Sorry I haven’t been on since my post. I’ve been installing an email server and migrating the mail, settings, and contacts, from 3 windows boxes to it.
I’ll be on most of the night.
Looks like the problem is a nasty rootkit infection. I now can’t even get online through dial-up (using someone else’s PC right now).
There is a process called /S /C {7007-ACC7-3202-1101-AAO2-20805FC1270E / I {10DF43C8-11D3-8B-34-006097DF58-D43 / X 0x401 ...
...running here and there on my machine.
It shows up for a few minutes, then disappears, only to reappear later, sometimes up to nine instances of it running simultaneously.
A file, a registry key? Both?
I am going to try removing it using AVG Anti-Rootkit and/or Icesword.
When I try to terminate these malicious processes, I get an “access denied” error, so I’m pretty much stonewalled.
HiJackThis and every other utility I’ve run doesn’t even show this process running.
Only thing that has showed it running is a software called Spyware Process Terminator.
When I do a Start > run > cmd > ipconfig I get a response such as: “a media is disconnected,” even though the network card is enabled and working fine (in fact, I updated the drivers last night). Plus, the Ethernet cable is plugged in and I’m 100% positive the problem isn’t with the cable.
Anyone have any experience removing rootkits? I hear they can be pretty hard to get rid.
Thanks again very much for your suggestions and help.