[Retsof]

Now, this is another of those rouge antispyware programs.  I never DL'ed anything, and I would have just passed this off as annoying.  After all, It's not blocking my programs yet and a search in my computer for it's file name produces nothing.  However, out of curiosity I went into my controll pannel and to Security, where ligitamate programs such as Windows Defender (which came with the comp) reside.  And for some reason this stupid program is THERE.  It is an option for stuff like firewalls ect.  I know it is a virus, and by all logic it shouldn't be where it is.  Help?

[The E]

Nuke the PC from Orbit.

AKA, reinstall from scratch. Or run some external cleaning tool (like Knoppix) on your system. And then remember not to do stupid things.

[Jeff Vader]

Or if you feel adventurous, google "antivirus vista 2010", try to pick a legitimately sounding search result and follow the removal instructions suggested there.

[Mars]

If you had used something better than Windows Defender, you wouldn't be having this problem right now.

[Retsof]

Well, my Scan with AVG just came up empty...  Im starting to doubt that it's actually on my comp,  because it would have stopped AVG from running at all otherwise...  I am perplexed.
I'm gonna see if it's still there after a restart...
EDIT:  SMEAGOL IS FREE! ... It worked.

[Blue Lion]

For now

[redsniper]

Try using Malwarebyte's Anti-malware.

In fact, use several different cleaning apps. Then hopefully you'll get it. Or...

Nuke the PC from Orbit.

[Topgun]

switch to linux.



lol

[Bobboau]

I'm using linux right now, it's not that hard and viruses cannot survive in an environment where it is so difficult to get things you do want working.

get Ubuntu and run it as a live CD

[carbine7]

I had a similar things happen to me a few months ago. Malwarebyte's cleared it right up. You're lucky that it is actually letting programs run, as the case I had (Personal Security) completely locked down my system, including vanishing the shortcuts and start menu/toolbar.

[Retsof]

the case I had (Personal Security) completely locked down my system, including vanishing the shortcuts and start menu/toolbar.

That's because I didn't actually DL it, becuse I learned my lesson from Personal Security... or whatever that first one I had was. *ugh*  Also turns out my firewall wasn't on, that might help things.

[carbine7]

I didn't DL P.S. either, I still have no idea how it got through, especially Windows Defender and Spyware Doctor w/ Anti-Virus.

[S-99]

Antivir avira although doesn't seem like it, can at least clean out the antivirus 2008 problem. I suspect by now it can perhaps handle the newer version too.

It's an interesting one. You can have antivirus and firewall, and be totally fine. Until you get a virus through an allowed service in the firewall to access the internet, stuff that is allowed is good normal stuff like windows update and whatever internet browser you use, and also don't forget email managers like thunderbird and outlook. My friends ended up getting antivirus 2008 through a suspicious windows update of which wasn't windows update. The next thing it did was disable avast antivirus.

The best thing i can recommend is to do a pre-boot scan for viruses, or scan for viruses on that hard drive via a linux live-cd (both methods yield non active viruses and malware to scan = much easier disinfection). The next best thing to do is find out if there's a special hotfix or method for getting rid of it. But if you're me, backup your data and disinfect it, reinstall the system (often more speedy than those viruses and malware that just wont leave no matter what).

I'm using linux right now, it's not that hard and viruses cannot survive in an environment where it is so difficult to get things you do want working.

get Ubuntu and run it as a live CD

Good advice, but presented in a way that would keep people from clicking that link. Viruses can't survive very well in linux because there are hardly any viruses for the OS. And any viruses for the OS currently have a high potential for limited effectiveness because of changing source code (FYI quite frequent new versions of programs with bug fixes and plugged security holes (if no one believes me about this - think about the fact that ubuntu is able to come out with new releases every 6 months, and take a look into the rolling release debian sid while you're at it for a more extreme look at frequency of new versions programs)). There's also limited effectiveness because of user profile permissions. After that, most viruses and malware are written for windows, so malware and viruses for windows can't do anything to you if you run linux.

As time goes on yes there will be more viruses for linux as adoption for the OS increases, but in the mean time and the future, the incompatibility with windows malware and viruses, linux user permissions, and constantly updated software will still work greatly in keeping linux virus and malware free.

My main point here is which is a little obscured i admit, is that simply having good surfing habits with a good firewall and antivirus solution is not enough for most windows users since most windows users run with administrator privileges 24/7 (running as administrator 24/7 with this combination = something eventually will get past it and spell arduous work). To me that antivirus 2010 crap seems to guarantee arduous work for anyone who gets it.

My other point here is running with less permissions than those offerred by administrator (something like standard user in windows fits the bill) will guarantee that if you do get malware and virus infected files from the internet that somehow bypassed your firewall and antivirus, that they stay dormant, and will not have access to the OS directly as compared to running as administrator.

This is why i keep recommending not running as administrator all the time, and why i will not stop mentioning it.

[Androgeos Exeunt]

Well thank god I update Avira daily and run a full system scan on my IBM crate weekly. Just the other day, it picked up a virus. What's weird is that I don't know where it came from. I don't use my IBM to view questionable websites or explicit content, so the only way that virus could have gotten in was from one of the files I downloaded through Google Chrome. It could be any one of the twenty-over files sitting in the Downloads folder right now, or it could already have been deleted.

