Cleanup
(Run>cleanmgr).

4) Make sure you've visited Windows Update and applied all security
patches. Do not install driver updates from Windows Update.

5) Run a firewall.

Malke

-- 
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

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