Infected with pup.optional.conduit.a, maybe others [Solved]

Your system is clean now!

 

 

Adobe Reader out of date

Your Adobe Reader is outdated. We will fix this.

• Get the actual software from here. Important: Uncheck any optional software (for example Google Chrome, etc.) offered.
  
• Run setup and follow the instructions.
  
• Click upon Start–>control panel–>add/remove programs.
  
• Search for and remove any older reader versions.
  

 

 

 

Defrag your hard drive
 
Your hard drive is heavily fragmented. This may result in performance losses. If it is NOT an SSD drive, use a tool like Auslogic DiskDefrag to defrag the drive.

 

 

 

Uninstall our tools using delfix

Please follow these steps in order:

1. In the case we used Defogger to turn off your CD emulation software. You can start it again and use the Enable button.
   
2. In the case we used Combofix. Deactivate your antivirus software once more, then rename the combofix.exe to uninstall.exe and run it one last time. You shall be noted that Combofix has been removed.
   
3. In any case please download delfix to your desktop.
   
• Close all other programms and start delfix.
  
• Please check all the boxes and run the tool.
  
• delfix will now delete all found traces of our removal process
  


4. If there is still something left please delete it manualy.
   

Delete System Restore Points

To ensure your System Restore Points are free of malware, we will delete all of them but the most recent or create a new one.

On Windows Vista: Please follow these instructions to delete all but the most common System Protection Restore Points.
On Windows 7/8: Please follow these instructions to delete all but the most common System Protection Restore Points.
On Windows XP: Please follow these instructions to delete all but the most common System Protection Restore Points.




Temp File Cleaner

We need to download Temp File Cleaner (TFC) by OldTimer:

• Please download TFC.exe by Oldtimer at one of the two links: Link 1 Link 2
• Save and close all running applications
• Double-click on TFC.exe to run the program
• Click on Start to begin the cleaning process note: this program may close running applications, make your screen disappear temporarily, or require a reboot of your PC - this is normal and part of the cleanup
• When the scan is complete, if you were not asked to reboot the computer, please do so now

More Information can be found about the tool here: http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/files/file/187-tfc-temp-file-cleaner-by-oldtimer/

 

 

 

Recommendations: How to protect yourself

• System Updates
  
Please ensure to have automatic updates activated in your control panel.
For further information and a tutorial, see this Microsoft Support article.

• Protection
  
What you need is one (not more) virus scanner with background protection. Additionally I recommend a special malware scanner to run on demand weekly.
Personally I am using avast! Antivirus Free Edition and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. They offer good protection for free.

• To keep your browser free of advertising, you may install the Adblock Plus browser extension.
  
It will filter unwanted advertising out of the website´s content.

• To protect yourself from accidentally visiting malicious web sites, install the Web of Trust (WOT) browser extension.
  
It will display a green (safe), yellow (unknown) or red (potentially dangerous) icon for a visited website within your browser.
In addition, before accessing a dangerous classified web site, a warning screen is displayed.



• Up to date Software
  
Keep your Windows and your third party software up to date. The easiest way to get infected is an outdated windows, followed by: browser(s) (including add-ons and plug-ins), Adobe Flash Player and Adobe Reader, Java Runtime Environment, your antivirus program and so on. These links may help you to check:

• Secunia Personal Software Inspector - checks if your software has updates available.


• SecurityCheck (by screen317) - scans your computer for most vulnerable outdated software.


• Mozilla: Check your plugins - The webpage will tell you if you have outdated plugins running in your Firefox browser.



• Backup
  
Hardware issues, malware, fire, lightning strike: There is a long list of different ways to loose all your data. Back up your files regularly. Use the windows internal backup function or a third party tool and save your data onto an external hard drive, cloud storage, optical media like CDs or DVDs or (if available) a professional network backup system.

• Behaviour
  
The commonest error when using a computer is "error 80" - what means that the error is located about 80cm in front of the monitor. This is a common joke between IT support technicians but it shows that all the safety mechanisms won´t help if you aren´t careful enough.

• While surfing the internet, don´t click on anything you don´t know. In the worst case, it infects your system with malware.


• Watch your step in social networks! Many cyber criminals use them to spread malware, mine personal pata (to be sold to advertising companies, for example) or simply do damage to other users. Even if a received hyperlink within a message seems to be coming from one of your friends, have a closer look. In addition, don´t click everything.


• When installing software, have a look to each of the setup windows and uncheck any additional toolbars or free programs that may be offered additionally. Most of today´s setup procedures contain potentially unwanted programs so keep them off your system.


