[JSntgRvr]

I would recommend AVAST.

Let me know when ready.

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Thank you for all of your work on this. I will reply again in the morning and we can wrap things up.

[Don54]

Thank you for all of your work on this. I will reply again in the morning and we can wrap things up.

[Don54]

Good morning, ready to proceed.

[JSntgRvr]

Great. I believe you are set.

Your JAVA is out of date. Remove your current version and download the latest.

Since the tools we used to scan the computer, as well as tools to delete files and folders, are no longer needed, they should be removed, as well as the folders created by these tools.

The following will implement some cleanup procedures as well as reset System Restore points:

• Press the Windows key + R. At the Run command type or copy and paste the following:
  
  

  Combofix /uninstall

Run OTM. Click on the Cleanup button and follow the prompts.

Manually remove any tool left.

Here are some suggestions.

• Always keep your JAVA updated. Older versions will make your computer vulnerable.
  
• Windows Updates - It is very important to make sure that both Internet Explorer and Windows are kept current with the latest critical security patches from Microsoft. To do this just start Internet Explorer and select Tools > Windows Update, and follow the online instructions from there.
  
• ERUNT (Emergency Recovery Utility NT) allows you to keep a complete backup of your registry and restore it when needed. The standard registry backup options that come with Windows back up most of the registry but not all of it. ERUNT however creates a complete backup set, including the Security hive and user related sections. ERUNT is easy to use and since it creates a full backup, there are no options or choices other than to select the location of the backup files. The backup set includes a small executable that will launch the registry restore if needed.

To find out more information about how you got infected in the first place and some great guidelines to follow to prevent future infections you can read this article by Miekiemoes.

Best wishes!

[Don54]

I can't thank you enough, you have been a life saver. I am humbled by your kindness and generosity.

One last question - when I rebooted after running OTM, a message flashed up (before the desktop loaded) stating that my hardrive 'needed to be checked for consistency' - I opted out of the check. Is this something I should pursue? Should I run chkdsk /f at a command prompt?

[JSntgRvr]

Yes. It is recommendable to run chkdsk /f at a command prompt. It will be scheduled to run at the next boot.

[Don54]

Thank you so much. Best wishes to you also!