Viruses and Spyware Oh My!

[benighted]

Hi everyone, I have windows XP x64 edition and I just started getting virus notifications from my virus scanner and no matter what I tell it to do they keep coming back.

Ive tried:

-Rebooting to safe mode
-running various spyware tools including Spybot: S&D
-Doing a thorough virus scan.
-uninstalling any unneccessary programs

Everything keeps coming back, there must be a hidden file reactivating everything.

Maybe its time for a new fresh install...?

[ajopz]

which virus program do u use?

[benighted]

I use Avast! home edition. Its the only free one that I know works on x64

[robbie]

I there a system restore on that OS? I'd say it's probably hiding in there.

[benighted]

Yes, many of the infected files are in system restore...

Heres a screenshot

[robbie]

OK, kill system restore, run virus checker, reenable system restore when virus is gone.
HTH

[Chesso]

Go to Start/Run and type in MSCONFIG and head to the StartUp tab and untick anything that seems fairly suspicious and reboot in safe mode ASAP and remove the suspected files.

Run your AV first though as it should pick them up, you might also want to do a little searching on the filename's in question and check it's file properties. Spyware vendors are known to put their name in the application's properties though this isn't always true.

After i stopped letting other people use my computer without my supervision i stopped getting spyware and such but i do remember having spyware like this before or fixing other people's computer's that had it, it's damn annoying trying to remove/kill something that keep's getting restarted by something else.

[benighted]

I tried the MSCONFIG thing before. Also I disabled system restore, rebooted to safe mode and they kept coming back after I got rid of them.

I went ahead and told windows setup to fix my windows install but that made it unbootable....

So I had to do a complete install to get everything good again.

Thanks for the replies.

[robbie]

Sorry about that bud. Glad you got it fixed though. Now this time around PLEASE be sure to install a virus scanner.
Ummmm k?

[cloasters]

My neighbor told me that Avast is a POS. I suggest not using it. It might be time to buy an AV program.

[robbie]

Now that you got it all formated you did install F@H on it right? I hear it does look for viruses ()

[jimbobaggies]

Originally Posted by cloasters

My neighbor told me that Avast is a POS. I suggest not using it. It might be time to buy an AV program.

I have been using AVG for over 6 months without getting any viruses, saying that, it helps if you run anti-spyware software, and a decent firewall also.

my security...
AVG7
XP SP2 Firewall
Netgear DG834 NAT+SPI Firewall
Spybot - Search & Destroy
MS AntiSpyware
Ad-aware

benighted - next time you should download and run Hijack This and then copy your log file and paste it into the online checker

[benighted]

I'm using NVidia firewall(the one that comes with the 6.66 forceware driver).

When I tried AVG free it didn't work on x64 systems. Avast! runs in native x64 and this is the first time I had a virus infect a computer with it running. I have Spybot on there too, is that a decent spyware program or do I need another? I might look into Hijack This but their site seems to be down at the moment.

Robbie, of course I have Folding@home on it, thats one of the first things I do.

[robbie]

as do I.