[Deguello]

Bump for later research. One of our computers at work was hyjacked to mshp over the weekend. May have to do a total clean out of the system. Unplugged it from the server.

[Registered]

Trend Micro Sysclean Package http://www.trendmicro.com

[dbwz]

Reference bump

[Revolting cat!]

I had a similar problem and took similar steps to remedy it about a month ago. With similar results. In the end, to get rid of the pests I had to go the IBM way ("It's Better Manual".) No drastic steps such as system restore were required. Since the spyware removal programs can identify the culprits but are unsuccessful removing them completely, jot the names down and google on them. You'll find pages explaining how to remove the things manually. Also google on the names of suspicious running processes. Reboot again and again.

It took me 5 days to completely clean up my machine - it had spyware, malware and several trojans. How did I catch the disease? By searching the net for cheap airfares to Europe and googling for advice on searching the net for cheap airfares to Europe. Nothing different than what I had done a year ago when I wasn't running any anti-virus or anti-spyware. Last year I found a reasonable airfare and went, this year - nada!

[VOA]

bump

[Long Cut]

If this thread doesn't answer your questions, THIS ONE MIGHT. It's my account of a vicious spyware attack I suffered two months ago, and the steps I took to fix it, and the subsequent advice I got from some knowleageable FReepers. I highly recommend it.

[snooker]

The easiest thing to do is do a system restore to an earlier date.

Spybot has a deep scan option, takes a long time, but digs out a lot more of the offending programs than the quick scan.

I would also run Norton anti-virus, or another good anti-virus on your complete computer.

System restore is your friend. It allows you to back out changes. Spybot has a similar mechanism, just in case it deletes something you needed.

Once you get it fixed, the Norton utilities contains a program called clean sweep which will back out these kinds of problems and detect and prevent them from being installed. You can set it so your family can't install.

BTW, you are running the computer as a user not as the 'OWNER' account. If you aren't I suggest you make a special account for your family that does not allow program installation. Many problems can be prevented by just making a separate account with restricted privileges.

[RightWinger]

Try:
www.techguy.org
www.cybertechhelp.com

[Old Professer]

I am pinging this open because I have been days trying to eliminate belt.exe and its associated files and decided tonight to manually delete them per Symantec's instructions; when I opened the hidden files I saw that belt.exe had been last modified 8/13/2003; the only thing is, I bought this cpu new 02/12/2004.

In other words, either CompUSA sold me a refurbished computer without wiping the drive or COMPAQ pre-installed a trojan adware pgm.

Anybody have any ideas about this before I yell at CompUSA?

[Old Professer]

I am pinging this open because I have been days trying to eliminate belt.exe and its associated files and decided tonight to manually delete them per Symantec's instructions; when I opened the hidden files I saw that belt.exe had been last modified 8/13/2003; the only thing is, I bought this cpu new 02/12/2004.

In other words, either CompUSA sold me a refurbished computer without wiping the drive or COMPAQ pre-installed a trojan adware pgm.

Anybody have any ideas about this before I yell at CompUSA?

[Old Professer]

I am pinging this open because I have been days trying to eliminate belt.exe and its associated files and decided tonight to manually delete them per Symantec's instructions; when I opened the hidden files I saw that belt.exe had been last modified 8/13/2003; the only thing is, I bought this cpu new 02/12/2004.

In other words, either CompUSA sold me a refurbished computer without wiping the drive or COMPAQ pre-installed a trojan adware pgm.

Anybody have any ideas about this before I yell at CompUSA?

[Tax Government]

Consider these...
CyberPatrol -- blocks undesirable sites ($39/year)
SpyBot (free)
Ad-Aware (free)
Norton or McAFee Anti-Virus (~$40/yr)

[Souled_Out]

"System Restore to an earlier time."

Agreed, just restore to a time previous to your son using the computer.

That is the easiest and safest way to get your computer back.