Posted on 01/30/2012 5:07:43 PM PST by Don@VB
Booted up my Acer Aspire One with Win XP and found this Win XP virus. Have Microsoft Security Essentials running and up to date and it got thru. Don't know how but it disabled most applications so could not run virus scan. Everything backed up but still a hassel. Its out there, any tips on avoiding this appreciated.
I consider myself an expert in computer science. Here is my advice:
Steps to better computing:
1. Ram your fist through your computer monitor.
2. Go to hospital.
3. Buy a new computer.
Do you have ‘Malwarebytes’ anti-virus?
Boot your machine in Safe Mode. Run MalwareBytes, full scan. You may need to right click and run this as administrator. Should take care of it.
Three easy letters that will change your life forever.
MAC
(full disclosure, I own Apple stock that has paid for all my devices. YMMV)
MS Essentials? (sigh) Another “it’s a free AV! what could possibly go wrong?” moment.
Do you have a second online computer to download a program on to a flash drive with?
There is more and more Mac specific malware out there, and more coming every day.
Something to check out is Sophos software’s anti-malware. It’s free to home users.
While most people have never heard of Sophos, it’s been quietly protecting corporate networks for decades, and doing a terrific job too.
Mark
Post Script to story. I reformatted back to factory settings and had most stuff backed up. Thought MS Essentials would at least flag it.
“Boot your machine in Safe Mode. Run MalwareBytes, full scan. You may need to right click and run this as administrator. Should take care of it.”
I used to work for Norton and Cyberdefender in a past life. One thing I witnessed was a TLD4 rootkit knockout Malwarebytes (PRO version), the customer’s AVG paid version (he insisted AVG was better), and locked the system for no system restore. Amazing piece of work who made it..but there was a solution without throwing the laptop out the window.
There, I fixed it...
1) Use Avast (free) for anti-virus
2) Use MalWareBytes (free) for spyware
3) Stay away from porn sites (caught ya, didn’t I?)
Yeah, nobody's ever gonna pick on Apple. /s
Romney porn will get you every time. It’s nasty stuff!
For next time:
-Hit F8 and boot into safe mode with networking
-Once up, go to System Restore - Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Restore
-Follow the prompts, and choose a restore point on a date before the infestation.
-System will restore and reboot normally. You should be rid of the virus/malware.
I have a few Windows boxes at the office out of necessity (US Gov’t EAC and DPS wont run on Linux or Unix). I installed Sophos and Spybot and have had no problems. I like that Spybot comes with a clone file already intact to allow it to run even when Spybot and AV is blocked by the virus or worm or trojan. But at the end of the day, I retire to my trusty Linux box and smile..
Avast and Malware bytes are great, I also use Advanced system care too.
The best thing to try is to reboot the computer into safe mode with networking, so you’ll have access to the Internet.
Next, disable “System Restore.” This is the option that lets you restore the system to the last believed good configuration. The problem is that quite a bit of malware infects this system, so when you do a “restore” your computer is automatically reinfected.
Go to http://www.malwarebytes.org . Download the free edition, install it, then make sure it’s up to date. The next step is to run a full scan.
Hopefully that will take care of you. If not, something else you might try is going to another computer and downloading the Kaspersky rescue disk and burn it to a CD. Then boot the computer from that CD and follow the instructions. It’s the best way to go, since (other than a root kit) there’s no way for the malware to hide... The Kaspersky disk actually boots to a version of linux. Then buy a copy of the software - IMHO Kaspersky is as good as it gets.
Mark
I agree on the Avast and Malwarebytes if you’re running MS.Have had many corporate clients lately getting a nasty bug that masquerades as an antivirus. If you’re using Norton or McCFee, do not trust the automatic updates...do it manually at least once a week.
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