[Keith in Iowa]

Download AdAware & Spybot Search & Destroy - install, update, then run both - you likely got hit with a spybot/adbot type thing - one of those 2 programs should find and remove it for you.

[Psycho_Bunny]

 TrendMicro Sysclean

Download the executable

SysClean

And then download the latest pattern:

SysClean Pattern

Put them both in a folder and run the SysClean.com file.

You can run them right off the desktop if you'd like.  They'll create a bunch of temp files that may alarm you but once the program's run, all the temp files will be deleted except the original files and a .log file.

Sysclean is a free "Command line" AV program that will only help find and remove viruses: it doesn't install anything on your system and it won't prevent your getting viruses.

The SysClean homepage is here, just incase you don't trust my links.  lol.

Hope it works.

[edeal]

Download the computer users best friend, AdAware.

This program removes unwanted spyware, and best of all is free.

[Squantos]

Go to grisoft.com and get the free..........FREE........AVG software. I run it in addition to my Norton Pro and it catches a whole boatload of germs ! Also Spybot and Ad-Aware 6.0 are free and work extreamly well......... They are all FREE FREE FREE and the updates require no subscription crap.

Stay safe

[MarMema]

Spybot is wonderful.

[GeronL]

I'm almost afraid to open this thread. Scary. Hope I won't catch anything. Adult content huh?.. and you told your wife it was all politics didnt you?

Seriously though, I am sure there are Freepers who can help. Don't pay any attention to the ones who advise you to reformat the hard drive =o)

[ccmay]

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

1. Buy a Mac.
2. Never run MS Internet Explorer. Use Safari or OmniWeb instead.
3. Never, never, never install anything made by Norton. You can run Virex once in a while if it makes you feel better, but it will never find anything.
4. Promptly and permanently forget about viruses, worms, pop-ups, pop-unders, Trojan horses, whack-a-mole porn ads, and all the rest of the filth that comes with being a Windows user.
5. Get your work done, go to bed early, and as you fall into a sound sleep, snicker at the folly of those whose businesses depend on the good will and competence of Bill Gates' minions.

You're welcome.

-ccm

[Redcloak]

Allow me to be the first to make a snide remark about upgrading to Linux.

OK... Now that I've gotten that outta my system...

It sounds like you've gotten hold of a nasty variety of ad-ware. Spybot can probably kill it off in short order. Spybot Search and Destroy can hunt down and eliminate ~13,000 threats.

Zone Alarm is another "must-have" with a Windows system. Zone Alarm asks permission before allowing programs access to the Internet. It's easy to use and I haven't heard of anything that can get by it. You would have caught the trojan with it the first time it tried to run off and download an ad to display.

[FairOpinion]

check this out too:

http://swatit.org/

It specifically removed Trojans, in some tests they claim it performed better - found more,than Norton.

I also concur with others suggestions about Spybot search and destroy.

[jimwnola]

In addition to adaware, and zonealarm, another great free product is the avast antivirus program at avast.com. After 2 years of Norton, I didn't pay for the the 3rd update, uninstalled it and went with avast. It does everything, if not more, than Norton and is completely free with no catches that I can ascertain. Since I installed it, it has intercepted several of the recent worms and virused from my email. It automatically keeps updating its virus database.

[rogueleader]

Norton is sub-par.

Buy Kaspsersky Anti-virus. kaspersky.com.

(Unfortunately, NAV is made in the USA and Kaspersky is made in Russia. This sad state of affairs is what we have come to, though.

(I blame the capital markets. Too much of a premium on short-term speculation and not enough on long-term capital accumulation.))

[CONSERVE]

bunp for info later read

[Conservative4Ever]

bump

[MrB]

I've gotten something similar. And I think it's from my provider, after close examination and calming down after a panic.

Did you also get something about "the FBI and others can trace your surfing" or something similar?
Along with an offer for "true anonymous surfing, click here?"

I have AdAware, Spybot, Norton Systemworks, Zone Alarm, and a hardware firewall, and I got that message. I used my scanning software and found nothing. It's a hoax.

I think it's just a sneaky sales pitch.

[Drammach]

From link:http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/win2000/t1061426385

I had a user today that was experiencing symptoms similar to those from "download.trojan".
She had Symantec anti-virus, which detected it, but could not remove it. I had
her try ZoneAlarm and told her to send me a HijackThis log.

ZoneAlarm immediately found C:\WINDOWS\System32\wintsvsu.exe trying to make an outbound
connection.

HijackThis also showed this suspicious entry

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [WCPS] C:\WINDOWS\System32\wintsvsu.exe

which was in this Registry key:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]

Usually I find a lot of viruses/worms hiding in

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]

but the Run key in HKEY_CURRENT_USER was new to me.

The user deleted the entry from her Registry, went into TaskManager->Processes and
killed the wintsvsu.exe entry, and was then able to delete the file from System32.

There isn't a lot of info about wintsvsu.exe through Google, but the 1 or 2 references
to it do mention spyware.

Good luck