Viruses, Spyware and...

Computer won't let me access anti virus websites or downloand any anti virus software

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Join Date: May 2009

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sVv

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#31

Oct 14th, 2009

If you can get there try malwarebytes. free -http://www.malwarebytes.org/
- cleans up rouge anti virus program that infect pc and stops them from accessing anti virus site, also try searching for rootkits - MS has a rootkit revealer http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/s.../bb897445.aspx
IF you can't get to those sites try downloading them from http://www.filehippo.com/

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Join Date: Oct 2009

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mikeP32

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#32

Oct 18th, 2009

Hi,
I profess to no particular expertise, however is it possible you could do a system restore to an earlier time before you experienced this problem?
it reminds me of a nasty i got a year ago which prevented me accessing the internet at all, disabled my antivirus software and sadly also in that case deleted all my restore points - i ended up needing a full format and install, but maybe you can still do a system restore?
good luck.

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Join Date: Jul 2008

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jholland1964 jholland1964 is offline

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#33

Oct 18th, 2009

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Originally Posted by mikeP32

Hi,
I profess to no particular expertise, however is it possible you could do a system restore to an earlier time before you experienced this problem?
it reminds me of a nasty i got a year ago which prevented me accessing the internet at all, disabled my antivirus software and sadly also in that case deleted all my restore points - i ended up needing a full format and install, but maybe you can still do a system restore?
good luck.

System Restore is NOT going to remove an infection or ANY program for that matter. What it likely would do is remove the "notation" of the program or infection making it that much harder to find and remove. When dealing with an infection System Restore should be left alone until the computer is deemed clean. THEN, and only then, you should set a new and clean restore point by turning off System Restore and turning it back on. But until the computer is clean, leave it alone.

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Join Date: Dec 2006

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PhilliePhan PhilliePhan is offline

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#34

Oct 18th, 2009

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Originally Posted by jholland1964

When dealing with an infection System Restore should be left alone until the computer is deemed clean. THEN, and only then, you should set a new and clean restore point by turning off System Restore and turning it back on. But until the computer is clean, leave it alone.

Actually, that is not entirely true, Judy.

Many forums will have users set a fresh restore point directly before beginning the cleaning process - that goes along with the "infected point better than none at all" argument.... Likewise, some fix tools will also set points before their runs.
So, if a user normally operates with System Restore OFF, I would ask them to turn it on prior to cleaning.....

-- I was going to write some stickies addressing this and other practices, but currently awaiting OK from Daniweb leadership....

Cheers

In some sort of crude sense, which no vulgarity, no humor, no overstatement can quite extinguish, the physicists have known sin; and this is a knowledge which they cannot lose.
~ J. Robert Oppenheimer

ASAP

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jholland1964 jholland1964 is offline

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#35

Oct 18th, 2009

I know there ARE forums which tell people to turn it off, guess I should have worded it that MY feeling is that it should be left on because of..the "infected point better than none at all" argument. And yes, I would tell them to turn it on....

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PhilliePhan PhilliePhan is offline

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#36

Oct 18th, 2009

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Originally Posted by jholland1964

I know there ARE forums which tell people to turn it off.....

I think those are few and far between these days.
When I was volunteering at Majorgeeks in 2004, it was policy to have users turn off System Restore before cleaning.
I was doing this at other forums as well until Blender set me straight. She was the one who first suggested (to me) that an infected point is better than none at all.
I then took that argument to chaslang at MGs and he changed the policy there.

A similar process took place in the forums regarding the whole "don't force Safe Mode" idea.

PP

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jholland1964 jholland1964 is offline

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#37

Oct 18th, 2009

Of course I think System Restore itself is so mis-understood anyway. So many seem to think it is the "end all and be all" of fixing, when in reality many times it does more harm than good. It doesn't restore everything but so many people "boink" their computers by immediately turning to System Restore rather than just doing a simple uninstall of something or maybe an adjustment of some kind. Then they can't figure out why something doesn't work right anymore. Obviously it DOES work in some instances but for my money anyway it shouldn't be the first step.

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PhilliePhan PhilliePhan is offline

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#38

Oct 18th, 2009

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Originally Posted by jholland1964

Of course I think System Restore itself is so mis-understood anyway. So many seem to think it is the "end all and be all" of fixing, when in reality many times it does more harm than good. . . .

I don't know that it does more harm than good, but I'll agree with the misunderstood part.

I liken this argument to users who have disabled malware via msconfig.
A lot of volunteers will ask those users to remove those items and restore normal startup . . .. Why? Why do this?
Why allow malware that has previously been stopped from running to start and potentially "phone home" for reinforcements??

That, to me, is a dumb practice (and yes, I used to do that back before I really considered the consequences). I think in the past when we were all too dependent upon HJT, you needed to do this to get a good look at things.
But with DDS / RSIT et al, that is no longer necessary. We can see what has been stopped and deal accordingly.....

PP

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#39

Oct 18th, 2009

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Originally Posted by PhilliePhan

I liken this argument to users who have disabled malware via msconfig.
A lot of volunteers will ask those users to remove those items and restore normal startup . . .. Why? Why do this?
Why allow malware that has previously been stopped from running to start and potentially "phone home" for reinforcements??

That, to me, is a dumb practice (and yes, I used to do that back before I really considered the consequences). I think in the past when we were all too dependent upon HJT, you needed to do this to get a good look at things.
But with DDS / RSIT et al, that is no longer necessary. We can see what has been stopped and deal accordingly.....

PP

Have done this myself, but stress to the user NOT to reboot, just apply the setting, scan with hijackthis, then disable again in msconfig.
Without the reboot, that malware should not start.

Proud member of ASAP (Alliance of Security analysis Professionals).
Opera AVAST anti-virus Comodo Firewall Spywareblaster

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PhilliePhan PhilliePhan is offline

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#40

Oct 18th, 2009

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Originally Posted by crunchie

Have done this myself, but stress to the user NOT to reboot . . . .

Yup - but you have to stress that really hard and still people will reboot when prompted to "reboot so changes take effect" or whatever the dialog box says....

PP

Last edited by PhilliePhan; Oct 18th, 2009 at 11:11 pm.