I want to smash my PC

[121]

Help me out guys,

My PC keeps freezing and then poker, bingo, loan and virus killer sites appear out of nowhere!

I've run Spybot and downloaded AVG Free Edition. I did a scan of the harddrive and found 22 Trogan Viruses. After deleting the viruses I still get the freezing and pop ups.

How can I stop this from happening?

Thanks

[suprafreak6]

you can do a clean install of your choice of operating systems!

[DefX]

If you've tried out every anti spyware program out there and your system is still a mess, reformat would definitely be the way to go. I've been in these binds before and for some spywares, even if you've diffused them, they would still be hiding dormant inside your system impossible to get rid of.

One thing I did after i did a reinstall; setup a profile, a limited one, apart from the admin profile. Make this limited profile your default profile for your daily browsing etc,. This way it'll be harder for spywares to install themselves in your system w/o your consent.

[Chuck24]

I have cleaned up a bunch of my buddies cpu's before and the following usually helps the most, because sometimes when you think you have deleted a virus your really havent.

If running a windows operating system...

1) Click start then run:
2) Type regedit(Be sure you dont do anything out of whats said unless you really know what your doing)
3) Go to the following directory -- [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
4) This is where everything starts up and usually the directory for most viruses
5) I have found that unless you particularly want anything starting when the cpu starts(ex.. virus protection :) then you only need one key here which says default and its under the name column.
6) Just delete everything else

----------------------------------------------
Hope this helped

[mbucari1]

also, insert your windows xp disk, go to run and type "sfc /scannow" (W/O QUOTES). This will only wonk if the drive you are using for your xp cd is the same drive letter that you installed with. So if you are using an image of an xp disk (recommended, it will go faster) you will need to change the letter of the virtual drive to whatever letter you real drive was when you installed.

[Chame1eon]

i've never had to format a computer with malware.
Hijack this finds everything in hklm..run hkcu...run plus a lot of other things.
Spybot shows some other things that start with your computer plus it gives you the full path of all the processes.
free online virus scanners like trendmicro's , panda's and nortons can sometimes find viruses that other scanners miss.

[Herakles]

If you wanna absolute solution, wipe the whole disk.

[Skiz]

As Chame1eon said, run hijackthis and post the log.

[121]

Ok guys, thanks for the replies.

I'm going to go ahead a wipe the whole disk.

So how can I find the serial number thing you need when you reboot Windows? I tried to reboot it before and I had to phone Mircosoft to get a new serial number thingy.

Is that stored somewhere on my PC? I want to write it down before I delete everything.

[tesco]

http://majorgeeks.com/Keyfinder_Thing_Lite_d5253.html download this and use it to view your cd key.

If you are using xp home or pro (non-corporate) you will need to activate after installing.

[peat moss]

From the sounds of he has a Restore Partition and no Cd ?

[Chewie]

Isn't it strange how AV and malware tools only seem to get used by these people when their system is so chock full of nasties that using it is all but impossible?

Install, update and scan with Kaspersky (http://www.kaspersky.com/uk/trials). Remove located malicious files.
Do the same with Spybot Search & Destroy (get this from www.download.com (http://www.download.com) to be sure you're not getting a fake version)
Download and scan with HijackThis (DIRECT LINK (http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/files/hijackthis.zip)) then post the log here.

Edit: DON'T forget to update Kaspersky and Spybot before scanning.

[zapjb]

Isn't it strange how AV and malware tools only seem to get used by these people when their system is so chock full of nasties that using it is all but impossible?

Install, update and scan with Kaspersky (http://www.kaspersky.com/uk/trials). Remove located malicious files.
Do the same with Spybot Search & Destroy (get this from www.download.com (http://www.download.com) to be sure you're not getting a fake version)
Download and scan with HijackThis (DIRECT LINK (http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/files/hijackthis.zip)) then post the log here.

Edit: DON'T forget to update Kaspersky and Spybot before scanning.
Well said.

[Kebert]

Well it seems like you might have enough information to wipe your disk. I recommend.

Then when you re-install don't use anything like IE/Kazaa/SS/Limewire.

Firefox/Pidgin/Xchat/uTorrent/Nero and you can avoid spyware.

[Chewie]

Well it seems like you might have enough information to wipe your disk. I recommend.

Then when you re-install don't use anything like IE/Kazaa/SS/Limewire.

Firefox/Pidgin/Xchat/uTorrent/Nero and you can avoid spyware.121 has enough information to sort out his computer and keep all his settings & downloads and not need to re-install any extra applications he might have added.

[121]

Thanks guys. I have enough info to deal with this problem now!

The trouble is.. I put my XP disk into my PC when it was already booted and reinstalled everything. When I booted everything again all the old programs were still present.

I tried 2 more times and now I think there are three Windows installed. I had to reinstall all the programs I wanted to use again. I was advised later to insert the disk seconds after starting the PC but it justs loads Windows without reading the disk.

