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Spyware / Malware / Virus Removal

[Resolved] Slow startup

11 min read

This thread's last reply is from . Advice, software, and links below may be out of date — treat specific steps and download links with caution.

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Post #1
Dell Dimension 4600, 1 G RAM, Windows XP Home version. MCafee Virus and firewall package. Etc…..
Slowing down on start up, can do anything for about 1 minute.
Here is my Hijack this log.
Thank you in advance, you have helped me more than once already.
Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2
Scan saved at 5:57:19 PM, on 9/30/2009
Platform: Windows XP SP3 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v8.00 (8.00.6001.18702)
Boot mode: Normal

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\bin\AppleMobileDeviceService.exe
C:\Program Files\Bonjour\mDNSResponder.exe
C:\Program Files\Executive Software\Diskeeper\DkService.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\Program Files\Google\Update\1.2.183.7\GoogleCrashHandler.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\imapi.exe
C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jqs.exe
C:\Program Files\McAfee\SiteAdvisor\McSACore.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\McAfee\MSC\mcmscsvc.exe
c:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\mcafee\mna\mcnasvc.exe
c:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\mcafee\mcproxy\mcproxy.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\McAfee\VIRUSS~1\mcshield.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\VS7DEBUG\MDM.EXE
c:\PROGRA~1\mcafee.com\agent\mcagent.exe
C:\Program Files\McAfee\MPF\MPFSrv.exe
C:\WINDOWS\BCMSMMSG.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\DSentry.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Yahoo!\browser\ybrwicon.exe
C:\Program Files\ScanSoft\OmniPageSE4\OpwareSE4.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\nvsvc32.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Yahoo!\browser\ycommon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\Program Files\Viewpoint\Common\ViewpointService.exe
C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunesHelper.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\MsPMSPSv.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbarNotifier\GoogleToolbarNotifier.exe
C:\Program Files\DNA\btdna.exe
C:\Program Files\Logitech\Desktop Messenger\8876480\Program\LogitechDesktopMessenger.exe
C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Yahoo! Music Jukebox\ymetray.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuauclt.exe
C:\Program Files\iPod\bin\iPodService.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\McAfee\VIRUSS~1\mcsysmon.exe
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe
C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe

