[Resolved] Wierd things are happening

Set a New Restore Point to prevent possible reinfection from an old one. Some of the malware you picked up could have been saved in System Restore. Since System Restore is a protected directory, your tools can not access it to delete these bad files which sometimes can reinfect your system. Setting a new restore point AFTER cleaning your system will help prevent this and enable your computer to "roll-back" to a clean working state.

The easiest and safest way to do this is:

1. Create a new Restore Point

• Click on the Start button to open your Start Menu.
• Click on the Control Panel menu option.
• Click on the System and Maintenance menu option.
• Click on the System menu option.
• Click on System Protection in the left-hand task list.
• Create the manual restore point you should click on the Create button. When you press this button a prompt will appear asking you to provide a title for this manual restore point.
• Type in a title for the manual restore point and press the Create button.
• Close the System window after you have been advised that the procedure has been successfully completed.

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2. Clear your existing system restore points except for the new clean restore point you just created:

• Go to Start > Run and type in cleanmgr
• Select the More options tab
• Next to System Restore click Clean up
• This will remove all restore points except the new one you just created.

Here are some tips to reduce the potential for spyware infection in the future:

1. Make your Internet Explorer more secure - This can be done by following these simple instructions:

• From within Internet Explorer click on the Tools menu and then click on Options.
• Click once on the Security tab
• Click once on the Internet icon so it becomes highlighted.
• Click once on the Custom Level button.
• Change the Download signed ActiveX controls to Prompt
• Change the Download unsigned ActiveX controls to Disable
• Change the Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe to Disable
• Change the Installation of desktop items to Prompt
• Change the Launching programs and files in an IFRAME to Prompt
• Change the Navigate sub-frames across different domains to Prompt
• When all these settings have been made, click on the OK button.
• If it prompts you as to whether or not you want to save the settings, press the Yes button.
• Next press the Apply button and then the OK to exit the Internet Properties page.

2. Use and Update an Anti-Virus Software - I can not overemphasize the need for you to use and update your Anti-virus application on a regular basis. With the ever increasing number of new variants of malware arriving on the scene daily, you become very susceptible to an attack without updated protection.

3. Firewall
Using a third-party firewall will allow you to give/deny access for applications that want to go online. Without a firewall your computer is susceptible to being hacked and taken over. Simply using a Firewall in its default configuration can lower your risk greatly. A tutorial on Firewalls and a listing of some available ones can be found here

Do not install more than one firewall program because they will conflict with each other

4. Make sure you keep your Windows OS current by using Windows Update regularly to download and install any critical updates and service packs. Without these you are leaving the back door open.

5. Consider a custom hosts file such as MVPS HOSTS. This custom hosts file effectively blocks a wide range of unwanted ads, banners, 3rd party Cookies, 3rd party page counters, web bugs, and many hijackers.
For information on how to download and install, please read this tutorial by WinHelp2002
Note: Be sure to follow the instructions to disable the DNS Client service before installing a custom hosts file.
Important! Windows Vista requires special instructions for a custom Hosts file. Please see here

6. Download and install the free version of WinPatrol. This program protects your computer in a variety of ways and will work well with your existing security software. Have a look at this tutorial to help you get started with the program.

7. Protect your computer from internet threats with SandboxIE. This program isolates Internet Explorer from the rest of your operating system, 'sandboxing' it away - so malicious websites can't do damage to the rest of your system. There is a Getting Started guide on their website.

8. Finally, I strongly recommend that you read Miekiemoses' good advice - How to prevent Malware

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