I need help

[LibraryLady]

I think I have spyware, my printer refuses to work, and things are moving more slowly than they should. I would like a computer person to come to my house. Does anyone have a recommendation for a company in the Baltimore area? Should I call Geeks on Call?

[Steelmage]

What you can do is right click on the task manager and see the number of processes running. Then boot into safe mode with networking, look at the number of processes running in the task manager. Then look up the ones that do not show, most of them will be processes that will only run in Windows 32-bit mode (normal start-up), look them up on the internet using google. There should be a couple of sites that will explain what the process is and how to take care of it.
As for recommending someone, no I have no one to recommend in that area.

[Wudang]

Try installing http://www.malwarebytes.org/

[Dancing David]

Wudang is the high priest in the temple of which I am a lowly lay deacon.

Try to download
http://www.ccleaner.com/
http://www.atribune.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=25
and run them first, the scan by Mbam will be much faster

After you install Malwarebytes, then boot into safe mode (hold F8) during restart, and use with networking.
Update Mbam and restrat if needed, in safe mode run Mbam (you can often install it in safe mode in fact)

then for repetition go to

www.superantispyware.com

and you have to install it in regular windows,
then boot into safe mode with networking, update and run. those two will catch most malware.

I also recommend (if you are geeky)

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=35407

or if you have a big problem/don't like majorgeeks

go here
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic34773.html

[Dancing David]

What you can do is right click on the task manager and see the number of processes running. Then boot into safe mode with networking, look at the number of processes running in the task manager. Then look up the ones that do not show, most of them will be processes that will only run in Windows 32-bit mode (normal start-up), look them up on the internet using google. There should be a couple of sites that will explain what the process is and how to take care of it.
As for recommending someone, no I have no one to recommend in that area.

If you are geeky...

(try Mbam and SAS first)

(Check your Add/Remove Programs list for suspects)


This is a great place to start, if you want to take the time, if your internet is not too slow, what you do is Google each process, which if you are not familiar with your machine will take a while, just see what they are

If any of them are clearly Malware, the end that process right away, but be sure to write down it's name

Then Google the name with 'malware removal', look for Bleeping Computer or geeky sites that tell you how to disable and remove it.

See if any of them are hogging a whole lot of time (at work this week I have had two machines that were running TPsrv.exe at 80-90%, it was because the PandaAV had been corrupted, what you do then is go to MyComputer (rightclick) choose Manage, Services and Applications,Services, find the process, right click it, in Properties Stop the process and then set to disable. Then you can do a reinstall or removal of the suspect program.

[LibraryLady]

I ran the malware and removed 35 infections that Norton missed. I'm going to wait and see if that does it before going for Dancing David's advice.

Thank you, guys!

[a_unique_person]

Try installing http://www.malwarebytes.org/

I agree. Just buy some decent spyware killing software, and anti-virus. Try a couple of reputable brands if the first doesn't fix it completely. If that doesn't work, you will have to re-install windows. Sometimes the spyware is so bad that it cannot be removed without destroying Windows in the process.

[arthwollipot]

Try installing http://www.malwarebytes.org/Huh. I installed the free version, ran a scan, and found nothing. And I'm not exactly careful...

[LibraryLady]

I agree. Just buy some decent spyware killing software, and anti-virus. Try a couple of reputable brands if the first doesn't fix it completely. If that doesn't work, you will have to re-install windows. Sometimes the spyware is so bad that it cannot be removed without destroying Windows in the process.

I have both Norton and the program that Windows comes with and they are run regularly.

[Ducky]

I ran the malware and removed 35 infections that Norton missed. I'm going to wait and see if that does it before going for Dancing David's advice.

Thank you, guys!

Exactly what porn sites are you visiting, young lady?

[Dancing David]

I ran the malware and removed 35 infections that Norton missed. I'm going to wait and see if that does it before going for Dancing David's advice.

Thank you, guys!

Important, run Windows update on a regular basis, especialy on the Wed. following the second Tuesday.

You may want to run the Malware scanner and then reinstall Norton, if they allow that. I have McAfee (loathe, shock , horror) but mainly for the firewall. I have had it get boogered up and had to reinstall.

Try SAS as well, it can catch malware that Mbam does not, but then you have people like me uploading malware files to Mbam on a regular basis (like three yesterday), theyw ere three, I knew they were malware and so I uploaded them. (My school district is a breeding pool for malware, but only of old fashioned varieties, kind of funny.)

[LibraryLady]

Exactly what porn sites are you visiting, young lady?

I deny that!

I'm not young.

[rjh01]

You have visited a site that give out viruses. Maybe you look at photos? They are suspects.

Also ensure that your Norton's virus software is up to date. Updated at least every week.

[Ducky]

Maybe you look at photos? They are suspects.


What's suspect is what kind of photos this librarian is looking at...


