I got caught by the "greeting card email" virus. What can I do???

Question

We don't have the money to call geek squad or anything, and we've done everything we can think of to try and fix it ourselves. We tried to do a system restore, but it wouldnt restore, we've done virus scans with adaware and it didn't help. Is there anything else we can try to do? Our computer is hardly worth getting on any more! And I use it every day so this is really bad! help?

Answer 1

if you're hoping of saving any files and information you have stored on said computer, i would say, sorry to be blunt, but forget about it.

Cut your loses now if you cant afford to fix, because trying to basically have someone perform a CSI type Forensic Restore/File Recovery (LoL) may prove more costly than a completely new computer

(Or in other words, replace the entire system if finacially feasible for you, probibly the most cost effective at this point)

But if you feel pretty technically savvy, and you are not worried about saving files on your HDD, i think a full system format would be the way to go.

You would be erasing EVERYTHING on the hardrive
(Yes Ma'am, Virus Included,) at which point you would have to work through a back-up disk using DOS to re-install an Operating System.

I have had to do this before, and I know it may sound hard to believe, but its really not that much more difficult than following a set of instructions

I am A+ Certified, So please believe me when i say E A S Y.
Just make plans to be sitting in front of a black screen for at least an hour (probibly more, depending on your experience)

Oh Yeah, Last Note.
Once you get back up and running again...

PLEASE GET ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE ! ! @!

i wont make any advertising plugs, but you can get a full year of coverage with Basic Internet Security, Firewall, Virus Scan, etc for less than $50/yr

and it will auto-load on system startup (just in case you forget to :P )

REMEMBER! Anti-Virus !

Hope i have been somewhat Helpful,
Good Luck to You and Best Wishes!

Its Always Seems Darkest Before The Light...

Answer 2

Ok, first off adaware is an antispyware product, not antivirus. Do you have any antivirus? If not, get avg free and run a scan. If this doesn't help (and this is a tough one to dig out), then try spybot search and destroy (free antispyware and better than adaware, but still just a scan).

If none of this works, you need a better, paid-for product like spysweeper with antivirus.

If you're unable to afford professional help, you may have no choice but to reinstall your system from either your installation disc, recovery set, or recovery partition, which will wipe out all your files and apps and start over. Try to backup your data first.

An independent shop may charge less than the geek squad, and even they are cheaper if you bring the computer into the shop instead of calling for service at home. Get an estimate.

I have to throw this in for your future computer use...
If you need the computer every day, you absolutely have to invest in some real security.

Answer 3

do you remember the greeting card email name or anything or no? if not thats ok...

try getting AVG 7.5 anti virus its free. You dont have to spend a single penny on it. Try running that. And see if it picks up. Don't do a system restore. when you are running antivirus program...make sure you turn off system restore by going to

right click my computer>properties>system restore tab>and turn it off>apply...

after the virus scan if it is deleted restart the computer,,,and turn on the system restore...the reason you want to turn off system restore during the virus deletion is that in future if you end up running system restore there is a possibility that the virus might come back because of system restore....try doing that and that should solve the problem...

Answer 4

1. next time make sure u not open the card if u dont know from who. cause u might get a virus on it. thats the simple thing. i thought these day u should know already.

u said u done with your virus scan? so what the virus name anyway? how can i help u if i dont know what kind of virus.

the solution i can give if right now is tell u to scan with newest update antivirus. hope your antivirus can fix it or maybe delete it.

Answer 5

For Good FREE protection agains Virus's and Spyware I recommend

AVG FREE – Anti Virus -
Download at: http://www.download.com/3000-2239_4-10703202.html

AVAST – Anti Virus -
Download at: http://www.download.com/Avast-Home-Edition/3000-2239_4-10680976.html?tag=lst-0-2

AD-Aware 2007 – Anti Spy Ware
Download at: http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-2007/3000-8022_4-10708241.html?tag=lst-0-1

Spybot Search and Destroy 1.4 – Anti Spy Ware
Download at: http://www.download.com/Spybot-Search-Destroy/3000-8022_4-10401314.html?tag=lst-0-1

You can also do a Free On-Line Scan from
Trend House Calls.
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

Answer 6

Download the free program ccleaner found at http://www.ccleaner.com
After installing it, run it in safe mode.
To go into safe mode, restart the computer and continually press the F8 key until a black screen shows up with safe mode.
Then run Ccleaner

Answer 7

well to tell you one thing,GEEK SQUAD sucks. They erase ALL of your systems files, and they can only save a couple. That costs more too! If I knew what that virus doesI could tell you how to fix it,but Alas, i don't.(im 12)

Answer 8

Don't worry. The same thing happened to me. Download www.avast.com. This anti virus took it right off for me.

Answer 9

If nothing works, format your hard drive and reinstall Windows. Find the Windows CD that came with your PC and reboot from your CD.
Before you do that you may want to backup your data.

Answer 10

anytime you have a virus, do a virus scan.