Wiz, can you offer any advice? PLEASE CLOSE

Ron Victoria · Post by **Ron Victoria** » 14 Jan 2010 6:16 pm

This was posted on my teacher's chatboard. Can you help?
thanks, Ron

We gave our daughter a laptop computer a couple of years
ago for her birthday. She just called and said as she was
using it late last night, she suddenly got a window with a
message about all kinds of virus warnings etc and a
question did she want to get rid of these threats now? She
clicked not now because she didn't know what to do and had
no one to ask. All of a sudden she couldn't use the
internet anymore at all. Now she gets a window wanting her
to purchase some kind of virus removal program but can't do
anything else. She said she thought the name of the program
was Win something or other. Does anyone have any advice I
can pass on to her? Sites? Where could she go to get
something like this fixed?

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 14 Jan 2010 7:41 pm

My Daughter's PC had the same thing happen to it and a "system restore" did the trick. Go to start/programs/accessories/system tools and click on "system restore" then follow the directions to restore to an earlier time when the problem did not exist.

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 14 Jan 2010 9:23 pm

Ron;
Your Daughter's computer has been infected with a rogue anti virus infection. If System Restore does not fix the problem, and she may have to restore a long way back to have a chance at all, have her download, install, update and scan with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. It specifically targets fake security infections. Updating it frequently is vitally important. They often release half a dozen updates a day. The free version requires manual updating and scanning.

John Cipriano · Post by **John Cipriano** » 14 Jan 2010 10:48 pm

I had to deal with a few of these at work this week. I think it is related to Flash but I really have no idea, I just clean the stuff up.

I used Malwarebytes in all cases. In one of the cases the Userinit key was replaced (so maybe that one was actually a different infection) and I had to use NT Offline Password & Registry editor to fix the key. I wouldn't recommend using System Restore to clean the computer as the files will probably get left behind. I might actually clear out the restore points because some might be infected.

Clear restore points instructions (XP):
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/usin ... gill1.mspx

If MBAM will not install, she should try to get the computer into "Safe Mode w/ Networking" by pressing F8 after the BIOS screens are over but before the Windows loading screen comes up. Then update MBAM and do a full scan.

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 15 Jan 2010 9:43 am

John Cipriano wrote: If MBAM will not install, she should try to get the computer into "Safe Mode w/ Networking" by pressing F8 after the BIOS screens are over but before the Windows loading screen comes up. Then update MBAM and do a full scan.

Some types of malware will block MBAM setup from running, by its file name: mbam-setup.exe. In these cases try renaming the setup file to something made up, like: MBtool.exe, then run it.

Ron Victoria · Post by **Ron Victoria** » 15 Jan 2010 4:18 pm

Here is an update from the teacher....

The other two suggested she download, install, and run a malware program. The trouble is that she can't get on the internet to download anything! Also, for more info that you can post.....her laptop has Vista as its operating system and neither she nor I is computer savvy enough to work with bios or safe modes.

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 15 Jan 2010 5:37 pm

"System Restore" didn't work huh?

Ron Victoria · Post by **Ron Victoria** » 16 Jan 2010 5:12 am

Here's what she wrote to me..

So, in the end she did a complete clean install of her Toshiba Recovery Disks. It is working fine now,

thanks guys, Ron