Win32/Fotomoto [RESOLVED]

Hi Again! Well, It took about 12 minutes to load everything when I re-booted the machine. Is that virus-symptoms or from just downloading all the tools and such? There was one thing that I noticed when rebooting, there was an error message on shut-down that said pcarmdrive.exe failed to initialize and then it dissappeared. Also, windows defender (i've been ignoring it since we started this) said that there is a trojan:win32/vitumonde.m but I figured that it was probably old news, so I ran a quick scan and it came back clean.

Any suggestions??

Hi GoKarGo,

I suspect the slow boot is not malware related, as at this point your logs are clean. Not sure about that file at shutdown either - will keep looking into it. As for the Windows Defender hit, its probably hitting on something that is in system restore or quarantined. Before we wrap things up we will clean those all out.

Lets try tuning your system up a bit to see if we can speed up the boot.

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Let's try to speed your system.

Prefetch is clickable for more information

• Click Start then Run, type prefetch then press ENTER, click Edit then select all (all files will highlight), right click any file, click Delete, confirm,
• Click Start then All Programs, Accessories, System Tools to run Disc Cean Up
• Reboot
• Click Start then All Programs, Accessories, System Tools to run Defragmenter

Now we'll run Tune Up

• Download, install and run Tune Up 2007 Trial
• Run Tune Up disc clean up
• Run Tune Up registry clean up
• Disable your AntiVirus program, then click Optimize and Improve to run Reg Defrag, the screen will lose color during the process which can take a few minutes and then needs a reboot
• Check to make sure your AntiVirus is running

Those will have cleared the drive of obsolete software errors

These are suggestions for making the most of the free trial

• Click optimize and improve then system optimizer to optimize the computer, select computer with an internet connection from the drop down menu, this also requires a reboot
• After the reboot, click optimize then system optimizer to accelerate downloads, select the speed just above your actual connection speed, this requires a reboot.
• After the reboot, click optimize then system optimizer to run system advisor.

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Let me know if you notice any improvements after getting through those steps.

Hi there again! I am feeling sooo relieved to be malware-clean. Whoosh! You are wonderful. Thanks again.

So I ran the Tuneup tool, it found alot of problems and corrected them. I shut it down one last time to check the boot, it took 9 minutes from shut-down to fully-loaded. Is that a normal amount of time? It seemed to be much faster before, but then I wasn't watching it and worrying.

Hi GoKarGo,

Nine minutes is still a bit on the long side, but given the rather small amount of RAM you are running with, who knows. You could post a thread in the Windows XP Forum here if you'd like. The techs over there might be able to help speed things up a bit more. If you do post a thread then be sure to mention in it that you have been cleared of malware.

There a couple more things we should do before wrapping up.

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Please uninstall or delete all of the malware removal programs you had downloaded previously:

• ComboFix
• VundoFix
• Be sure to delete the FOLDER C:\VundoFix Backups
• Be sure to delete the FOLDER C:\qoobox

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Please clear and reset your system restore points.

To reset your restore points, please note that you will need to log into your computer with an account which has full administrator access. You will know if the account has administrator access because you will be able to see the System Restore tab. If the tab is missing, you are logged in under a limited account.

(Windows XP)
1. Turn off System Restore.
On the Desktop, right-click My Computer.
Click Properties.
Click the System Restore tab.
Check Turn off System Restore.
Click Apply, and then click OK.

2. Reboot.

3. Turn ON System Restore.
On the Desktop, right-click My Computer.
Click Properties.
Click the System Restore tab.
UN-Check *Turn off System Restore*.
Click Apply, and then click OK.

How to Turn On and Turn Off System Restore in Windows XP
http://support.micro...kb;en-us;310405

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Otherwise, unless you have any questions you are all set. Congrats on having a clean log!

Included below are some tips for keeping your computer malware free in the future.

