Virus attack - Help!!

[Chewy]

I once used it (advised by u, Chewy),

I remember reccomending sdfix

I have only used combofix twice, both in testing

[paglamon]

Yes. You are probably right. I got to know about Combofix while going through posts in Bleepingcomputers and probably used it when I was just thinking about a total reinstall.

[Chewy]

The scripting combofix uses are very powerful, subs told me that's the real danger

I saw a new security mvp wipe out a complete user's profile while they were logged on to it

Lessons or guides to combofix are only available to upper division students at anti-malware schools or university

[acidRam]

Try this friend

Hi,

After a long while of not scanning for viruses (I didn't think I needed to! I don't go to dodgy sites, so why would I have one?), I noticed that my computer was being really slow, so I scanned with AVG. And what do I find but like 20 trojans.

Whatever the case, removing them with the antivirus programs has only made it WORSE... as now I get spam popups, even in Firefox (you know, how it's supposedly "immune" to the IE-like malware?)

The thing is - I really can't afford to reformat. I have LOTS of programs I got from Giveaway of the Day - almost 100, even, and I really don't want to lose them. I don't suppose there's some backup thingy that will let you put programs back on that are currently installed after a reformat, is there?

An idea that I heard about was to get a Live-booting Linux CD, and run it with an antivirus - really a perfect way to get rid of them I think, as the Linux wouldn't be affected by whatever crap's on my hard drive. But I'd need help with it - I can find and burn a Ubuntu image, but where do I go from there?

I've tried all the programs imaginable - AVG is my top choice and preferred one... but it seems that all the stuff I remove in AVG just comes back after a reboot. Same goes for Ad-Aware and Spybot. I heard from someone that TrojanHunter was one of the best antiviruses, but the problem is I had it before and used up my trial. And I'm not paying $50 for a key! (Unless you can make like a new XP account and that'll let you use another trial )

What other programs are there? The associates at Micro Center are always telling people to buy Spyware Doctor... surely there's a demo of that out there... I got Symantec security suite, and will scan with that tonight.

I'm just really frustrated as these problems are turning my computer into a nightmare, and I don't know how to fix them! It's gotten to the point where it's somehow corrupted my sound card, and so now I get no sound. Even upgrading/rolling back the driver doesn't work.

Any ideas?

OK,,,,DOWNLOAD SupperAntiSpyware Remover it kills virus/ect. FREE VER.
THEN CLEAN YOUR REG. THEN TRY THIS.....>......>....>Back up your computer before you run any system tools or do any troubleshooting. This is not just an over-cautious warning. Some of the steps I recommend in this guide can cause pre-existing but hidden problems to surface, which may keep your computer from starting. Windows XP includes Backup, a tool that helps you protect your data.

To open the Backup or Restore Wizard

• Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup.

Before I make any changes, I'm going to time my computer to see how long it takes to restart. That way I know which of the changes helps the most. My computer took about three minutes to shut down, restart, and then open my e-mail client and browser. Of course, I hope to improve the computer's overall performance, but the time it takes to restart is easiest to measure.

The next step in restoring your computer's performance is to identify any unnecessary programs that start automatically. Often, programs configure themselves to run in the background so that they appear to start quickly when needed. Some of these programs show an icon on your task bar to let you know that they're running, while others are completely hidden. These autostart programs probably won't noticeably slow down your computer as it starts up, but they will steal away trace amounts of memory and processing time as your computer runs.

Windows XP comes with the System Configuration tool (Msconfig.exe), an excellent way to manage the startup process. To start it:

1.
Click Start, click Run, type Msconfig, and then press Enter.

2.
On the Startup tab, you'll see a list of all the programs and processes that are set to run when Windows XP loads.

Alot of peoples "msconfig" window will look similar to this. (Basically a bunch of programs with a check mark in the box)


3.
Speed up your overall start time by clearing the check box next to any item you think you don't need.
If you aren't sure a program is unneeded—leave it!



4.
Click Apply, and then restart your computer for the changes to take effect.



After clicking the "OK" button, A screen should pop up.



Just click the "Restart" button.

When Windows restarts, A window should pop up. Its just saying you made some changes to the start up folder. You can safely put a check mark in the box at the bottom that says "Don't show this message or launch the System Configuration Utility when Windows starts".




Its also a good idea to remove any unnecessary programs.

Follow these steps to remove unneeded programs:

1.
Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

2.
Click Add or Remove Programs.

3.
Scroll through the list and examine each program. Windows XP lists how often you use a program and what day you last started it.

4.
Click each program you no longer need, click the Remove button, and then follow the prompts to uninstall it.


You may have to restart your computer after removing a program. After your computer restarts, repeat the steps above to remove more programs.