Computer problems

[zeigs spud]

okay i have a dell (pc).
i downloaded fruity loops on my free version of lime wire and it loaded very quickly, i was suspicous but opend and saved it anyway, well it was curupted acording to my comp.

now i have a million pop-ups,lime wire (which i unistalled) keeps trying to open itself and my comp is UBER slow.

i am going to save all my important files on a flash drive.

now i need some1's help.

how do i completely clear my computer. i have the restart/reboot disk, well about 4, not sure which to use but dell suport guy is for that. so how do i do it?

plz help
~Zeig

[paaiyan]

Well, you could try a system restore. Your computer should have a system restore program, basically it changes everything back to the way it was on a certain date. I'd try that first.

[lukemc]

its karma.. karma dosent like illegal song downloaders....you make karma angry

there is this program my bro knows about it compleaty nukes your harddrive
just clears the whole thing but you have to have your original windows cd to reinstall it

[mopherman]

fruity loops???? wtf?

[Scope]

Download good virus scanners and update there files...
i recommend Norton and Adaware
Boot your computer in safemode (hit F8 when the computer is booting till a menu comes up then select safemode and hit enter)
run the softwares
wait...
Do what they say
delete viruses
restart computer
rescan the computer with both programs again

that should do the trick for the basic stuff
if your still having troubles theres other things you can do but try that first



fruityloops is a dj software

[Fnord]

Use something like utorrent intstead of limewire.
Get zonealarm, avg, spybot and adaware.
Norton sucks for the most part. most people who are computer savy will probably tell you that.

In the mean time, maybe this will make you feel better(hope you have broadband:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 5022370276

[Pete Zaria]

@zeigs spud

Scope gave you some good advise, save for one piece: Norton is horrible. It's a memory whore, it runs/scans slowly, it slows down your PC significantly, the updates aren't very good, it misses many viruses, etc...

I own an IT security company, by the way.

First things first, hit start > run > msconfig > go to the startup tab. This is your startup list, the list of programs that run in the background 24/7. Disable everything you don't need. The shorter this list, the better. Things to leave on: your firewall and anti virus software, your ISP software (if required), and any drivers. Blank entries and suspicious system32 entries should absolutely be disabled. Apply and reboot. After reboot, you'll get a warning box (System Configuration Utility, you've made changes to the way windows starts up, blah blah blah); check the box for "don't show me this again" and hit OK.

Second, download Adaware SE ( http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10045910.html ) and SuperAntiSpyware ( http://downloads2.superantispyware.com/ ... pyware.exe ) . Do a full system scan with both and let me know how that goes.

Download HijackThis ( http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5554.html ) HijackThis will analyze your system and generate a report/log. Post this log here for me to read. With the hijackthis log, I can tell you what virus(es) you're dealing with and how to remove them.

After you've gotten this bug removed:
1) Don't pirate software via limewire. It's not only illegal but risky and stupid. There are better ways to pirate software, though I don't endorse doing so (cough azureus and torrentscan cough). Always scan downloaded files for viruses and spyware with an up-to-date scanner before opening them.
2) Keep backups! Stuff like this happens, and when it does, sometimes you end up loosing a lot of data. If you have backups, it's no problem; you just reformat and reload your data from backup.

@Scope,
Try Avast antivirus instead of Norton. It uses less ram, scans faster, updates more frequently, and is 100% free. It also has a more complete virus database.

Scanning from safe mode is useful in some cases, but diagnosing the problem can be done from within Windows without problems. The actual removal of the virus may need to be done from safe mode, though.

However, since zeigs spud said he's gettnig tons of popups and ads, I'd bet money this is spyware/adware, not a virus. That's why I told him to grab those antispyware scanners and hijackthis. The hijackthis log will tell us exactly what's wrong though. If it turns out to be a virus, I'll give him removal instructions and recommend that he install Avast for future protection, along with a decent firewall like Comodo.

Peace,
Pete Zaria.

PS - Isn't it sad that the Internet has evolved to a point where simple home computer users have to install multiple layers of protection just to surf the internet? I think we can blame this largely on Microsoft, since the open source (Linux, Unix, BSD) and Mac communities have no such problems. And Vista is just going to make it that much worse... Please don't get vista, btw. /end rant

[COD_FILLETS]

@zeigs spud

Scope gave you some good advise, save for one piece: Norton is horrible. It's a memory whore, it runs/scans slowly, it slows down your PC significantly, the updates aren't very good, it misses many viruses, etc...

I own an IT security company, by the way.

First things first, hit start > run > msconfig > go to the startup tab. This is your startup list, the list of programs that run in the background 24/7. Disable everything you don't need. The shorter this list, the better. Things to leave on: your firewall and anti virus software, your ISP software (if required), and any drivers. Blank entries and suspicious system32 entries should absolutely be disabled. Apply and reboot. After reboot, you'll get a warning box (System Configuration Utility, you've made changes to the way windows starts up, blah blah blah); check the box for "don't show me this again" and hit OK.

Second, download Adaware SE ( http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10045910.html ) and SuperAntiSpyware ( http://downloads2.superantispyware.com/ ... pyware.exe ) . Do a full system scan with both and let me know how that goes.

