J
Jo
What is this thing that complains at every shutdown?
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M
Michael D. Alligood
It is probably associated with spyware programs and viruses. Anti-virus software and firewalls do not fully protect your system against the majority of spyware and privacy threats. Spyware is commonly bundled with software downloads, attached to e-mails, or transmitted through networks so it can appear to be legitimate software, but once installed it can be nearly impossible to detect and remove without the help of a dedicated spyware removal tool such as:
Ad-Aware 6.0 (build 6.181)
SpyBot 1.3
SpyWare Blaster
HiJackThis
Please make sure that you download the updates for each of these programs to ensure complete detection of known spyware programs. Although nothing is absolute in removing spyware and keeping it off, downloading and executing the programs above can dramically decrease future infections.
Also please utilize free virus scans from the following sites:
Trend Micro
Bit Defender
Panda
McAfee
After Spyware / Adware is remove, you may get an error finding files on reboot
After you use anyone of these programs (with the exception of HiJackThis) you may receive an error of some sort after rebooting your system. This is pretty common. Many spyware programs add themselves in the Startup location and execute when Windows boots. If you recieve an error when rebooting after removing spyware, do not panic. This is more than likely a startup remnant trying to access the spyware program that is no longer on your computer. HiJackThis is a great utility to find and remove these startup remnants. However, there is a less technical way of removing these items:
(1) Click START to RUN and type: msconfig
(2) Select the STARTUP tab
(3) Uncheck the file that pertained to the startup error message you received
(4) Click APPLY and OK
(5) Reboot your system
If this fails to fix the startup error message after reboot, there are still options:
(1) Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
(2) Delete the icon that pertained to the startup error message you received
(3) Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\username\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
(4) Delete the icon that pertained to the startup error message you received
(5) Reboot your system
--
Best of luck!
Michael D. Alligood
MCSA, MCP, CCNA, A+,
Network+, i-Net+, CIW A, CIW CI
Ad-Aware 6.0 (build 6.181)
SpyBot 1.3
SpyWare Blaster
HiJackThis
Please make sure that you download the updates for each of these programs to ensure complete detection of known spyware programs. Although nothing is absolute in removing spyware and keeping it off, downloading and executing the programs above can dramically decrease future infections.
Also please utilize free virus scans from the following sites:
Trend Micro
Bit Defender
Panda
McAfee
After Spyware / Adware is remove, you may get an error finding files on reboot
After you use anyone of these programs (with the exception of HiJackThis) you may receive an error of some sort after rebooting your system. This is pretty common. Many spyware programs add themselves in the Startup location and execute when Windows boots. If you recieve an error when rebooting after removing spyware, do not panic. This is more than likely a startup remnant trying to access the spyware program that is no longer on your computer. HiJackThis is a great utility to find and remove these startup remnants. However, there is a less technical way of removing these items:
(1) Click START to RUN and type: msconfig
(2) Select the STARTUP tab
(3) Uncheck the file that pertained to the startup error message you received
(4) Click APPLY and OK
(5) Reboot your system
If this fails to fix the startup error message after reboot, there are still options:
(1) Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
(2) Delete the icon that pertained to the startup error message you received
(3) Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\username\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
(4) Delete the icon that pertained to the startup error message you received
(5) Reboot your system
--
Best of luck!
Michael D. Alligood
MCSA, MCP, CCNA, A+,
Network+, i-Net+, CIW A, CIW CI
R
Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers
Hi Jo,
Trojan (virus) file. Follow these "relatively" simple removal steps:
Restart in Safe mode by hitting F8 as Windows first begins to load on boot.
Logon as administrator.
Start/search/files and folders, look for <filename> and delete it wherever
it is found.
Start/run regedit, expand the + signs to look under these keys:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\startupreg
Look in the right hand pane for the string or strings that load that file.
Delete just those strings that contain the reference. Do not delete other
strings or the keys from the left pane. Close the registry editor when
completed, make sure you check all strings.
