[Resolved] Virus/Spyware problems

Hello, For weeks I have been trying to recover my PC from the effects of a virus that I downloaded. I had no antivirus software (I know). Anyway, I had a multitude of problems, the first of which was that I could not open any .exe files. I fixed that by using a registry fix that someone emailed me. I also had a "Windows could not find rundll32.exe" error on startup. I copied the file from dllcache into system32 and the error disappeared. But immediately (maybe coincidentally, I don't know) the computer started flipping out. I pulled up the process list to reveal msa.exe, b.exe. I deleted both of these manually and the PC seems to be running ok. Except for a few things which I will get to. Soon after this, I deleted the rundll32 file from system32 thinking that it had something to do with the problems. Now, the problems I'm still having: 1) Any scan tool (Norton, HJT, Malware Bytes, whatever) does not work. Double clicking them results in nothing. I can get Norton to run by uninstalling it then re-installing it and running it upon completion of the reinstall. It scans for about 10 seconds then quits entirely. Same thing for any scan tool. It's like it knows that you are scanning for viruses and says "NO WAY, JOSE~!" 2) On one of my accounts, Firefox does not run. It says "Firefox is already running in the background but is not responding." But it is not present in the task manager. 3) I can not install Internet Explorer, no matter what version. It was damaged from the virus(es) and I wanted to re-install it. 4) After replacing the rundll file to the system32 folder thinking that it would fix the error message like last time, I get another error saying "error loading tapi.nfo." At the end of rope. Please help. Thank you!

Given the lack of basic security onboard, the best suggestion I can offer is to back up any important files and then reformat and reinstall Windows. It is going to be impossible to guarantee a clean computer at the end of the removal process, which makes it something of a waste of my time and yours to start it in the first place. The possibility that legitimate files may have been infected or corrupted by the malware present on your PC, and also that security settings may have been lowered making your computer more liable to infection in the future, means that starting over is the easiest and most reliable solution to your problems. You also need to be aware of the risk of identity theft if you have accessed bank accounts with this computer or shopped online. Keylogging software could have recorded details of these actions and should you lack an effective firewall, this would mean that there was nothing to stop this information being sent home. If this does apply to you, i'd monitor your accounts and perhaps consider getting credit/debit cards, passwords etc… changed - obviously not using this PC! Should you want them, I can provide links to free software that will help keep your PC malware-free in the future.

Thanks very much for the help. It looks like reinstalling Windows is my best bet. Oh well….

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