Computer Problems - HELP!

[arjunajane]

Strm, are you out there? lol..

I'm having serious computer issues, I'm pretty sure its a virus, and I have no idea what to do.

- I had AVG Free as my anti-virus.
- I noticed there were a number of components of it that weren't working, and I wasn't able to update them - I kept getting an error.
- I start getting a window pop-up in bottom R.H.S where all icons are - it says "Windows Security Alert" windows reports that computer is infected..than a whole bunch of stuff about getting virus protection, and offers to do a scan. If I click on the icon it does a scan with tons of really nasty sounding threats detected. It also tried to take me to a link to purchase "Spyware Protect 2009",which I suspect is B.S.
This window keeps popping up every 30secons or so, and I can't get rid of it.

-There is also another window on top of that that is listing "Attack from..than various ISP addresses and port numbers and threat names like "BankerFox.A" - I suspect this is part of the same virus program, trying to scare me?

- IE will not work at all, I am barely managing to use FF to write this.
Alot of the icons are all broken/will not load in FF, and pretty much nothing will in IE.

- I am in the process of trying to re-download AVG free, but its taking aaagees - will this help me, or am I screwed??

-I feel like I should turn off my modem and computer and hope it doesn't get worse -

Please help, what should I do??
Please excuse any typing errors, all the pop up things are blocking half my screen and I can't see what I'm typing..

Am I foolish to have the internet open right now? I tried to phone some all-hours help places here but of course they want money just to talk to you..

 

[arjunajane]

Sorry RT''ers, this was supposed to be posted in Hangout..

Mods, if you see this pls move for me -I''m not able to report concern due to my browser issues,
thankyou.

 

[Ellen]

aj, what a bummer. I don''t know what to tell you, but I let strm know you need him.

 

[arjunajane]

Thankyou Ellen!
Its so frustrating, I feel really hopeless..I really don''t know why people would be so horrible to create these things..

 

[blastdoor]

Hi, another way is to get an alternative antivirus if AVG is no longer working...

you can try Avira Antivir Personal if you like, its free like AVG Free and is downloadable from download.com.. run it to scan and isolate any threats, then fix your AVG Free and run another scan...

anything pops up in the meantime, do NOT click any icons, do not even click the little "X" on the upper right hand corner to close it... close by using "Alt" + "F4" coz some malicious site hides their activation in the "X".. and do not download any so called antivirus software you have not heard before.. there have been a few threads of really deadly virus being disguised as antivirus spreading around the internet in recent months... the "Antivirus XP 2008" is one such example...

hopes this helps and all the best to you...

 

[Ellen]

Date: 1/30/2009 8:08:01 AM
Author: blastdoor
anything pops up in the meantime, do NOT click any icons, do not even click the little ''X'' on the upper right hand corner to close it... close by using ''Alt'' + ''F4'' coz some malicious site hides their activation in the ''X''.. and do not download any so called antivirus software you have not heard before.. there have been a few threads of really deadly virus being disguised as antivirus spreading around the internet in recent months... the ''Antivirus XP 2008'' is one such example...

hopes this helps and all the best to you...

Wow, interesting, I never knew this!

 

[arjunajane]

Thanks B.Door!
Will I be able to run that program you suggested concurrently while d''loading AVG free?
I always thought the computer will only let you have one antivirus program installed/running at any one time, no?


Yeah, I figured that program they are trying to get me to buy is a scam - its pretty clear when that is the only window that will upload 100% perfect and everything else won''t work, lol..

 

[blastdoor]

Date: 1/30/2009 8:18:38 AM
Author: arjunajane
Thanks B.Door!

Will I be able to run that program you suggested concurrently while d''loading AVG free?

I always thought the computer will only let you have one antivirus program installed/running at any one time, no?

