[Buddierdl]

Hi stratec,

I just wanted to let you know that I'm really busy today, but I'll answer your question and finish up with some final instructions for you tomorrow.

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What do you think happened to me?

The only thing that was showing in your logs was a nasty browser hijacker called searchqu toolbar. We got rid of that right away with adwCleaner. I think that the main infection that started your problems was probably from that download you mentioned, but was removed when you did a system restore. However, it left your IE crippled and corrupted, which was what took us so long to fix.

Congratulations, stratec . Your computer now appears to be clean. Please complete the followings steps to finalize the cleaning process.

Clean up OTL:

• Open OTL and select the "CleanUp" button.
• Allow the computer to reboot.

Delete possibly infected restore points. Your computer may have saved a restore point while it was infected, so we need to delete the old restore points and create a new, clean one.
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.

• 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.
• Reboot.

• 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.

Ensure that Windows is always updated. Keeping Windows updated is very important to prevent security vulnerabilities. I recommend turning on automatic updates following the instructions below:

• First, click on Start and click on Control Panel.
• Double-click on Automatic Updates to bring up the configuration dialog. If you're in Category view, you'll have to click on Security Center.
• Select the Automatic (recommended) option and click on OK at the bottom of the window.

Always ensure that your firewall and anti-virus program are updated and running. These are your first line of defense against infection.

Make sure that you keep all of your programs updated. Out-of-date programs can make your computer more vulnerable to infection. Software manufacturers release updates to fix security problems as they are discovered. Secunia Personal Software Inspector, free to download here, is a good program that will scan your computer looking for programs that need to be updated.

This article has good information about how computers get infected. You can read it for good tips on staying clean and safe.

[Buddierdl]

What do you think happened to me?

The only thing that was showing in your logs was a nasty browser hijacker called searchqu toolbar. We got rid of that right away with adwCleaner. I think that the main infection that started your problems was probably from that download you mentioned, but was removed when you did a system restore. However, it left your IE crippled and corrupted, which was what took us so long to fix.

Congratulations, stratec . Your computer now appears to be clean. Please complete the followings steps to finalize the cleaning process.

Clean up OTL:

• Open OTL and select the "CleanUp" button.
• Allow the computer to reboot.

Delete possibly infected restore points. Your computer may have saved a restore point while it was infected, so we need to delete the old restore points and create a new, clean one.
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.

• 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.
• Reboot.

• 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.

Ensure that Windows is always updated. Keeping Windows updated is very important to prevent security vulnerabilities. I recommend turning on automatic updates following the instructions below:

• First, click on Start and click on Control Panel.
• Double-click on Automatic Updates to bring up the configuration dialog. If you're in Category view, you'll have to click on Security Center.
• Select the Automatic (recommended) option and click on OK at the bottom of the window.

Always ensure that your firewall and anti-virus program are updated and running. These are your first line of defense against infection.

Make sure that you keep all of your programs updated. Out-of-date programs can make your computer more vulnerable to infection. Software manufacturers release updates to fix security problems as they are discovered. Secunia Personal Software Inspector, free to download here, is a good program that will scan your computer looking for programs that need to be updated.

This article has good information about how computers get infected. You can read it for good tips on staying clean and safe.

[Essexboy]

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.

Everyone else please begin a New Topic.