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I can't download anything, because whatever I was hit with is preventing me from connecting to the internet. However, I have hijackthis from a previous hit about 8 months ago. Can someone please help me thru the entire process of removing all spyware/viruses/trojan horses from my computer...I appreciate any help!

Thanks!

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Dani AI

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As and brought the HijackThis tool into the thread, the following is a practical, offline-friendly workflow for using an existing copy of HijackThis and for what to do with the logfile when Internet access is blocked.

Start by booting the machine into Safe Mode (press F8 during boot) to reduce active malware. Run HijackThis and save the scan output to a text file (name it something like hijackthis.txt). If the machine cannot reach the web, copy that file to removable media or print it so it can be examined on another computer. Do not use the program's removal ("Fix checked") until entries are identified — indiscriminate fixes can break the system.

When reading the logfile, look for clear red flags rather than every unknown line: autorun entries that point to files in %TEMP% or user-data folders, Browser Helper Objects (BHO) with unfamiliar DLL names, services or scheduled tasks that run executables outside the system folder, multiple instances of the same startup entry, and entries showing system executables running from non-system paths. Also check for proxy settings or hosts-file redirects (hosts lives in the Windows folder) because those are common causes of blocked Internet access. Before any removal, export relevant registry keys or create a system backup/restore point if the OS supports it.

After suspicious items are identified, the usual order is: quarantine/delete the malicious files, remove associated autorun entries (preferably under guidance), repair hosts/proxy/winsock/LSP if network access remains blocked, then update and run up-to-date anti-malware scanners. If uncertainty remains, providing the full HijackThis logfile plus OS version and a short symptom list will allow targeted advice; otherwise, severe damage or persistent loss of connectivity may require repair or reinstall from known-good media.

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Member Avatar for crunchie

You will need the latest version of HJT which is 1.97.7

Member Avatar for DMR

You will need the latest version of HJT which is 1.97.7

Absolutely- the spyware definition database used by an 8-month old version of HJT is going to be horribly out of date. If you can't get on the Net from the machine in question, download HJT on another machine, whack it on to a CD, and install it that way.

As for a walkthrough of using HJT, please read our other recent threads on the whole subject; HJT instructions and some very useful info on spyware in general have been posted numerous times by a few of the members.

:)

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