Download HijackThis ( http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5554.html ) HijackThis will analyze your system and generate a report/log. Post this log here for me to read. With the hijackthis log, I can tell you what virus(es) you're dealing with and how to remove them.

After you've gotten this bug removed:
1) Don't pirate software via limewire. It's not only illegal but risky and stupid. There are better ways to pirate software, though I don't endorse doing so (cough azureus and torrentscan cough). Always scan downloaded files for viruses and spyware with an up-to-date scanner before opening them.
2) Keep backups! Stuff like this happens, and when it does, sometimes you end up loosing a lot of data. If you have backups, it's no problem; you just reformat and reload your data from backup.

@Scope,
Try Avast antivirus instead of Norton. It uses less ram, scans faster, updates more frequently, and is 100% free. It also has a more complete virus database.

Scanning from safe mode is useful in some cases, but diagnosing the problem can be done from within Windows without problems. The actual removal of the virus may need to be done from safe mode, though.

However, since zeigs spud said he's gettnig tons of popups and ads, I'd bet money this is spyware/adware, not a virus. That's why I told him to grab those antispyware scanners and hijackthis. The hijackthis log will tell us exactly what's wrong though. If it turns out to be a virus, I'll give him removal instructions and recommend that he install Avast for future protection, along with a decent firewall like Comodo.

Peace,
Pete Zaria.

He could do that or format and install Linux . I never did trust LimeWire.

For various antivirus (antivirus only) rating, try http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,12447 ... ticle.html (scroll down a bit to the free software).

I would also add Spybot S&D to the antispyware list, it finds what AdAware doesnt, although I dont have any information on SuperAntiSpyware.

[Pete Zaria]

He could do that or format and install Linux . I never did trust LimeWire.

For various antivirus (antivirus only) rating, try http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,12447 ... ticle.html (scroll down a bit to the free software).

I would also add Spybot S&D to the antispyware list, it finds what AdAware doesnt, although I dont have any information on SuperAntiSpyware.

I don't recommend Linux or any *nix or *bsd to people that don't seem very computer-savvy, no offense to anyone. I run Debian and FreeBSD on several boxes here. I trust it much more than Windows. It's extremely efficient and secure when properly configured, without lots of add-in software like Windows requires. But it's not for people that are afraid of a command line. There's a long, steep learning curve for most people between "My windows box is infected with spyware, plz help" and "I just finished compiling my kernel for the 3rd time today..."

The antivirus rankings you listed are interesting, I'll see how they compare to some other PC magazine type sites. I've thrown lots of "rare" malware/viruses at Avast and it's nailed 98%. Also uses very little ram.

Spybot is nice too, I agree. I think Adaware and Superantispyware (which I've had wonderful luck with, though it's not a real popular program) do a fine job. You only need one *resident* antispyware program though, so Spybot/Super is an either/or situation.

Peace,
Pete Zaria.

PS - @zeigs spud, post me your hijiackthis log ASAP so I can tell you what virus(es)/malware/spyware you have and how to get rid of it.

[Specialist]

or he could get rid of his pc and buy a mac and have virtually no problems. i recamend it. they might be a little more expensive than a crappy pc but in the long run you will save a lot.

MACS RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Pete Zaria]

or he could get rid of his pc and buy a mac and have virtually no problems. i recamend it. they might be a little more expensive than a crappy pc but in the long run you will save a lot.

MACS RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's not make this another mac vs pc vs linux debate. Linux would win in the end, being the only open-source software there. Plus, Mac OS X is just *nix with a pretty shell anyway. But I digress. Let's just not make this an OS debate, mk?

Peace,
Pete Zaria.

[Matheusilla]

If you still want fruityloops, go to their website, download the latest version preview (or whatever it's called, they mention it all over their page) and get the crack for it. I know it can be done 'cause I did.

[COD_FILLETS]

That reminds me, when I used Yahoo Antispy, it found LimeWire as spyware, which I would have to agree with. I dont have concrete proof, but it does seem to "open up" (so-to-say) holes to your computer (as in user created).

Let's just not make this an OS debate, mk?

Peace,
Pete Zaria.

And why not, that's what we're here for anyway isint it?

There's a long, steep learning curve for most people between "My windows box is infected with spyware, plz help" and "I just finished compiling my kernel for the 3rd time today..."

I've actually always wondered what benefit comes from recompiling. From what I've heard, you can adjust linux to suit your specific computer specs.

[jssizzle]

Frooty Loops rules! At least your pc was killed at the hands of a cool program. I'd try a system restore first.

Limewire eats pcs like yours for breakfast. Don't use it.

R.I.P. Allofmp3

[Pete Zaria]

And why not, that's what we're here for anyway isint it?

Actually I'm here to help zeigs spud.

@jssizzle and anyone else that recommended system restore, there's no way in HELL system restore is going to get rid of malware like that. System restore is just a waste of hard drive space. If you want real "restoration software" try Retrospect.

It's not limewire's fault, guys... to be honest it's zeigs spud's fault for DLing an obviously-too-small file claiming to be fruityloops and not scanning it before he opened it. But I'm sure he'll never make that mistake again.

Zeigs, post me that hijackthis log so I can tell you what's wrong.

Peace,
Pete Zaria.