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Spyware / Malware / Virus Removal

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Hello and Posted Image

My name is patndoris. I will be glad to take a look at your log and help you with solving any malware problems. It will be very helpful if you follow these guidelines:
  • Malware logs are often lengthy and can take a lot of time to research and interpret. Please be patient while I review your logs.
  • Please note that there is no "Quick Fix" to modern malware infections and we may need to use several different approaches to get your system clean.
  • Please make sure to carefully read any instruction that I give you. If you're not sure, or if something unexpected happens, do NOT continue! Stop and ask!
  • Please follow my instructions carefully and in the order they are posted. You may also find it helpful to print out the instructions you receive.
  • Please do not run any scans or install/uninstall any applications or delete anything without being directed to do so.
  • Remember, absence of symptoms does not mean the infection is all gone. Please stick with me till you're given the "all clear".
  • Please do not use the Attachment feature for any log file. Do a Copy/Paste of the entire contents of the log file and submit it inside your post.
  • Please reply within 3 days. If I do not hear back from you in that time frame, I will post a reminder for you. Topics with no reply in 4 days are closed!



Download and Run DDS by sUBs

We need to see some information about what is happening in your machine. Please perform the following scan:
  • Download DDS by sUBs from one of the following links. Save it to your desktop.
    • DDS.com
    • DDS.pif
  • Double click on the DDS icon, allow it to run.
  • A small box will open, with an explaination about the tool. No input is needed, the scan is running.
  • Notepad will open with the results.
  • Follow the instructions that pop up for posting the results.
  • Close the program window, and delete the program from your desktop.
Please note: You may have to disable any script protection running if the scan fails to run. After downloading the tool, disconnect from the internet and disable all antivirus protection. Run the scan, enable your A/V and reconnect to the internet.

Information on A/V control HERE



Please read carefully and follow these steps. There is a difference between what you see in one of the images below and what I need you to do.
We are only creating a log - I do NOT want you to "cure" or try to fix anything in this step. It is very important that you don't choose Cure when presented with that option.

Thank you Doris, I ran the scan, I had already gone on microsoft's web site and downloaded a complete scan the day I posted this message and it took about 3 hours and found 5 contaminated files, so I guess those were the bugs. So this scan found no bugs, I ran it just in case I had not gotten them all. Thanks again for your time and trouble, hope you have a great day!!
Can you please post the DDS log as well as the attach.txt file? This is not a log that will "find" and remove bugs. It is merely a diagnostic tool and the lines have o be analyzed line by line to see if any malware appears to remaining on your system. If however, you feel that your problem is resolved, we can certainly close the topic. It is entirely up to you. I'll be more than happy to take a look at the DDS log lines when you post them to see if anything appears to be remaining or not. Please let me know your choice.
I'm very glad to be of help and to look at the logs. It's always fine to copy and paste the results here. That's the easy way to do things. You don't have to attach or zip them up :) OK, so there are a couple of issues that I see going on in the log you provided. 1. You have a toolbar that I would highly recommend we get rid of called Search Toolbar. While it may not be considered malware on its own, it is what we call a PUP (potentially unwanted program) and if it were my computer I would definitely want to get rid of it. I would just like to confirm you are OK with removing it before we do so. 2. I see that you are routing through a server located in Romania. This is certainly is a location that can be suspect when there has been malware on your system. Can you please confirm if this is your normal server location or not? 3. Your virus definitions do not appear to be properly updating for Norton 360 (at least as of today). Is this an Antivirus solution you have been using for awhile and are satisfied with or, when we are done would you like some other free options you could consider? If you want to keep it, we need to make sure we get it working properly so you are up to date so you are properly protected. Let me know the answers and we can move forward from there.
hello Doris, with reference to your findings, 1. yes, I am fine with getting rid of "search toolbar", tell me how and I will do it 2. I have no idea about a router through Romania, we have "uverse" as our wireless service 3. I am fine with using another virus protection service since this one is not doing well Thanks again, Tami
Let's go ahead and run a tool that will check for left over remains of infections that may be hiding and see if it will remove some more items, then we can manually remove what is left.

I will give you some suggestions for other free antivirus programs when we are done, it's best to get things running smoothly before changing anything like that.

Download and Install Combofix

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. 1. Do not mouse-click anywhere on the screen while it is running. That may cause it to stall. In fact, I suggest you do not do anything else on the computer while Combofix is running as it can cause it to stall. It may appear at times that it isn't doing anything but it is. Just let it run. It may also reboot the machine as a part of what it is doing and that is not unusual. (If your computer requires a login then you WILL need to fill in the login/password for it to continue. If your computer does not have a login then it will continue on it's own..) Then, just sit tight until it finishes. Sometimes it takes 10 minutes, sometimes it takes an hour. Just be patient until the log pops up. If it takes more than an hour and doesn't appear to be doing antying, you can stop it and come back and let me know.
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

If you have a problem launching programs after running Combofix, please do not panic! Simply reboot the computer and all should be fine.
Just to let you know, I'm in one of the many predicted paths of the Frankenstorm Sandy that's coming, so if I don't respond right away to any posts you may put up in the next couple of days it is likely the result of power outages (which could take a couple of days to get back). They are saying we could start experiencing wind and rain any time from this afternoon, with the worst coming tomorrow. I'm crossing my fingers we don't lose power but one never knows. So I just wanted to let you know it wouldn't be because I was ignoring you :) Please be patient and I promise if that happens I will be back with you as soon as possible. For the remainder of today, I will certainly be monitoring posts and getting back with you as quickly as possible :D

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