I have a virus of some sort on my PC....

[Steak-Ums]

Before I go about posting the entire problem, I want to know if anyone could possibly give advice on it if I do post the symptoms of the virus.

Or better yet, can anyone tell me any good free programs that actually clean it out rather than just scanning?

[Shaun]

http://free.grisoft.com/

That might help!

[Imelda]

I can help. :D

AVG is alright, but it doesn't remove (or even find) some of the more virulent viruses. My mum got the sasser virus and it just ... wasn't pretty. At all. I spent three days working on it, and it wouldn't come off.

So, hit me with the details. There are loads of ways to remove stuff, but you need to know what you've got first. :p

[Steak-Ums]

Ok, well here goes.

1.) My brother bought this PC like three months ago [laptop] he said he deleted some 'nasty' files on it, or something or the other, and said it was alright to use.

2.) I.E. pop up windows keep popping up, and the one window keeps 'tabbing up' which means it keeps on setting up tabs. And I guess when it's full, a pop up window says 'An error has occured and IE must shutdown. I click the button that says not to send an error report and it closes. But a half a minute later another comes up.

3.) A fake windows message keeps coming up saying I may have spyware and to clikc Yes to download some sort of spyware finder.

4.) The annoying yellow windows pop up from my toolbar saying I have a sypware infection.

5.) I deleted IE from my Add/Remove Programs thing, and the pop ups still keep coming.

EDIT: The only reason I'm able to type right now is because I'm in Safe Mode with Networking.

[The Grinning Man]

I've heard really good things from the tech geeks around here about Clamwin (http://www.clamwin.com/). I don't use it myself, but I usually trust what them nerds say. ;P

[Shaun]

You might want to try a spamware remover. Spysweep, Adware, etc. Adware has a free version and if you can DL that it might be able to remove what is making your computer do this. If it is an actual virus you are out of luck unless you get AV software. You should have AV software by default on Windows. This is one of Windows' faults. You can get a basic copy of Norton for thirty bucks. Don't buy one with internet protection crap because that will just annoy you. Just the most basic you can get. You need this and if you don't get it you'll continue to get virus'. You probably have a lot of them on your PC right now eating your computer...

[Imelda]

DON'T GET NORTON.

Ok, I'll go into more depth with this after work :p but first thing, download the free AVG from the link Shaun gave you.. That's what I have, and it seems to be doing fine. Then you need to get a spyware remover. I have a few links to really good free ones, but I don't have them on me right now, so I'll give them to you later (or search for spywareblaster or spybot--search and destroy). Then disconnect the internet. Remove any other anti-virus software you have, and install AVG (two AV programs suck juice out of your computer terribly). Then install the spyware thing. Then you need to disinfect your computer, which is a bit complicated. Run a scan with AVG, and then run one with whichever spyware thing you installed. Then don't do anything except post the reports on here. They can often give false positives, and you'll screw up your computer if you get rid of some stuff. :p So I'll try and figure out which ones, and how, to remove for you.

It sounds like you have spyware, but it could be one of a few viruses as well ...

[Imelda]

Oh yeah, and also it'd help if you did ctrl+alt+delete, clicked on the 'processes' tab, and then did a screenshot or c+ped everything that's there for me. Spyware and viruses can often be manually detected from there.

[Shaun]

Get Norton or McAfee. You need an AV program that is reliable and will detect EVERYTHING. AVG doesn't pick up all the viruses. It only gets most of them, just like all the spyware removers pick up different things. You need something designed to pick everything up. Norton or McAfee do that.

[Imelda]

Norton is CRAP. Frankly. As is McAfee.

AVG is a quality piece of software, and the best you're going to get for free. I use it, and I've never (touch wood) had a virus. I had Norton before, and while I didn't get a virus with that either, it slowed my system down horribly.

If you're not willing to pay: use AVG, it's really good. If you are willing to pay, then put Norton and McAfee on the bottom of the list. In fact, if you want to pay, go for the pay version of AVG. :p Honestly, it's really good. All the schools in my hometown use it for their security, many businesses use it, and many geeks use it.