I believe you can run Avira while downloading / installing AVG... but its true some anti-virus/anti-spyware/anti-adware cannot be run concurrently coz they conflict each other.. but i''ve got both Avira and AVG on my machine since forever, one as main and one as sub... so far I find Avira more reliable than AVG but the bad thing about Avira Personal is, everytime it runs its virus definition daily update, it''ll prompt you to buy its Pro version, you can close it by click "X" on that one no harm, it just gets somewhat annoying after a while...

and if you want to further enhance your pc protection you can also download "Spybot-Search & Destroy" (anti-spyware) and "Ad-Aware" (anti-adware) but these two you can install as passive, and only on them for routine scans (once every one to three months depending on how active you are on the internet).. but these two cannot be run concurrently as spybot always detects ad-aware as a doubt..

 

[diamondringlover]

I got no advice but I know there is a nasty bug out there and sounds like you have it, I know a couple of people that had to have their computers repaired because of it, good luck I hope everything turns out ok for you. I do have a love-hate relationships with computers because of this kind of crap

 

[blastdoor]

Date: 1/30/2009 8:17:21 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 1/30/2009 8:08:01 AM

Author: blastdoor

anything pops up in the meantime, do NOT click any icons, do not even click the little ''X'' on the upper right hand corner to close it... close by using ''Alt'' + ''F4'' coz some malicious site hides their activation in the ''X''.. and do not download any so called antivirus software you have not heard before.. there have been a few threads of really deadly virus being disguised as antivirus spreading around the internet in recent months... the ''Antivirus XP 2008'' is one such example...


hopes this helps and all the best to you...

Wow, interesting, I never knew this!

yeah... this nasty trick has successfully sent countless trojans into unsuspecting home pc users in recent years... people who frequent adult websites are especially prone to this attack...

 

[blastdoor]

and if you suspect you really did get the "Antivirus XP 2008", you can find a solution here...

and i forgot to mention in my earlier post, another good practise against virus is to always patch your OS...

btw, you are most welcomed arjunajane, i just hope my posts were of some help...

 

[arjunajane]

Ok thanks Blastdoor alot for your help.
The problem is that I don''t have any anti-virus program at all at the moment, I am trying to get avg d''loaded but its very slow - I''m not sure if its normal or something to do with the virus

TBH alot of what you just said doesn''t make sense to me - but if you''re happy to, once I have the programs d''loaded I will come back and ask for help on how I should have them running - I think thats been my problem so far, I really don''t know how I should have them set up!

As in, how do you have one as a main and one as a sub??
If its really complex to explain, thats cool - I will wait until I have them actually d''loaded and ask for more help then if you like..

Do you think there''s any chance once I have the program up and running it will get rid of this thing??
I really appreciate your help, thankyou!


ETA: I dunno why, but avg just stopped d''loading for the second time, and it was about 30% through - I imagine this virus could be trying to stop it?
I am now attempting to do antivir..

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 1/30/2009 8:35:45 AM
Author: blastdoor
and if you suspect you really did get the ''Antivirus XP 2008'', you can find a solution here...


and i forgot to mention in my earlier post, another good practise against virus is to always patch your OS...


btw, you are most welcomed arjunajane, i just hope my posts were of some help...

Thankyou! I''m not sure what an OS is , but when all this is over I will be sure to try to patch it, lol..
I can''t access that link on the remedy - its not your link, its my computer

It won''t let me upload any page that may help, it seems..?

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 1/30/2009 8:29:49 AM
Author: diamondrnglover
I got no advice but I know there is a nasty bug out there and sounds like you have it, I know a couple of people that had to have their computers repaired because of it, good luck I hope everything turns out ok for you. I do have a love-hate relationships with computers because of this kind of crap

Date: 1/30/2009 8:29:49 AM

thx D.R.L, me too..
I sincerely don''t understand ppl who create these s***house viruses

 

[blastdoor]

Date: 1/30/2009 8:40:07 AM
Author: arjunajane
As in, how do you have one as a main and one as a sub??

hmmm... actually its not that technical... what i meant "main" is simply the one I use more, and "sub" as in the one i use to as a backup when i think something''s not right after running the "main"... normally, i have the two of them running concurrently in the background while using my pc... its quite ok since neither of these are resource hogs...

