Glad to hear MBAM did the trick. It may be the case that things aren't as rosy as they seem, oftentimes when the problem appears to be gone there is still something lurking under the surface. I'll leave this thread open for a couple days, and if you experience any recurring problems feel free to let me know and we can go on taking care of them. For the moment I'll leave you with some advice about staying clean for the future:
Clean up System Restore (XP)Now to get you off to a good start we will clean your
system restore points so that all the bad stuff is gone for good. Then if you need to restore at some stage you will be clean. There are several ways to reset your restore points, but this is my method:
- Select Start > All Programs > Accessories > System tools > System Restore.
- On the dialogue box that appears select Create a Restore Point
- Click NEXT
- Enter a name e.g. Clean
- Click CREATE
You now have a clean restore point, to get rid of the bad ones:
- Select Start > All Programs > Accessories > System tools > Disk Cleanup.
- In the Drop down box that appears select your main drive e.g. C
- Click OK
- The System will do some calculation and the display a dialogue box with TABS
- Select the More Options Tab.
- At the bottom will be a system restore box with a CLEANUP button click this
- Accept the Warning and select OK again, the program will close and you are done
Here are some tips to reduce the potential for malware infection in the future; I strongly that you read them and take them to heart so that you don't have to endure the process of cleaning your computer again.
Make proper use of your antivirus and firewallAntivirus and Firewall programs are integral to your computer security. However, just having them installed isn't enough. The definitions of these programs are frequently updated to detect the latest malware, and if you don't keep up with these updates then you'll be vulnerable to infection. Many antivirus and firewall programs have automatic update features, make use of those if you can. If your program doesn't, then get in the habit of routinely performing manual updates, because it's important.
You should keep your antivirus 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 antivirus program is a good idea to make sure nothing has slipped through your protection. Once a week 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.
If you don't have a firewall, here are some excellent free options you can test out:
Comodo,
Outpost, and
ZoneAlarm. I'd highly recommend that you install one of those. If you do decide to use a 3rd party firewall program, please be sure to disable the Windows firewall as per these instructions so they don't conflict:
- Please click on Start -> Control Panel
- Double click Windows Firewall
- Click Change Settings
- Choose Off to disable Windows Firewall.
Finally, for a great tutorial on how to get the best protection out of your firewall, visit
this link.
Use a safer web browserInternet 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 Firefox, a couple add-ons that will nicely help to enhance your security are:
McAfee SiteAdvisor: A great firefox add-on that puts McAfee's database of tested sites at your fingertips so you can know whether or not that link you're about to click is safe.
NoScript - This add-on helps to block malicious scripts and in general gives you much better control over what types of things webpages can do to your computer while you're browsing.
Be carefulHaving 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 and look at the file extensions to make sure that you know what you're getting. Using peer-to-peer file sharing programs or downloading cracks and keygens is something else to avoid - the files you will be downloading are infected in a vast majority of cases, and the benefits simply aren't worth the risk to your computer.
Keep up on Windows updatesAlong with keeping all of the security programs that you choose to use updated, it is also important to keep up on system updates from Microsoft, as these patch critical security vulnerabilities and help to keep you safe. Typically the windows update icon will appear in your taskbar when new updates are available, whenever you see it you should open the menu up and install the updates that are available. Although it may be an annoyance, that little bit of extra time it takes to stay updated is very well worth it instead of getting infected from an exploit and having to clean your PC again.
Slow computer?If your computer begins to slow down again in the future for no particular reason, your first step should not be to come back to the malware forum. As your computer ages and is used, its 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.
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,
Dave
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