-=PCTechTalk=- Re: Strange Virus/Spyware Problem shutting windows
- From: dktrfaustus@xxxxxxxxxx
- To: pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2005 12:04:55 +0100
On 25 Apr 2005 at 8:52, Chris Spotta wrote:
> (Dell PC - XP Home SP2)
> It's was totally infected when I got it, and I have managed to clean
> off over 70 virus's and over 100 items of spyware but I am still
> having trouble.
>
> What is happening is - every window that is opened is shut either
> straight down immediately or after a few seconds, it doesn't seem to
> matter if it is an instance of IE, an instance of Windows Explorer, or
> any other program. - the only program I have found so far which is not
> affected is Ad-Aware SE. it is exactly the same in safe mode.
>
> The other strange thing is that 'folder options' has gone! - it is not
> in Control Panel, and if in Windows Explorer you go to the tools
> option, the only three choices listed are
>
> map network drive,
> disconnect network drive,
> and synchronise.
Hi,
Haven't heard of these specific symptoms, but it certainly sounds
like residual virus problems. Here's what I'd do next.
[I don't know how technically-minded you are, so I've tried to make
the following as generic as possible.]
1. Make sure both antivirus & antispyware progs are updated.
2. Turn off System Restore, if your machine is Windows XP/2000 or
Windows ME. Reboot, and run both scans again IN SAFE MODE. Antivirus
first. Ensure both programs are set to scan ALL file types. Also
ensure both programs are set to quarantine or delete suspected files,
rather than attempt repairs. Run your scans.
3. If something nasty is found and your scan program offers you the
chance to create a log of items found, make sure you SAVE THE LOG
FILE.
4. When both scans are done, reboot again and go to
http://www.symantec.com/search/
5. On the Symantec Search page, put ticks in the boxes labelled
"Knowledge Base", "Viruses, Trojan horses, [etc.]" and
"Vulnerablities and Exploits". Then open your saved antivirus log
file and type the name of each suspected virus/trojan/worm into the
search box.
6. Follow all of the removal instructions for each virus that was
found. This is important, as a scan will often only remove an
infected file, and not perform changes which need to be made to the
registry. If you are asked to download some small program[s] to
remove individual infections, be sure to reboot and run each of them
in Safe Mode.
[You can perform similar searches for individual spyware infections
at a place like www.spywareguide.com. They also have a searchable
database, with removal info. If you have no luck, Google the name of
the spyware infection. There are a multitude of security forums with
removal advice.]
7. When you are done with your detective work, go to
www.windowsupdate.com and get any missing security patches and
program updates. This [along with the reinstallation of a
downloaded/CD-based copy of Internet Explorer] can fix a lot of
Windows file corruption problems, without resorting to a reformat.
8. Run two more final scans (antivirus, spyware) in Safe Mode. If you
get a clean bill of health, you can turn System Restore back on. It's
a good idea to use Disk Cleanup to delete the old restore points, as
they may still contain your virus.
It sounds as though a lot of damage was done to this system, and if
the above doesn't yield any positive results, your only recourse may
be to use your restore CD. Some restore CDs have the handy option of
allowing you to reinstall Windows while keeping your user settings
and data.
HTH,
Faustus
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