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Hi everyone. This is my first post, I found the site while looking for an answer to my problem. Everyone here seems to know what they are talking about so hopefully I can work out what is going wrong.

OK... Recently my computer was attacked by a Trojan (spy sheriff) And after getting rid of that (and a cpl of others on my computer i didnt know i had) MSN hasn't been working. Everytime I try to sign in I get a pop up window stating
"messenger has encountered a problem and needs to close...)" I uninstalled, reinstalled, upgraded, checked my clock, everything i could find by googling around. Now tonight I tried to use the new MySpace messenger(which I think is pretty much the same as MSN). I basically got the same message (along the lines of the windows one).
Am I missing a file or something? I am not getting a specific error message, so I am not sure where the problem is.
Sorry I am not very computer literate, Basically everything i know i have learnt since this problem came up.
Should I post a "HiJack this" log?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

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Dani AI

Generated

Good catch by — SpySheriff and similar rogue “scareware” often leave behind altered settings or damaged system components so that apps like MSN Messenger still fail even after the visible malware binary is removed. Common residual causes are modified Hosts/proxy settings, broken Winsock/LSP layers, corrupted system DLLs, or leftover startup/services entries.

Common, practical checks that fix most post‑infection messenger crashes:

  • Run reputable anti‑malware scanners from Safe Mode with Networking (for example, Malwarebytes or Spybot) to catch leftovers.
  • Inspect the Hosts file at C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts and remove unexpected redirects to MSN/Microsoft domains.
  • Reset networking components: netsh winsock reset and ipconfig /flushdns (restart after running).
  • Repair system files with sfc /scannow (Windows may request the install CD).
  • Verify IE LAN/Proxy settings (Tools → Internet Options → Connections → LAN Settings) and disable any proxy entries that weren’t intentionally configured.
  • Uninstall Messenger, delete leftover program and user caches (Program Files and the Local Settings/Application Data MSN folders), then reinstall the latest compatible build.
  • Use msconfig or Autoruns to inspect startup/services for suspicious entries left by the scareware.

For persistent crashes, the Application log in Event Viewer is very informative — note the crash timestamp and the “faulting module” name. A HijackThis (HJT) log plus the Event Viewer crash entry gives the best diagnostic data for helpers to spot leftover startup/service/registry items; avoid running automated HJT “fix” buttons without expert guidance.

After cleanup, run Windows Update, change passwords used while infected, and keep anti‑malware tools updated. Automatic removers can solve the immediate problem (as found) but always follow up with scans and the checks above to catch remnants.

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