Cannot Register Avast, Server not Found

Essexboy,
I ran the OTS as you told me to, and it went well. I am typing this on the (formerly)infected computer. It rebooted without advising me to run the Glpgpm.exe in the sandbox, and I am now back on the Avast website.

I have attached the log from the process, and am now off to run the aswMBR.exe file.

Thank you for all the time and effort to help me… You and doktornotor have been like gifts from above!

Progress ;D

Well that was way quicker than I expected! Here is the log for the aswMBR.

Sorry, I didn’t mean to attach it twice!

DavidR, your words are well taken. I consider myself a more than competent computer USER, but the software and code that makes it run might as well be magic spells as far as I am concerned! I tried to operate over my level of expertise, and paid the price for it. I am just thankful that you all are here to fix my screw-ups!

Thank you.

Ok then what problems are outstanding ?

None are evident at this time. :smiley:

Is there a place on this forum where I can get advice on how to get the best protection out of Avast, and what other programs I should use to compliment it?

Due to the process of trying to remove this nasty, I have currently got the following on my machine:

Avast!
Malwarebytes
Housecall
The Cleaner 2012
Super anti-spyware free edition
aswMBR
OTS
an old version of Hijack this
Windows security center (which I believe I have totally disabled)

I know that several of these are web-based, and not actually on my computer. Unless I am mistaken, Avast! is the only one of these that requires no action on my part to run.

Is there a forum her that might guide me so I don’t end up utilizing your (truly awesome) services again?

I will remove my tools now and give some recommendations, but, I would like you to run for 24 hours or so and come back if you have any problems

Avast!
Malwarebytes

keep these

Now the best part of the day ----- Your log now appears clean :thumbsup:

A good workman always cleans up after himself so…The following will implement some cleanup procedures as well as reset System Restore points:

Run OTS and hit the cleanup button. It will remove all the programmes we have used plus itself.

We will now confirm that your hidden files are set to that, as some of the tools I use will change that

[*]Click Start.
[*]Open My Computer.
[*]Select the Tools menu and click Folder Options.
[*]Select the View Tab.
[*]Under the Hidden files and folders heading select Do not show hidden files and folders.
[]Click Yes to confirm.
[
]Click OK.

SPRING CLEAN

To manually create a new Restore Point

[*]Go to Control Panel and select System
[*]Select System
[*]On the left select System Protection and accept the warning if you get one
[*]Select System Protection Tab
[*]Select Create at the bottom
[*]Type in a name i.e. Clean
[*]Select Create

Now we can purge the infected ones

[*]GoStart > All programs > Accessories > system tools page
[*]Select Performance Information and Tools
[*]Right click Disc cleanup an select run as administrator
[*]Select Your main drive and accept the warning if you get one
[*]For a few moments the system will make some calculations
[*]Select the More Options tab
[*]In the System Restore and Shadow Backups select Clean up
[*]Select Delete on the pop up
[]Select OK
[
]Select Delete

Final stretch

Download and run Puran Disc Defragmenter
For the first run I would recommend a boot defrag and disk check

http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee362/Essexboy3/Bootdefrag.jpg

Now that you are clean, to help protect your computer in the future I recommend that you get the following free programmes:

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/7729/mbamicontw5.gif
Malwarebytes. Update and run weekly to keep your system clean

Download and install FileHippo update checker and run it monthly it will show you which programmes on your system need updating and give a download link

It is critical to have both a firewall and anti virus to protect your system and to keep them updated.

To keep your operating system up to date visit
[*]Microsoft Windows Update

To learn more about how to protect yourself while on the internet read our little guide How did I get infected in the first place ?
Keep safe :wave:

I will follow these directions and report back in 24 hours. I also have a program called Glary Utilities which is a registry cleaner which I run periodically. It also allows me to control which programs start upon boot up. Are you familiar with it, and is it ok to keep?

Thank you for everything. :Bows Deeply:

You asked about a forum to learn more about security protection. The Avast forum and subsections of the forum are the best place for answers. You can also browse the Wilder’s forum, however parts of it may a bit more technical and related to specific products. We try to address all security issues here.

We usually recommend that you keep your machine running for a good 24 hours after malware removal to make sure everything is working properly and give it a good test drive. After this period, please report back in this thread to let us know how things are going (good or bad).