Cheers,
Stamper


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Now that you are clean, please follow these simple steps in order to keep your computer clean and secure:

• Make your Internet Explorer more secure - This can be done by following these simple instructions:
  • From within Internet Explorer click on the Tools menu and then click on Options.
  • Click once on the Security tab
  • Click once on the Internet icon so it becomes highlighted.
  • Click once on the Custom Level button.
    • Change the Download signed ActiveX controls to Prompt
    • Change the Download unsigned ActiveX controls to Disable
    • Change the Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe to Disable
    • Change the Installation of desktop items to Prompt
    • Change the Launching programs and files in an IFRAME to Prompt
    • Change the Navigate sub-frames across different domains to Prompt
    • When all these settings have been made, click on the OK button.
    • If it prompts you as to whether or not you want to save the settings, press the Yes button.
  • Next press the Apply button and then the OK to exit the Internet Properties page.
• Use an AntiVirus Software - It is very important that your computer has an anti-virus software running on your machine. This alone can save you a lot of trouble with malware in the future.
  
  See this link for a listing of some online & their stand-alone antivirus programs:
  
  Virus, Spyware, and Malware Protection and Removal Resources
  
  
• Update your AntiVirus Software - It is imperitive that you update your Antivirus software at least once a week (Even more if you wish). If you do not update your antivirus software then it will not be able to catch any of the new variants that may come out.
  
  
• Use a Firewall - I can not stress how important it is that you use a Firewall on your computer. Without a firewall your computer is succeptible to being hacked and taken over. I am very serious about this and see it happen almost every day with my clients. Simply using a Firewall in its default configuration can lower your risk greatly.
  
  For a tutorial on Firewalls and a listing of some available ones see the link below:
  
  Understanding and Using Firewalls
  
  
• Visit Microsoft's Windows Update Site Frequently - It is important that you visit http://www.windowsupdate.com regularly. This will ensure your computer has always the latest security updates available installed on your computer. If there are new updates to install, install them immediately, reboot your computer, and revisit the site until there are no more critical updates.
  
  
• Install Spybot - Search and Destroy - Install and download Spybot - Search and Destroy with its TeaTimer option. This will provide realtime spyware & hijacker protection on your computer alongside your virus protection. You should also scan your computer with program on a regular basis just as you would an antivirus software.
  
  A tutorial on installing & using this product can be found here:
  
  Using Spybot - Search & Destroy to remove Spyware , Malware, and Hijackers
  
  
• Install Ad-Aware - Install and download Ad-Aware. ou should also scan your computer with program on a regular basis just as you would an antivirus software in conjunction with Spybot.
  
  A tutorial on installing & using this product can be found here:
  
  Using Ad-aware to remove Spyware, Malware, & Hijackers from Your Computer
  
  
• Install SpywareBlaster - SpywareBlaster will added a large list of programs and sites into your Internet Explorer settings that will protect you from running and downloading known malicious programs.
  
  A tutorial on installing & using this product can be found here:
  
  Using SpywareBlaster to protect your computer from Spyware and Malware
  
  
• Update all these programs regularly - Make sure you update all the programs I have listed regularly. Without regular updates you WILL NOT be protected when new malicious programs are released.

Follow this list and your potential for being infected again will reduce dramatically.

here are some additional utilities that will enhance your safety

• IE/Spyad <= IE/Spyad places over 4000 websites and domains in the IE Restricted list which will severely impair attempts to infect your system. It basically prevents any downloads (Cookies etc) from the sites listed, although you will still be able to connect to the sites.
• MVPS Hosts file <= The MVPS Hosts file replaces your current HOSTS file with one containing well know ad sites etc. Basically, this prevents your coputer from connecting to those sites by redirecting them to 127.0.0.1 which is your local computer
• Google Toolbar <= Get the free google toolbar to help stop pop up windows.
• Winpatrol <= Download and install the free version of Winpatrol. a tutorial for this product is located here:
  Using Winpatrol to protect your computer from malicious software

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

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