[MicroPsycho]

Her'es the situation, after browsing this forum and visiting a few webpages (the "I Love Egg" and "Halo: funny situations" links from the thread)  I was about to disconnect but then I saw an icon in my tray that looked like a ball of fire/sun and then "Spy Sheriff" pops up. not knowing what "Spy Sheriff" is and knowing not where it came from (I didn't download it, and no one else has access to my computer) I disconnected from the internet (56k...actually it's like 44.2k) immediately. I can't find an uninstall for "Spy Sheriff" so I promptly delete its folder in the Program Files, and then this happens:

notice the arrow in the bottom right (I added that)
I then run adaware, spysweeper and Spydot S n D. they all found stuff and SnD needed to reboot so I did and hoped I would have control over my desktop when it finished.
Nope. and low and behold, spy sheriff is up and running!:mad:

so then, even though I suspect this is some sort of spyware, I try to remove the threats it has found, but wait, it needs an activation key

...alright, let's get a free 3 day activation key, but no, there is no free, or even 3 day activation key, just licences for 7 days ($4.81, or some stupid number), 1 month, 6 months, 1 year and 3 years, what a f*cking joke! They have a website too

Does anyone know if this is a legitimate program (I doubt it personally) but more importantly does anyone know how I can regain controll over my desktop and change the wallpaper as that function is locked in the display properties and Style XP can't change it, I think its going behind the blue spyware desktop.

Here are pics of what the other tabs on the spy sheriff show
Settings:


Updates...:


Help:

[MatthewPapa]

Use firefox. All this stuff reminds me of my IE days.

[Solatar]

Little late for that...

Search Google and try to find a way to delete it from the registry.

[MicroPsycho]

that's the thing, I am using firefox

[Martinus]

[color=66ff00]Are you using the POS firewall that comes with windows XP?
[/color]

[Bobboau]

uhmmm... so, you have suddenly been cripled by very obvius spy ware, and low and behold, out of sheer luck something has caused this miraculus spyware removeal program to show up, but you need to send them money to use it.

are you seriously that nigheve? that 'spy sherif' is the spy ware.
reboot into safe mode and see if you can get any more traction with removeing it, I sudgest you try getting hijackthis if the normal rutes do not work under safe mode.

[redsniper]

Originally posted by MicroPsycho
Does anyone know if this is a legitimate program (I doubt it personally)

[MicroPsycho]

Ya, I knew that the "Spy Sheriff" was the spyware but my other spyware removal programs didn't get it. But I've deleted its registry and I thinksits gone now, but I need to get my wallpaper back

[Styxx]

Use HijackThis to remove it.

[Nuke]

open reg cleaner, your task manager process tab, and your find files and folders, look at your processes and search for each file, go to its properties and see who wrote it, if its ms or one of your hardware speciffic apps, skip it, else find out what it is. if it doesnt come from a company whos stuff you use, check reg cleaners startup list for it. kill the process first, then wait to see if it comes back up, if it doesnt remove the entry from reg cleaners start up list. repeat untill all the stuff you dont need isnt ruinning.

[MicroPsycho]

alright, I've narrowed the culprit to the wacked desktop as an html file in the windows folder entitled "desktop.html". with this file the display properties is unable to change the background (its all greyed out) with out this html file, I still can change the wallpaper but the stupid "System Stopped..." think is gone and I can change the colour of the screen

[Cobra]

you go to Anchorpoint too? lol, that halo one was funny as hell. makes me wanna play halo... maybe i'll play it right now...

[EDIT] you should download Adaware. it picks up a lot of stuff Norton can't find. it deletes adware, viruses, and spyware.

[achtung]

First download Ad-Aware Personal  since it's free and make sure to get the definition update

And try Spybot-Search & Destroy a very usefull free program.

[MicroPsycho]

I have Adaware and Spy Bot S and D and i used them already

[achtung]

I would just reinstall windows thats what I did once when I got really bad ad-ware.  Of course this may not be an option for you.

[Admiral Nelson]

Links:

Link 1

Link 2

I hate spyware creators!!

[MicroPsycho]

I'll probably will end up re-install windows but unfortuneately, I need my computer and stuff on my computer until Friday...I'm thinking I'm missing some file that goes in the WINDOWS folder and enables images on the desktop

[MatthewPapa]

Try microsoft's anti spyware app. Its pretty good, good enough to make me a convert from ad aware.

[Swamp_Thing]

You could make a registry search for any instances of "Spy Sheriff", and delete them (AFTER you´ve backed up your registry, note).
Also, do Control-Alt-Delet and search for it there, before you delete the registry entries. Some spyware is self-replicant, wich means that if you delete something but the program is still running, it will re-write the deletes files all over again.
So, basically:

Control-Alt-Delete, and stop the processes and aplications  that look suspicious.
Then delete any folders you find on your HDD.
Then run a search on the registry.
Then reboot.

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Bobboau
nigheve

I'd just like to say that is probably the best misspelling of 'naive' I've ever seen.  Kudos to you Bob, kudos.