In the meantime, here are a few suggestions in addition to the ones given to you by Essexboy to keep you and your machine safer in the future:

  1. Keep your definitions up to date for both Avast and MBAM.
  2. Keep all your shields on with Avast.
  3. Update MBAM prior to scanning, then do Quick scans.
  4. Keep your MS Updates current.
  5. Add security related Add-on’s to your browsers for safer browsing. See my Signature an other Evangelists as an example.
  6. Use common sense when browsing and do not go to risky sites.
  7. When downloading software, read what you are clicking and do not download ad-ware toolbars which are commonly opted in; look before you click or do a Custom install to avoid putting unwanted toolbars on your machine that lead to spyware tracking or adware.
  8. Check to see that your software is up to date with the free Secunia Software Inspector http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/ since software is changing all the time. This site gives you the vendor’s direct download link making it easy to upgrade your software. Many of us here scan our machines weekly.

You also asked about Glary Utilities. Unless you are familiar with how to use it (usually more advanced users), then it would be fine.

Turn ON your Security Center. You should be getting an alert with the Security Center being off. It should be recognizing Avast as an AV, if you do not have a firewall (FW) then turn on the Windows FW for now and it should recognize that, and turn on MS Updates to automatic (recommended) or notify you. Reboot. If you have problems in something not being recognized by the Security Center, let us know.

Important is to have the following on your machine to start:

You can delete the following:

  • HiJack, especially your version is very outdated, so get rid of it. It has been replaced with Essexboy’s tools.
  • OTS is being removed by Essexboy with his malware-removal tools, so this will be off your machine.
  • Housecall (you already have Avast and MBAM doing the same thing); no need for all the duplication of software as it can create conflicts.
  • You can keep or delete SAS. SAS tends to pick up more cookies, which you delete with CCleaner anyway. You can use it as a secondary on-demand to MBAM although most agree that MBAM has better detection. If you want to keep and have the space on your machine, it’s up to you.

These are just a few suggestions. Let us know if you have any questions. Thank you.

No questions right now… But I would like to thank you all for the help!

One thought I just had… I have StumbleUpon installed. Is there a danger there? Most of the time, I just click to the next random page, and often I don’t even know the names of the pages I visit. It didn’t occure to me how dangerous this might be!

Well, 24 hours later, and everything is going quite well. I have followed SafeSurf’s and Essexboy’s advice and downloaded file hippo and puran.

Thank you for your help. I plan on hanging around here for a while, but hopefully will not be needing your services again!

It is a community-based web rating similar to WOT. Avast’s WebRep is similar now but in the near future will be implementing a virus database into it, so you will know if the site is clean (more accurate than a community-based rating system). Also, it appears that StumbleUpon only works in IE, whereas WebRep works in other browsers as well. A word of caution: do not install toolbars and StumbleUpon has one. WebRep also has one but at least you know it is from your AV. Many toolbars also carry with them adware, so this is where you need to be careful. It is up to you if you want to use it given the information I just provided.

Also, do not forget to run the Secunia PSI scan (free). This will tell you if any of your software needs to be updated and give you the vendor’s direct download link.

We’re always here to help. Let us know if anything pops up or you have any questions. Thanks.

I downloaded the File Hippo program to keep me up on the updates (as suggested by Essexboy). Should I also use the Secunia?

And Stumbleupon also has a Firefox version…

I’m running Firefox 4.0 with Adblock Plus and… I just discovered I have Avast Webrep… Didn’t know I had it. Did it load with the original Avast installation?

If I add noscript, like i see you have, how will it affect my browsing?

Yes. He gave you the FileHippo Update Checker. Secunia is and works differently. Here is the link again for Secunia PSI http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/.

I would also add the FF add-on’s seen in my Signature for added protection, one of which you already have. NoScript (NS) will not affect your browsing. You can enable areas you want to have less protection with scripting (where we are seeing a lot more malware) or partially allow it on pages as you see fit. In other words, you can tailor it to your needs. I do not allow things that track my every move (example google-analytics, and there are many more). Should something be blocked by NS, you can simply enable the page or the entire site or partially allow it as you see fit based on your trust level of the site you are visiting. You can see from the drop-down menu what you are allowing/blocking, and you can reset it again when you clear/clean your browsing with CCleaner (another safety feature) along with BetterPrivacy to get rid of LSO’s.

Yes, WebRep was installed automatically unless you did a Custom install of Avast.