problems with my new avast internet security 7

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
61

hi again. boy was i worried about the firewall, so i guess i should be double protected

jeffce had me disable it as when i rebooted, it kept telling me these ?? wouldn’t load things & i just kept clicking yes to continue.

my win 7 has had too many troubles in the last couple months. trying so hard to be so secure with firewalls, malware & virus protection that actually works, IE7 security, etc. i really don’t have anything they may want, so i don’t understand why these people keep coming back to me, or maybe i just feel like they are. i really hate hackers.

ok, i feel better, got it out of my system.

if i move the startup to normal, then i can’t uncheck the ERUNT because if i uncheck ERUNT, it goes back to the selective. should i go to normal & see what happens ?

62

Hi,

Thanks DavidR for the input here. :smiley:

ERUNT you will want to have remain unselected. Windows will try to block it from running due to the UAC on your operating system. So every time you start your system, ERUNT will try to start and you will receive the errors you spoke of before. Another option would be that we can just remove ERUNT when we are finished.

63

good morning jeffce & davidr. did davidr tell you i had to get the revo uninstaller pro as there was no place to get the regular revo ?

i had to do the uninstall of the avast per davidr instructions & then the reinstall. so far so good, not asking for a password. no bugs or bad viruses yet. yea !!

we don’t have to uninstall the ERUNT if it will back up my system somewhere. i have a small portable pocket media hard drive that hp recommended for my files as i don’t download videos or music. i have to reformat it though as what’s on it is from the last time. i also back up the photos for my businesses with cd’s. i think i’ll use the pocket madia hard drive for the downloads, some of the desktop, & the avast internet security if that’s ok to do.

glad to see you again jeffce. davidr was a big help yesterday, had no problems with the uninstall & reinstall.

64

Hi,

Yes DavidR does great work! :slight_smile:

As for ERUNT you can run it manually once a week or so to back up your registry and you will be good to go. I think you have a good plan for saving your downloads and such as well.

How is your system behaving?

65

so far so good. starts normally, no problems with wifi or anything loading. have had no problems on line going anywhere. microsoft did some security updates yesterday, normal for microsoft, & i still have no problems. silverlight & adobe also updated, no problems. so, i guess the system is behaving right. so far so good. yea !! ;D

66

Great!! Glad to hear!

You have an older version of Adobe Reader. You can download the current version HERE

You may want to consider Foxit Reader instead. It may be a bit lighter on resources.

Visit their support forum
Foxit Forum

In either case you should uninstall Adobe Reader 9.3 MUI first. Be sure to move any PDF documents to another folder first though.

Let me know if you have any problems with the instructions above and if there are any more malware related problems. :slight_smile:

67

wow, just read about the foxit reader, awesome !! i’ll uninstall adobe later, as i’m moving the foxit to my download folder for later. do i uninstall the adobe thru add/remove or thru revo uninstaller ?

i’ll be gone for a couple hours, so when i get back i’ll see what you recommend for uninstalling adobe.

i’ll also let you know if i get attacked by any bad malware or bugs. can i save my pdf files to a cd & put them back on after i get the foxit reader ?

thanks jeffce, you’ve been a big help so far.

68

Hi,

Yes you can just save your PDF files to a CD to save them. You don’t have to remove them from your system though…it’s more of a backup just in case, but I have never had a problem.

To remove Adobe you can do so by going to Start >> Control Panel >> Programs and Features and uninstall it from there. :slight_smile:

69

Personally I would only use Revo (for non-security based applications) if the normal uninstall, programs & features, didn’t work.

70

The majority of the times, Revo starts with the normal uninstallation… So, if the normal is failing, the only possibility is the Revo “scanning” after that and basically delete files and registry keys. But it’s not safe most of the times (specially with application with drivers and services).

71

wow. ok, there is 1 uninstall thru add/remove from jeffce. one using revo from davidr. and tech says maybe revo. hi there jeffce, davidr, & tech. hope you are all well today, i had a great day, in a terrific mood. earned some money recucling.

i’ll try to do the add/remove the normal way, even though there will still be parts left, right ? or maybe not.

i love what i read about the foxit reader, & the security they have. i know for a fact if adobe forgets to update, you are prone to viruses & such. found this out on my desktop hp. i’ll be back to let you kmnow how the uninstall, reboot, installation of foxit, reboot goes.

thank you jeffce, davidr, & tech, & anybody else who helped that i forgot. you guys are helping me so much, i truly appreciate the fact that you guys care enough to work with me. it means alot to me. thank you !! ;D

72

Actually, Avast! Internet Security is designed to work with the Windows 7 firewall running alongside its own firewall, unlike just about all other security solution available to consumers out there. Other security solutions will insist you turn Windows 7 firewall off to avoid conflict with their firewall. So, in effect, you would have only one software firewall running.