R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://att.yahoo.com/
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Search_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157
R3 - URLSearchHook: Yahoo! Toolbar - {EF99BD32-C1FB-11D2-892F-0090271D4F88} - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Companion\Installs\cpn3\yt.dll
O2 - BHO: Yahoo! Toolbar Helper - {02478D38-C3F9-4EFB-9B51-7695ECA05670} - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Companion\Installs\cpn3\yt.dll
O2 - BHO: Adobe PDF Reader Link Helper - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: Yahoo! IE Services Button - {5BAB4B5B-68BC-4B02-94D6-2FC0DE4A7897} - C:\PROGRA~1\Yahoo!\Common\yiesrvc.dll
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {5C255C8A-E604-49b4-9D64-90988571CECB} - (no file)
O2 - BHO: scriptproxy - {7DB2D5A0-7241-4E79-B68D-6309F01C5231} - C:\Program Files\McAfee\VirusScan\scriptsn.dll
O2 - BHO: Windows Live Sign-in Helper - {9030D464-4C02-4ABF-8ECC-5164760863C6} - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Windows Live\WindowsLiveLogin.dll
O2 - BHO: Google Toolbar Helper - {AA58ED58-01DD-4d91-8333-CF10577473F7} - C:\Program Files\Google\Google Toolbar\GoogleToolbar_32.dll
O2 - BHO: Google Toolbar Notifier BHO - {AF69DE43-7D58-4638-B6FA-CE66B5AD205D} - C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbarNotifier\5.2.4204.1700\swg.dll
O2 - BHO: McAfee SiteAdvisor BHO - {B164E929-A1B6-4A06-B104-2CD0E90A88FF} - c:\PROGRA~1\mcafee\SITEAD~1\mcieplg.dll
O2 - BHO: Google Dictionary Compression sdch - {C84D72FE-E17D-4195-BB24-76C02E2E7C4E} - C:\Program Files\Google\Google Toolbar\Component\fastsearch_B7C5AC242193BB3E.dll
O2 - BHO: JQSIEStartDetectorImpl - {E7E6F031-17CE-4C07-BC86-EABFE594F69C} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\lib\deploy\jqs\ie\jqs_plugin.dll
O2 - BHO: SidebarAutoLaunch Class - {F2AA9440-6328-4933-B7C9-A6CCDF9CBF6D} - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\browser\YSidebarIEBHO.dll
O3 - Toolbar: Yahoo! Toolbar - {EF99BD32-C1FB-11D2-892F-0090271D4F88} - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Companion\Installs\cpn3\yt.dll
O3 - Toolbar: (no name) - {DE9C389F-3316-41A7-809B-AA305ED9D922} - (no file)
O3 - Toolbar: McAfee SiteAdvisor Toolbar - {0EBBBE48-BAD4-4B4C-8E5A-516ABECAE064} - c:\PROGRA~1\mcafee\SITEAD~1\mcieplg.dll
O3 - Toolbar: Google Toolbar - {2318C2B1-4965-11d4-9B18-009027A5CD4F} - C:\Program Files\Google\Google Toolbar\GoogleToolbar_32.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvCplDaemon] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\system32\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [BCMSMMSG] BCMSMMSG.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [DVDSentry] C:\WINDOWS\System32\DSentry.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [YBrowser] C:\PROGRA~1\Yahoo!\browser\ybrwicon.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Name of App] C:\Program Files\SAMSUNG\FW LiveUpdate\FWManager.exe r
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SSBkgdUpdate] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Scansoft Shared\SSBkgdUpdate\SSBkgdupdate.exe" -Embedding -boot
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [OpwareSE4] "C:\Program Files\ScanSoft\OmniPageSE4\OpwareSE4.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Google Desktop Search] "C:\Program Files\Google\Google Desktop Search\GoogleDesktop.exe" /startup
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AppleSyncNotifier] C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\bin\AppleSyncNotifier.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [mcagent_exe] "C:\Program Files\McAfee.com\Agent\mcagent.exe" /runkey
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [McENUI] C:\PROGRA~1\McAfee\MHN\McENUI.exe /hide
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NeroFilterCheck] C:\Program Files\Common Files\Ahead\Lib\NeroCheck.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [nwiz] nwiz.exe /install
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QuickTime Task] "C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe" -atboottime
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [iTunesHelper] "C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunesHelper.exe"
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [ctfmon.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [swg] "C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbarNotifier\GoogleToolbarNotifier.exe"
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [BitTorrent DNA] "C:\Program Files\DNA\btdna.exe"
O4 - Global Startup: Adobe Gamma Loader.lnk = C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Calibration\Adobe Gamma Loader.exe
