Well Rambo, I saw this one on a customers computer last week. It's a
tenacious sucker, and yes, it seems to wait a bit before launching after
booting in the morning. It traps most operating system calls preventing
you from running diagnostic software or restoring your registry to an
earlier date. There is good news and bad news... the bad first. You
will need to reformat and reload your operating system. The good
news: this virus will block all attempts at removal, but it will not
interfere with your copying of your important files to a USB drive.... so:
Copy your important files to a backup drive,
Look in your owners manual for the sequence to restore your operating
system.
Go to Windows Update in the Accessories menu (repeatedly) to get your
opsys up-to-date.
Reload all your favorite programs and files.
If you have a Dell, HP, or Compaq, you must hold down an F-key (see
owners manual) while booting to discover the hidden partition with your
operating system restore files.
Older computers will have a disc that came in the box that has the
OpSys restore on it.
For a few years, computers were delivered without a restore disc,
and asked you to make your own (which very few people actually did).
For this reason, you can contact the manufacturer and get a restore disc
for anywhere from free to $30, depending on the company. There are a
few off-brands that don't have a support site, but you can go to special
merchants that collect restore disc's and will sell you a set for about
$30.
Of course, the easiest solution is to drop you machine at a local
computer store /repair shop and let them do it.. costs around $100 to $150.
Hope this helps!
If you give the brand name and model, maybe we can help you find the
key-sequence or source disc.
Good Luck!
- Brian
Ranbo wrote:
*Since today my Dell desktop is acting crazy. Keeps popping up with
messages (every few seconds) that my computer is infected, when I try to run
programs it says they are infected, and can't access AVG (says that is
affected), can't find Zone Alarm, and several times has brought up an
alleged antivirus program called Soft antivirus which starts scanning my
files. Actually, not sure if it is really scanning my files or this is
their "demonstration." At bottom of screen it is trying to get me to buy
this program to disinfect the computer. I don't recall ever having
installed this software and can't even find it listed. Can't even go to add
or remove hardware. When I'm not on the computer for awhile I notice that
it is bringing up webpages (fake pages?) for porn sites, VIagra and other
similar stuff.
I have no idea what to do to try to remedy this. I'm running Windows XP.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. I can connect to the internet and use
email, so long as about every 5 seconds I say no to the pop-ups that say my
computer is at risk or infiltrated or bring up these websites (using IE,
while I am only using FireFox). I keep stopping the scan this new antivirus
program seems to be running because I am afraid it itself is a virus, maybe
part of a scam to infect the computer in order to get me to buy the software
to disinfect it!
Help! And thanks
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