Question for PC Whizzes...Virus Infection Related

[Mimi]

I've been fortunate enough over the years to NEVER have bee infected with a virus before. Well, my time apparently ran out. Somehow while doing google image searches today I managed to infest my PC with a whole plethora of viruses. I had no idea of this fact until my Norton Anti-Virus kept popping up every 30 seconds or so saying "A virus was detected on your computer located in such and such folder named yadda yadaa. It was automatically deleted." Well the first one or two times it happened I was "yay! Wow, having Norton Anti-Virus finally paid off!" But after it did it about 15 times, I became concerned. So I ran a full PC scan through Norton Utilities. It found and deleted 7 viruses. Okay. So I figure I'm good to go. Well, I had just got done installing the new Windows Security Updates, and to finish I needed to reboot my system. And I did. But now, after rebooting, I am getting that damn Virus Warning pop up from Norton every 30 seconds again. And always a different virus each time. It's now on about the 30th one.

So, needless to say I am in a panic. Should I be? Or should I just sit back, try to refrain from chewing my fingers off, and let my Norton Anti-Virus keep doing what it's doing and hopefully, eventually, remove all the viruses I managed to get in one frightful image search?

Mimi

 

[His Divine Shadow]

If Norton is picking up that many viruses, YOu have a file (Or files) hidden in your computer that are recreating the viruses as fast as you can kill them. Honestly, the only solution I can see, since it will be hard to find those files, is to backup all important documents, and reformat your hard drive (Followed by a WIndows reinstall). That is sure to kill any virus not in the depths of BIOS and the like. You could spend a good while rooting out these things one by one, but if it won't be too great an inconvenience to have to reinstall every program and Windows, I highly reccomend a reformat.

 

[Mimi]

Update: Norton has not popped up with any new virus detection alerts now for about an hour or more. Could it be it's found and removed them all now, and I am clean and clear once more?

Mimi - who wants to avoid a reformat at ALL costs.

 

[venray]

Do a Norton update and run a full scan and also run an adaware or spybot scan (you can get both off aol)

What site were you googling when this happened???


Ray

 

[Haltickling]

It's not a cure-all remedy, but I use Hijackthis quite frequently, when ad-aware and spybot fail. I can send you the zip file if you like. It clears your registry quite efficiently, but it takes getting used to it, as it shows useful entries as well. A general rule is: If it has no affiliated program name, it's a virus or trojan. Serious programs usually bear their designation in the name.

I had to re-format Windows twice last year, it's definitely a pain in the rectum. But a friend of mine helped me to partition my hard drive, so I can re-format Windows now without losing all my files.

 

[Mimi]

*ripping out clumps of hair*

Ugh. Argh. SONAFFABEECH!

Well, I ran Cleansweep Fast and Safe Cleanup. Then I ran Ad Aware. Then I ran Spybot (I already had both and use them regularly). Then I ran Live Update and updated all my Norton Utility programs and my Virus Alerts and Definitions. Then I ran Virus Scan. Then I installed the Windows Security Updates. Then I had to reboot for the system to acknowledge all the updates.

Norton HAD stopped going off every 30 seconds with Virus warnings, and had not popped on for nearly 2 hours. After running everything I did, plus the fact Norton had stopped going off, I thought perhaps I was good to go.

Until my system finished rebooting.

Now Norton is popping off every 30 seconds with Virus detections again.

I am not sure whether I want to cry or scream. Perhaps I will go do both. Anyone have a noose?

Mimi

 

[Brewhaha]

I don't have a noose...but I do have a goose, a caboose and oh boy, some chocolate mousse! Just a small attempt to cheer you up as you go through this mess. Just an FYI...I went through the same thing about six months ago and nothing worked...in fact some things made the problem even worse. I finally gave up and chucked my old pc (which was old to begin with) and started over with a new one. No problems with this one yet (that sound you hear is me knocking on Big Jim's head...I mean wood)... 😀

 

[kurchatovium]

I had a similar problem Mimi. If you are using Windows XP you must eliminate all the system restore files on the computer. To do this right click on the "My Computer" icon click on System Restore tab and check the turn off system restore box. This will delete all your system restore files which are protected from deletion normally. You will not be able to restore your system to a previous pooint after this so you may want to wait and see if all traces of the virus are gone. If it still reappaers it may be that they are located in the system restore files. If you have any questions feel free to ask me. Good Luck. 😀 😀

 

[ticklishbbw]

Check your start up files...

Mimi...

You could have something set to run at startup as well. If you have XP, you can click Start, then Run, and type in msconfig . Click on the tab that says startup and review the items and their locations. If something doesn't look familiar, do an internet search on it, and see if it's your problem. You can uncheck anything that isn't needed to run at startup.

tbbw

 

[Michael2003]

For every virus that Nortan can detect, they have a method on their webpage for removing it from your system. It's often complex, but it usually works quite well, from my experience. I would recommend going there. I believe that when it pops up a warning, there is usually a link to the page on the Symantic site that details the removal instructions.