Windows 7 firewall does offer firewall protection for IPv6, whereas Avast! appears to not cover this. So, yes, you get double protection when you run both Windows 7 and Avast! firewall together, as one will complement the other in a seamless manner. Avast! covers IPv4 protocols, and Windows 7 covers IPv6, so they work well together.

If you have Windows 7, this is another reason to love AIS. Normal best practices would say to only run one firewall at a time, but this is an exception.

73

I never said use Revo, I qualified the comment:

I would [b]only use[/b] Revo (for [b]non-security[/b] based applications) [b]if the normal uninstall[/b], programs & features, [b]didn't work[/b].

Even then that is only if there is no specific uninstall utility from the applications writers.

I have never used Revo as I simply don’t feel it is necessary, never been in a situation were I needed a 3rd party uninstall application (Revo or otherwise) and I certainly wouldn’t pay for one.

74

hi mchain & davidr. davidr, i apologize if you thought i meant you use revo all the time. i was just trying to lay out the options you guys told me about, i’m sorry davidr.

i don’t plan on buying the revo uninstaller, i was following everything i was told to get for my windows 7, trying to fix & correct problems. i plan to uninstall the revo when i am told to.

mchain, how are you ? my first responder, thank you for all the help . yea my laptop here is windows 7. i know what you mean about others telling you to turn off the windows firewall, maybe that’s where i was hacked as the a/v firewall i did have didn’t protect the system like it should have.

oh, jeffce, the norton icon is gone !! yea !!! disappeared yesterday.

uninstalled adobe, no problems. installed foxit reader, awesome !!! no bugs, no viruses, so far avast says i’m good. haven’t run malwarebytes since you had me get the last log file.

75

No problem, just clarifying.

76
oh, jeffce, the norton icon is gone !! yea !!! disappeared yesterday.

uninstalled adobe, no problems. installed foxit reader, awesome !!! no bugs, no viruses, so far avast says i’m good. haven’t run malwarebytes since you had me get the last log file.

Great!! Glad to hear! :slight_smile:

As for the Revo conversation I think I should apologize for opening that can of worms. LOL!! When I had you run Revo it was only after using the normal uninstall procedures as well as the separate uninstall tool both of which had failed. I agree with DavidR about using the tool on non-security programs and only after the normal uninstall procedures have failed to remove all parts.

Providing there are no other malware related problems…

IT APPEARS THAT YOUR LOGS ARE NOW CLEAN :smiley: SO LETS DO A COUPLE OF THINGS TO WRAP THIS UP!! :smiley:

This infection appears to have been cleaned, but I can not give you any absolute guarantees. As a precaution, I would go ahead and change all of your passwords as this is especially important after an infection.

Clean up with OTL:

[*]Double-click OTL.exe to start the program.
[*]Close all other programs apart from OTL as this step will require a reboot
[*]On the OTL main screen, press the CLEANUP button
[*]Say Yes to the prompt and then allow the program to reboot your computer.

Any of the logs that you created for use in the forums or remaining tools that have not yet been removed can be deleted so they aren’t cluttering up your desktop.

Here are some tips to reduce the potential for spyware infection in the future:

1. Make your Internet Explorer more secure - This can be done by following these simple instructions:

[*]From within Internet Explorer click on the Tools menu and then click on Options.
[*]Click once on the Security tab
[*]Click once on the Internet icon so it becomes highlighted.
[*]Click once on the Custom Level button.
[*]Change the Download signed ActiveX controls to Prompt
[*]Change the Download unsigned ActiveX controls to Disable
[*]Change the Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe to Disable
[*]Change the Installation of desktop items to Prompt
[*]Change the Launching programs and files in an IFRAME to Prompt
[*]Change the Navigate sub-frames across different domains to Prompt
[*]When all these settings have been made, click on the OK button.
[*]If it prompts you as to whether or not you want to save the settings, press the Yes button.
[*]Next press the Apply button and then the OK to exit the Internet Properties page.

