Ninepatch Posted March 23, 2004 Posted March 23, 2004 Hi Guys - I'm desperate! Been working on my PC all night trying to fix this one. Had been working along just fine yesterday, no problem. Got up to poweder my nose and refill the iced tea and WHAM - out of nowhere my screen starts looking like my grandmother's livingroom! It turns purple, 1/2 my icons disappear, some dupplicate, my scroll bars and navigations bars alternate between hide and seek and chicken around all 4 edges of the monitor. NOTHING was added to anything!!! I saved the file - got up to pee and that was all she wrote. So, stupid me, sat down and tried to fix it. Eight hours later it's worse. I can't open any of my software, some of which I've owned for 6-8 years without being presented with the registration screens all over again (requestioning my name, info, etc.) My interenet connection was funniest of all. Sometimes it let me in if I jused all capitals, then just one capital, then a capital followed by a small letter, then my real name followed by my previous pass word? Getting the picture here? Nuff hours of this crap, looking in all the knooks and crannies of my setting - oh and you don't EVEN want to know what my image files look like _ my eye fell on the one common character of the night. A Brand New Box of Memeorex Black Diskettes - Out of San Mateo, Manufacturing OutSourced.............................................. This thing has its fingers everywhere in my stystem. It even asks me for a passwork I never gave it when I turn the machine on for the first time. Any help would be greatly, breatly appreciated. Beth Rock Sign Rock Sign Rock Sign Quote
TCH-Thomas Posted March 23, 2004 Posted March 23, 2004 (edited) First of all, take a deep breath...then You´ve got any kind of access/internet connection to this faulty computer? If so, go straight to Symantec Antivirus center to do a online scan. Edited March 23, 2004 by Jikrantz Quote
Madmanmcp Posted March 23, 2004 Posted March 23, 2004 Beth, not sure what you are seeing or what you can or cannot do, or what you have to help here. But here is a list of what you need and what you need to do. You need: Virus Scanning software Adaware SpyBot Now disconnect your computer from the Internet, this prevents anything from coming to you while you are trying to fix things. Reboot your computer into Safemode. This prevents anything but the basic operating system from loading. Run the above three programs to get rid of anything that maybe infecting your computer. Reconnect the internet connection and reboot the computer. Your first stop should be the Windows Update web site and begin downloading and installing the updates (if there are any). See how this works and let us know. Quote
Ninepatch Posted March 23, 2004 Author Posted March 23, 2004 This haas my system so fouled up I can't use IE-type back up or search windows - I'm soooo frustrated. I have this woman's name and she's going to be getting a major piece of my mind. I just pulled the disk out of box of 10 fresh disks I'd bought at Office Max. Do you have a favorite product you like to use? I've used Spybot but nothing else. Thanks a million guys! :Nerd: Beth Quote
Madmanmcp Posted March 23, 2004 Posted March 23, 2004 A Brand New Box of Memeorex Black Diskettes - Out of San Mateo, Manufacturing OutSourced..............................................The days of getting a virus from floppy disks is long gone and is probably a wild goose chase. Most all the virus's now are delivered by email or the internet. I would not totally forget about the disks for they could be a suspect, but I would not fly off and accuse someone until you had concrete proof. Do you have a favorite product you like to use? I've used Spybot but nothing else. Well I personally use McAfee, I was a beta tester back in the early 90's when it was free and have just stayed with them. But any one of the major ones will do, some folks here have recommended the free AVG program. This haas my system so fouled up I can't use IE-type back up or search windows Well this will limit your options if you do not already have these programs. You may have to purchase one at a store. Do you have another computer or a friend or relative that can help? You need to have the computer scanned and cleaned. Quote
TCH-Bruce Posted March 23, 2004 Posted March 23, 2004 You should also make sure you have all the updates for the virus scanner you decide to use as well as the latest updates from Spybot and the latest reference file from AdAware. When you download any of these apps they are prior builds usually and not completely up to date. Quote
