Virus and PC Problem?

Question

I think my PC has a virus as I have been having some difficulties lately. I purchased SpyWare Dr and that picked up alot of errors, but I am having trouble still when I start up. I keep getting an error saying cannot find piwemmmr\smss.exe and sometimes my PC just shuts down to the blue screen.
Sometimes when I start up I get a message saying your computer will close down and it has a countdown of 1 minute.
I have tried AVG, Avast and nothing seems to work.
I also reformatted my pc a while ago and it did not wipe my default folder, so in Documents and Settings I now have 3 folders. The original one "Clairs PC" when I try and open it I get the message this folder is not accessible, access is denied. I cant delete it and it is full of stuff I originally had on my pc before I formatted. Obviously this is taking up space and I just want rid of it.
Can anyone please help with either of these problems. I would be very grateful.
Thanks
Clair

Hi again,
I reformatted and chose the option that is meant to wipe everything, but it didnt, hence I still have these folders from 2 previous formats that I cannot access.

Answer 1

Reformat and Reinstall for Windows
http://www.cyberwalker.com/topic/36

Clean Install Windows XP
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html
http://winhowto.blogspot.com/2006/06/how-to-reinstall-windows-xp-easily_22.html
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Re formating you harddrive is always the last option.
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Try a online antivirus scanner and a online anti-adware/malware/spyware scanner in safe mode with network to clean up your computer BEFORE you download anything.

Turn off system restore before you boot up in safe mode with network to clear your system restore points for viruses, spyware, adware etc.

To get in safe mode tap F8 when booting you computer.
Choose "Safe mode with network".
Go to Start – Run - type iexplore http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html Enter(ok).
Do a full system scan. If something is found, delete it, reboot and do the same again in safe mode with network.
When that scan does not find anything you reboot again in safe mode with network.
Go to Start – Run – type iexplore http://www.ewido.net/en/ Enter(ok).
Do a full scan. If you find something, delete it, reboot and do the same again in safe mode with network.

**NOTE: Do NOT do anything else with your computer when scanning. This because you can start virus/adware/spyware/malware manually.

When no one of these scanners are showing anything you can reboot back to normal mode.
Turn on system restore.
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You need to get one antivirus program, one firewall and some spyware/adware/malware removers if you don't have it.
I use Norton Internet Security (antivirus, spyware, add blocker,mail spamfilter, pop up blocker etc on my desktop running XP Home SP2 with Firefox and Yahoo Toolbar with pop up blocker.
On my laptop i have Ubuntu 7.04. No security needed in Linux, but i have antivirus and firewall.
I have no virus, spyware, adware, pop up etc on my computers.

Here are some free programs.
BitDefender Anti-Virus Free.
http://www.bitdefender.com/PRODUCT-14-en--BitDefender-8-Free-Edition.html
Avast Anti-Virus Free.
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
AVG Anti-Virus Free.
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/2/lng/us/tpl/v5
Avast Virus Cleaner - free virus removal tool.
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast-virus-cleaner.html

Firewall Protection.
ZoneAlarm Firewall Free.
http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list_za.jsp?dc=34std&ctry=&lang=nb&lid=trial_zaFamily
Easy-to-use firewall blocks hackers and other unknown threats.
* Systematically identifies hackers and blocks access attempts.
Automatically makes your computer invisible to anyone on the Internet.
Use ZoneAlarm if you normally use Windows Firewall.
Disable Windows Firewall after downloading ZoneAlarm if it's not done automatically.

Ad-Aware 2007 Free.
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_aware_free.php
Ad-Aware 2007 Free remains the most popular anti-spyware product for computer users around the world, with nearly one million downloads every week. Our free anti-spyware version provides you with advanced protection against spyware that secretly attaches and takes control of your computer, resulting in aggressive advertising pop-ups, sluggish computer activity, even identity theft through stolen bank details, passwords, and credit card account numbers. If you want real-time scanning capabilities, consider upgrading to Ad-Aware 2007 Plus for real-time protection against spyware, all the time.

SUPERAntiSpyware Free.
http://www.superantispyware.com/

AVG Anti-spyware Free.
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/20/lng/us/tpl/v5

Spybot - Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware, a relatively new kind of threat not yet covered by common anti-virus applications. spyware silently tracks your surfing behaviour to create a marketing profile for you that is transmitted without your knowledge to the compilers and sold to advertising companies. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you haven't intentionally installed, if your browser crashes inexplicably, or if your home page has been "hijacked" (or changed without your knowledge), your computer is most probably infected with spyware. Even if you don't see the symptoms, your computer may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging. Spybot-S&D is free, so there's no harm giving it a try to see if something has invaded your computer.
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html

AVG Anti-Rootkit Free.
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/39798/lng/us/tpl/v5
AVG Anti-Rootkit is a powerful tool with state-of-the-art technology for detection and removal of rootkits. rootkits are used to hide the presence of a malicious object like Trojans or keyloggers on your computer. If a threat uses rootkit technology to hide itself it is very hard to find the malware on your PC. AVG Anti-Rootkit gives you the power to find and delete the rootkit and to uncover the threat the rootkit is hiding.

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it's fast and contains NO spyware or adware.
http://www.ccleaner.com/

ClearAllHistory - clears browser history, cache, cookies, clipboard and remove other computer activity tracks.
http://www.clearallhistory.com/delete-passwords.html

**NOTE: Only have one antivirus program and one firewall installed on your computer.
Anti-adware/malware/spyware are ok to have more of.

Also scan with online scanners sometimes.
http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/home.asp?langid=ie&venid=sym&plfid=00&pkj=VOONYHGBYNCJEIMXQKC&bhcp=1
http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html
http://www.ewido.net/en/onlinescan/
http://www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner
http://support.f-secure.com/enu/home/ols.shtml

Also run Windows Updata http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
and defragmet you harddisk(s).
How To Analyze and Defragment a Disk in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/305781

Hope this was helpful.
Good luck.
JTB - Security adviser from Norway.

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

It's too far gone to diagnose with what you've given us. Lots of things to check and do, but there ain't enough space here to elaborate.


Threat (0 is low, 10 is high): 0
Effects: Launches csrss.exe and starts system threads.
Status: 'smss.exe' is critical.
Path: c:\windows\system32\smss.exe

The Session Manager SubSystem is responsible for initiating the user session by starting the system thread and other critical tasks. Smss.exe launches csrss.exe (which, handles Winlogon) for the login and sesion management. This process should not be ended, as it could result in your computer not booting properly.
Fix smss.exe Errors: Free Registry Scan

You may need professional help at this point.

Answer 4

ok for starters look for spybot search and destroy and adaware SE personal: these will wipe off anything that isn't a virus (spyware, malware bots etc). if you formatted the computer right everything should have been wiped (did you fully format the hard drive or did you just write over your version of windows) i would fully reformat and add the above programs as well as AVG and zonealarm fire wall. you'll get them all from download.com if its done right your computer should be fine.

Answer 5

Format the computer first this will erase all info on the computer. Now put your disk in and redownload the o/s. when you get to the drive formatting section make sure there is not anything on drive c. if there is delete and then finish loading the system.

Answer 6

well Trend Micro HouseCall is an application for checking whether your computer has been infected by viruses, spyware, or other malware. HouseCall performs additional security checks to identify and fix vulnerabilities to prevent reinfection.

go http://housecall.trendmicro.com/ and remove it !