Hi.
There are no more issues. Computer is working fine. Do appreciate your assistance and advice in cleaning the computer. Thank you very much.
You're most welcome.
Next:
Congratulations your computer now appears to be malware free!
Now I have some tasks for your good self to carry out as part of a clean up process and some advice about online safety.
Importance of Regular System Maintenance:
I advice you read both of the below listed topics as this will go a long way to keeping your Computer performing well.
Help! My computer is slow!
Also so is this:
What to do if your Computer is running slowly
Clean up with OTM:
- Double-click OTM to start the program.
- Close all other programs apart from OTM as this step will require a reboot
- On the OTM main screen, press the CleanUp! button
- Say Yes to the prompt and then allow the program to reboot your computer.
The above process should clean up and remove the vast majority of scanners used and logs created etc.
Any left over merely delete yourself and empty the Recycle Bin.
Reset the System Restore points:
- Create a new, clean System Restore point which you can use in case of future system problems:
- Press Start >> All Programs >> Accessories >>System Tools >> System Restore
- Select Create a restore point, then Next, type a name like All Clean then press the Create button and once it's done press Close
- Now remove old, infected System Restore points:
- Next click Start >> Run and type cleanmgr in the box and press OK
- Ensure the boxes for Recycle Bin, Temporary Files and Temporary Internet Files are checked, you can choose to check other boxes if you wish but they are not required.
- Select the More Options tab, under System Restore press Clean up... and say Yes to the prompt
- Press OK and Yes to confirm
Now some advice for on-line safety:
Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware:
This is a excellent application and I advise you keep this installed. Check for updates and run a scan once a week.
Other installed security software:
Your presently installed security application,
avast! Antivirus automatically checks for updates and downloads/installs them with every system reboot and or periodically if the machine is left running providing a internet connection is active.
I advise you also run a complete scan with this also once per week.
Erunt:
Emergency Recovery Utility NT, I advice you keep this installed as a means to keep a complete backup of your registry and restore it when needed.
Myself I would actually create a new back up once per week as this along with System Restore may prove to be invaluable if something unforeseen occurs!
Keep your system updated:
Microsoft releases patches for Windows and other products regularly:
- I advise you visit: http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us
- Install the Active X
- Once installed it will advise set Auto-Updates if not set and you then you will be able to manually check for updates also via:
- Start >> All Programs >> Microsoft Updates
Be careful when opening attachments and downloading files:
- Never open email attachments, not even if they are from someone you know. If you need to open them, scan them with your antivirus program before opening.
- Never open emails from unknown senders.
- Beware of emails that warn about viruses that are spreading, especially those from antivirus vendors. These email addresses can be easily spoofed. Check the antivirus vendor websites to be sure.
- Be careful of what you download. Only download files from known sources. Also, avoid cracked programs. If you need a particular program that costs too much for you, try finding free alternatives on Sourceforge or Pricelessware.
Stop malicious scripts:
Windows by default allow scripts (which is VBScript and JavaScript) to run and some of these scripts are malicious. Use Noscript by Symantec or
Script Defender by AnalogX to handle these scripts.
Avoid Peer to Peer software:
P2P may be a great way to get lots of seemingly freeware, but it is a great way to get infected as well. There's no way to tell if the file being shared is infected. Worse still, some worms spread via P2P networks, infecting you as well. My advice is avoid these types of software applications.
Hosts File:
A Hosts file is like a phone book. You look up someone's name in the phone book before calling him/her. Similarly, your computer will look up the website's IP address before you can view the website.
Hosts file will replace your current Hosts file with another one containing well-known advertisement sites, spyware sites and other bad sites. This new Hosts file will protect you by re-directing these bad sites to 127.0.0.1.
Here are some Hosts files:
Only use one of the above.
Finally a educational source:
To learn more about how to protect yourself while on the internet read this article by Tony Klein:
So how did I get infected in the first place?
Some consider this article outdated, personally I still think it bares relevance and the author is well respected in the Anti-Malware community and by myself also!
Any questions? Feel free to ask, if not stay safe!
Dakeyras