[Hatch21]

Okay, I am admittedly not very computer smart. I know just enough to get by and rely on the products I buy to guide and protect me. I have an older HP computer (?2003?) with lots of updated features including Norton 360, which was running fine. The computer is hardwired to the internet via ethernet (not remote or wireless). Yesterday, around 5pm I was using the internet and the Norton box popped up and said a virus was detected and needed to be removed. It looked like the real deal Norton program (not like those tricky Spyware popups). It said the virus was removed and I needed to restart. There was a box labelled, "reboot." I clicked it and things went bad. The computer seemed to restart fine, but I noticed the desktop looked different. The toolbars were all different and the Norton 360 program was GONE. Nowhere to be found. Just an empty icon. Seems too coincidental to be a hardware malfunction. Now I can't connect to the internet. I called my cable company and they said my connection is fine. I called my computer company and they said it sounds like my ethernet card is shot, but they wouldn't help anymore b/c the machine is out of warranty. So is my computer shot? Does it sound like a virus? Seems too coincidental and temporaly related to the mysterious Norton 360 "virus removal" episode. Any ideas or suggestions would be most appreciated. Thanks.

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Hatch21,

I assume you have access to another computer since Ýou were able to post. You'll need to download the tools from the link below on that computer and transfer them to your other one. It does seem entirely too coincidental, and a disabled (or missing) AV and altered desktops are common signs of infection.


Please go to the malware forum and follow the instructions at the top....Especially the CLICK HERE.

That will give you several steps that will help you clean up 70 percent of all problems by yourself. If at the end of the process you are still having difficulty--and you may not be-- then post a hijackthis log in THAT forum.

[sari]

Hatch21,

I assume you have access to another computer since Ýou were able to post. You'll need to download the tools from the link below on that computer and transfer them to your other one. It does seem entirely too coincidental, and a disabled (or missing) AV and altered desktops are common signs of infection.


Please go to the malware forum and follow the instructions at the top....Especially the CLICK HERE.

That will give you several steps that will help you clean up 70 percent of all problems by yourself. If at the end of the process you are still having difficulty--and you may not be-- then post a hijackthis log in THAT forum.

[Hatch21]

Thanks, I'll give it a try when I get home from work!!

[sari]

Good luck.

[Hatch21]

I read up on the Malware removal stuff and downloaded the programs to take home to my broken PC. However, step 2 is to "run the antivirus program on my computer." Remember, this seems to have been removed when things went bad. I can't run Norton 360 in my current state. I don't have the disc to reload it b/c I purchased it online and just downloaded everything. Also, Step 3 is to download all the most current Windows updates, but I can't get online to do so. I think my computer is set for automatic updates, so will it be updated enough to try this removal jazz at home?
Thanks.

ck

[sari]

Hatch21,

We recognize you can't do all of these things. I would definitely run MBAM, although you won't be able to get updates for it, and provide a log of that and OTListIt. Just be sure to mention that you couldn't run everything because you don't have internet access.