Do you think there''s any chance once I have the program up and running it will get rid of this thing??

depends on the virus you actually have (or may not have, since you said the pop-up is asking you to buy a "anti-spyware" that might just be what you have, a spyware or an adware... these (usually) aren''t as damaging like viruses, but rather secretly run like crazy in the background and take up a huge chunk of your pc resources... that will cause your pc to not function properly, appears to be running slow, or even hang in extreme cases...

both AVG and Avira have some anti spyware / adware capacities, and they might do the trick..

but if its a virus and a real nasty one, it goes right into your os and everything you install will be installed corrupted, including any anti-virus programs... if that''s the case you might end up having to reformat you hdd altogether... otherwise either AVG or Avira will do the trick...

ETA: I dunno why, but avg just stopped d''loading for the second time, and it was about 30% through - I imagine this virus could be trying to stop it?

I am now attempting to do antivir..

It might be the virus stopping your downloading... viruses these days are so fanciful who knows what they are capable of... but on the other hand, it might just be a spyware / adware taking up your resources causing your d/l to stall... which is think is relatively good news compared to having a reall nasty virus...

 

[blastdoor]

Date: 1/30/2009 8:46:35 AM
Author: arjunajane

Thankyou! I''m not sure what an OS is , but when all this is over I will be sure to try to patch it, lol..

I can''t access that link on the remedy - its not your link, its my computer

It won''t let me upload any page that may help, it seems..?

oops.. sorry... OS = Operating System... i''m assuming MS Windows since you mentioned you are using Internet Explorer? if so, you can download and install patches from Microsoft.com

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/30/2009 8:08:01 AM
Author: blastdoor
Hi, another way is to get an alternative antivirus if AVG is no longer working...

you can try Avira Antivir Personal if you like, its free like AVG Free and is downloadable from download.com.. run it to scan and isolate any threats, then fix your AVG Free and run another scan...

anything pops up in the meantime, do NOT click any icons, do not even click the little ''X'' on the upper right hand corner to close it... close by using ''Alt'' + ''F4'' coz some malicious site hides their activation in the ''X''.. and do not download any so called antivirus software you have not heard before.. there have been a few threads of really deadly virus being disguised as antivirus spreading around the internet in recent months... the ''Antivirus XP 2008'' is one such example...

hopes this helps and all the best to you...

Hey Blast, thanks so much for that advice - I didn''t know that.

 

[blastdoor]

btw arjunajane, have you recently plugged in any usb or cds/dvds or any other portable storage devices into your pc that does not belong to you or that you do not know where it''s been or where it came from?

that is one particular deadly virus going around (started in the last 2 weeks) in portable storage devices such that when you plug it in, it gives you 2 "view all files" options (one on top of the other) instead of just 1 when autorun is executed... the default selection is the one on top, which is also the activation button to release the virus into the system... and the moment the innocent user click on it, the virus is set loose...

in this case, because the virus is being "installed" by the user voluntarily (by clicking the activation disguised as a "view all files" option), it is harder to track and a lot harder to remove with the conventional anti-virus method... till date, i have not really seen a published cure to this one except to patch your windows before it gets to you...

fingers crossed no one here or anywhere gets to see this virus in action...

 

[arjunajane]

Blastdoor, you are being incredibly helpful, thankyou so much!
I''m sorry I''m pretty ignorant on this stuff and don''t understand the terms etc - seems its time I learne, so cheers!

I was finally able to upload the page with the cure for Antivirus 2008 - mine doesn''t look like the images they''ve supplied, but sounds very similiar in its operation..

Here''s hoping its like you said and its an adware/spyware and not an actual virus..
I have just over 50% of antivir done - if you''re stil around in another half hr or so, I''d love some advice when T go to install it..
fingers crossed it can tell me whats wrong..

Hypothetically, if I do have a virus whats my next step? Is this something my warranty will cover to have fixed..? ([please say yes!)..

 

[blastdoor]

Date: 1/30/2009 8:59:48 AM
Author: Lorelei

Hey Blast, thanks so much for that advice - I didn''t know that.

Hi Lorelei,

just doing my little bit to return the favor of the many helps i''ve received from this forums... if anything, i''m following the good example you''ve set helping me find my e-ring diamond...