Madmanmcp Posted March 23, 2004 Posted March 23, 2004 Thanks Bruce, I was just thinking about adding that and found you had beat me too it. Quote
TCH-Thomas Posted March 23, 2004 Posted March 23, 2004 You should also make sure you have all the updates for the virus scanner Thats why i recommended to do a online scan initially, then you will have access to all the latest files. Quote
TCH-Bruce Posted March 23, 2004 Posted March 23, 2004 Thats why i recommended to do a online scan initially, then you will have access to all the latest files. Diconnecting from the internet and running the scans in safe mode would be preferable. Not being connected would prevent anything else from entering the system before it has been cleaned. Quote
TCH-Thomas Posted March 23, 2004 Posted March 23, 2004 Agrees on that Bruce, I was only saying that its better to do online scan than to install an older antivirus software and not being able update its deifinitions. If it can be done offline with access to the newest deifinitons, its the best. Quote
TCH-Bruce Posted March 23, 2004 Posted March 23, 2004 Agrees on that Bruce, I was only saying that its better to do online scan than to install an older antivirus software and not being able update its deifinitions. If it can be done offline with access to the newest deifinitons, its the best. Thomas, I agree with what you said too. But with her machine acting the way it is, sounds like she is having difficulty with the net. Hopefully she will be able to even see these responses. Quote
Ninepatch Posted March 25, 2004 Author Posted March 25, 2004 Hi Guys - Well, it was a virus, a very, very nasty one and I'm in basically "limp mode" right now. Two very nice techs spent most of yesterday and this morning cleaning my system and trying to get it to run at a bare minimum. What's freaky is that I run Norton System Works & Anti-Virus constantly, and I keep the auto-update function on all the time - without fail. How this ever got past in the first place still has me scratching my head. A large chunk of my operating system is gone, several of the .exe's of my apps and large chunks of their program files, trashed a lot of my drivers. It sent TCH an e-mail requesting a change of my password! I've already dealt with that one! Sent some folks on my e-mail list empty e-mails. I'm still trying to figure out what all it's done. And, to top it all off, in order to reformat the hard drive and reload my software, I'm going to have to buy a new copy of 98-SE because my original disks were in a box that took a walk off the end of the moving truck when I moved here in 2000! It couldn't have waited until November when a new box is in the budget ... no, it had to hit a week after my birthday and make it really hurt!!! Okay, I'll stop whining now. Thank you all so much for your input - it's good to be part of a family! :hug: Quote
TCH-Bruce Posted March 25, 2004 Posted March 25, 2004 Never was a big fan of Norton products. Here's another reason I suppose. My new Sony machine came preloaded with Norton and it was the first application I removed. Sorry you had such a tough time with this virus. Glad you are getting it under control. Good luck on getting the rest of it sorted out. Quote
TCH-Thomas Posted March 25, 2004 Posted March 25, 2004 I´m sorry to hear this but im happy to hear you are ok and back. You dont happen to know the name of that virus? Quote
Madmanmcp Posted March 25, 2004 Posted March 25, 2004 Ouch, sounds like the new virus that enters thru port 4000 on PC's running BlackIce products. It sends out 20000 emails and then turns its attention to the hard drive, overwriting random files. In time after it corrupts enough of the operating system the computer crashes and is unbootable and useless. Good luck with this one. Quote
Madmanmcp Posted March 25, 2004 Posted March 25, 2004 BlackIce is a software Firewall. The Virus writters found a hole in it where they could gain access through port 4000. Quote
TCH-Thomas Posted March 25, 2004 Posted March 25, 2004 (edited) To Madman: Oh, but i thought Beth run Norton System Works & Anti-Virus? To Beth/Ninepatch: Firewall isnt included in Norton System Works & Anti-Virus , only in Norton Internet security (NIS) and Norton Personal Firewall (NPF). Edited March 25, 2004 by Jikrantz Quote
Madmanmcp Posted March 25, 2004 Posted March 25, 2004 Jikrantz, I said "sounds like", doesn't necessarily mean thats the virus they have. And just because they have Nortons doesn't mean they don't have BlackIce installed also. I know folks who will double and triple their software packages believing "more IS better". In most cases it isn't . Quote
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