The disk was my mums from her Dell PC lol

I phoned Microsoft and they gave me a new serial number last year.

Now I can't seem to wipe everything with this Dell Reinstallation CD WTF?

I'm obviously doing something real dumb.... I hope I've supplied enough info to hopefully correct this.

When I chose to install I select the partition that holds the old Windows stuff but it says that I can't copy over that.

Any advice right now would be awesome! I wish I knew more about this stufff... GRRR :D

[game1283]

Thanks guys. I have enough info to deal with this problem now!

The trouble is.. I put my XP disk into my PC when it was already booted and reinstalled everything. When I booted everything again all the old programs were still present.

I tried 2 more times and now I think there are three Windows installed. I had to reinstall all the programs I wanted to use again. I was advised later to insert the disk seconds after starting the PC but it justs loads Windows without reading the disk.

The disk was my mums from her Dell PC lol

I phoned Microsoft and they gave me a new serial number last year.

Now I can't seem to wipe everything with this Dell Reinstallation CD WTF?

I'm obviously doing something real dumb.... I hope I've supplied enough info to hopefully correct this.

When I chose to install I select the partition that holds the old Windows stuff but it says that I can't copy over that.

Any advice right now would be awesome! I wish I knew more about this stufff... GRRR :D

Regarding the old programs:

If you want them to still be present - do a normal reinstall

If you want to wipe them out - a. reformat then clean install
b. do a CLEAN install on other partition ( not containing windows)
c.do a CLEAN install on your present partition, regardless of the warning...

* when you reinstall you can choose to repair - that just repair but not reinstall
* you can also chose not repair, but then reinstall on the present partition - but it just reinstall the windows, leaving your programs still there.
*a CLEAN install is installation in a new partition or new folder of windows, that no settings will be left nor programs

I don't know a dell CD, but I believe any XP cd can do a CLEAN/FRESH install

-I hope it helps;)

By The way, if you want an easy instruction to a fresh install - here it is

1. Backup all your documents and other neccessary things (this may include utorren settings) on another hard drive - the backup harddrive.

2. Reformat

3. Install

4. Copy over (restore) your files

5. Your PC is up and running now ;)

[Chewie]

You know, car mechanics say that the cars that need most work on to fix are the ones that have been worked on by someone that knows nothing about them.
I feel this case is an IT equivalent of that.

[121]

Thanks Game1283,

It appears that I can't do a CLEAN install with the Dell disk. When I get to the part where you can see the partitions, I can either presss,

'Enter' to start a new installation over the old Windows partition (which leads to a warning that an additional Windows will be installed leading to multi Operating systems running at once). I did that the last 2 times and now I have 3 Window XP installations. Theres 3 Adimistrators I think.

'C' to create a new partition. This dosen't work on the Dell disk,

'F3' to quit. Theres no other options for reformating or CLEAN installs..meh

[game1283]

Thanks Game1283,

It appears that I can't do a CLEAN install with the Dell disk. When I get to the part where you can see the partitions, I can either presss,

'Enter' to start a new installation over the old Windows partition (which leads to a warning that an additional Windows will be installed leading to multi Operating systems running at once). I did that the last 2 times and now I have 3 Window XP installations. Theres 3 Adimistrators I think.

'C' to create a new partition. This dosen't work on the Dell disk,

'F3' to quit. Theres no other options for reformating or CLEAN installs..meh

Do you have important files in your drive? if no, consider choosing "Format to... blah" when installing OS...

If you have important files, I see no hope for you, unless you have a drive where you can backup.

So when you are installing OS, after selecting the partition, after the warning that there's already an OS there, you should select whether to format or "leave intact" the partition... you should backup your drive if you need to, and formatting it will remove the 3 other XPs installed if it is the only partition and/or the partition is the Master HDD when booting..:yup:


You know, car mechanics say that the cars that need most work on to fix are the ones that have been worked on by someone that knows nothing about them.
I feel this case is an IT equivalent of that.

As of chewie, I agree chewie, that's true... but..
we all start from nothing, from not knowing.. we learn from mistakes.. So even though after all you have done to your HDD and damages to everything, don't be sad when you fail.. it is part of it.. you learn from it..:)

It is good to know that some people still try what they cannot do:)

[121]

I've worked it out lol

Before, I inserted the Dell XP disk 'after' booting my PC and loading the old Windows XP installation..

What I did this time was go to BIOS and change the Master Drive to CDROM. When the PC booted it went into set up and all the options that game1283 suggested were finally present ( they were not there before). Mental Note.. don't try and fix your PC after getting tanked at your local pub!

Thanks for your help game1283. I'll remember to take time out to help other N00bs when the time comes :)

[game1283]

:)

[boomerang]

nice to see your sorted

[AmpeD]

I'd just reformat and start fresh if its really messed up