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 1/30/2009 9:07:36 AM
Author: blastdoor
btw arjunajane, have you recently plugged in any usb or cds/dvds or any other portable storage devices into your pc that does not belong to you or that you do not know where it''s been or where it came from?


that is one particular deadly virus going around (started in the last 2 weeks) in portable storage devices such that when you plug it in, it gives you 2 ''view all files'' options (one on top of the other) instead of just 1 when autorun is executed... the default selection is the one on top, which is also the activation button to release the virus into the system... and the moment the innocent user click on it, the virus is set loose...


in this case, because the virus is being ''installed'' by the user voluntarily (by clicking the activation disguised as a ''view all files'' option), it is harder to track and a lot harder to remove with the conventional anti-virus method... till date, i have not really seen a published cure to this one except to patch your windows before it gets to you...


fingers crossed no one here or anywhere gets to see this virus in action...

Hi - no, nothing like that. Just my camera and my partner''s USB have been plugged in in recent weeks/months. His USB has only been used with this computer and his work one.
Thanks for the headsup though, I am going to make sure my partner reads this too.
I am learning alot, this situation sucks, but at least there is a semi-silver lining!


Does anyone know if Strm is online? I could use another P.O.V..

 

[blastdoor]

Date: 1/30/2009 9:10:50 AM
Author: arjunajane

Hypothetically, if I do have a virus whats my next step? Is this something my warranty will cover to have fixed..? ([please say yes!)..

i''m sorry, but most computer warranties cover only the hardwares but not the systems or softwares, if they have a helpdesk they might be able to offer you some advise over the phone but i don''t think they will fix your system for you if its an infection... they might do it for a fee though...

on the other hand, they would have given you all the setup disks when you purchased your systems.. if really worse comes to worst and you need to reformat your computer, these setup disks will help you restore your system to factory original conditions... unfortunately if that is what its come to, you may lose the softwares you''ve installed and data you''ve stored onto your computer since purchase...

of course you can always bring your system to a computer clinic and get them to backup your data files before cleaning your system for you... but i truly hope it doesn''t come to this...

 

[diamondringlover]

Date: 1/30/2009 9:10:50 AM
Author: arjunajane
Blastdoor, you are being incredibly helpful, thankyou so much!
I''m sorry I''m pretty ignorant on this stuff and don''t understand the terms etc - seems its time I learne, so cheers!

I was finally able to upload the page with the cure for Antivirus 2008 - mine doesn''t look like the images they''ve supplied, but sounds very similiar in its operation..

Here''s hoping its like you said and its an adware/spyware and not an actual virus..
I have just over 50% of antivir done - if you''re stil around in another half hr or so, I''d love some advice when T go to install it..
fingers crossed it can tell me whats wrong..

Hypothetically, if I do have a virus whats my next step? Is this something my warranty will cover to have fixed..? ([please say yes!)..

I dont think your warranty covers a virus, but you might to double check especially if you got the extended warranty.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 1/30/2009 9:19:27 AM
Author: blastdoor

Date: 1/30/2009 9:10:50 AM

Author: arjunajane


Hypothetically, if I do have a virus whats my next step? Is this something my warranty will cover to have fixed..? ([please say yes!)..

i''m sorry, but most computer warranties cover only the hardwares but not the systems or softwares, if they have a helpdesk they might be able to offer you some advise over the phone but i don''t think they will fix your system for you if its an infection... they might do it for a fee though...


on the other hand, they would have given you all the setup disks when you purchased your systems.. if really worse comes to worst and you need to reformat your computer, these setup disks will help you restore your system to factory original conditions... unfortunately if that is what its come to, you may lose the softwares you''ve installed and data you''ve stored onto your computer since purchase...


of course you can always bring your system to a computer clinic and get them to backup your data files before cleaning your system for you... but i truly hope it doesn''t come to this...

Yeah, I hope it doesn''t come to this either - been there, done that and its a PITA - I lost everything last time.
oh no, all my diamond photos!

I suspected as much with the warranty thing, sigh...do you think it would be better to go through the company that services my warranty, rather than one of these"fix-it" people from the yellow pages? I had a quick look , and there''s countless businesses - I''d have no idea how to find a good one, or wwhat I should pay, lol..

