Oh No!!! A Virus!!!

[Captain Flint]

Hey guys... I have a really nasty virus on my system, so I am limited to the computer at school.... but if anyone has any tips on how to clean my system out, let me know.

I downloaded somthing I normally wouldn't (It was really early this morning, and I was still tired)... it launched, and all of a sudden my antivirus (zone alarm) is blocking 10's of thousands of intrusions, and I am unable to access my C drive, and my task manager, or the start menu for that matter.

The computer freezes up if I try to do too much.

I also have a couple of shortcuts that poped up on my desktop (not sure if they are legit or not) called "system error fixer" "Malware defender" and "Protect Your Privacy".

Also I have a windows security alert that states "Windows has detected an interent attack atempt... somebody's trying to infect your pc with spyware or harmful viruses...."

Any ideas what I am dealing with?




This sounds like the bastard... any ideas
http://forums.techguy.org/malware-removal-hijackthis-logs/597374-trojan-w32-looksky.html

[cathaldub]

Only ever really use two programs to remove virus' and spyware
AdawareSE for the spyware http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php
and
AVG for the virus' http://free.avg.com/

you will need to install them and turn off system restore while the virus' are being removed

[joebells]

I never trust a system after it gets a virus, wipe and reinstall for me when that happens

[Captain Flint]

would it be easier to just use system restore?

[cathaldub]

if its a clever virus it will be in the system restore:banghead:

[joebells]

yeah system restore to me is useless, I don't use it period

[cathaldub]

yeah system restore to me is useless, I don't use it period
Me too, turned off on my 2 laptops and 3 pcs:itsme:
It wouldn't be very often I get a virus but as said in my pcs that friendsfamily use avg and adaware are my weapons of choice

[EVEGames]

Cap,
I mostly concur with these guys. Just a couple main things.
Those shortcuts that popped up on your desktop, DO NOT TOUCH THEM, they are bogus.
Get the latest version of Lavasoft AdAware and SpyBot Search & Destroy. Both are free. For me, that's the one-two punch that usually catches everything. For a true old-school virus (as opposed to spyware, malware, etc), AVG Free would be a good choice.

If all else fails, burn your crucial documents to CD/DVD, making sure you don't burn anything that could be infected of course, bite the bullet and wipe the hard drive and reinstall Windows.

[Aabra]

If all else fails, burn your crucial documents to CD/DVD, making sure you don't burn anything that could be infected of course, bite the bullet and wipe the hard drive and reinstall Windows.

Seconded.

[Goalies Rule]

I agree with the others, just format it. It will save you a lot of time in the long run. You can try to clean it and it may come back, so you'll just need to format anyway.

If you dont mind paying for an antivirus, use NOD32. It uses almost 0 system resources, and its constantly updated. You can get the OEM on sale for $15 about 2-3 times/year. This so happens to be one of those times

[The Loafer]

AVGFree has become bloated with version 8, I don't suppose in the last couple of months they've addressed and gone back to the 7x engine?

[EVEGames]

Not sure Loaf, but I'm hearing that a lot about the latest AVGFree.

[Captain Flint]

Thanks guys... Zone alarm cleared it up... I will back up items I want, and wipe the rest... thanks.