Win 32: Vitro worm, need help to wipe hard disk and reinstal

Hi,

I have a desktop computer. My desktop computer was infected by Win32:vitro worm and i think other possibly by other trojans too. I had ran Avast antivirus tool and MalwareBytes AntiMalware tool to remove the Win32:vitro worm. When i ran these two tools, they had asked me to restart the computer to facilitate deleting some files on boot up. But when i restarted, i am now not able to login anymore. The windows page appears, then my desktop background appears but then immediately i am logged out automatically. Now i am unable to access my account in my desktop computer. A login/logoff loop is occurring.

I searched through alot of other websites and got to know that there is no solution to solve this problem. The only solution seems to be wipe clean the hard drive and reinstall everything. I think i also need some sort of recovery cd to boot up my computer now. Can someone give me direction on how to go about doing this, as i have never reinstalled my computer before.

I am posting this from another computer, my laptop computer. Please help me.

Thanks.

I'm sorry that you find yourself in such unhappy circumstances. This site does not have a Windows troubleshooting forum; however, there are other good resources on the Internet that can help you through this troubled time.

You did not stipulate which Windows operating system you have installed on your computer, but the following site has Windows reinstall instructions for all versions of Windows:

http://www.windowsreinstall.com/

If you need additional support, or need to ask questions about reformatting, WTT and Geeks to Go both have Windows troubleshooting forums, which you may find helpful:

http://forums.whatthetech.com/Microsoft_Windows_f119.html&s=d1ebfd8c7e95e01333ebd8c791a64a32

http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/Operatin ... s-f41.html

It is doubtful that you would be able to get away by doing a repair install of your operating system, given the severity of the infection your system appears to have; however, the first site listed, Windows Reinstall, also has repair guides for all operating systems.

If, after reading through the above information, you find you are just not comfortable with going through any of these procedures yourself, then I suggest you take your computer, along with all your disks, into a trusted local shop (preferably not a big-box store) and have them back up any important data you may need to save, and then reinstall your operating system for you.

I hope this information is helpful.

Hi,

My current desktop that is infected has a very small hardrive or only 20GB. I have been wanting to change the harddrive to a bigger one of around 80-100GB. But since there was no pressing need back then i somehow managed to reduce all my program files and data such that it did not exceed 20GB. I was operating with a 90% full hard disk drive back.

Now since my computer is infected, and my only option seems like to reformat and reinstall everything into my computer, i think it would be better if i can use this oppurtunity to replace the hard drive itself. I will then get a larger hardrive and definetely get freed from this Win32:Vitro virus.

But since i have no idea of how to buy a new hard disk drive and reinstall everything from scratch, i will need your help. I have a Dell desktop PC which operates on Windows XP Home.

How do i choose the suitable hard drive for my computer ? Is there any requirement when purchasing a new hard drive for my Dell Windows XP Home computer that i should be aware of ? How do i remove the old hard disk and fix in the new hard disk ?

After purchasing the new hard drive i will follow the given instructions to install windows on the new hard drive.

Thanks.

This site is dedicated to malware removal issues. As such, it is not a troubleshooting site, nor a site that deals with hardware issues. However, we will do our best to steer you in the right direction where you can get the help you need.

As you have a Dell computer, you will probably find a wealth of information on their site. Go here to locate a service manual for your Dell desktop computer, which should provide you with instructions for opening the case and removing/replacing the hard drive, etc.

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/ ... ~ck=anavml

The best way to get information specific to your computer is to locate the "Service Tag," which is a small sticker located on your computer's case. It can be on the top, the side, or the back of your computer, but it will be there unless you have removed it.

You should be able to determine the maximum hard drive size appropriate for your computer on Dell's site, as well as the type of hard drive needed, e.g., IDE or SATA. If your computer is more than a couple of years old, your hard drive will be more likely to be connected via an IDE cable (broad and flat, usually gray in color) rather than a SATA cable (narrow, flat and rather rubbery feeling, usually red in color with small black connectors).

Dell has community forums where you can register and ask questions relative to your particular Dell model. There is one that deals specifically with drives:

http://en.community.dell.com/forums/3534.aspx

Your computer has an unusually small hard drive, so I'm assuming it may be quite old. If that is the case, you should probably weigh the cost of upgrading it against the cost of a new system, especially since new computers are selling rather cheaply these days. The choice is yours. Keep in mind that if you do not have the original installation disks for your operating system, you will need to add the cost of disk replacement to the cost of a new hard drive. Also, when you're finished upgrading, you will still have an old computer with older and slower components than are on today's faster computers.

The link below is to a basic general video tutorial on installing an IDE hard drive. Although it goes into a great deal of detail on installing the cable, you will probably not be disconnecting your cable from the motherboard, but will just detach the IDE cable from the old hard drive and reattach it to the new hard drive, and the same for the molex power cable. Your IDE cable will probably not look like the one in the video as your IDE cable will most likely be broad and flat, not rounded.

Pay particular attention to the instructions to disconnect everything from the computer, especially the power cord, and to ground yourself or wear an anti-static wrist band. Even a very minute amount of static electricity can destroy computer components. If possible, stand on a hard uncarpeted surface while working inside your computer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt7ve7IeAGE&feature=related

You will need to locate your installation disks in order to install Windows on your new hard drive. You will need the XP Home installation disk, and you should also have a disk for installing the computer's Drivers. You may also have a disk for various applications that came with your computer. The XP disk and the Driver disk are the most important disks. If you do not have these disks, you should be able to purchase replacement disks from Dell at a reasonable cost.

As the resolution of this issue requires a reinstallation of the operating system, and referrals to forums that can assist with that process have been made, this topic will now be closed.

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