Virus symptoms perhaps?

General Topics
1

Hi, my friend asked me to look at her pc today, everything is so slow, just about crawling is a better term…finding it very difficult to carry out any commands, problems connecting and staying connected to the internet…she has no Firewall or Antivirus…she is not getting any error messages…and can’t seem to access the help screens…virus??? also how can I help her to get Firewall and Avast installed, she can’t stay on net for more than a few minutes and when you try to search you are disconnected…any advice appreciated… ::slight_smile:

2

Susz
Put the programs on a CD for her at your house and then you don’t need the net
to update her machine at all. ;D

3

Thanks bob, have cleared all temp files, used disk cleanup it recommended defrag, but pc wouldn’t do it, can do disk no problem. but just trying to find out if symptoms are virus related… :slight_smile:

4

There are almost certainly many active viruses, worms and Trojans on your friends computer, and probably a whole lot of spyware too. If your friend wants to be 100% sure of removing everything (for example if they do internet shopping or banking or use the computer for confidential business information) the only way to do this is use their rescue disks and reintall the operating system. They should save any files they want to keep before doing this. (And bear in mind the disks might also contain viruses etc., so scan them later before copying back.)

If you and your friend want to try to clean the computer, here is my advice. (I’ve cleaned a few computers like this recently.)

Download all the programs you need beforehand and run them in this order:

  1. Start the computer in safe mode. Try to delete internet temporary files and turn off system restore as these are usually full of malware. Copy Trend Micro Sysclean onto the computer (plus definition files in the same directory) and run it.

  2. Copy avast! onto the computer and install. Update from your disk. Schedule a boot time scan when requested.

  3. Install TDS-3 onto the computer and copy the definitions file to the program folder. Run a scan. Right click on any nasties it finds and delete.

  4. Install Ad-aware, update from your CD and run.

  5. Install Spybot S & D, update from your CD and run.

  6. Turn on Windows firewall, or install a firewall of your choice and see if you can connect to the internet. Check that your filewall is working at Shields Up! as soon as you get a connection.

  7. If you get a connection but your browser doesn’t work, run WinsockxpFix.

  8. Check carefully for any suspicious activity. avast! Network Shield warnings can indicate a worm active in memory. A lot of internet traffic when you connect can indicate a Trojan is active. Use Process Explorer to check running processes: Malware processes sometimes even have an evil icon when viewed with Process Explorer. (Nice!)

  9. If you identify any malware processes still running, a web search may find a removal tool from the likes of F-Secure.

10.Download Webroot Spy Sweeper. Install, update and run.

  1. Download MS AntiSpyware. Install update and run.

  2. Run HijackThis! and analyse at http://www.hijackthis.de/index.php. Remove entries which are positively identified as bad.

Edit: At this point, it might be a good time to turn System Restore back on, because you’re going to tidy up and update the computer now.

  1. Download TuneUp Utilities, install and run a registry check.

  2. If everything is working OK, go to the Microsoft update site and install all available updates. (Or order an SP2 CD if there are too many to download.)

If this all seems too technical, ask your friend to spend some time copying the files they want to keep to disk, then flatten the system with the restore CD’s.

All the programs mentioned you can find on Google. I’ll try to come back and add some links if I have time later.

Good luck.

5

Thank you so much…will make a start on downloading some of the programs to set to disk…looks like a lot of work ahead of me…will let you know how we get on… :slight_smile:

6

Anybody connected to the internet without an anti-virus and firewall (like your friend) can find out what is happening to their computer by watching this video.

http://www.bbcworld.com/content/clickonline_archive_14_2005.asp?pageid=665&co_pageid=3

7

That was really scary… :frowning:

8

forgot to ask, she has XP with service pack 1, where do I find Windows firewall as security centre isn’t there.?.. ::slight_smile:

9

Windows Firewall is only for SP2 as I heard of. You should order a SP2 on CD since your friends internet is not working smoothly.

10

Thanks for that as she is on dial up it would take me forever to download it… ;D also saved me a job of trying to find something that isn’t there and wondering why… ;D ;D

11

Dail-up huh? I use to have dail-up untilm I switch to DSL, hmm. So far right now…does she have a antivirus program and antispyware program?

12

do you really want a laugh…had pc about 3years and the Panda 90 day trial is still on there, tried uninstalling but that won’t come off either… ::slight_smile:

13

Hope scandisk is in the same place as service pack 2 or I’ll never find it… ;D ;D

14

Panda free trail? I had a McAfee Antipsyware free trial and can’t remove it. >:( Those evil McAfee. Anyway, ignore the Panda free trial.

Scandisk should always be on the same place after upgrade. Do you guys live near a tech support area like Office Depot, Circuit City, private tech support, etc.? Best if you guys go there for a clean up and upgrades.

15

How to find SP1 firewall:

http://www.geocities.com/dontsurfinthenude/firetut.htm

I forgot to mention in my advice that you should turn System Restore back on at some point. I’ve edited my post above.

16

Hi Suzannah,

As what I gathered of this topic your friends computer is a mess, because she did not attend it properly. Safe all her data that she needs (documents, e-mail addresses etc., etc.) on another machine, and do the inevitable total re installation, install the free XP Pro from Microsoft (they giving it for free, really), install service pack II, a good antivirus program e.g. AVAST, Hitman Pro, a combination pack of good reliable antispy- malware), mailwasher (the last free version), and tell her to auto- or regularly update and run these programs, teach her not to click on anything she sees (danger of Trojans, active X malware, from what I hear she has hit a LSP insert (do you have to rebuild internet connection?), is her winsocks kaputt (dalshian virus).
Sorry go to a pro, let him give you a second opinion, when he tells you I am right in what I fear, do as I tell you.

Kindest regards,

POLONUS

17

Just an update have system here, looks bad, it eventually let me defrag it, got load up time down from 10 mins to 6 mins…lol…have tried installing avast and ad-aware from cd, but it is not having any of it…think I may as well give up and get her to take it to pc shop… ::slight_smile:

18

Things looking up managed to get Ad-aware in 113critical objects identified…I am on a mission, need to know how to uninstall Panda antivirus as its 294 days out of date, can’t uninstall from add/remove or the program uninstaller…anybody any ideas??? if you have please let me know…thanks… :slight_smile:

19

Worst case scenario (very down and dirty), delete the panda programs folder in C:\Program Files on the HDD, run (windows start button, run, type) ‘msconfig’ without quotes, select the startup tab and untick/delete the entries for panda.

If you have a registry checker, run it and it may find registry entries for panda, remove them.

20

Worst scenario indeed…
(Why did you install Panda? :-[ :stuck_out_tongue: :'()
Is there any standalone application for uninstalling Panda at its website?