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Looks like I've got one heck of a virus / trojan on my system

rruwalton

ISP Rep
I'm running Win 7 with AVG Internet Security (virus & firewall) and all has been fine for ages.

This morning my AVG would not work and neither would my malware software. It started to scan and then packed up. When I click on the file it said "Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item"

When I tried to remove AVG it wont allow me.

When I searched for an online virus check, internet explorer or firefox would not open the page.

I managed to download "Microsoft Security Essentials" and it found "Backdoor:Win32/Smadow"
which it removed.

I'm presently updating all Windows updates.

Does this sound familar to anyone and have you any advice please? I would hate to format my drive and start again.

Thanks
Richard
 
Thanks Martin,

It didn't matter what I did and what software I used Win 7 would not run properly. Thankfully I had partitioned the drive into 3 sections running a dual boot for XP and Win 7. I did this when I first tested Win 7 just in case. The 3rd partition held all my pics etc. I recomend a separate partition for stuff you want to keep.

I formatted the drive last night and now ok

:)
 
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When something like that happens (every once in awhile something does get past your security) I usually close down Windows and boot into safe-mode (ideally the one without internet/networking enabled). From there you can load the Task Manager and often spot any processes that seem out of place and 'END' it/them; although some will still hide under a familiar name, which makes them tough to spot.

Once that's done then I'd usually download (via another computer) or simply install an existing copy of http://www.malwarebytes.org , which is kind of an amalgamated trojan/virus remover and seems to get most things.
 
Sometimes all you can do is fire up the spare computer and go screaming for help at http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/

I have found SDFix and ComboFix good for getting rid of stubourn rootkits, and viri, but they can do a lot of damage unless used under supervision
 
an this would be why l block java etc with noscript.. l use that in conjunction with adblock plus and touch wood l havent had a virus for a while..
 
I do the same, but there are some websites that wont work without java, and it you regularly use one and it gets infected, you often get an infection as well, although to be fair, it has only happened to me once, and it was a fairly minor virus that Spybot picked up and disposed of during my weekly "pre banking session" scan.
 
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Yeah blocking Javascript is a tedious option as I can think of many standard ISPreview.co.uk features that won't work properly without JS code. Anyway most viruses usually take advantage of Java Apps, which requires you to have the runtime installed, rather than javascript.
 
Hi rruwalton,

I hope that by now, you've got your PC sorted.

Don't forget to go to System Restore & clear out (delete) all the restore points, as malware often lurks there & re-infects the PC at a later date.

If you'd like to see where AVG currently stands against the competition in recent tests, you could check out the following anti-malware testing sites: AV-TEST.ORG, AV-COMPARATIVES, WEST COAST LABS, MATOUSEC. I'm not convinced that Matousec can be trusted, but you can decide that for yourself.:)
 
why is it ppl suggest system restore.. hell theres some advert suggesting it will clear viruses... ld never use system restore purely because if its that bad an infection then its likely to have infected the restore point and the possibility of corruption exists which could mean a bad restore image.. and loss of all files if it causes issues when restoring..
 
why is it ppl suggest system restore.. hell theres some advert suggesting it will clear viruses... ld never use system restore purely because if its that bad an infection then its likely to have infected the restore point and the possibility of corruption exists which could mean a bad restore image.. and loss of all files if it causes issues when restoring..
I didn't suggest that System Restore would clear viruses!:mad:

Quite to the contrary, I said that it harbours malware. I said that System Restore points should be removed because malware can be hidden in them & re-infect PCs.

In my opinion, System Restore is more trouble than it is worth & should be removed from Windows until Microsoft can get it to actually work properly. I have tried to use it countless times, on four PCs and it has never been successful; usually with a message along the lines of "unable to restore". I have now disabled System Restore as a result (along with the annoying User Account Control [UAC].)
 
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Disabling UAC on Win7 and System Restore on XP are the first things I do; both a total waste of code. If you want a safe backup option, use Acronis; quick, simple, reliable.
 
System Restore can be quite handy if an app install screws something up and I've used it on the odd occasion to save having to use a more aggressive solution, although I do agree that the TV advert where somebody solves a virus infection be using System Restore is laughable :) . I had a good chuckle at that one. It seems to assume far too much and ignores the fact that past restore points are likely to be affected and probably won't fix the underlying problem anyway.

As for UAC it's a mixed bag. I have come across problems that it can prevent but more often than not it just gets in the way, at least with Win7 it's less intrusive.
 
which is why UAC is off by default on my box lol.. l also love their way of stopping spam..

if l changed email address every time ld have lost way too many contacts.. this is why l use forwarders for server support stuff but l have found one great method of keeping my address spam free.. and thats to not give it out to ppl l dont trust... and use it to sign up to every god damn thing lol.
 
Gmail spam filters are pretty good, so I have a captain cretin account that I use to sign up to websites with, and other names I use for trusted contacts; then forward them to my "Home" email address. If too much spam starts to get through I cancel the forward and abandon the account.
 
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