O4 - Global Startup: Adobe Reader Speed Launch.lnk = C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Reader\reader_sl.exe
O4 - Global Startup: Logitech Desktop Messenger.lnk = C:\Program Files\Logitech\Desktop Messenger\8876480\Program\LogitechDesktopMessenger.exe
O4 - Global Startup: Microsoft Office.lnk = C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\OSA.EXE
O4 - Global Startup: ymetray.lnk = C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Yahoo! Music Jukebox\ymetray.exe
O8 - Extra context menu item: E&xport to Microsoft Excel - res://C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~3\Office10\EXCEL.EXE/3000
O9 - Extra button: AT&T Yahoo! Services - {5BAB4B5B-68BC-4B02-94D6-2FC0DE4A7897} - C:\PROGRA~1\Yahoo!\Common\yiesrvc.dll
O9 - Extra button: Research - {92780B25-18CC-41C8-B9BE-3C9C571A8263} - C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~3\Office12\REFIEBAR.DLL
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {CD67F990-D8E9-11d2-98FE-00C0F0318AFE} - (no file)
O9 - Extra button: Run IMVU - {d9288080-1baa-4bc4-9cf8-a92d743db949} - C:\Documents and Settings\Stephanie\Start Menu\Programs\IMVU\Run IMVU.lnk (file missing)
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - C:\WINDOWS\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: @xpsp3res.dll,-20001 - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - C:\WINDOWS\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O15 - Trusted Zone: http://print.coupons.com
O16 - DPF: {30528230-99f7-4bb4-88d8-fa1d4f56a2ab} (Installation Support) - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Common\Yinsthelper20073151.dll
O16 - DPF: {B8BE5E93-A60C-4D26-A2DC-220313175592} (MSN Games - Installer) - http://cdn2.zone.msn.com/binFramework/v10/…ro.cab56649.cab
O18 - Protocol: bwfile-8876480 - {9462A756-7B47-47BC-8C80-C34B9B80B32B} - C:\Program Files\Logitech\Desktop Messenger\8876480\Program\GAPlugProtocol-8876480.dll
O18 - Protocol: sacore - {5513F07E-936B-4E52-9B00-067394E91CC5} - c:\PROGRA~1\mcafee\SITEAD~1\mcieplg.dll
O20 - AppInit_DLLs: C:\PROGRA~1\Google\GOOGLE~1\GOEC62~1.DLL
O23 - Service: Apple Mobile Device - Apple Inc. - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\bin\AppleMobileDeviceService.exe
O23 - Service: Bonjour Service - Apple Inc. - C:\Program Files\Bonjour\mDNSResponder.exe
O23 - Service: Diskeeper - Executive Software International, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Executive Software\Diskeeper\DkService.exe
O23 - Service: DSBrokerService - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\DellSupport\brkrsvc.exe
O23 - Service: Google Desktop Manager 5.7.806.10245 (GoogleDesktopManager-061008-081103) - Google - C:\Program Files\Google\Google Desktop Search\GoogleDesktop.exe
O23 - Service: Google Update Service (gupdate1c99e092afceb84) (gupdate1c99e092afceb84) - Google Inc. - C:\Program Files\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe
O23 - Service: Google Software Updater (gusvc) - Google - C:\Program Files\Google\Common\Google Updater\GoogleUpdaterService.exe
O23 - Service: iPod Service - Apple Inc. - C:\Program Files\iPod\bin\iPodService.exe
O23 - Service: Java Quick Starter (JavaQuickStarterService) - Sun Microsystems, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jqs.exe
O23 - Service: McAfee SiteAdvisor Service - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\McAfee\SiteAdvisor\McSACore.exe
O23 - Service: McAfee Services (mcmscsvc) - McAfee, Inc. - C:\PROGRA~1\McAfee\MSC\mcmscsvc.exe
O23 - Service: McAfee Network Agent (McNASvc) - McAfee, Inc. - c:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\mcafee\mna\mcnasvc.exe
O23 - Service: McAfee Scanner (McODS) - McAfee, Inc. - C:\PROGRA~1\McAfee\VIRUSS~1\mcods.exe
O23 - Service: McAfee Proxy Service (McProxy) - McAfee, Inc. - c:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\mcafee\mcproxy\mcproxy.exe
O23 - Service: McAfee Real-time Scanner (McShield) - McAfee, Inc. - C:\PROGRA~1\McAfee\VIRUSS~1\mcshield.exe
O23 - Service: McAfee SystemGuards (McSysmon) - McAfee, Inc. - C:\PROGRA~1\McAfee\VIRUSS~1\mcsysmon.exe
O23 - Service: McAfee Personal Firewall Service (MpfService) - McAfee, Inc. - C:\Program Files\McAfee\MPF\MPFSrv.exe
O23 - Service: NBService - Nero AG - C:\Program Files\Nero\Nero 7\Nero BackItUp\NBService.exe
O23 - Service: Intel NCS NetService (NetSvc) - Intel® Corporation - C:\Program Files\Intel\NCS\Sync\NetSvc.exe
O23 - Service: NMIndexingService - Nero AG - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Ahead\Lib\NMIndexingService.exe
O23 - Service: NVIDIA Driver Helper Service (NVSvc) - NVIDIA Corporation - C:\WINDOWS\system32\nvsvc32.exe
O23 - Service: Viewpoint Manager Service - Viewpoint Corporation - C:\Program Files\Viewpoint\Common\ViewpointService.exe

