I've got BIG problems... :(

Strange Days · Oct 21, 2009

Ok, it started when my laptop (Windows XP) got infected with malware (mostly- those viruses which are disguised as anti-viruses. Didn't download any of the: they seemed to have "crawled in" buy themselves) some time ago. For a while it was tolerable, but then they ended up crashing my IE and messing up the whole system, rebooting it every 5 mins. I ended up downloading Opera through Outlook and following a few online tips on manual removal of all that crap... At some point I was pretty frustrated and attempted deleting everything I assumed was garbage and downloading some anti-spyware program, (some "...doctor") which even though looked suspiciously like those malware "anti-viruses", didn't seem to to be deemed as such in any reviews on Google...
The result was- the activity of malware (which ended up crashing even Opera at some point) significantly decreased, but I ended up with a few other problems:
1). Opera is up (seems still infected, since I get way too many ad popups), but neither Firefox, nor IE are functioning.
2). Skype is up but I lost my recent MSN
3). Several icons in Control Panel (like the Screen one) are not opening
4). I lost my wallpaper (obviously, since I cannot acces Screen settings)
5). I was blocked from regedit by mysterious "Administrator" and "Group settings". (I fixed that one, but then came a second thought: Should I REALLY unblock regedit with all that malware?)
6). Everything is slow and crappy.
So, my questions are:
1). Do those problems look like caused by remaining malware, or did I mess up deleting files?
2). How do I fix them? (preferably without reformatting C and D and without re-installing Windows (unless I can do it without any data loss and from a directory- not from a disc, which I have none))
I know this is pretty big of a challenge, but I hope somebody is up to it and ready to save me...

ChristineR · Oct 21, 2009

Hopefully some one with more knowledge than I can come by and give you more info. But here's some general help.

All this stuff can indeed by done by malware. The malware can mess with setting that you don't normally use to keep you from accessing your control panel. This is normally done to protect computers that might be found in, say, a junior high school library. Regedit is your friend, and may be the only way to fix some of these problems. In theory though, you should be able to get to this stuff through account control, which I'm kind of hazy on, and I don't have an XP box anymore to look at.

Okay, here's my advice. Download at least three good anti-malware scanners and cleaners. Install them, and get the latest updates for them. Then shut down, and reboot in safe mode, and run all three of your cleaners. Note if any of them claim to find things, especially things that they say they can't delete or fix.

If you get any hits from your cleaners, you may have to go online and start looking at exactly what you've got and how it can be cleaned. If necessary, you need to look at getting Hijack This! and getting help online on how to fix it. Hijack This! isn't a cleaner, it's a comprehensive scanner that basically tells you about everything that might be hosing your system in gruesome detail.

You might as well remove Opera, FF, and IE and reinstall them also. Since you'll need at least one of them to get to the net to get all this stuff, you should probably get the install for one of them ready to go before you start.

Oh, and back everything up and create restore points before you start and after every important step. Sort of goes without saying, but worth repeating.

petec · Oct 21, 2009

I use Adaware. Avast and Spybot (all free).

Seems to keep me clear of problems.

Good luck

:e2dance:

Strange Days · Oct 21, 2009

First of all, thank you, people! That made me feel a little better. The problem I have is that now I'll have to be tight with my costs- when I spooked at all that crap at first, I downloaded Norton (which proved to be absolutely useless in this situation, but still, I guess, it doesn't hurt to have it, anyway), so now I'm trying to get free (or at least cheapest) remedies...

Are only scanners for free, or removal tools- also? And where do I get Spybot? I tried to find it- but without particular luck, since a few places where I tried to download it prompted download through IE, while I have only Opera more or less functioning?

Thank y'all again!

Clair Dickson · Oct 21, 2009

If you do not have the CDs for WinXP, you can still legally reinstall WinXP (if it comes down to it) with a friend's copy. FIRST, however, you need to right click My Computer--> Properties. On the first tab, you will see the information on your copy of WinXP, including your serial number. The CD is the same for all copies of XP (well, Pro is Pro, Home is Home.) The difference is the serial number.

You'll also want to get the serial numbers for MSWord/Office as well. These are under Help--> About MSOffice Word. (Instructions only valid for 2003.)

It is possible that in your deleting, or in the malware's programming, you may have irrepairably damaged something. And, depending on how nasty things have gotten, it may be easier to reinstall-- using your own serial numbers.