Tsk Tsk. if you needed porn, LL, you should Pm me, not go to some dodgy site.


I will charge for the premium photos, however. You have no idea how much it cost to catch Jeff Wagg with that sheep on film...

[a_unique_person]

I ran the malware and removed 35 infections that Norton missed. I'm going to wait and see if that does it before going for Dancing David's advice.

Thank you, guys!

Woops, crossed posts. It is my experience that no one piece of anti-virus and anti-malware can deal with them all, there is such a variety of them out there, and the steps needed to remove them can be extremely complex. There is malware out there that can appear to be removed completely, that just pops back up the next time you reboot.

[Wudang]

You have visited a site that give out viruses. Maybe you look at photos? They are suspects.

Also ensure that your Norton's virus software is up to date. Updated at least every week.

Innocent websites can be infected. A whole slew were spotted some time back - mainly small business, amatuer sites etc. One suspicion I heard was that something was scraping peoples PCs for FTP passwords (i.e. the passwords used by the guys to update the websites).

[Dancing David]

Innocent websites can be infected. A whole slew were spotted some time back - mainly small business, amatuer sites etc. One suspicion I heard was that something was scraping peoples PCs for FTP passwords (i.e. the passwords used by the guys to update the websites).

Ouch, I had also read that some servers are vulnerable to having code inserted as well.

[a_unique_person]

I have found some of the worst sites are the ones that target kids and adults with animated cursors and smilies.

[LibraryLady]

Well, I don't like animated smilies. :j1::yahoo:clap::dc_peevedoff::lol2:

However, I reinstalled Norton with the latest update--there was a flaw, according to their site. I reran the Malware. Everything seems to be working now except my printer. It acknowledged that it is supposed to be printing, but nothing happens. I plan to go to HP's web site for help. At some point.

[The Man]

Have you tried printing a test page, under the “properties” category? Are there any old print jobs that need to be deleted?

[a_unique_person]

Well, I don't like animated smilies. :j1::yahoo:clap::dc_peevedoff::lol2:

However, I reinstalled Norton with the latest update--there was a flaw, according to their site. I reran the Malware. Everything seems to be working now except my printer. It acknowledged that it is supposed to be printing, but nothing happens. I plan to go to HP's web site for help. At some point.

Another problem is that most anti-virus products don't target Malware for some reason. You need two pieces of software to be adequately protected. You can think you are safe with just an anti-virus, but that isn't the case these days.

[Klimax]

Another problem is that most anti-virus products don't target Malware for some reason. You need two pieces of software to be adequately protected. You can think you are safe with just an anti-virus, but that isn't the case these days.

There are some packages going after both parts. I have AVG 8.5 in company. No problems reported. IIRC there are few others but don't know them... :o

Generaly I push following combination: AVG,Spybot,spyware blaster(pasive) and Windows Defender. + obviously user account...

[microdot]

If you're using a MS Windows based PC the single most effective way to block infection of your PC by parasites et. al. is to ensure that you NEVER login to your PC with an Administrator level account while your PC is attached to the Internet.

In fact you should only ever need an Admin level account when you need to make system changes i.e. install hardware / software etc.

If you're logged in as an Admin then so is any malware that manages to find it's way onto your PC.

Create yourself a Basic User account and use that unless you're absolutely doing something that needs admin rights and you've already unplugged your Internet connection.

If, in addition to this simple but very effective measure, you keep your anti-virus / anti-malware applications up to date you should be pretty safe.

[dtugg]

If you're using a MS Windows based PC the single most effective way to block infection of your PC by parasites et. al. is to ensure that you NEVER login to your PC with an Administrator level account while your PC is attached to the Internet.

In fact you should only ever need an Admin level account when you need to make system changes i.e. install hardware / software etc.

If you're logged in as an Admin then so is any malware that manages to find it's way onto your PC.

Create yourself a Basic User account and use that unless you're absolutely doing something that needs admin rights and you've already unplugged your Internet connection.

If, in addition to this simple but very effective measure, you keep your anti-virus / anti-malware applications up to date you should be pretty safe.

This is good advice for XP. However, admin accounts in Vista and 7 are not the same as XP. Basically, you are running as a regular user; programs do not run as admin by default. If a program needs admin rights, you will get a promp asking if you want to allow it. And the biggest difference between admin acounts and regular accounts is that in the regular accounts it will ask for a password on the UAC prompts rather than just asking yes or no.

[microdot]

This is good advice for XP. However, admin accounts in Vista and 7 are not the same as XP. Basically, you are running as a regular user; programs do not run as admin by default. If a program needs admin rights, you will get a promp asking if you want to allow it

Good point well made :)

And I hope you won't mind me adding to that with:-

And that's also why those of you out there who have disabled UAC in Vista (and 7 if you have it) because you can't put up with it's 'nagging' should probably turn it back on and accept that it is doing a very good job of protecting your system.