–
End of file - 11159 bytes
Post #2
Hi,

Please do the following:

Please download DDS from either of these links

LINK 1
LINK 2

and save it to your desktop.
  • Disable any script blocking protection
  • Double click dds.pif to run the tool.
  • When done, two DDS.txt's will open.
  • Save both reports to your desktop.
—————————————————
Please include the contents of the following in your next reply:

DDS.txt
Attach.txt.


NEXT


[external image: Posted Image]
Download GMER Rootkit Scanner from here or here.
  • Extract the contents of the zipped file to desktop.
  • Double click GMER.exe. If asked to allow gmer.sys driver to load, please consent .
  • If it gives you a warning about rootkit activity and asks if you want to run scan…click on NO.

    [external image: Posted Image]
    Click the image to enlarge it
  • In the right panel, you will see several boxes that have been checked. Uncheck the following …
    • Sections
    • IAT/EAT
    • Drives/Partition other than Systemdrive (typically C:\)
    • Show All (don't miss this one)
  • Then click the Scan button & wait for it to finish.
  • Once done click on the [Save..] button, and in the File name area, type in "Gmer.txt" or it will save as a .log file which cannot be uploaded to your post.
  • Save it where you can easily find it, such as your desktop, and post it in your next reply.

**Caution**
Rootkit scans often produce false positives. Do NOT take any action on any "<— ROOKIT" entries
Post #4
Hi,

Please do the following:

Download ComboFix from one of the following locations:
Link 1
Link 2

VERY IMPORTANT !!! Save ComboFix.exe to your Desktop

* IMPORTANT - Disable your AntiVirus and AntiSpyware applications, usually via a right click on the System Tray icon. They may otherwise interfere with our tools. If you have difficulty properly disabling your protective programs, refer to this link here
  • Double click on ComboFix.exe & follow the prompts.
As part of it's process, ComboFix will check to see if the Microsoft Windows Recovery Console is installed. With malware infections being as they are today, it's strongly recommended to have this pre-installed on your machine before doing any malware removal. It will allow you to boot up into a special recovery/repair mode that will allow us to more easily help you should your computer have a problem after an attempted removal of malware.

  • Follow the prompts to allow ComboFix to download and install the Microsoft Windows Recovery Console, and when prompted, agree to the End-User License Agreement to install the Microsoft Windows Recovery Console.
**Please note: If the Microsoft Windows Recovery Console is already installed, ComboFix will continue it's malware removal procedures.

[external image: Posted Image]

  • Once the Microsoft Windows Recovery Console is installed using ComboFix, you should see the following message:

[external image: Posted Image]

  • Click on Yes, to continue scanning for malware.
When finished, it shall produce a log for you. Please include the C:\ComboFix.txt in your next reply.
Notes:
1. Do not mouse-click Combofix's window while it is running. That may cause it to stall.
2. Do not "re-run" Combofix. If you have a problem, reply back for further instructions.


Please make sure you include the combo fix log in your next reply as well as describe how your computer is running now
Post #5
Dont notice a significant difference in startup time. What were you looking for? Was it anything specific or wereyou looking for anything in general that may cause the delay? Here is the ComboFix.txt 📎ComboFix.txt I there a scan that McAfee or some Windows device that runs during startup that takes a while? Thank You
Post #6 last edited
Hi,

Please do the following:

  • Very Important! Temporarily disable your anti-virus, script blocking and any anti-malware real-time protection before following the steps below.
  • They can interfere with ComboFix or remove some of its embedded files which may cause "unpredictable results".
Copy/paste the text inside the Codebox below into notepad:

Here's how to do that:
Click Start > Run type Notepad click OK.
This will open an empty notepad file:

