Member Avatar for Dwarfie

On wed Sept 11th i reloaded XP due to sasser virus,at some time during my reinstalling of such things as , Yahoo Messenger,Adobe photo deluxe,winmx etc, i began to recieve these warnings, purporting to be from Windows

as follows :
MESSENGER SERVICE
message to infecte on 8/12/2004 80:07:14pm

*Warning! Your computeris infecyed with seriousSoftware that normal Virus packages cannot remove.They monitor your internet traffic and is a serious violation of your privacy.It is recommended that you oinstall the latest software to remove these by going to:*


also this pop up too

*Windows has detected a MP3 VIRUS! This will damage your hard drive.Please vist the website below to remove:*


OK to me theyre obviously trying to get me to purchase their services.

My question is.. How do i get rid of them? and if i do how do i stop it happening again?

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Dani AI

Generated

This is the classic Messenger-service pop-up / scareware problem: the boxes shown in ’s post are being delivered via the Windows "Messenger" system service (not MSN/Yahoo/AIM). The messages try to scare users into visiting paid, rogue "anti-spyware" sites. The quick ideas from (disable the service) and (use a tool to block the messenger pop-ups) are the right direction — the steps below make those suggestions concrete and add cleanup/prevention advice.

Immediate stop-and-disable (Windows 2000/XP):
Start -> Run -> services.msc
Find "Messenger", double-click it, click Stop, set "Startup type" to Disabled, click OK.
Command-line alternative (run an elevated Command Prompt):

net stop messenger
sc config messenger start= disabled

Cleanup and prevention:

  • Do not click the popup links or download anything they advertise; they are scareware.
  • Run full scans with a current antivirus and an anti-malware scanner (boot into Safe Mode if needed).
  • Check Add/Remove Programs for unfamiliar installs and review startup items with msconfig or Autoruns (Sysinternals). Remove suspicious entries.
  • Enable a firewall (Windows firewall or router) and disable File and Printer Sharing on untrusted networks to reduce exposure. Keep Windows fully patched.

If pop-ups persist after disabling the service and cleaning, an offline rescue scan from reputable AV rescue media or a clean reinstall may be necessary. Changing passwords used while the PC may have been compromised is advisable. The popups themselves are scams; do not pay for the advertised "cleanup" services.

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Member Avatar for DMR

Yeah, the Messenger service (which has nothing to do with messaging programs like msn, aim, and the like) has a security flaw which allows outsiders to send you unwanted pop-up ads. Download and run "Shoot the Messenger from here:

http://grc.com/stm/shootthemessenger.htm

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