I'm usually pretty good with removing spyware of most kinds. This one, however, has me stumped. I did a lot of cleaning on this computer already with Spybot Search & Destroy, AVG, Avast, ComboFix, SDFix, SmitfraudFix and ATFCleaner.
I'm still getting random, yet blank pop-ups as soon as I start using IE (before they used to be advertisements).
Every time I do a scan with SDFix or a couple other tools I've used, they always report core.cache.dsk coming back. The full path is:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\core.cache.dsk
Other than this problem of blank pop-ups, everything else on the computer seems fine.
Here's the HJT log:
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Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2
Scan saved at 14:36, on 2008-02-04
Platform: Windows XP SP2 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP2 (6.00.2900.2180)
Boot mode: Normal
Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\Ati2evxx.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgamsvr.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgupsvc.exe
C:\Program Files\Portrait Displays\forteManager\dtsrvc.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\VS7DEBUG\MDM.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\system32\mnmsrvc.exe
C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL$MICROSOFTBCM\Binn\sqlservr.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\Program Files\Analog Devices\Core\smax4pnp.exe
C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_03\bin\jusched.exe
C:\Program Files\CyberLink\PowerDVD\DVDLauncher.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\dla\tfswctrl.exe
C:\Program Files\WinPortrait\wpctrl.exe
C:\Program Files\ScanSoft\OmniPageSE2.0\OpwareSE2.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\UpdateService\issch.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgcc.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
C:\Program Files\AIM6\aim6.exe
C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbarNotifier\1.2.1128.5462\GoogleToolbarNotifier.exe
C:\Program Files\WinPortrait\floater.exe
C:\Program Files\AIM6\aolsoftware.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuauclt.exe
C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe
O2 - BHO: AcroIEHlprObj Class - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Acrobat\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: Spybot-S&D IE Protection - {53707962-6F74-2D53-2644-206D7942484F} - C:\PROGRA~1\SPYBOT~1\SDHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: DriveLetterAccess - {5CA3D70E-1895-11CF-8E15-001234567890} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\dla\tfswshx.dll
O2 - BHO: AcroIEToolbarHelper Class - {AE7CD045-E861-484f-8273-0445EE161910} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Acrobat\AcroIEFavClient.dll
O3 - Toolbar: Adobe PDF - {47833539-D0C5-4125-9FA8-0819E2EAAC93} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Acrobat\AcroIEFavClient.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SoundMAXPnP] C:\Program Files\Analog Devices\Core\smax4pnp.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunJavaUpdateSched] "C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_03\bin\jusched.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ATIPTA] C:\Program Files\ATI Technologies\ATI Control Panel\atiptaxx.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [DVDLauncher] "C:\Program Files\CyberLink\PowerDVD\DVDLauncher.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [dla] C:\WINDOWS\system32\dla\tfswctrl.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [PivotSoftware] "C:\Program Files\WinPortrait\wpctrl.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [OpwareSE2] "C:\Program Files\ScanSoft\OmniPageSE2.0\OpwareSE2.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [OPSE reminder] "C:\Program Files\ScanSoft\OmniPageSE2.0\EregEng\Ereg.exe" -r "C:\Program Files\ScanSoft\OmniPageSE2.0\EregEng\ereg.ini"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Synchronization Manager] %SystemRoot%\system32\mobsync.exe /logon
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ISUSScheduler] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\UpdateService\issch.exe" -start
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ISUSPM Startup] C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\INSTAL~1\UPDATE~1\ISUSPM.exe -startup
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AVG7_CC] C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgcc.exe /STARTUP
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [ctfmon.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [MSMSGS] "C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe" /background
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Aim6] "C:\Program Files\AIM6\aim6.exe" /d locale=en-US ee://aol/imApp
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [swg] C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbarNotifier\1.2.1128.5462\GoogleToolbarNotifier.exe
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-19\..\Run: [AVG7_Run] C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgw.exe /RUNONCE (User 'LOCAL SERVICE')
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-20\..\Run: [AVG7_Run] C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgw.exe /RUNONCE (User 'NETWORK SERVICE')
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-18\..\Run: [AVG7_Run] C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgw.exe /RUNONCE (User 'SYSTEM')
O4 - HKUS\.DEFAULT\..\Run: [AVG7_Run] C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgw.exe /RUNONCE (User 'Default user')
O8 - Extra context menu item: E&xport to Microsoft Excel - res://C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\EXCEL.EXE/3000
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_03\bin\ssv.dll
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Sun Java Console - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_03\bin\ssv.dll
O9 - Extra button: Research - {92780B25-18CC-41C8-B9BE-3C9C571A8263} - C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\REFIEBAR.DLL
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {DFB852A3-47F8-48C4-A200-58CAB36FD2A2} - C:\PROGRA~1\SPYBOT~1\SDHelper.dll
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Spybot - Search & Destroy Configuration - {DFB852A3-47F8-48C4-A200-58CAB36FD2A2} - C:\PROGRA~1\SPYBOT~1\SDHelper.dll
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O17 - HKLM\System\CCS\Services\Tcpip\Parameters: Domain = thegardnernews.local
O17 - HKLM\Software\..\Telephony: DomainName = thegardnernews.local
O17 - HKLM\System\CCS\Services\Tcpip\..\{EEEB40E3-96BD-44D4-8B5E-FCD2E685ECAD}: NameServer = 10.0.80.3
O17 - HKLM\System\CS1\Services\Tcpip\Parameters: Domain = thegardnernews.local
O23 - Service: Ati HotKey Poller - ATI Technologies Inc. - C:\WINDOWS\system32\Ati2evxx.exe
O23 - Service: AVG7 Alert Manager Server (Avg7Alrt) - GRISOFT, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgamsvr.exe
O23 - Service: AVG7 Update Service (Avg7UpdSvc) - GRISOFT, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgupsvc.exe
O23 - Service: Portrait Displays Display Tune Service (DTSRVC) - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\Portrait Displays\forteManager\dtsrvc.exe
O23 - Service: Google Updater Service (gusvc) - Google - C:\Program Files\Google\Common\Google Updater\GoogleUpdaterService.exe
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End of file - 6016 bytes
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Thanks again!