2. Enable Protected Mode in Internet Explorer. This helps Windows Vista users stay more protected from attack by running Internet Explorer with restricted privileges as well as reducing the ability to write, alter or destroy data on your system or install malicious code. To make sure this is running follow these steps:
[*]Open Internet Explorer
[*]Click on Tools > Internet Options
[*]Press Security tab
[*]Select Internet zone then place check next to Enable Protected Mode if not already done
[*]Do the same for Local Intranet, Trusted Sites and Restricted Sites and then press Apply
[*]Restart Internet Explorer and in the bottom right corner of your screen you will see Protected Mode: On showing you it is enabled.

3. Use and update an anti-virus software - I can not overemphasize the need for you to use and update your anti-virus application on a regular basis. With the ever increasing number of new variants of malware arriving on the scene daily, you become very susceptible to an attack without updated protection.

4. Firewall
Using a third-party firewall will allow you to give/deny access for applications that want to go online. Without a firewall your computer is susceptible to being hacked and taken over. Simply using a firewall in its default configuration can lower your risk greatly. A tutorial on firewalls can be found here. **There are firewalls listed in this tutorial that could be downloaded and used but I would personally only recommend using one of the following two below:
Online Armor Free
Agnitum Outpost Firewall Free

5. Make sure you keep your Windows OS current. Windows XP users can visit Windows update regularly to download and install any critical updates and service packs. Windows Vista/7 users can open the Start menu > All Programs > Windows Update > Check for Updates (in left hand task pane) to update these systems. Without these you are leaving the back door open.

6. WOT (Web of Trust) As “Googling” is such an integral part of internet life, this free browser add on warns you about risky websites that try to scam visitors, deliver malware or send spam. It is especially helpful when browsing or searching in unfamiliar territory. WOT’s color-coded icons show you ratings for 21 million websites, helping you avoid the dangerous sites. WOT has an add-on available for Firefox, Internet Explorer as well as Google Chrome.

7.Finally, I strongly recommend that you read TonyKlein’s good advice So how did I get infected in the first place?

Please reply to this thread once more if you are satisfied so that we can mark the problem as resolved.

77

ok, long list, but i don’t mind. i 'll write down what i have to do, since most is done off-line. will be back in about 3 hours to make my list here. will advise when all my rasks are complete. lol mchain, lol tech, lol davidr, lol jeffce, & to anybody i forgot, lol (lots of love, hugs included) to you. ;D :slight_smile:

78

@ bambibear,

Well, seeing as to how you now are in the home stretch, I have to say you’ve done a great job. Basically, you are now at the point of seeing how your system is running, and letting all of us know when/if all is good. Running with normal usage for a few days or a week or so should suffice.

If you have the option of setting up some restore discs for Windows 7, and have yet to have done this, might be a good idea? Otherwise use a good drive imaging program to back up to an external USB drive might save you the hard work/hassle of ever having to do this again.

Here: http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-drive-imaging-program.htm We will, of course, be happy to recommend a good choice for you if the number of choices is daunting. Just be aware that most of these programs will restore your system back to a time and date when your system was last known to be clean, and consequently any documents or files made since the last backup will be lost. Backing up newer files on a routine basis will, of course, prevent the loss of files you want to keep.

As a side benefit, restoring from a known good drive image will mean you recover from disaster in minutes instead of days.

As jeffce is the main player here, I view my role here to be supportive. I certainly will not ever attempt to clean a system as jeffce has, as that would require extensive certification and training and knowledge I do not have. I’ve been keeping an eye here, and helping where I can.

Glad to help.

Super job! ;D

79

ok, ready to start with step one here. sorry i’m late.

mchain, i’ve never had a backup of the windows 7, i don’t think. hp does have a backup for files. can i do the windows 7 backup to a cd ot dvd ? how do i back up my system or windows 7, just in case ? thank you. i’ll be back after i do the OTL.

80

hi. i’m doing a system image on dvd’s right now, then i’m going to do a system repair disk. i hope these are my windows 7 backups needed, just in case.

ran OTL, still have all the programs installed per instructions, got rid of the log files. ran disk cleaner & restarted.