And no, I don't work for Grisoft. :p

[Shaun]

The problem with Norton and McAfee is that they push their 'bells-and-whistles' versions, which is what everyone buys. DO NOT buy any of the Internet Security or versions that have fancy bullcrap on them. The only versions you should buy of Norton or McAfee are the basic, barebones, only virus protection ones. That's it. The barebones versions, which you'll likely have to buy online, don't have annoying popups, take minimal RAM, and basically don't annoy you. The version you're thinking of must have been one of the newer, incredibly irritating versions. Every new version of Norton that has all the bells-and-whistles that I have tried I ended up replacing with a more simplistic version because they get in the way and slow your computer down. Just do your research first. If you do a lot of internet DLing, a lot of surfing, and a lot of filesharing (legal...legal file sharing...), then you are at risk. AVG doesn't pick up all the viruses, especially the ones that send out your personal information.

[Imelda]

AVG is fine, I tell you! Look it up, and AVG comes waaaaaay above Norton in the awesomnosity stakes.

And it was a the basic version of Norton I had. My computer seemed to run alright, but when I got AVG instead, I realised just how many resources Norton had been using. In computer geek circles, Norton is widely acknowledged as a joke. Symantec (the corporate version of Norton, basically) is fine, but the Norton available to the public is abysmal.

[Shaun]

I used to use AVG. From experience I've seen it miss a lot of things that Norton picked up.

And you can get the versions I'm talking about, but not at the store. You have to buy them directly from Norton. Get the Symantec software, not the actual Norton. I don't know what it is called but it doesn't have the flashy Norton look, nor any of the intrusive popups. It's just an AV program and nothing more. You can even run scans in the background and see almost no affect on your PC's performance. I have it on my desktop and it works better than all the new Norton crap.
They offer it with a corporate license or for single user. I have the corporate, so I can put it on other PCs...

[Imelda]

The corporate version costs a fortune ...

And I still stand by AVG. I went through my computer manually looking for viruses and spyware two days ago, and found nothing. And I download quite a lot, not always from legitimate sources. :angel:

[Shaun]

There are bound to be dormant viruses there, especially ones that hide around in DLLs. You can get the non-corporate version of that program, which is around the same cost as normal Norton, but superior in almost every way because it is pretty much invisible in its functions.
AVG is a good free program, but it doesn't in any way represent the best of its breed. It's a program that one should use with notable caution. I'm not pushing Norton because I think we should all have Symantec crap in our computers. I'm simply pushing it because the Symantec I use on my laptop is perfect. It deletes viruses, updates automatically, scans automatically, eats almost no RAM, runs fast, doesn't take a minute to load up the main screen, and updates smoothly. It's the ultimate program basically. They have a firewall too in the bulk package, but I think you'd be fine with Window's firewall and getting the non-corp version of Symantec.

[Steak-Ums]

I forgot to say Imelda, my Ctrl Alt Delete isn't working either [I will go to the site and do your steps Friday Or Saturday, too much of a work load right now.] It always says it's been disabled by the admin. Which is me, and I did no such thing.

[Imelda]

Shaun, are you doubting my computer skills? :glare:

Reviews agree that Kaspersky is better than bestsellers Norton AntiVirus 2007 and McAfee VirusScan Plus 2007 in all aspects.

Forgot to mention Kaspersky. They do a free version which is supposed to be pretty good, and the paid version comes top in reviews. Norton comes bottom in those same reviews.

1. Kaspersky version 6.0.0.303 - 99.62%
2. Active Virus Shield by AOL version 6.0.0.299 - 99.62%
3. F-Secure 2006 version 6.12.90 - 96.86%
4. BitDefender Professional version 9 - 96.63%
5. CyberScrub version 1.0 - 95.98%
6. eScan version 8.0.671.1 - 95.82%
7. BitDefender freeware version 8.0.202 - 95.57%
8. BullGuard version 6.1 - 95.57%
9. AntiVir Premium version 7.01.01.02 - 95.45%
10. Nod32 version 2.51.30 - 95.14%
11. AntiVir Classic version 7.01.01.02 - 94.26%
12. ViruScape 2006 version 1.02.0935.0137 - 93.87%
13. McAfee version 10.0.27 - 93.03%
14. McAfee Enterprise version 8.0.0 - 91.76%
15. F-Prot version 6.0.4.3 beta - 87.88%
16. Avast Professional version 4.7.871 - 87.46%
17. Avast freeware version 4.7.871 - 87.46%
18. Dr. Web version 4.33.2 - 86.03%
19. Norman version 5.90.23 - 85.65%
20. F-Prot version 3.16f - 85.14%
21. ArcaVir 2006 - 83.44%
22. Norton Professional 2006 - 83.18%
23. AVG Professional version 7.1.405 - 82.82%
24. AVG freeware version 7.1.405 - 82.82%
25. Panda 2007 version 2.00.01 - 82.23%
26. Virus Chaser version 5.0a - 81.47%
27. PC-Cillin 2006 version 14.10.1051 - 80.90%
28. VBA32 version 3.11.0 - 79.12%
29. ViRobot Expert version 4.0 - 76.22%
30. UNA version 1.83 - 75.44%

