Major Problem!! Please Help!!

[Harsh!]

"Diamond TDS 3"...Best antitrojan on the business..
Website offers a trial version...
I have a cracked version...

[nostalgia]

I agree with Rossco. Never visit cracksites with IE! Due to all kind of scripts/active x elements it is so easy for those sites to put malicious items on your pc. Hell, some cracksites even won't open if you visit them using Firefox. A notice appears that the site only can be visitied with IE. Whatfor you wonder?

If you use ME or XP and your recoveryoption is turned on, go back to a point before it all happened and after that I would still do a clean reformat and installation.

[Chewie]

I agree with Rossco. Never visit cracksites with IE! Due to all kind of scripts/active x elements it is so easy for those sites to put malicious items on your pc. Hell, some cracksites even won't open if you visit them using Firefox. A notice appears that the site only can be visitied with IE. Whatfor you wonder?

If you use ME or XP and your recoveryoption is turned on, go back to a point before it all happened and after that I would still do a clean reformat and installation.

Couple of things here.

1. I use Internet Explorer, have done since IE4 wiped Netscrape off the map, and I've not been hit by any shit from any crack or warez sites in all that time. If you have even a half decent antivirus (I've used Norton, Symantec and Kaspersky - but not AVG) and turn off or severely restrict ActiveX you're half way there already. The golden rule is never to install anything that doesn't have an actual name and never download controls when you're told "you must" in order to get what you want - just keep clicking NO or, with the new pages showing the big yellow arrow pointing to the infobar, keep refreshing until you get what you want.

2. Why bother restoring to a point before trouble if you're going to reformat? Why reformat if you've returned to a state before the trouble? Total bullshit. Personally, I turn off System Restore and make sure the kids don't use my administrator account.

[nostalgia]

Couple of things here.

1. I use Internet Explorer, have done since IE4 wiped Netscrape off the map, and I've not been hit by any shit from any crack or warez sites in all that time. If you have even a half decent antivirus (I've used Norton, Symantec and Kaspersky - but not AVG) and turn off or severely restrict ActiveX you're half way there already. The golden rule is never to install anything that doesn't have an actual name and never download controls when you're told "you must" in order to get what you want - just keep clicking NO or, with the new pages showing the big yellow arrow pointing to the infobar, keep refreshing until you get what you want.

2. Why bother restoring to a point before trouble if you're going to reformat? Why reformat if you've returned to a state before the trouble? Total bullshit. Personally, I turn off System Restore and make sure the kids don't use my administrator account.

True enough but like you said yourself, make sure you restrict the activeX elements in the options menu of IE. Lots and lots of people haven't or don't know how. System restore is a good way of looking at that particular moment to see if it really is what you think it is. So good for a total picture of a problem. Reformating iswhat she wanted to do so therefore the advise. And turning off system restore is up to someone's opinion. I also make sure that my kids don't go on the net with my administrator account but they can cause a lot of games or on this account. Prevention starts with explaning my kids what to do and what not.

[peat moss]

@chewie , I know somethings are simple .....but. System restore is an o/s killer. I'v had a computer for 10 years , never had a virus . First 5 with out a virus program too! Been known to frequent warze sites aswell , But its a shame what its come down to. Update ,update, update. Weather its spyware, virus programs,or good old winupdate.

[Chewie]

LOL, I'm not suggesting System Restore is a great part of the OS, I'm taking issue with the suggestion that someone should bother to use it if they're going to reformat anyway, or decide to reformat after using it before ascertaining that it has done the job it's there to do (allbeit not very securely),
Shit, does that make sense to you? It does to me.

Prevention is much better than cure, I agree.

[peat moss]

LOL, I'm not suggesting System Restore is a great part of the OS, I'm taking issue with the suggestion that someone should bother to use it if they're going to reformat anyway, or decide to reformat after using it before ascertaining that it has done the job it's there to do (allbeit not very securely),
Shit, does that make sense to you? It does to me.

Prevention is much better than cure, I agree.

Make sence ? Oh ya .........

[kazaa2002]

Could the virus have caused this problem to my computer? I've been needing to reformat my computer anyway, because it's over a year past due, so if I were to reformat would that help? Would reformatting help get it back to normal before the virus screwed it up? Please Please help!!!!

Some suggestions...
possible short term fix....try this freeware
#1 hijackthis
http://www.spychecker.com/program/hijackthis.html
#2 iefix
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4467.html

if no results then do your reformat and re-install os

preventative solution: suggest you install the updated AVG or nod32
and add #3 spywareblaster
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

Peatmoss is right, you need to update, to protect your pc.
virus programs keep getting better so you must keep current with protection.