Copy all the text inside of the code box - Press Ctrl+C (or right click on the highlighted section and choose 'copy')

File::
c:\docume~1\GRINGA~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\gtermddo.sys

Driver::
gtermddo

DDS::
Trusted Zone: coupons.com\print
Trusted Zone: taxactonline.com\www
Trusted Zone: musicmatch.com\online

Now paste the copied text into the open notepad - press CTRL+V (or right click and choose 'paste')

Save this file to your desktop, Save this as "CFScript"

Here's how to do that:

1.Click File;
2.Click Save As… Change the directory to your desktop;
3.Change the Save as type to "All Files";
4.Type in the file name: CFScript
5.Click Save …

[external image: Posted Image]

  • Referring to the screenshot above, drag CFScript.txt into ComboFix.exe.
  • ComboFix will now run a scan on your system. It may reboot your system when it finishes. This is normal.
  • When finished, it shall produce a log for you.
  • Copy and paste the contents of the log in your next reply.

CAUTION: Do not mouse-click ComboFix's window while it is running. That may cause it to stall.


NEXT

Please download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware from Here or Here

Double Click mbam-setup.exe to install the application.
  • Make sure a checkmark is placed next to Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, then click Finish.
  • If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
  • Once the program has loaded, select "Perform Quick Scan", then click Scan.
  • The scan may take some time to finish,so please be patient.
  • When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
  • Make sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected.
  • When disinfection is completed, a log will open in Notepad and you may be prompted to Restart.(See Extra Note)
  • The log is automatically saved by MBAM and can be viewed by clicking the Logs tab in MBAM.
  • Copy&Paste the entire report in your next reply.
Extra Note:
If MBAM encounters a file that is difficult to remove,you will be presented with 1 of 2 prompts,click OK to either and let MBAM proceed with the disinfection process,if asked to restart the computer, please do so.

NEXT
It's important to run this online scan to search for any remnants. It can take some time, so please be patient and allow it to run it's full course:

Using Internet Explorer or Firefox, visit Kaspersky Online Scanner:
1. Click Accept, when prompted to download and install the program files and database of malware definitions.
2. To optimize scanning time and produce a more sensible report for review:
  • Close any open programs
  • Turn off the real time scanner of any existing antivirus program while performing the online scan
3. Click Run at the Security prompt. The program will then begin downloading and installing and will also update the database. Please be patient as this can take several minutes.
  • Once the update is complete, click on My Computer under the green Scan bar to the left to start the scan.
  • Once the scan is complete, it will display if your system has been infected. It does not provide an option to clean/disinfect. We only require a report from it.
  • Do NOT be alarmed by what you see in the report. Many of the finds have likely been quarantined.
  • Click View scan report at the bottom.
    [external image: Posted Image]
  • Click the Save as Text button to save the file to your desktop so that you may post it in your next reply

Note: there are items in your startup folder that don't need to start automatically, they can be removed and started manually when you need them, but we can deal with that once all the malware has been removed
Post #9
📎DDS.txt 📎Attach.txt Heres the latest, I timesd it - it takes 2 minutes from the time my desktop appears until the hourglass goes away. It still seems like its too long, the disc is definitely engaged in something the whole time. Maybe I'm impatient?
Post #10
Hi,


You are clean of malware,

You may experience slow boot up because of the programs you have running at start-up, you have McAfee installed, that program takes a long time to boot.

You may wish to try StartupLite. Simply download this tool to your desktop and run it. It will explain any optional auto-start programs on your system, and offer the option to stop these programs from starting at startup. This will result in fewer programs running when you boot your system, and should improve performance.

If that does not work, you can try the steps mentioned in Slow Computer/browser? Check Here First; It May Not Be Malware.


Now we have some housekeeping to do:


Please do the following:

Visit ADOBEand download the latest version of Acrobat Reader (version 9.1)
Having the latest updates ensures there are no security vulnerabilities in your system.