[jr2]

A good few programs to use:

First, if you can't load anything (all programs besides IE being blocked as "infected"):
-boot to safe mode (tap F8 as soon as the computer powers on until you get a menu)

Use SAS Portable (it will be named .com or you can try .scr so it's not an "executable")

SUPERAnti-Spyware portable

Then, use these:

MalwareByte's Anti-Malware
Spybot Search & Destroy

These programs below you have to be careful with as they can detect stuff that isn't viruses, (they detect rootkits that the others can't see while the rootkit is still active in the system, like a rootkit I found infecting the atapi.sys file that was re-directing search results) you have to use your head if it's a virus or not:

GMER
IceSword
DarkSpy
 -- (mirror as v1.0.5 link is broken)

After it's cleaned up, I use AVG Free Edition as my active protection, with periodic scans from MBAM & Spybot S&D

[S-99]

I don't run the computer as administrator 24/7. I only use administrator privileges for system wide changes and program installation. Everything else i do on the computer is from a user account with a standard user profile.

Sooooo, the most i ever need is a firewall. I don't even have anti-virus, but later i'm going to get clamav so i can disinfect the media i have that regularly gets plugged into other people's computers. This mainly because i don't want to spread a virus/malware to someone elses computer that would otherwise would remain dormant on my computer because such windows virus/malware wont run in linux.

It's great to recommend awesome programs that work great which you have done. But there's too much malicious content out there on the web and abroad for windows users to be running as administrator all the time. Running as administrator all the time is a big symptom of the problem for peoples computers getting infected/hacked. Running as administrator all the time is also a big symptom of windows users in general since the days of early windows before there was better user rights management.

Windows since XP has become a multi user environment offering more than just administrator profiles for running your computer more securely. The problem is that this knowledge of windows is unknown or not used. It's not so much about which OS is being used.

My recommendation for getting diagnostics done on a computer via a linux livecd is to use mepis. Ubuntu as a livecd is simply meant for an OS preview before you install it. Mepis has tools you can use via livecd to figure out the problems affecting a computer better than ubuntu right off the bat as well as serving as an OS preview should you choose to install it.

[jr2]

Question:

How do you install a program on a limited user account in Windows XP?  The only way I've seen that works is to bump it to admin then back after install, 'cause the "run as..." screws it up as it applies it to the admin account (I think; it fails, anyways).

Not to mention some antivirus programs (CA) won't run properly under limited user.  i.e. they will run but you can't configure them and the anti-spyware won't load yadayada..

[S-99]

Rofl, XP's the stickler. XP didn't have some very good things, such as not being able to burn cd's while in limited user account. The run as dialogue is also a sorry excuse for an otherwise great multi-user OS. The run as dialogue isn't very automatic either.

For the most part temporarily accessing admin privileges from within a limited on xp works fine, it's just that it's a ***** because while XP is a multi-user OS, it doesn't cater well at all to lower user profiles.

Vista, on the other hand had it perfect with UAC. UAC in a standard user account on vista is actually automated for the things that can only get done via admin privileges. It pops up when you try to install a program, lets you know what's going to happen, choose an administrator account, and type in the password for that account.

UAC on the other hand in an administrator account on vista is stupid and default, you can turn off UAC in an administrator account, but that happens to disable it system wide which is a little overkill.

Virus programs and stuff that wont run properly under limited user. You should prompt the developers to make better software if you can't simply configure it to scan data within a user account from a user account. The other lovely thing about user accounts and permissions with them is that nothing gets access to the root partition unless it somehow gained administrator privileges, which would in this case require you to enter a password. This however is the complete opposite when running as administrator 24/7 since administrator permissions says yes to everything and gives access to everything whether you like it or not. The root partition in this case for windows is "C:\". This is why it's absolutely horrible to run as administrator all the time, because when something gets past your firewall and AV software, then you've been ****ed.

I don't blame you for needing to run as administrator from XP, like i said, XP doesn't cater well to the lower permissioned types of accounts you can use. If you have vista of 7, you'll notice an actual big usable difference when running as standard user. Remember to setup an administrator account with a password when you do something needing administrator privileges though. It's even more worse knowing that a lot of windows computers don't have a password associated with administrator accounts; hackers/malware/viruses have an even easier way into your computer then.

[Topgun]

I'm using linux right now, it's not that hard and viruses cannot survive in an environment where it is so difficult to get things you do want working.

get Ubuntu and run it as a live CD

Good advice, but presented in a way that would keep people from clicking that link. Viruses can't survive very well in linux because there are hardly any viruses for the OS. And any viruses for the OS currently have a high potential for limited effectiveness because of changing source code (FYI quite frequent new versions of programs with bug fixes and plugged security holes (if no one believes me about this - think about the fact that ubuntu is able to come out with new releases every 6 months, and take a look into the rolling release debian sid while you're at it for a more extreme look at frequency of new versions programs)). There's also limited effectiveness because of user profile permissions. After that, most viruses and malware are written for windows, so malware and viruses for windows can't do anything to you if you run linux.

with all due respect, this isn't true. there are absolutely zero wild viruses for linux, and the few non-wild viruses can't infect a modern linux system without the administrator deliberately installing them. despite many honest security programmers trying to find an exploit, just can't make a linux virus that does its job without administrator intervention. however, there are plenty of rootkits, spyware, trojans, and other malware for linux, but as soon as they are discovered, the security exploit is usually fixed very fast.
I remember there was an exploit for ubuntu that was fixed within 24 hrs.

this article explains things nicely.

I also recommend linux mint as opposed to ubuntu. its based on ubuntu but has non-opensource software installed, which makes setting up things like flash much easier.


EDIT: In would like to say that I am not a windows hater, and that there are plenty of reasons not to switch to linux, namely because its a pain for new users to set up, especially if their hardware doesn't "just work" at install.

[Ziame]

Well, slightly OT, but i remember, that before switching to Vista I got this virus on XP... Sality; couldn't recall the name. It just kept writing itself into all .exe_s so it was impossible to remove using windows antivirus. Though on Vista(64 Ultimate) I get no problems at all so I'm cool.

You should post your solution Retsof, cause I can't see it or I'm dumb.