And this list shows what I've been saying. The god-awfully-expensive Symantec version is good. The version available to the public isn't even on the list. :) I'm surprised Avast came higher up the list than AVG, thought I think there might be some issues with ease of use in Avast, I'm not sure. I might try it, though. A pirate-related anti-virus program can't be bad ...

I expected NOD32, Avast, and AVG to perform a little better than they did but NOD32 and AVG definitely fought back at the heuristic testing. Heuristic testing is extremely important because that is what gives an Antivirus the ability to catch a virus even it is not in the database. Here are the top 10 from that list:

1. Nod32 2.51.30 - 41503
2. Vba32 3.11.0 - 32911
3. VirIT 6.1.9 - 16469
4. AVG 7.1.405 Professional - 13624
5. AVG 7.1.405 freeware - 13624
6. Rising AV 18.41.30 - 12214
7. McAfee 10.0.27 - 10708
8. Ikarus 5.19 - 7191
9. F-Prot 6.0.4.3 beta - 6247
10. Ukrainian National Antivirus 1.83 - 5506

One thing is for sure and that is Norton needs some work for as much as it costs. So many people rely on Symantec’s software because that is what comes installed on most computers but it obviously won’t provide the protection that is needed.

I fix computers for people all of the time and when I find that their Antivirus subscriptions have expired I normally install Avast. After seeing these tests it definitely makes me ponder using Active Virus Shield by AOL because of the high ranking. Avast does have the Web Shield which stops malicious attacks through your Web browser and I really like that feature. I wonder what is more important, the overall ability to find a virus or being able to block Web attacks?

Aaaaaaaaaaand I told you so. :D I'm not a technical advisor (my new "job" title XDXD) for nothing, you know, Shauny. :pirate: So quit arguing with me and admit I'm right. Similar results can be found elsewhere.

And Willis: were you trying to do ctrl+alt+delete in safe mode? Or is that in normal mode? I can't imagine why that's disabled, it's like a standard feature ...

Have you tried right clicking in the right corner of the task bar and selecting 'task manager'?

Oh man, I just researched it and you need to edit the registry. :s I ain't advising you to do that, so I'll see if this handy program I know of can do that for you ...

Check out this page: http://www.softwaretipsandtricks.com/forum/windows-xp/332-ctrl-alt-del-disabled-xp-plz-help.html I don't have time to check everything, but it looks like it has sensible people on it. :p Use your discretion and be CAREFUL if you decide to go ahead with any of the options. Of course, if you have that Klez virus, it might keep changing the settings till you get rid ...

I don't envy you. :p

EDIT: I found a way to re-enable the CTRL+ALT+DEL, but it needs windows XP Professional. What version do you have?

[Shaun]

The data provided by that consumer site is skewed. You can tell when you look at how many picks the software got. Statistics milady, statistics. If you want to represent any sizable population you have to have a lit more opinions than a few dozen. So, I'll take all of that with a grain of salt. I learned this from actually taking a stats class and now I pay attention to statistics very carefully because it's very easy to mislead.
I also don't trust that cybernetnews place. Looks a little bit on the scam side.