Go to the Control Panel/System/System Restore tab. Check the box to "Turn
off system restore on all drives". Click apply/ok. This will remove all
restore points, however you don't want them back as some or all of them will
contain the virus depending upon how recently you got infected.
Restart the system normally. Go back to the Control Panel/System and restart
System Restore.
Update your antivirus software.
--
Best of Luck,
Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
Trojan (virus) file. Follow these "relatively" simple removal steps:
Restart in Safe mode by hitting F8 as Windows first begins to load on boot.
Logon as administrator.
Start/search/files and folders, look for <filename> and delete it wherever
it is found.
Start/run regedit, expand the + signs to look under these keys:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\startupreg
Look in the right hand pane for the string or strings that load that file.
Delete just those strings that contain the reference. Do not delete other
strings or the keys from the left pane. Close the registry editor when
completed, make sure you check all strings.
Go to the Control Panel/System/System Restore tab. Check the box to "Turn
off system restore on all drives". Click apply/ok. This will remove all
restore points, however you don't want them back as some or all of them will
contain the virus depending upon how recently you got infected.
Restart the system normally. Go back to the Control Panel/System and restart
System Restore.
Update your antivirus software.
--
Best of Luck,
Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
J
Jo
Thank you very much for the advice!
Indeed it was a trojan, but I am amazed that adaware (that I have been
using anyways), never caught it! Neither did Avast! (both programs
were up to date). And with Avast! I had done a specific file check too
before you told me it was indeed a virus.
Trend's housecall caught it and cleaned it.
So, is Avast! no good then?
Indeed it was a trojan, but I am amazed that adaware (that I have been
using anyways), never caught it! Neither did Avast! (both programs
were up to date). And with Avast! I had done a specific file check too
before you told me it was indeed a virus.
Trend's housecall caught it and cleaned it.
So, is Avast! no good then?
M
Michael D. Alligood
no problem... glad i could help...
--
Best of luck!
Michael D. Alligood
MCSA, MCP, CCNA, A+,
Network+, i-Net+, CIW A, CIW CI
of spyware and privacy threats. Spyware is commonly bundled with software
downloads, attached to e-mails, or transmitted through networks so it can
appear to be legitimate software, but once installed it can be nearly
impossible to detect and remove without the help of a dedicated spyware
removal tool such as:to ensure complete detection of known spyware programs. Although nothing is
absolute in removing spyware and keeping it off, downloading and executing
the programs above can dramically decrease future infections.you may receive an error of some sort after rebooting your system. This is
pretty common. Many spyware programs add themselves in the Startup location
and execute when Windows boots. If you recieve an error when rebooting after
removing spyware, do not panic. This is more than likely a startup remnant
trying to access the spyware program that is no longer on your computer.
HiJackThis is a great utility to find and remove these startup remnants.
However, there is a less technical way of removing these items:
--
Best of luck!
Michael D. Alligood
MCSA, MCP, CCNA, A+,
Network+, i-Net+, CIW A, CIW CI
software and firewalls do not fully protect your system against the majorityJo said:Thank you very much for the advice!
Indeed it was a trojan, but I am amazed that adaware (that I have been
using anyways), never caught it! Neither did Avast! (both programs
were up to date). And with Avast! I had done a specific file check too
before you told me it was indeed a virus.
Trend's housecall caught it and cleaned it.
So, is Avast! no good then?
of spyware and privacy threats. Spyware is commonly bundled with software
downloads, attached to e-mails, or transmitted through networks so it can
appear to be legitimate software, but once installed it can be nearly
impossible to detect and remove without the help of a dedicated spyware
removal tool such as:to ensure complete detection of known spyware programs. Although nothing is
absolute in removing spyware and keeping it off, downloading and executing
the programs above can dramically decrease future infections.you may receive an error of some sort after rebooting your system. This is
pretty common. Many spyware programs add themselves in the Startup location
and execute when Windows boots. If you recieve an error when rebooting after
removing spyware, do not panic. This is more than likely a startup remnant
trying to access the spyware program that is no longer on your computer.
HiJackThis is a great utility to find and remove these startup remnants.
However, there is a less technical way of removing these items: