Deleting viruses from my computer?

Question

I use Norton Antivirus 2007. I have been having problems with my computer for a few days, so I started it in Safe Mode and ran a full system scan. I deleted all of the files that came up, and shut my computer down and restarted. I logged on under my regular account and the computer still isn't running correctly. It's sluggish and slow and I keep getting random popups, so I ran another virus scan. It's scanning really really slow, and I don't understand why the computer runs fine in safe mode and decides to stop working once I log on normally. Can someone tell me how to correct this problem?

Answer 1

Used with permission from NumberSix6
Printing this would be helpful
You need not follow this in exact order, or even do all the steps, but it was written this way to ensure all issues where handled.
If you find one portion particularly helpful for removing a problem please email me

Step 1) DON'T PANIC! Take a deep breath and go grab a cup of your favorite beverage. This may take awhile.
Step 2) Clean up your pc. Remove programs you don't use via the Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel. In Vista, you remove programs by clicking Programs and Features in the Control Panel. If you are unsure of a particular program, you can check it against a list of offenders here:
http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=79754

Clean your hard drive of unnecessary files using CCleaner here: http://www.ccleaner.com/download/...
Save to your desktop, install it, then run the cleaner. Simple, yet it will free up tons of space on your hard drive. While you have the program open, run the Registry Checker as well. This will fix invalid registry entries safely. Note that you should run CCleaner for ALL accounts on your pc.
Step 3) Create a new System Restore point. Click Start>All Programs> Accessories>System Tools>System Restore. Create a restore point. Now delete all but this most recent restore point. Click Start>All Programs>Accessories> System Tools>Disk Cleanup. Click More Options tab, and then under System Restore, click Clean up. Click Yes to remove all but the most recent restore point. Click OK, click Yes, and then click OK.
Step 4) Now let's start to get rid of those nasties. Download the following programs to your Desktop. You should then install each one, but don't run them yet. Patience...patience.
Lavasoft's Ad-Aware from here: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_a...
AVG Anti-Spyware from here:
http://www.ewido.net/en/download/...
Spybot Search and Destroy from here:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/downl...
SUPERAntiSpyware from here:
http://www.superantispyware.com/...
I know this seems like overkill, but until someone can come up with one program that can detect everything in the wild, we need to use programs from several reputable sources.
Step 5) Use them safely. Once these programs are installed on your pc, their effectiveness may be negated by running scans normally. You need to reboot your pc into Safe Mode. Shut down your pc, wait a few seconds, then turn it back on. As your computer restarts but before Windows launches, press F8.
Use the arrow keys to highlight the Safe Mode with Networking option, which loads all of the above files and drivers and the essential services and drivers to start networking, and press Enter. If Windows launches before you can choose a safe mode, restart your computer and try again. Now it's time to start each program you installed and run scans. First, open Ad-Aware, update to the latest signatures, and run a full system scan. Delete any malware found, close the program and move on to AVG Anti-Spyware. Again, update, run complete scan, and delete the baddies. Do the same for Spybot and SuperAntiSpyware. When you are finished, restart the computer normally.
Step 6) Clean up and protect. I would recommend leaving AVG and Ad-Aware on your system, and delete the other two. These anti-spyware programs do not conflict and offer good future protection. If you happen to like the interface of the others, then by all means keep the ones you want, just so long as you have at least one solid stand-alone on your system. Uninstall the others via Add/Remove in the Control Panel.
Step 7) Not done yet. We've taken care of the spyware, but there still may be viruses and trojans lurking on your pc. If there is an anti-virus program running on your pc, shut it down. Yes, you read right, end the program. We need to run a few online scans that may conflict with the anti-virus installed. Go to Trend Micro: http://housecall.trendmicro.com/... to download and run their free online scanner. Take whatever action the scanner tells you for any virus found. Finally, do the same with the Panda Online ActiveScan : http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/ac...
Restart your computer.
Step 8) Peace at last. Make sure your anti-virus program of choice is running again and is up-to-date. If you do not have one, I suggest AVG Free Antivirus here: http://free.grisoft.com/doc/2/ or Avast 4 Home:
http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-...
Be sure you have at least one of the anti-spyware programs running, and also make sure you have a good firewall. PC Tools Firewall Plus is free and works on XP and Vista: http://www.pctools.com/firewall/... , as does WinPatrol 2007:
http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html...
This procedure will remove MOST malware. However, it may not catch some really nasty buggers. If you've followed all the steps and still believe you have something not right on your pc, you need some extra help. Go here: http://www.tomcoyote.org/hijackthis... to download a program called HijackThis. It examines certain key areas of the Registry and Hard Drive and lists their contents. Install, run and save a logfile which you may post on one of the forums listed on that same page as above. Some kind soul will then come along and examine your logfile and give you recommendations in order to wipe any remaining buggers away.
Please email me with comments, suggestions, and errors. If you like it, feel free to pass it on to other infected folks.

You may also find this Tweaking Guide useful
http://www.tweakguides.com/TGTC.html
If you’re a Gamer he also has excellent guides to many games

Source(s):
Many years of cleaning infected pc's

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

You might have gotten ahold of an application that altered your registry. I had a problem like that years ago where I would run Microtrend Housecall and Lavasoft Adaware, delete all kinds of malware, reboot, and have all the crap turn up again.