I'm telling you from experience what works. I use Symantec and I have never had a problem and I download more from the net than probably anyone on this site does. I can also tell you that the reason the symantec AV software isn't on those lists is because it's not widely spread to the public. You have to buy it from a software store or direct from the company. THey don't advertise that program because they want you to buy the bells-and-whistles version. More businesses use the Symantec AV program than any other program because it works in the background and doesn't screw up.
To add insult to injury on the fact that the cybernetnews place might be scamming these stats: when I clicked the link to the company that supposedly did the research and from which that site got their information, I got a 404. Meaning, the site is no longer there and may never have been there. If this were legit statistical data that wouldn't have been the case.
I'll argue this point repeatedly because I know from personal experience what works the best. I've had viruses with AVG, I've had them with the Norton software, but I've never had anything with Symantec. Not once. It deletes them before they can actually settle in. AVG may be good, but as long as this Symantec software works as well as it does I am not switching...

[Imelda]

Well look it up properly. If that site looks like a scam to you (why would it be, unless it was run by Kaspersky?) search some more. I've seen that elsewhere over and over.

Now, let's look at some facts.

I am basing my opinion on both my own knowledge and research, and that of my co-worker, who has been in the computer industry for 14 years.

You are basing your opinion on your own experience.

Which is more reliable?

[Shaun]

Mine because I'm not going to lie to you just to sell software :P. I have no reason to tell you "buy this" other than because I trust the product. You could borrow the software from a friend or get a free trial. Whatever. The point is, your co-worker is evil. I'm not. :P

And my own experience is based on trying various different programs and finding what I find to be the best one. Symantec is that program. I've tried dozens of programs and Symantec is the only one that does what it says it does.

[Steak-Ums]

Well I have Home Edition..so I'll do the other things you said. But I just found out that my Mac is a definite, and we just got a Acer desktop today...so this Laptop can be messed around with a bit...what happens if I mess up the registry?

[Imelda]

Well you can't change it from the registry (mess that up and you screw up your computer :p) you can only change it from the group policy, which is only available on Pro ... though there MUST be a setting somewhere ...

What you might be best doing is transferring your docs and stuff to the new computer (and virus scanning them!) and then reinstalling the XP on the laptop again (with a format to wipe out the virus). I mean, you could spend days or weeks trying to figure out what virus it is, so unless it's vastly important that you keep everything on it, wiping it might be for the best ...

[Steak-Ums]

Alright, as far scanning and wiping, how do I do a wipe? I'll just scan some pics and stuff and upload them to photobucket.

[Imelda]

Oh I forgot now everyone has loads of storage like me ... umm ... do you have a USB flash disk pen thing?

[Steak-Ums]

I have one, but I don't trust it, so I'm using one that's still in the box..so the answer is yes.

[Imelda]

Well, I'd suggest you stick files on that, put it in your other computer (which MUST have virus protection) and scan the contents of the flash drive, then if it's ok, save it to the new computer. It might take a few swaps, but you don't have to delete off the old computer till it's safely on the new one. Just make sure you scan it, because otherwise you might infect the new computer. :S

Good luck. :D

[Shaun]

Notes on reinstalling your OS and wiping everything from your computer.
UNPLUG YOUR INTERNET! If you have Wireless, unplug the wireless entirely, if you have regular DSL or anything that involves a chord to your computer, unplug it from the wall entirely. The reason for this is that a lot of viruses are floaters. They sit around on the Internet and even if you are not technically connected to the net (such as in dialup) those viruses can still get in if you're connected to the wall. You need to make sure your computer, when you get it back up and going, is not in any way connected, otherwise you may have to deal with some very nasty and not-so-fun viruses. This is more a problem for people who don't have the XP version with SP2, since you will get Sasser almost instantly.
First thing you need to do when you reload your OS is get an AV program. It doesn't matter what it is, get one, get it installed. If you have SP2 already with your version of XP, then install your AV, connect to the net, and first things first, update all of your virus protections and do a full system scan. It sounds stupid, but it's worth the hour or however long it will take to do this. Every time I had to reinstall XP with a disk that didn't have SP2 I almost immediately got Sasser and sometimes Blaster, which will wreak havoc and be extremely annoying. They are easy enough to remove--plenty of removal tools out there--but still very annoying. So do that before anything else.
I've done a lot of system reloads so if you need any help, let me know too. It's not as scary as it sounds. It's actually really easy and your PC runs much better afterwards, at least for XP it does. I don't know what happens with Vista. Hopefully I don't have to do it :P.