Member Avatar for Woodrich

I have recently gotten a nasty virus. AVG did not stop it. It erased all of my desktop icons and removed all links from my start button. I can still access my file through My Computer. Any ideas?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by jholland1964

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Symptom summary (from ): desktop icons disappeared and Start Menu links were removed while files remain accessible via My Computer. This pattern most commonly stems from a shortcut/association hijack, hidden/removed shortcut files, or Explorer/policy changes applied by malware. Swapping antivirus brands (as suggested by and ) may help later, but the priority is to preserve personal data and get a reliable forensic/cleanup snapshot before making changes — and to follow the community cleanup checklist that referenced.

Recommended immediate actions (order matters):

  • Isolate the PC from networks (unplug Ethernet / disable Wi‑Fi) to stop spread and credential theft.
  • Make a raw copy of personal documents and photos to external media (do not run executables from that media). If possible, create a disk image before cleaning.
  • Boot to Safe Mode (F8) and look for obvious suspicious files in the Desktop and Start Menu folders (XP paths: C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Desktop and C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Start Menu plus All Users equivalents).
  • Reveal hidden/protected files to check for renamed shortcuts; a common recovery command is:
attrib -h -r -s /s /d C:\*.*
  • Use a known, current anti‑malware scanner (run after stopping active malware with a tool such as RKill) or an offline rescue ISO if the system blocks scanners. Run a full scan and quarantine/delete confirmed malware.

Checks and follow-ups:

  • Confirm the desktop “Show Desktop Icons” setting (right‑click desktop → Arrange Icons By → Show Desktop Icons).
  • Inspect startup with Autoruns (Sysinternals) and remove unfamiliar entries.
  • If the profile appears corrupted, creating a new local user can show whether the issue is per‑profile.
  • If infection damaged system components or cleanup fails, back up data and perform a clean OS install; change all important passwords afterwards from a known‑clean device.

As advised, supply the standard diagnostic logs when requesting hands‑on cleanup so experienced helpers can provide targeted instructions.

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Member Avatar for sergent

Hardware & Software -> Microsoft Windows -> Viruses

And AVG is pretty crappy, I used it myself but it did not detect any viruses. I use Norton now and its a bit better

commented: If you are going to post in here then offer actual assistance, not just comments. Your reply gave no aassistance to the poster -3
commented: Rep correction. This was originally posted in the community forums. Nothing wrong with this post at all. +15
Member Avatar for jingda

AVG sucks. Use kasperky anti viurs, it rocks. Haha, sorry for my language. Did you backup your stuff if yes you can restore it.

commented: You have been told this before, if you are going to offer assistance then offer true assistance, not editorial comments. They offer no asistance to the poster asking for help. -3
commented: Post was actually in another forum before it was moved here to the correct location. +15
Member Avatar for jholland1964

Please ignore the two useless posts above by sergent and jingda, neither one has the knowledge needed to assist in infection clean up.

Follow all the steps given in our Read Me Sticky and post back here with COPY/PASTES of all requested logs.

http://www.daniweb.com/hardware-and-software/microsoft-windows/viruses-spyware-and-other-nasties/threads/134865

Edited by jholland1964 because: n/a
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