Turns out there was a registry key entry that was calling up a URL to reinfect the computer every time I rebooted.

I finally saw an on-line discussion about this that recommended a product called Hijack This. You download it onto your computer and run the application, and it displays all of the registry keys in the registry. You can then go through and delete the ones that are obviously foreign (if you can tell the difference between a valid key and a foreign one).

But, be careful. You can also delete things that you need to have your computer operate properly. If you do accidentally delete a registry key that you need, you can reboot and select "Last Known Good Configuration" at boot-up.

A good computer hack can also call up the registry in DOS, and delete things for you there.

I'm not going to give you the Hijack This URL, because it's not for the casual user (you might mess something up). But, if you really want to try it, do a search on it.

Answer 4

If you have to ask, then you don't even want to think about it. Download a virus scan program from Symantec or another quality company in this area. It may cost you $30, but that's cheaper then a new computer. Install it. Run the scan. Pour a tall glass of your favorite beverage, pray and check back in 15 minutes. Hopefully you'll be virus free and faster. You should also run the free yahoo spy-ware program often. That will help speed things up too.

Answer 5

You can also try Spybot Search & Destroy. It's free, but they do accept donations to support R&D.
http://www.spybot.org/en/download/index.html

Answer 6

Use some other software. AVG , Avast are free antivirus software. Ad-aware, Ewido are free spyware removers. You can download free softwares at http://fixit.in/antivirus.html and http://fixit.in/spywareremover.html

Answer 7

First and foremost, these are MY opinions and have experience several machines that had these on them,
as well as users using these product. Not to mention that I have ran each and every one of these myself
so as to not confuse those that think that I have not.
My findings in these products are useless and sometimes scare the normal user.
Also, these products are not for the normal user as normal user do not take the time to read the
manuals/docs for what they download and or buy, they just want to install and use.

Stop using the following software:
-- AVG --
-Avg has been known to report false positives, also reports "tracking cookies" as "Trojan downloaders".
This is bad practice to me, scaring the user half to death because that's all that we hear on the news
anymore is about Trojans, Worms and Virus'
-Maybe free, but be aware that this product is not the normal product that you would put on a machine.
Most if not all of your experts will tell you to leave this alone, avoid it like the plaque

-- Ad Aware SE --
-Ad Aware is a dangerous program if you do not know how to set it up, although it comes with the basic
'normal' user settings, those that go messing about will find after changing the settings, will remove
things from the Windows System and then be stuck in a bad situation.

-- Spybot Search and Destroy --
-Same as Ad Aware Se

-- Ewido --
-Made By AVG NOW, although AVG (Grisoft) bought them out or merged (which ever you avgt fanatics prefer)
this product does the same as their software (av) and scares the user (see above AVG)

-- McAfee --
-System Hog. Although this product is and has been around for decades, it still isn't that great of a
product as it eats up resources like a hungry dog.

-- Housecalls --
-Not a bad product, but installs while online and no option(s) to UNinstall it.

-- Trendmicro --
-Not a bad product, but installs while online and no option(s) to UNinstall it.

-- Panda --
-Not a bad product, but installs while online and no option(s) to UNinstall it.

-- Norton --
-System Hog. Although this product is and has been around for decades, it still isn't that great of a
product as it eats up resources like a hungry dog.
-Also this product has to use it's own UNinstaller to get rid of it, even if you take it out of Add Remove
and reboot your system, this pain in the **** software prompts the user to reinstall or it auto does it

-- eTrust --
-Now owned by CA MS used to ship this with it's Feb 2004 Security Update CD set. ( I know I have it ) and what
a load of rubbish.

-- Kaspersky --
-Maybe free, but be aware that this product is not the normal product that you would put on a machine.
Most if not all of your experts will tell you to leave this alone, avoid it like the plaque


Decent programs to install and use

Removal Software

-- Norton Removal Tool --
Norton Removal Tool here (IF you have Norton):http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039

DirectX 9 Removal Tool
http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=522

Turning off Services
Turning off MS Messenger services http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/security/learnmore/stopspam.mspx
Double Click your Clock - Click the Internet Time TAB - Uncheck Automatically sync time. Click APPLY click OK

Anti - Virus'
AVAST HERE http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html


Anti - Spyware
X-Cleaner http://www.xblock.com/download/xclean_micro.exe CLICK RUN
Same As Above But You see the site http://www.spywareguide.com/onlinescan.php
Spyware Blaster http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/sbdownload.html
Super Anti Spyware http://downloads2.superantispyware.com/downloads/SUPERAntiSpyware.exe


Win Socket Fix
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/winsockxpfix.html

DCOM Fix
http://www.grc.com/freeware/dcom.htm

Misc Cleaners:
Ccleaner - http://www.ccleaner.com/
Easy Cleaner - http://personal.inet.fi/business/toniarts/ecleane.htm
Reg Seeker - http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm


Removing Rouge Software
Rouge List - http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm
Removing Virus Protect Pro http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic98219.html

Answer 8

3 programmes u need...clamwin antivirus (free)..Ad aware personal(free)....ccleaner(free)......also to stop further popups and viruses i suggest you to use mozilla firefox web browser its fast and safe

Answer 9

GarbageClean antispyware from http://www.SecureMyWindows.com

It is web based and doesn't require installation and it is completely free.