 

[TklDuo-Ann]

I seem to recall having heard of something that simply gives you multiple warnings of a virus to try to get you to delete files that are actually needed. But, it norton actually did detect something in the scan...? I hope you can get this cleared as easily as possible. I've had a couple of things in the past that went beyond effecting windows. I ended up having to completely nuke the entire system....MUCH more of a pain than simply reformatting. Good luck Meems!

Ann

 

[JoBelle]

Erm...that's all well and ginfe...but what do you do when all those things happen and about 5 minutes later, you get a message saying you have to uninstall then reinstall Norton?

😕 🙁
Jo

 

[Mimi]

I'm done fighting with this for tonight. I've been battling it for the past 8 hours and I'm frustrated, pissed off, and wiped out. I'm also at wits end.

For starters, someone mentioned a virus that forces you to believe a file you need is a virus and prompts you to delete it by accident. I know it's not deleting files I actually need. Everyone that comes up has been a Downloader.Trojan virus, and Norton Anti-Virus detects it and deletes it right away.

The virus I have, according to the Norton Anti-Virus website, is a Downloader Trojan Horse that sends out signals to a home site and downloads fresh trojan viruses everytime I restart my computer (usually does it everytime a connection is made to the internet, but in my case I am on cable modem, so I am always online except for when I reboot). After the 24,983 times I have restarted my computer tonight, I see that it downloads 10 fresh viruses with each reboot. It's always 10, and the names of the viruses always contain 6 characters. Those two facts never fail. They are also never the same 10 viruses. Not once have any two had the same name.

Now, I have followed the advice of a few here. I went in and turned off my system restore function as Kurchie suggested. Norton Anti-Viruses website also lists that as one of the things you should do when faced with a virus of this type. Cool beans. Done.

I also followed up on Michaels suggestion of visiting the actual Norton Anti-Virus website and following their list of instructions on how to get rid of specific types of viruses. Well, Norton had two different sets of instructions...one for Download.Trojan, and one for Downloader.Trojan. I spent 4 hours going through all the instructions for BOTH viruses. According to them this virus is easy to get rid of. Well, after going through ALL of that, I rebooted my system for the last time, and GUESS WHAT? Yep. Pop up window. Virus detected and deleted. 10, count them, 10 times in a row. Like friggin clock work. So NOW what the hell do I do, when even Nortons instructions fail me?

I had some problems with Nortons second set of instructions. That involved edited the system registry. It told me before doing so, though, to backup my registry and walked me through doing so. One problem. A biggun. When I was supposed to get the "Backup Complete" notice, instead I got a popup window that told me it could NOT back up my registry due to catastrophic failure, and that the backup failed. Oh. THAT'S good news! Just what a frantic, amature, stressed out computer user needs to hear: CATASTROPHIC FAILURE! Woo hoo! Break out the party hats and noise makers, folks, Mimi is about to LOSE HER FLIPPIN' MIND! Anyway, I went into the registry anyway to see if I could find any clearly indicated files associated with the virus in the two folders I was told to look in. Well, one folder is totally clear. Has only like 4 files, and all 4 belong to immediately recognized and often used programs on my computer. The other folder had two questionable files. One more so than the other. It had a name similar to the viruses Norton has been detecting on my system, is not associated with any program I know, and just seemed suspiscious. Problem is the file is part of the System32 folder in Windows, and COULD be an extremely important file. I DON'T KNOW! And without the registy backup, I can't just go ahead and delete it and cross my fingers that it gets rid of the problem, knowing if it causes SERIOUS problems and is something I really need to run my computer, I can merely restore the registry backup and I'm good to go again. So without that luxury, I'm basically a sitting duck. Oh, I'm so damn angry.

So that's been my day in a nutshell. Thanks to all of you who have tried to help so far. But apparently even Norton, who claims this is an easy virus to eliminate, doesn't have the answers here. I guess I CAN be grateful for the fact I DO have Norton Anti-Virus though, and it IS detecting these 10 downloaded viruses the minute they hit my computer after each reboot. At least that way I'm not getting this stockpile of viruses that will eat my computer alive. They are being caught and deleted immediately before they can damage anything...and that's good. It's just frustrating not being able to get rid of that parent file. And the thought of reformating and looking at DAYS of reinstalling programs and files and crap over one slippery stupid little file is enough to drive me to drinking. Blargh.

Anybody got a hammer?

Mimi

 

[desdemona]

Originally posted by JoBelle:

what do you do when all those things happen and about 5 minutes later, you get a message saying you have to uninstall then reinstall Norton?

One of our computers at work came up with this message. Norton couldn't be reinstalled for some reason. 72 hours, our computers crashed. Our IT people we need to replace a "card" on that computer. It really doesn't look pretty (and this after I found some SpyB software that no one recognizes on it). BTW...if a file says it was created on such and such a date and then says modified on a date that is earlier than the created one...What is up ???

Anyone?