Also, to SEVERELY limit the amount of malware/ adware/ viruses that are installed on your computer, run as Limited User. (Control Panel--> Users.) The Limited User does nto have authority to install programs... thus, malware and viruses generally cannot install. Think about-- how often do you install programs, change hardware, etc? If you're like me and your computer can go months, or even years without you needing to install a program, then consider running Limited User. Practice Safe computer sex... use limited user. It's a condom for a computer. ;-)

Strange Days · Oct 21, 2009

Clair Dickson said:
If you do not have the CDs for WinXP, you can still legally reinstall WinXP (if it comes down to it) with a friend's copy. FIRST, however, you need to right click My Computer--> Properties. On the first tab, you will see the information on your copy of WinXP, including your serial number. The CD is the same for all copies of XP (well, Pro is Pro, Home is Home.) The difference is the serial number.

You'll also want to get the serial numbers for MSWord/Office as well. These are under Help--> About MSOffice Word. (Instructions only valid for 2003.)

It is possible that in your deleting, or in the malware's programming, you may have irrepairably damaged something. And, depending on how nasty things have gotten, it may be easier to reinstall-- using your own serial numbers.

Also, to SEVERELY limit the amount of malware/ adware/ viruses that are installed on your computer, run as Limited User. (Control Panel--> Users.) The Limited User does nto have authority to install programs... thus, malware and viruses generally cannot install. Think about-- how often do you install programs, change hardware, etc? If you're like me and your computer can go months, or even years without you needing to install a program, then consider running Limited User. Practice Safe computer sex... use limited user. It's a condom for a computer. ;-)

Limited User sounds like a good idea for me- never actually knew aboput this opportunity!

Thank a lot, Clair!

backslashbaby · Oct 21, 2009

It's a stretch, but see if you have a System Restore point left from befor this happened.

You'll still need to worry about the virus, probably, but System Restore can be a tiny miracle in times like this.

edit: I have more advice, but it depends on whether or not a restore can be done.

Avast is good and free, btw, for antivirus.

stephenf · Oct 21, 2009

I don't know if you have any knowledge about computers so I will assume you don't.Sorry if I'm wrong.
If you had some kind of protection on your computer it may be not as bad as you think.You could try some basic maintenance ,disk cleanup and defragmentation.You can also look to see if your memory is full.If you have no joy after that, you can download and run Windows Defender and malicious software removal tool.

ChristineR · Oct 21, 2009

Spybot, Adaware and Avast are all capable of cleaning your PC. I've never used Spybot with Opera; it claims to support it though.

This is Spybot's home, if they can't work with Opera, then you may have to try something else. Anyhow Norton, Avast and Adaware should probably between themselves find just about anything you can be infected with.

Matera the Mad · Oct 21, 2009

1. No one should be surfing the net in Windows XP in an administrator account. NO ONE. One of Microsnot's biggest mistakes was in allowing this sort of thing to happen from the start. They tried to cover butt in Vista, but of course all the spoilt babies only saw it as an annoyance. Which of course it is, because it doesn't work right with a large percentage of third-party software that was designed for the old insecure system.

2. NO amount of malware is tolerable.

3. There is a freeware app for everything, and they can be trusted. Trust me.

BigWords · Oct 21, 2009

Before you start deleting more programs / files / stuff, take a moment to make a list of all processes running on your system and where the parent folders are. There are specific forums around the net where experts converge to chew over XP, and there's folks who know what specific processes are for. Also check your performance in Task Manager. If the CPU Usage is running high (90% or thereabouts) when you aren't doing anything, then you haven't got rid of the underlying problem.

There is a program which can do most of that for you (and deliver a report on the computer's health), but it's on my other laptop and I can't remember the name of the software. It is a good idea to make regular restore points so that you have a stable and uninfected point to roll back to in the case that you do get infected with the annoying crap that lurks on the internet.

Matera the Mad · Oct 21, 2009

HiJackThis

I've got BIG problems... :(

Strange Days

who cares, anyway?..

ChristineR

What happened?

petec

Lurking

Strange Days

who cares, anyway?..

Clair Dickson

A dark core to every cloud

Strange Days

who cares, anyway?..

backslashbaby

*

stephenf

ChristineR

What happened?

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

BigWords

Geekzilla

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

I've got BIG problems... :(

who cares, anyway?..

What happened?

Lurking

who cares, anyway?..

A dark core to every cloud

who cares, anyway?..

~~~~*~~~~

What happened?

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

Geekzilla

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

*