Virus's Trojans and Worms oh my!

[jann1033]

can any one tell me what i need to do to keep from getting so many viruses ect? for years I never got any now i have had many virus and a trojan in the space of a month...I have norton pro, avg, spybot &adaware all installed and keep them updated. my isp has a spam virus filter also. I don't open email unless i know who it is but just delete it. so just how am i getting all these stupid viruses?

thanks tink2dw btw

 

[Uncleromulus]

Well-join the club!!
It happens to me too, in spite of everything. One reason (for me anyway) is that I have AD AWare, but not ADaware Pro. So it does not block any Trojans, etc. All it will do is remove them once I run a scan.
Unfortunately none of these programs are perfect and the only thing to do is regularly update and HOPE no critical files, etc become infected.

 

[Empire Day]

kaylajr
Most likely you have a browser helper instaled, most change your home page to about.blank. supersearch or some other crazy search page and will not let you go any where but that site. If you do search for the file "DO NOT JUST DELET IT" it more than likly will remove a registry key that you need for IE, use a spy bot remover ( I use spybot Search and Destroy) I had these "browser helpers" for a while and found I was getting them from downloading silly stuff like FREE Smileys for your email hotbar things any ad on that is free and in an add at any site.
I hope that this helps

 

[DiaDeGuadalupe]

kaylajr, I don't know if you've already fixed your about:blank problem, but if you haven't, do a google or yahoo search for "Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites". You should find a link to a page from spyware warrior.com. I had a nasty takeover from the about:blank monster, and it took about 3 hours to fix it. I have Spybot, ad-aware, spyware blaster, the whole enchilada. lol



Anyway, even after getting fixed, I still try to run the anti spyware/adware software at least 2 to 3 times a week, plus I clean out my cache every night to rid my computer of any lurking nasties.

The battle with viruses, etc. will be an ongoing one from the looks of things. Better safe than sorry, huh?

 

[kaylajr]

i tried restiricting it and no luck
i have also run spybot and adaware again in safe mode no luck so i will try DIADEGUADALUPE 's idea

thank you all for trying to help me

 

[DiaDeGuadalupe]

Good luck!

I forgot to say last night that once you get to the spyware warrior page, click on "If Your PC is Infested w/ Spyware... "
It'll automatically scroll you down to where you need to be to start the help process. When you get to the part about the spyware removal forum, try computer cops. That's who I went through to get rid of my problem. Just have some patience once you get there, there are tons of people who are in the same boat, so it may take the better part of a day for the helpers to get to you.

Lastly, follow their instructions to the LETTER. It's done in steps and the results of each step helps them to tell you what to do next (there are many different types of nasties and they attack differently in some cases)

Again, good luck, though I know things will be ok for you!

 

[tc's disney mom]

Hi, Thanks so much for this particular thread, it has been such a great help! I currently have a DSL connection with a Linksys router, but I would like to install a firewall program. I was going to install ZoneAlarm, but someone told me that ZoneAlarm is very hard to remove from your computer if you decide you don't like it. I have read some good things about Sygate, but I'm not sure if this program would be too hard for me to use. (I am still a beginner with all of this.) If anyone has an opinion about either program, I would really appreciate your help. Thank you!

 

[Disneyland_emily]

Okay I give up- Is there any way beyond a full system sweep to get ride of mysearchnow, searchweb2 and all the other stuff its involved with?

I run both Adaware and Spybot daily and have tried running it in safe mode etc and itll disappear for a few hours but it still doesnt go away forever...

It adds 7 icons to the desktop, resets the homepage and adds 7+ items to the favorites and alphabitizes it...

I am sick of it... Any ideas?? -em

 

[Dan Murphy]

Update time............

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=662107

 

[tink2dw]

Well I promised to let you know how I liked SpywareBlaster.

I love it!!

It has stopped 3199 item from loading on my computer!! It stops most of the Evil search pages, bars,cometcurser,Hi-jackers and the newest evil is Dialers. It catchs all the ActiveX stuff too!!

It has stopped the Coolwebsearch -1295 item, Lop virus- 52 items and the KleenValue virus -193 items that killed my pc before to the point I had to run the recovery disks.

This is just a fraction of the stuff it stops!!

I don't have to do anything it just works, I don't have to run anything. Once a week I open it to check to see if I need to check mark any new threats that are hi-lighted red and then click Protect Against Checked Items. And If I check something that I need I can just uncheck it!!

It works with IE broswers and Mozilla.

Mozilla is an open html browser anyone can write or rewrite it to be what ever they chose even write in virus content. Be Careful!

