please help this damsel in distress. i have trojans.?

Question

exactly what are they and what can they do to my system. im running windows xp. is there a free way to get rid of them

Answer 1

Trojan Removal Procedure.

Removing infections from your computer is never as easy as aquiring them. Malware infections are not meant to be removed, so, it takes TIME and PATIENCE to get rid of them. ONLY RESORT TO A REFORMAT AFTER ALL ELSE FAILS TO REMOVE THE INFECTION.

This procedure works for all Malware. Replace the Ewido and AdAware SE programs with any AntiVirus or AntiSpy program you choose.


Download and Update Ewido (now called the AVG Antispyware). Do not run:

http://www.ewido.net/en/download/...

Download AdAware SE and update. Do the setup. Do not run:

http://www.filehippo.com/download_ad-aware/

AdAware SE Setup:

1. Select "use custom scanning options" then select "customize". Make sure the following options are enabled: "scan within archives," "scan active processes," "scan registry," "deep scan registry," "scan my IE favorites for banned URLs," "scan my Hosts file."

2. Select the "tweak" option. Under "scanning engine," make sure "unload recognized processes and modules during scan" is enabled. Enable "scan registry for all users instead of current users."

3. Under "cleaning engine" turn on "always try to unload modules…," "during removal unload explorer and IE if necessary," "let windows remove files in use at next restart," and "delete quarantined items after restoring."

4. Use the "select drives and folders to scan" option to ensure that your entire hard drive is scanned (if you have more than one hard drive, scan all of them (of course, do not include floppy and CD/DVD).


TEMPORARILY SHOW HIDDEN FILES AND FOLDERS.

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

2. Click Appearance and Themes, and then click Folder Options.

3. On the View tab, under Hidden files and folders, click "Show hidden files and folders", and clear(uncheck) the "Hide protected operating system files" check box.

IMPORTANT: Files are hidden by Windows for a very good reason. It is not wise to experiment with these files. Unfortunately, to successfully remove modern spyware we must turn this protection off temporarily. Please turn the protection back on when you have finished cleaning your system.


EMPTY INTERNET EXPLORER BROWSER CACHE:

1. On the Internet Explorer Tools menu, click Internet Options.

2. On the General tab, in the Temporary Internet Files section, click the Delete Files button. Select the Delete all offline content check box in the confirmation dialogue box that appears, click OK. Click OK again.

RESTART IN SAFE MODE:

To do this you need to hold down or repeatedly tap the F8 key while the computer is booting (when the computer is displaying a black screen with white text). When the boot menu appears, use your keyboard arrows to select "Safe Mode."

Safe Mode can look quite ugly. The color may look bad, and all of your desktop icons will be very large. This is normal.



START THE SCAN WITH ADAWARE SE. THEN DO IT WITH EWIDO.

NOTE: Let AdAware complete its scan. Sometimes AdAware will be unable to remove everything that it finds and will prompt to be allowed to try again after restarting. If that happens, when the scan finishes restart immediately and allow the scan to finish.


When the scan and removal are completed REBOOT COMPUTER. This will restart you in normal mode. DON'T FORGET TO RESET HIDDEN FILES AND FOLDERS.


NEW RESTORE POINT:

The RESTORE POINTS may be infected with the Malware and cannot be used.

HERE'S HOW:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

2. Click Performance and Maintenance, click System, and then click on the System Restore tab.

3. Select the Turn Off System Restore check box, click Apply, then restart your computer.

4. Return to the System Restore Tab and turn System Restore back on.


TO SET A NEW RESTORE POINT:

1. Click the Start button.

2. Point to Programs, then navigate to Accessories, then System Tools, then click System Restore.

3. Choose Create a restore point, and then click Next.

4. In the Restore point description box, type a name for your restore point, and then click Next.

5. Click OK.

NOTE: If you are using Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) and are unable to access the Internet after removing Malware, there is a command that may fix the problem. It works by resetting the winsock catalogue. Click on Start, then Run and type CMD in the box. Click OK. Type "netsh winsock reset" (no quotes)into the DOS window that appears.


ADDITION INFORMATION ABOUT TROJANS:

There are Trojans that fall into the Smitfraud family. These require the use of a specialized program for removal. Here are two sites that specialize in removing these:

http://www.internetinspiration.co.uk/rog...

http://siri.urz.free.fr/fix/smitfraudfix...

Answer 2

Once you have them it can be a pain to get rid of them. The best thing to do is have a good up to date antivirus program running on your PC BEFORE you get a virus.

I suggest you get yourself Symantec Antivirus. Yes it costs $40-$50 bucks but it's worth it. Just get the regular plain antivirus though don't waste money on Internet Security or System Works. You don't need all the bells and whistles - just plain antivirus.

You can go to Symantec's or Tren Micro's website for a free online scan that "may" get rid of them but sometimes a good virus will try to block those sites so you can't go to them. This is why it's best to have antivirus on your PC before hand and why you should suck it up and buy yourself one. There are free ones online but they are not as good.

If you already have an antivirus program loaded it's not working. It's probably old and out of date so the virus was able to get around it. Uninstall that version before you install a new version.

Here are the websites for a free online scan.

http://www.trendmicro.com/hc_intro/default.asp

http://www.symantec.com/techsupp/home_homeoffice/index_virus.html

Answer 3

Trojans are a type of virus which (in a nutshell) specialize in creating backdoors to your system for other people to get in. You can get rid of them using any antivirus software. Here's my best suggestion: Go to www.CA.com and download a 1 year anti-virus protection for free.

Answer 4

I also use Webroot Spy Sweeper. It works great and got rid of a virus on my computer. I've used this (plus others) for a couple years, and I always recommend this one.

Answer 5

you can buy spy sweeper from webroot it got rid of the Trojan's on my PC along with other spyware . Trojans let others into your computer to steal files

Answer 6

i think a trojan is a brand of condom ,honey , no just kidding they are a virus ,and you need to buy a good antivirus program to get rid of them , i suggest zone alarm security suite , the current year 2006

Answer 7

Here is a list of free scans.I would recommend running ewido first.
Spybots search and Destroy http://www.download.com/3000-8022-10122137.html?tag=pao
adaware se> http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Personal-Edition/3000-8022_4-10399602.html?tag=lst-0-1
http://www.webroot.com/land/freescan.php
a-squared Free> http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/
http://housecall.antivirus.com/housecall/start_frame.asp
http://housecall65.trendmicro.com/
X -Cleaner Micro Edition scan http://www.spywareguide.com/onlinescan.php
http://www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner
http://www.windowsecurity.com/trojanscan/
http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html
http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/activescan/com/activescan_principal.htm

http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/virusinfo/scan.aspx
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
Spywareguard too.
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareguard.html
http://www.ewido.net/en/onlinescan/
Get free anti virus for free click here.
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1
http://avast.com
Free pop up blocker
http://www.mathies.com/popthis/
http://www.toolbar.yahoo.com

Answer 8

Run your virus scan

Answer 9

Yes...AVG is a good free virus scanning/removing program.

http://free.grisoft.com

Try it.

Answer 10

use a good virus scan. It should detect, and remove them.