My computer has a virus! What do you suggest I do?

Question

I ran every virus and spyware program you can think of and It says that it's still infected. It doesn't prevent me from doing anything. I can still sign online, etc. It's just that when I sign on, in the bottom left corner of the screen in the icon tray, there is this icon that appears and it's a white X in a red circle and when i move my cursor over it, it says, "Your computer is infected."...and my cursor is no longer just the arrow, it ALWAYS has the small hour glass beside it as if it's waiting for something to load and it blinks rapidly (is there a virus that makes this happen?). I think my computer is doing alot better than it was but I don't it's completely over whatever it had. PLEASE HELP. I downloaded AOL Saftey and Security Center since I am a member of AOL and I try to click the Virus Protector on but it won't turn on. I'm so desperate and frustrated.

Answer 1

Yuor PC is infected by spyware/trojan, the one you described is not easy to remove, try the following :

Download Spybot, update it, then run to remove the spywares.
http://www.download.com/Spybot-Search-Destroy/3000-8022-10122137.html

Then go to www.bitdefender.com and do an online scan.

Then download Avast professional (30 day trial no key needed) and install it, it will ask if yuo wish to scan after restart, say yes to it.

Answer 2

First, get rid of AOL
(EDIT) ->OMG, Shame on me I forgot system restore as mentioned above. Then try below before reformatting.
EVERYTHING BELOW SHOULD BE ON EVERY COMPUTER AND RUN ON A REGULAR SCHEDULE.

Second, if ALL of the following dont help then a reformat and reinstall on Windows is the only thing. (this is one of the reasons to BACKUP data)

The best Anti-virus is: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition. (www.grisoft.com)
The Best Spyware defense is: SpyBot Search and Destroy (www.spybot.info)
AND: AdAware SE (www.lavasoft.com)
AND Spyware Blaster (www.spywareblaster.com)
The best Firewall besides the one that comes with Windows is: Zone Alarm (http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/co... or just (www.zonelabs.com) and select the FREE version.

These are all FREE and are all that are required. There is no reason to pay for this kind of software, except to give a donation to the writers if you can.
ALL the above programs are recommended and should be run on a regular basis. With some the free versions they must be run manually.

The best way to avoid getting any Malware (virus, Trojan's, spyware, etc) is to practice safe computing. Microsoft and many others have countless articles on the subject of safe computing. (something I think should be taught in schools)

Answer 3

the easiest thing to do is go to www.trendmicro.com then run the free utility that can scan your pc online. you can also download the best internet security suite available that i've found (at least) for a free trial see www.trendmicro.com pc-cillin internet security.
i have never used an easier program to configure than this one.

try it you will not forget it.

for reference only there are freeware antivirus tools available but in my past experiance they often come with little nasties of there own that your attempting to clear out of your system.

with that icon this may be your own current antivirus software informing you of an infection try hovering over the icon then with your mouse right click and see if it provides cleaning instructiions.

without knowing more it's hard to be 100% certain of what the problem is.

use the trendmicro website freescan first to see if it can detect the problem and fix your system for you.

good luck. message me direct if you want further advice.

Answer 4

If you use Windows XP do a System Restore. Go to Start->All Programs->Accessories->System Tools->System Restore. Choose a date before all the weird things started happening to your computer.

If this does not work, download a good anti-virus like McAfee VirusScan, update it and restart your computer. When it restarts, press F8 key repeatedly. You will get an option to restart Windows in Safe Mode. Use that option. Scan your PC in Safe Mode.

If that fails too, reinstall Windows.

Answer 5

You say you ran every AV and AS program you can think of, but it doesn't help us by not telling us what you ran. Did you try online scans and removal programs like this one?

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

If that doesn't remove it, go here and follow the procedure the MS MVP has come up with. You will see the mistakes you've made and learn how to do a proper scan and removal.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/community/columns/bugbusting.mspx

Answer 6

Go to your Start button. Then Search button. Search for "System Restore". Open "System Restore" and go through the steps. Pick a date prior to when the virus started to restore your computer to. Hope this helps.

Answer 7

Go and download Anti Virus protection like AVG.It will protect your computer from virus ^_-

Answer 8

Do system reboot and change the date to an earlier date when your computer won't have the virus. You can search for system reboot.

Answer 9

I suggest you rid the computer of the virus... and get a better program

Answer 10

Sounds like a Smitfraud infection. Info and removal instructions are here:
http://wiki.castlecops.com/Malware_Removal:_SpyAxe_Removal
Good luck.