Member Avatar for raderag

I was downloading torrents and one program contained some spy/mal-ware. I ran a computer scan with CA Antivirus but no security threats or infected items were found. I then looked at other forums for people who had similar problems and decided to download various spy/mal-ware scanners. The first one I tried was Ad-Aware it found some unwanted objects and deleted them, after I restarted my computer Ad-Aware would not run, it seemed the virus or what ever I had disabled it. Soon after I kept getting IE pop-ups. My task manager was disabled "by the administrator", I could not access IE options and the search icon in the start menu was gone. I tried different spy and malware detectors and there are no more pop-ups and I can use task manager.

The search icon in the start menu is still gone and in different folders the search button in the top doesn't open a search. I am also unable to right click to look at the file attributes on my desktop. The object I suspected that gave me the problems is now showing (run-time error "75" Path/File access error) after I log in. The name of the program is Lincoln and has a logo like this one

|e| Lincoln

Sorry for the length, any posts with possible solutions
would be greatly appreciated.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by RiverKqj

Dani AI

Generated

A few practical, prioritized steps to finish a cleanup like this and restore disabled features. The pattern described by (and echoed by ) — IE popups, Task Manager disabled, missing search and context menus — usually means malware changed startup items and user-policy registry keys, and sometimes left behind damaged program files that throw file-access errors. is correct to point toward a structured removal procedure; the list below orders actions by safety and likely effectiveness.

  1. Isolate and back up. Physically disconnect the PC or disable networking. Copy personal data to external media (avoid executables). Create a full disk image if possible.
  2. Offline and safe scans. Boot Safe Mode (or use a rescue USB/CD) and run current anti-malware engines (Malwarebytes/anti-rootkit tools, a second-opinion scanner). Use a bootable rescue scanner if rootkit behavior is suspected.
  3. Find and remove persistence. Use Autoruns (Sysinternals) and Process Explorer to identify unknown startup items and running processes. Remove or quarantine items that match scanner detections.
  4. Repair policy/registry damage (backup registry first). Check these registry locations for blocking values and remove or set them to 0:
    • HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\DisableTaskMgr
    • HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoViewContextMenu
    • HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoFind
      Also check the same keys under HKLM for machine-wide settings. If gpedit.msc is available, restore Start Menu/Task Manager policies to Not Configured.
  5. Repair system files. Run SFC or a repair install if system DLLs have been replaced or removed. If persistent errors or instability remain, a full wipe-and-reinstall is the safest option; restore only personal files, not programs or unknown installers.

Caution: editing the registry and running rootkit removers can break a system if done incorrectly. Back up everything first. Logs from Autoruns or a HijackThis-style scan are the typical next step when a hands-on cleanup by an experienced helper is needed.

Member Avatar for Tyler246

Hey there Raderag

I was just doing a google search and found your posting. I have the exact same probem. Exactly as you have very thorughly described. I see that nobody has replied to your post so maybe we can work together to figure this thing out you can e-mail me directly at if you want and lets talk about building a proper plan of attack. I downloaded a Nero 7 app. from Torrentbox and foolishly opened the Keygen file without scaning it first It was a battle fighting off all the popups. I think we need some major system cleaning now.

I have also just joined this forum in order to reply to your post so I will keep checking back.

Tyler246

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