Hello. My name is Daniel. The PC that I am having problems with is Windows Xp. Just recently I have downloaded a number of files online, and as a direct result of that, I am very sure that I am now infected with dangerous viruses. I am currently using a different computer to type this entry. I am sorry, but I do not have a Hijackthis log because, due to the viruses, that laptop cannot access the internet to download the hijackthis program, and I did not know where else to post this topic. I am very confused of what I should do. Please help me.

Here are the specific problems that I have encountered:



1. An error message (Windows Security Alert) constantly appears saying, "Windows has detected an Internet attack attempt... Somebody's trying to infect your PC with spyware or harmful viruses. Run full system scan now to protect your PC from Internet attacks, hijacking attempts and spyware! Click here to download spyware remover for total protection." Then there is the options OK and Cancel.

2. Every now and then, windows internet explorer opens a window with the URL www.safewebnavigate---2008.com/index.php?sid=0&aid=0&said=0&pn=&pid=0

3. Another error message (Spyware Alert) that says "Security Warning! Worm.Win32.NetBooster detected on your machine. This virus is distributed via the Internet through e-mail and Active-X objects. The worm has its own SMTP engine which means it gathers e-mails from your local computer and re-distributes itself. In worst cases this worm can allow attackers to access your computer, stealing passwords and personal data. This process should be removed from your system. Type: Virus System Affected: Windows 2000,NT,ME,XPVista Security Risk (0-5): 5 Recommendations: Click Yes to remove it from your PC immediately." Then there are options Yes and No.

4. After getting the virus, 3 icons appeared on my desktop: Malware Defender, Protect Your Privacy, and System Error Fixer. I have tried to delete this off of my desktop, but each time i restart my computer, it reappears again. So, I attempted to delete it using the control panel, but as I have said before, I cannot find the control panel anywhere, and is therefore impossible with my knowledge.

5. Using other methods, I was able to open My Computer. However, there were absolute no hard drives listed - no C, no D, etc.

6. At this point, I decided to download virus removal programs, but then I realized that my internet had stopped working ever since I got the virus. I cannot reconnect to the wireless router, even this I have checked and assured that it is completely fine (I am using this laptop with the internet currently).

7. Having no access to internet with that laptop, I decided to reformat the computer completely. Unfortunately, in the middle of the reformatting process (specifically the Recovery Console), an error appears saying "Setup did not find any hard disk drives installed in your computer. Setup cannot continue."



Seeing as how I have no internet access with the laptop and have no idea of how to find my hard drives and reformat my computer, I am completely helpless and in great need of technical assistance. PLEASE help me, for I need this laptop in use as soon as possible. Rather than clean my laptop, if it is still possible, please give me advice on how I can finish this reformatting process. Thank you so very much for your time and trouble.

Hello gpsugy, and welcome to Geeks To Go! My name is Dave and I'll be helping you remove the infections from your computer. Please be aware that I'm still a trainee here, which means my instructions have to be approved by an expert before I give them to you, so there may be a slight delay between my replies.

I see you're having great difficulty with your computer, and I understand that it can be very frustrating to the point where you want to give up and reformat. However, this can obviously be very inconvenient and time consuming due to the loss of important data and necessity to begin again as though your computer just came home from the factory. The most brilliant experts in the security community today will tell you that there is virtually no malware that cannot be removed. Computers with problems far worse than those you describe are cleaned and returned to good working order every day. If you feel that the best course is to reformat, then that is of course your decision. However, cleaning your computer by conventional methods is absolutely possible, and it will save you the misery of starting over. I urge you to consider carefully which course you wish to take, and let me know of your decision so we can get started .

- Dave

Hello Dave. Thank you for such a quick reply. I am glad that someone out there is actually willing to take their time to help with such an inconvenient problem. To answer your question, I am completely sure that I want to reformat the computer - a friend of mine gave it to me a few months ago, but rather than reformatting it i just used it as it is. Now i'd like to reformat it, for I do not have any important files that i cannot retrieve back later in that computer. Thank you for your help.

Hi gpsugy -

Alright then, since your mind is made up, we have a great guide about reformatting and reinstalling here. You can follow the steps there to reformat, let me know of any problems you have and I can help you out.

After you've reformatted and reinstalled, one of the first things you should do is follow these instructions for getting your protection software on board:

1. Install an anvirus and firewall

The best of your antivirus program options are these:
AntiVir
Avast!
AVG
All of the above are free antivirus programs. Out of the three, I would recommend AntiVir as it has been performing the best recently. Ultimately, the choice is yours, and all of them will protect you very well. Please choose one of the above antivirus programs and install it. Once it has been installed, please run a full system scan with the default settings and allow it to remove all that it finds.

And for firewalls, these are the best available:
Comodo
Outpost
ZoneAlarm
All of the above are free firewall programs. Out of the three, I would recommend Comodo as it has been performing the best recently. Ultimately, the choice is yours, and all of them will protect you very well. Please choose one of the above firewalls and install it.

If you need any assistance with choosing a program or installing it, please let me know and I'll be happy to clarify for you.

- Dave
[/quote]

Hello again Dave. I took your advice and followed the guidelines of reformatting my computer. However, there was problem that I had when I tried to reformat my computer. I could not continue the reformatting process, specifically in steps 4 and 5. Once I got to the Welcome to Setup screen and pressed enter, an error message appeared saying:

"Setup did not find any hard disk drives installed in your computer.

Make sure any hard disk drives are powered on and properly connected to your computer, and that any disk-related hardware configuration is correct. This may involve running a manufacturer-supplied diagnositc or setup program.

Setup cannot continue. To quit Setup, press F3."

If you can recall what I have stated in my first entry, my speculation of why this message appears is because of the virus' effect on my hard drives having "disappeared." Don't I first have to manually find my hard drives in order for me to continue this reformatting process? If you have any knowledge of how to do this, please help me as fast as you possibly can. Thank you.

Hi gpsugy -

I replied yesterday, however the forums were moved to a new server overnight and some posts were lost - as such I'm not sure if you saw my instructions. I'll repeat them again:

The problems you're having with reformatting at this point are not malware-related. The error you're getting is caused by an incompatibility between your operating system and your hard drive, and to fix that you have to integrate the drivers for your hard drive into your windows xp CD so they'll be there when you reformat. This is a fairly common problem, and there are numerous walkthroughs that show you how to fix it. Here are just a few (you can also google your error message to find links to many more):

http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic18329.html

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows/res...p-installation/

http://www.windowsxphome.windowsreinstall....dexfullpage.htm

If you read through those tutorials and feel comfortable going through the procedure on your own, then great, give it a shot. If you'd like more assistance from our site it's going to come from somebody else because my field of expertise is malware and this is a hardware problem. You should begin a new topic in the Windows XP Forum, and the techs there will be able to give you more advice than you ever wanted to hear . Let them know I sent you and link them to this topic so they can see what you've done.

Regards,
Dave

Edit: Seems I've double posted, stupid browser...

This post has been edited by Transience: Oct 11 2008, 08:53 AM

Since this issue appears to be resolved ... this Topic has been closed. Glad we could help.

If you're the topic starter, and need this topic reopened, please contact a staff member with the address of the thread.

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