• Avoid gaming sites, pirated software, cracking tools, keygens, and peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing programs.
  
They are a security risk which can make your computer susceptible to a wide variety of malware infections, remote attacks, exposure of personal information, and identity theft. Many malicious worms and Trojans spread across P2P file sharing networks, gaming and underground sites.

I forgot to mention to you that I keep getting "the blue screen of death" and was getting it before this infection.  I was hoping this removal of spyware would clear that up.  Apparently not.  I just had that happen, again, with 5 tabs open in Chrome.  It reboots my computer so I can't really see what it says but I know this time, it was different.  I caught a few words, here and there on the screen before it shut off.  

 

I restarted it and hit F8 until the DOS screen came up, then I went down to "restore to last known good configuration" and the computer restarted that way.  This is what I have done every time I've gotten this blue screen and this is probably the 7th time in 2 weeks that I've gotten it.

 

I will wait to do anything else and hear back from you before I proceed with your above instructions. 

 

Thanks 

Yes, you really should have mentioned that…

 

 

Use the Windows Error Checking utility (Check Disk), with the options to fix file system errors and scan the disk surface for errors, attempt recovery of data and repair the disk:

• Click the "Windows Orb" Start button, then click Computer.
  
• Right-click on the drive that you wish to check > Properties > Tools tab
  
• In the "Error checking" section, click on Check now.
  
• Place a checkmark in both boxes > Start.
  
• If the disk you have chosen is the Windows system disk:
  
• A message will notify you that a restart is necessary ask "Do you want to check for hard disk errors the next time you start your computer?".
  
• Click Schedule disk check > OK and close all windows.
  
• Re-start the computer. The disk will be checked when the system boots.
  
• This will take some time to run and at times may appear stalled but just let it run.
  
• When the disk check is complete, the system will re-start automatically and load Windows.
  

A log of the disk check is recorded only if the scheduled re-start is used, and only for drives on the same HDD as the Operating System.
To open Event Viewer and view the log:

• Click the "Windows Orb" Start button -> type "eventvwr" without the quotes -> press the key.
  
• The Event Viewer window will open.
  
• In the left pane, expand "Windows Logs" and then click on Application.
  
• In the right pane, at the top, click on the column heading Source to sort the list alphabetically.
  
• Look in the Source column for "Wininit", with an entry corresponding to the date and time of the disk check.
  
• Click on that Wininit entry to select it.
  
• On the top main menu, click Action > Copy > Copy Details as Text.
  
• Paste the contents into your next reply.
  

 

 

System File Check

For Windows XP:

• Press the Windows- and the R-key simultanously.
  
• Within the text box that jus opened, write cmd and hit Enter.
  

For Windows Vista/7:

• Press the Windows key to open the start menu.
  
• Don´t highlight anything, just write cmd.
  
• The start menu will offer you an entry named cmd.
  
• Right click it and select "run as administrator"
  

Within the opening window, write the following:

sfc /scannow

(See the blank within).

• Hit enter. Your system will be checked for damaged system files.
  
• Tell me the result of that scan in here (as the tool produces no log).
  

I'm going to try to do the other one right now.

Ran the tool, this is what it said.

 

Filter SFC log file

For Windows XP:

• Press the Windows- and the R-key simultanously.
  
• Within the text box that jus opened, write cmd and hit Enter.
  

For Windows Vista/7:

• Press the Windows key to open the start menu.
  
• Don´t highlight anything, just write cmd.
  
• The start menu will offer you an entry named cmd.
  
• Right click it and select "run as administrator"
  

Within the opening window, write the following:

findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\logs\cbs\cbs.log >sfcdetails.txt

• Hit enter. The tool will create a textfile named sfcdetails.txt within the folder where you ran the command, for example C:\windows\system32\.
  
Attach this file to your next reply.

OK, ran this and thought it didn't work but it did.  I did a search for it.  Here is the attached log.

 

Also, after having run the defrag and scandisk, my snipping tool is giving me an error that says it's not working.  I try a 2nd time and it works fine.  Also, all of a sudden, I am getting horrible graphics on my Mafia Wars home page.  It looks like I am in Safe Mode!  I did a screen shot of that and am attaching that as well so you can see.  This doesn't appear to be happening anywhere else on the net!

 

Thanks!

The repaired files only belonged to the windows side bar.

Yourremaining issues seem to be not malware related.

Please start a new topic here.

 

Telle the helper that you came from here and have finished the malware removal process.

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 follow the instructions here http://forums.whatthetech.com/you_Infected_t106388.html
and start a New Topic.