 

[Uncleromulus]

Great!! Does it have an "update" feature (automatic, or does it notify you if updates are available)??

 

[MiaSRN62]

Well I promised to let you know how I liked SpywareBlaster

Is this freeware ?
I've had SpyBot, Ad-aware and Norton's for over a year now. They do a satisfactory job but I must run them daily to keep up with the spyware and hijackers---they just keep coming back----the same ones. There is one though that I simply cannot get rid of. It's called searchmeup.com ? My home page keeps automatically defaulting to it no matter how many times I change it. Anyone know anything about searchmeup.com ? I can't find any info when I perform a search on it ? Thanks.

 

[tink2dw]

Great!! Does it have an "update" feature (automatic, or does it notify you if updates are available)??

Uncleromulus- It has both an automatic or you can do it your self!

Is this freeware?

MiaSRN62- It is a free downlad from Cnet.com
http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0.html?qt=SpywareBlaster&tg=dl-20&search.x=22&search.y=5

MiaSRN62- After downloading SpywareBlaster tons of the search pages come from the same companies that have a different names. Please download SpywareBlaster it will stop most of your problems.

PLUS you can add any site to the resticted sites list and protect agianest it. Which is very easy!!

Cnet.com's Review of SpywareBlaster

Despite the multiple tabs and variety of options, this utility maintains focus on its sole task: keeping ActiveX-based spyware from hijacking Internet Explorer and Mozilla. Wrapped in a no-frills tabbed interface, SpywareBlaster is easy to both navigate and operate. Additional features include the ability to disable Flash animations, create a block list of troublesome DLLs, take a snapshot of your system, and add customized ActiveX blockers for files not included in the program's database. Like most adware-removal programs, it lets you download the latest malware updates. We would have liked support for other popular browsers, such as Netscape and Opera, and the program offers little help for PCs already infected with adware. Still, SpywareBlaster proves a helpful preventative addition to any anti-adware arsenal.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Thanks ! I will try this Tink !

 

[heathrow42]

..not sure if it's ok to post links (if it's not, Alex feel free to remove it) but I found a pretty good step by step how to remove spyware guide and thought it might help some folks here.

http://www.help2go.com/article217.html

It's a computer help site- I used to work with the folks that run it, when I was in college. The folks who run it are mostly helpdesk techs at a variety of places- they wanted a repository for info and came up with this. It is very much geared for novices- and they also have a forum if you need further help.

Hope this helps some,
Heather

 

[Tarheel Tink]

As is usual, I get fantastic information on the DIS! This is wonderful info for me- I downloaded Google toolbar,Adware and Spybot (wow, was I full of spyware!) and things are moving much quicker now.

Would the following be a good routine to follow?

Weekly- run virus scan, Spybot, and Adware (after updating all)
update Windows if needed, and defragment? I have routine maintenance weekly that scans disk and monthly disk cleanup.

Am I missing something I should be doing? Is the timing correct on what I am doing?

 

[Uncleromulus]

Just to show how complicated all this can be, I got a "windows update" notice about a new "security pack" that's available. To help with spyware, pop-ups, etc etc.
Fortunately, rather than just immediately download and install, I read on to a "support" page. (Whenever you see a site with a support page, suspect trouble--).
Sure enough, a huge laundry list of all the programs on my computer that need to be un-installed or eliminated before the new Windows stuff would even work--included almost every security program I have (Zone Alarm, Norton, ADAWare, etc).
Had I just downloaded it , I suspect I would have caused major problems to my computer.
Another example of how user friendly most of this stuff is NOT!!

 

[tink2dw]

Ain't it just true!!

 

[WebmasterAlex]

Heathrow- Great link lots of good info
Pretty good plan Tarheel Tink except you don't need to defragment that often, monthly is more than enough

I found out about a great new spyware removal today.
Spysweeper by webroot, available at www.webroot.com
There is a 30 day free trial. I ran into a BADLY infected computer today and this cleaned it up better than anything I have ever seen

 

[Uncleromulus]

Tempting--. And thank you for the link.
But I do see the "Support center" which suggests that this program isn't as easy as "one-two-three" as the site suggests.

ADaware said virtually the same thing. Before I downloaded it I got on the Lavasoft Forum/help site and discovered that ADaware was blocking (in addition to Spyware) programs like Hotmail, etc!! They were having a hard time helping folks just to get their e-mail back!!
Pestpatrol said almost the same thing and then allowed me to delete a file that prevented further connection on the Internet!!

I think I'll keep Webroot in mind until some more folks start using it---