[rwfromkansas]

bump

[fellowpatriot]

Do NOT format your hard drive until you've gotten copies of the files you don't want to lose!

I too had a virus (Snow White and Seven Dwarves). Luckily, I was able to copy my files. The good thing about it is it forced me to upgrade my operating system and I now have 40 gigs of disk space (instead of 10).

[Yellow Rose of Texas]

I lost everything 2 weeks ago to two I-Worm viruses. First thing they ate was my virus protection. Get off your computer NOW, the more you use it the more the worm eats.

Norton anti-virus actually will kill the virus.

Get to a computer repair place NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[petuniasevan]

the heck with virus software since it is money-grubbing anyway. But, now I am in a serious bind

NOW do you believe the antivirus software is worth it? I do. I've received email viruses (thanx to bro and his unprotected computer), web viruses, malicious Java codes, and some nasty Trojan horses. I'm using Norton Antivirus software. It has alerted me, protected the hard drive, and quarantined all viruses for me to destroy. The cost is nothing compared to the problems you're now having.

Do you have your Windows start disks?
I recommend formatting your hard drive and starting over; the virus has apparently done too much damage to salvage any data.

FIRST THING before you ask that newly cleaned-up hard drive to access the Internet or Outlook Express: INSTALL AN ANTIVIRUS PROGRAM.
Otherwise this WILL happen again, and again.

[JamesWilson]

Help....I have a virus!

Got Penicillin?

Sorry, I couldn't resist. Good luck with the computer issues.

[mrsmith]

quickheal.com

Might help you out. I've never used the product and don't know the company- but it's a free 30-day demo.

Apparently, you can get your system back, and the files it hasn't gotten to.
The virus you have destroys files so they can not be recovered.
The less you've run the computer, the fewer files that it will have infected.

It's a bad one.

[TomGuy]

Google links to free online virus checkers via web.

I posted this article on FR on March 6 about this virus. It tells you what the virus is doing.

Check your systems: Virus set to strike today

Wednesday 6 March 2002

Antivirus firms F-Secure and Central Command have warned users that the Klez.e worm, which can delete files, halt security programs and spread itself when an infected e-mail is opened, is set to trigger today (Wednesday 6 March).

Users are urged to update antivirus definitions and scan their machines as soon as possible.

The Klez.e worm is much like any other self-propagating worm, in that it harvests e-mail addresses from the Windows address book of infected machines and sends itself to addresses listed there, according to F-Secure.

Unlike some other worms, Klez.e also grabs addresses from the chat program ICQ and appears in inboxes with multiple subject lines. Among the subject lines Klez.e uses are "how are you," "let's be friends," "your password," "some questions" and "congratulations," F-Secure said in its alert. The worm even masquerades as a virus alert, the company said.

The worm is automatically executed when an infected message is opened, according to F-Secure, and infected messages are then sent using an SMTP engine built into Klez.e. Infected messages do not necessarily have an attachment to open - spreading the worm can occur simply by opening an infected e-mail.

When Klez.e infects a PC, it installs itself into the registry, infects executable files and kills the tasks launched by security programs running on the PC. Programs targeted include those offered by Symantec, Network Associates, F-Secure, Sophos and Trend Micro. The worm also disables these programs by removing the autostart components, F-Secure said.

The worm has an even more damaging payload, however, that is activated when a certain combination of dates occurs, according to F-Secure. On the sixth day of odd-numbered months (January, March, May, July, September, November) the worm attempts to overwrite all files on the infected PC which have the extensions .txt, .htm, .html, .wab, .doc, .xls, .jpg, .cpp, .c, .pas, .mpg, .mpeg, .bak and .mp3.

Klez.e has been active in various forms since late 2001.

[Jen]

My condolences. My computer also has a virus that came from a usenet group my husband subscribes to. It infected our PC when he opened the message; there was no .exe attachment to it. I tried to re-install Win98 but it wouldn't work. I took the computer to a repair place to have the data recovered. Then, I'm going to delete everything on the hard disk and re-install all our software. We use McAffee anti-virus, but it had not been updated with protection for the virus that got us. I'm surfing with my hubby's laptop and pining for my PC.

[Eska]

I have been sent viruses without attachments also. Boy, that 35 bucks I spent on norton internet security at costco (20 dolar rebate) sure was worth it, at least I think so, so far.

Friend was telling me that XP is very susceptable to hackers. Anybody have any believeable info on this?

[XBob]

the best way I would suggest is to upgrade your system.

1. Select a new, larger, faster hard drive
2. Remove your old hard drive from the system.
3. Install your new hard drive, in it's place, make it the 'active' drive, and then format the drive, and then install minimal software, eg, windows only, or what ever.
4. Buy and install a good anti-virus - I use McAffee, it seems to be more compliant than Norton.
5. Once that is done, install your old hard drive as a slave 2nd drive. (note - this may get somewhat tricky, depending on whether you use the same cable or another port and another cable - and you may have to change jumper settings) None of this is hard to do, but should not be taken lightly.
6. Run the anti-virus on your old drive
7. Pull your important data files off the old hard drive, and onto the new hard drive.
8. Format your old hard drive to kill all virus stuff and ALL files, period, on your old hard drive, just in case. (if you don't know how, learn, as it is important if you are going to stay with computers)
9. Leave all your hard drives in place, and keep all important your data on a separate hard drive (which ever you decide should be a secondary drive) so that in the future, if you need to format your hard drive, your important data will be on a separate drive.

This is not really hard to do, but it would be easier if you had a 'guru' friend, who knows how, and who would step you through it the first time. EG, go to a computer club, if you don't have a 'guru friend'.