about a week ago i got a virus. i posted on the hijackthis log with no avail. so i reformated my hardrive thinking that this would cure my problem.
no such luck.
from everything i could find it was in the files
C:/system32/baloon.exe and
C:/system32/cfrog.exe
so i deleted these files and the symptoms of the virus went away. but when i try to install programs like AVG and JAVA. i get an error message that says
file is corrupt.
but i sucsesfully installed firefox, hijackthis and TVersity.
so i reformated again with the files being deleted thinking this would for sure fix my new problem. nope.
Please help.
Just because terminology can get a little confusing I need to ask you to confirm what I think you are saying.
When you say you reformatted and reinstalled, you are sure that you completely destroyed all previous data by choosing to overwrite the data present during the setup phase?
If you simply performed a repair/upgrade install then the viruses are still present and more is involved.
If you did perform a completely clean install of XP, then you should start doing some hardware diagnostics.
Use the Windows Memory Diagnostic to test your RAM, and use the Windows XP Recovery Console to run the command 'chkdsk /r' to test your hard drive for bad sectors.
A clean install of windows should run fine, so hardware is the next thing to suggest. Maybe you should post the actual method you are using (in detail) to reinstall the OS so that we can be sure there is no confusion as to the method you are using.
From the last HJT log you posted, it looks like you are already running Symantec and McAfee antivirus, or am I misreading the log?
If so, why are you trying to download and install AVG? If you really want it, try downloading it on a different computer then put it on a CD or flash drive and install it from there on your computer. See if that works.
appleoddity…
i went to the system32 folder in the C:/ drive and right clicked and deleted. there was no program in the control panel option: Add/Remove Programs
then i restarted windows pressed F11 and clicked on windows recovery full (destructive)
Ztruker…
there just the trail versions that reinstalled from the reformat..
i tried downloading them on my roommates computer and transferring them to mine on a flash drive..nothing seems to work.
i was successful in installing avast! before i went to work this afternoon though
Did you re-download the programs that aren't installing properly? Maybe the files really are corrupt?
I would still run a chkdsk /r from the command prompt on that drive just to make sure there is no problems with bad sectors.
if you are concerned of an infection and, as a result, are going to format and re-install your Windows OS, run killdisk's free version to swipe the disk before you format and re-install. your data will be wiped, all of it, and so of course back up what you know is clean and want to keep.
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If you are re-installing windows from a re-installation partition that is on the same hard drive as the OpSystem partition, of course you'd not want killdisk to swipe the re-installation partition on top of wiping the operating system's partition. I did this once and had to order an operating system disk from the vendor, that wasn't a good day.
A format by windows doesn't actually destroy all the data in the partition and many people use file recovery programs to get data back after deleting a partition with windows. I have done this myself on occasion. It's not immmmmpossssible for something to "comeback" after a windows format and re-install in theory. I think that the proof of concept is/has being worked out. I have heard of a rootkit named NTFShider, though, admit I'm ignorant of how / its survival method(s).
Killdisk's free version overwrites all data on the selected logical partition or the entire drive (if it's selected); killdisk doesn't just clear the pointers to the data and leave that data in the sectors.
If I thought that something was surviving my formatting attempts then killdisk would be my next step and I think is a practical one in troubleshooting your situation.
I'd have to say that the file you are trying to install is either infected, or the machine you are installing it on is infected. I don't know how it has happened, but a true clean install with a clean download from AVG certainly should not be doing what you say it is doing. There just isn't much of any other explanation. Recovery partitions are not immune to the possibility of malware modifying the contents of it in an attempt to survive. I'm not sure if it happens, but its possible.
everything seems to be working properly. i was still trying to install the same avg file that i used before i reformatted again, and somehow something wasn't registering right. i downloaded a new version and it worked fine.
the only other issue i have is when i double-click on my external hard drives i get an error that says
resycled/boot.com is not a valid Win32 application.
do you know what could be causing this?
Yes, your external drive has an infection on it. That file is malware, and theres a chance you just reinstalled it on your computer again. You should probably head over to the malware support forum for further assistance to verify it is clean and to learn how to clean up the external drive before the infection happens again.
Regards
paws