I guess I better not get ahead of myself ..
antivir is at almost 90%..
anything in particular I should know/do when I install it b.door?

thx again matey.

 

[strmrdr]

"Spyware Protect 2009" is a virus.

Download and install malwarebytes
It is the only one that will remove it 100%

http://www.malwarebytes.org/

once it is clean then go to add remove programs and remove AVG and install Avast or Antivir.
www.avast.com

Both are free for personal use.
Do not install them until avg is removed.
malwarebytes is ok to run alongside of them as it works different.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 1/30/2009 9:35:14 AM
Author: strmrdr
'Spyware Protect 2009' is a virus.


Download and install malwarebytes

It is the only one that will remove it 100%


http://www.malwarebytes.org/


once it is clean then go to add remove programs and remove AVG and install Avast or Antivir.

www.avast.com


Both are free for personal use.

Do not install them until avg is removed.

malwarebytes is ok to run alongside of them as it works different.

sorry - can't see what I'm writing.So I've just finish d'loading antivir, do you suggest I don't install that and start d'loading malware instead?

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 1/30/2009 8:08:01 AM
Author: blastdoor
Hi, another way is to get an alternative antivirus if AVG is no longer working...


you can try Avira Antivir Personal if you like, its free like AVG Free and is downloadable from download.com.. run it to scan and isolate any threats, then fix your AVG Free and run another scan...


anything pops up in the meantime, do NOT click any icons, do not even click the little ''X'' on the upper right hand corner to close it... close by using ''Alt'' + ''F4'' coz some malicious site hides their activation in the ''X''.. and do not download any so called antivirus software you have not heard before.. there have been a few threads of really deadly virus being disguised as antivirus spreading around the internet in recent months... the ''Antivirus XP 2008'' is one such example...


hopes this helps and all the best to you...

Careful with that 2 av programs that use the vet engine installed on the same computer can stop it from booting with a blue screen.
AVG will need to uninstalled first.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 1/30/2009 9:40:22 AM
Author: arjunajane

Date: 1/30/2009 9:35:14 AM

Author: strmrdr

''Spyware Protect 2009'' is a virus.



Download and install malwarebytes


It is the only one that will remove it 100%



http://www.malwarebytes.org/



once it is clean then go to add remove programs and remove AVG and install Avast or Antivir.


www.avast.com



Both are free for personal use.


Do not install them until avg is removed.


malwarebytes is ok to run alongside of them as it works different.

Hi Strm - thanks for weighing in. - do you suggest I don''t install that and start d''loading

So I''ve just finished d''loading antivirmaleware sinstaed?

Run malwarebytes first then uninstall AVG then install Antivir

 

[blastdoor]

Date: 1/30/2009 9:29:19 AM
Author: arjunajane

I suspected as much with the warranty thing, sigh...do you think it would be better to go through the company that services my warranty, rather than one of these''fix-it'' people from the yellow pages? I had a quick look , and there''s countless businesses - I''d have no idea how to find a good one, or wwhat I should pay, lol..

usually the yellow pages people charges less, and data-backup and hdd reformating are actually quite easily done, so you should be fine getting one of these that''s near you... in fact if you''re adventurous, you may even want to consider doing it yourself... and if you can still open your folders, you might want to start "copy and paste" your data into an external storage now.. just make sure to scan the external storage with the files in it after you fix everything to make sure the files you copied are in no way infected...

antivir is at almost 90%..

anything in particular I should know/do when I install it b.door?

not much, just remember to uncheck any advertising options you might come across during installation...

and really don''t have to mention.. just hoping all these are of help to you...

 

[arjunajane]

THanks Strm - sorry about my mistyping back there, I can hardly see because the pop-ups are blocking my screen and I can''t get rid of ''em.

How will I know if malware has worked? Will all this junk just go away?
And then I leave malware running concurrently with antivir? (once I have removed avg).?

Cheers blastdoor - would you really recommend copying my stuff to a USB right now? Could the USB become infected too?