NEXT


Please download JavaRa to your desktop and unzip it to its own folder.
  • Run JavaRa.exe, pick the language of your choice and click Select. Then click Remove Older Versions
  • Accept any prompts.
  • Open JavaRa.exe again and select Search For Updates.
  • Select Update Using Sun Java's Website then click Search and click on the Open Webpage button.
  • Scroll down to the Java SE Runtime Environment (JRE) option.
  • Download and install the latest Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version for your computer.(version 6, update 16)


NEXT

Follow these steps to uninstall Combofix

  • Click START then RUN
  • Now type Combofix /u in the runbox and click OK. Note the space between the ..X and the /U, it needs to be there.

[external image: Posted Image]


NEXT

Now to remove the rest of the tools that we have used in fixing your machine:
  • Make sure you have an Internet Connection.
  • Download OTC to your desktop and run it
  • A list of tool components used in the Cleanup of malware will be downloaded.
  • If your Firewall or Real Time protection attempts to block OTC to reach the Internet, please allow the application to do so.
  • Click Yes to begin the Cleanup process and remove these components, including this application.
  • You will be asked to reboot the machine to finish the Cleanup process. If you are asked to reboot the machine choose Yes.


NEXT

Below I have included a number of recommendations for how to protect your computer against malware infections.


  • It is good security practice to change your passwords to all your online accounts on a fairly regular basis, this is especially true after an infection. Refer to this Microsoft article
    Strong passwords: How to create and use them
    Then consider a password keeper, to keep all your passwords safe.
  • Keep Windows updated by regularly checking their website at :
    http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
    This will ensure your computer has always the latest security updates available installed on your computer.

  • SpywareBlaster protects against bad ActiveX, it immunizes your PC against them.

  • SpywareGuard offers realtime protection from spyware installation attempts. Make sure you are only running one real-time anti-spyware protection program ( eg : TeaTimer, Windows Defender ) or there will be a conflict.

  • Make Internet Explorer more secure
    • Click Start > Run
    • Type Inetcpl.cpl & click OK
    • Click on the Security tab
    • Click Reset all zones to default level
    • Make sure the Internet Zone is selected & Click Custom level
    • In the ActiveX section, set the first two options ("Download signed and unsigned ActiveX controls) to "Prompt", and ("Initialize and Script ActiveX controls not marked as safe") to "Disable".
    • Next Click OK, then Apply button and then OK to exit the Internet Properties page.
  • ATF Cleaner - Cleans temporary files from IE and Windows, empties the recycle bin and more. Great tool to help speed up your computer and knock out those nasties that like to reside in the temp folders.

  • MVPS Hosts file replaces your current HOSTS file with one containing well known ad sites and other bad sites. Basically, this prevents your computer from connecting to those sites by redirecting them to 127.0.0.1 which is your local computer, meaning it will be difficult to infect yourself in the future.

    WOT, Web of Trust, warns you about risky websites that try to scam visitors, deliver malware or send spam. Protect your computer against online threats by using WOT as your front-line layer of protection when browsing or searching in unfamiliar territory. WOT's color-coded icons show you ratings for 21 million websites, helping you avoid the dangerous sites:
    • Green to go
    • Yellow for caution
    • Red to stop
    WOT has an addon available for both Firefox and IE

  • For Firefox, I highly recommend this add-on to keep your PC even more secure.
    • NoScript - for blocking ads and other potential website attacks
  • Keep a backup of your important files - Now, more than ever, it's especially important to protect your digital files and memories. This article is full of good information on alternatives for home backup solutions.
  • 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.
  • In light of your recent issue, I'm sure you'd like to avoid any future infections. Please take a look at these well written articles:
    Think Prevention.
    PC Safety and Security–What Do I Need?.


**Be very wary with any security software that is advertised in popups or in other ways. They are not only usually of no use, but often have malware in them.


Thank you for your patience, and performing all of the procedures requested.

Please respond one last time so we can consider the thread resolved and close it, thank-you.
Post #13
Since this issue appears to be resolved … this Topic has been closed. Glad we could be of assistance. 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.

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