[Gammo]

Hi,

Your logs appear to be clean now. There is only a bit of cleanup that we will deal with in this post, as well as prevention from future infections. ^_^

Remove Combofix now that we're done with it.

• Please press the Windows Key and R on your keyboard. This will bring up the Run... command.
• Now type in Combofix /Uninstall in the runbox and click OK. (Notice the space between the "x" and "/")
  
• Please follow the prompts to uninstall Combofix.
• You will then recieve a message saying Combofix was uninstalled successfully once it's done uninstalling itself.

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• Download OTC to your desktop and run it
• A list of tool components used in the Cleanup of malware will be downloaded.
• If your Firewall or Real Time protection attempts to block OTC to reach the Internet, please allow the application to do so.
• Click Yes to begin the Cleanup process and remove these components, including this application.
• You will be asked to reboot the machine to finish the Cleanup process. If you are asked to reboot the machine choose Yes.

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Keep a backup of your important files
Now, more than ever, it's especially important to protect your digital files and memories. This article is full of good information on alternatives for home backup solutions.

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Make proper use of your anti-virus and firewall
You should keep your anti-virus and firewall guard enabled at all times, don't shut them off unless there's a specific reason to do so.

Also, regularly performing a full system scan with your anti-virus program is a good idea to make sure nothing has slipped through your protection. Once every two weeks works well for many people. You can set the scan to run during a time when you don't plan to use the computer and just leave it to complete on its own.

Keep in mind that anti-virus programs are far from perfect. They don't protect you against every piece of malware that's out there, so don't trust them blindly. If an anti-virus reports a file as 'clean' then it's doesn't necessarily has to mean it is.

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Keep all your software updated
It is important to keep up on system updates from Microsoft by regularly checking their website at: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/, as these patch critical security vulnerabilities and help to keep you safe.

It's also important to keep programs up to date so that malware doesn't exploit any old security flaws. FileHippo Update Checker is an extremely helpful program that will tell you which of your programs need to be updated. Java and Adobe Reader are two of the main security vulnerabilities. You can find the latest version of Java here, you will want the Java SE Runtime Environment (JRE) one. You can find the latest version of Adobe Reader here.

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Use a safer web browser
Internet Explorer is not the most secure tool for browsing the web. It has been known to be very susceptible to infection, and there are a couple good free alternatives: Firefox and Opera. Both are excellent faster, safer, more powerful and functional free alternatives to Internet Explorer. It's definitely worth the short period of adjustment to start using one of these. If you wish to continue using Internet Explorer, it would be a good idea to follow the tutorial here which will help you to make IE much safer.

If you decide to use the Firefox browser, the McAfee SiteAdvisor add-on will nicely help to enhance your security. This add-on tells you whether the sites you are about to visit are safe or not. A must if you do a lot of Googling.

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Some other security programs

It is wise these days to have a few security programs installed and running on your machine except from just an anti-virus and a firewall. I will list some of them.

• A good anti-spyware program installed on your pc is very important to help remove any spyware that may have gotten on your computer. I highly recommend Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware.
• SpywareBlaster to help prevent spyware from installing in the first place.
• MVPS Hosts file replaces your current HOSTS file with one containing well known ad sites and other bad sites. This prevents your computer from connecting to those sites in the future.

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Be careful
Having security programs installed is very helpful to you, but none of them have the gift of human thought. The best way to make sure you don't get infected is to exercise common sense. Be careful of what websites you visit - if a site looks suspicious, trust your instincts and get out of there. Be careful of what attachments you open in emails and files you download from websites - check them over carefully to make sure that you know what you're getting.

Using peer-to-peer programs (eg: LimeWire, BitTorrent, uTorrent, Kazaa) or downloading cracks and keygens is something else to avoid. These are the most common way to get infected. Malware writers use these programs to spread infections as it is the easiest way for them. The majority of infections we see in the Malware Removal forum are due to people using p2p programs to download cracks/keygens/warez. These are not only illegal, but will always contain some form of malware. You have no way of verifying that the things you download are legitimate or that they don't contain malware. Even with an up to date anti-virus and firewall, some of these things will still infect you. It is highly recommend that you uninstall all peer-to-peer programs. It just isn't worth it.

Other common ways of getting infected are dis-reputable sites forcing you to download and install a codec. Or viruses using Instant Messaging programs (Windows Live Messenger, MSN Messenger, AIM) to send a file claiming it to be "photos" from a friend, only for it to turn out to be a virus.

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Slow computer?
If your computer begins to slow down in the future for no particular reason, your first step should not be to come to the malware forum. As your computer ages and is used, it's parts wear, files and programs accumulate, and its performance can decrease. To restore your computer's performance to its best possible level, follow the steps in this page written by malware expert Miekiemoes.

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I'll leave this thread open for a couple days in case you come across any lingering problems that need fixing, then I'll close it up. If you need it reopened for any reason just shoot me a PM. It's been a pleasure working with you, now best of luck!

Cheers,
Gammo