Expert: Lorry - 9/4/2010

Question
Hi Lorry,

I hope that you can help me out with this. Now!

Thank you very much for the Information that you sent me. First I am not knocking AVG I think they are great! And second, I am happy to say, thanks to you the site that you sent me (http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/WelcomePage.asp) the scanning did not find anything, thank you, Lorry very much! But AVG and Spybot (again) did find threats, what am I going to do now? And as I said to you earlier I believe, I can not remove these threats! I was going to send you images, to show you what I see, but I could only send you one and I do not know which one to send you. Every image is just important as the next, or last one. If you know what I mean, or let me put it this way, they are all important! I had to reedit this from the original letter that I was going to send you, cause of the images that I can not send, I could send you one, but again every image is important and I do not know which one to send?

Lorry, this is an idea of mine. If I could send you images one at a time, meaning that I will or could send them to you one by one, one image at a time like I said send these images one different one every time. I figure they are 14 to 15 images in all, I think or less then that, but again that I would like for you to see 15 all in one day if it is that much. I am asking if that would be o.k. with you? From the All Expert site I can send only one image, again I can send. That I could send. If it could be o.k. with you I could send them with the original letter so you can follow these images in and to the letter to know what I am talking about. Again I would like for you to see these images. I could of have told you and explained what I see, but I figure I show you what I see. I probably am just, well that, that you would have not appreciated all the images that I would have sent.

The question now (is the threats that I can not remove) what about the damage that has been done, if any to and on my computer? Or how do I know? Do I have to do a System Recovery or what?

I had a pop up program called AntiVirus GT. What I think that this program AntiVirus GT that popped up starting to and it did I saw it,. How can I tell you I saw my computer start to get infections right under my nose, and it seemed as though my computer got infected, but this program wanted me to buy to get rid of these threats, or what do you think? I know that was a stupid question.! I did not do anything like click o.k. or what ever to buy this program I knew it was a scam I should say, what program pops up to want you to buy? That is only going to get me and my computer in trouble for sure, so I just closed this program it kept coming up there was a icon that I got for some reason on my desk top, how it got there I do not know, I did close this program with out doing anything else I even deleted the icon that I got on my desk top. Oh, Lorry when I was scanning my computer from the site that you sent me, supposedly AVG had a dialog, or I should say a dialog box popped up from AVG. AVG Threat Alert Dialog box. I think that what it was called. But it did say that it found AntiVirus GT and I placed it in the AVG Virus Vault though I did go to the Vault only now to see it is not there. There was another AVG dialog box that popped up though a Trojan horse Crypt .ZKQ, I was able to place in the Virus Vault or I think the scan did this , I do not know and do not remember, but it is there and that is all that matters as far as the AntiVirus GT don’t know, it seem as though I may have gotten rid of it I do not know, I just do not know. What do you think?

You know Lorry, please understand this I did the scanning of my computer from that site that you sent me. I did it again because of the AVG threats dialog box that popped up.


Lorry, what about a virus spyware, adware, malware and etc, getting in your components in your computer, mother board, hard ware and soft ware, etc. What do you do? Will a Virus scan, scan and catch anything before it gets to your components in your computer, mother board, hard ware and soft ware, etc. During a scan? What I am asking and saying that it will or if it does find anything and it doesn’t have to scan it could, but if it does find anything even on the computer it will tell you like the Threat Alert Dialog box that I got from AVG? But if it does find anything and it tells you about it like the Threat Alert Dialog box I again would get from AVG and you see the results and or threat it actually caught something as a virus before it can destroy. And the only way it, a virus or any threat can destroy is that you ignore the alerts that you get and do not take action of the threat and to not having a program like AVG, even if it is free and the same with Spybot, Malwarebyte, etc. I am right about this, right Lorry? So again the threat such as a virus or spyware, etc, can destroy you would ignore these alerts of such threats of any kind, but you should take action (are taking action) and you are being warned that the computer did find some thing(s) and I better do something before it can destroy, so it can if I do not do anything about it but it isn’t actually destroying my computer but it could if I would ignore any warning alerts that I get, am I right? And plus the sites that you sent me can and will help me out in any situation such as a threat of any kind such as a virus and or spyware, etc. that can enter my computer that I get a warring alert from if it does ever happen. I can be safe with the sites that you sent me? So, again the computer will let you know of any problems, threats, viruses, spyware, adware, malware, and etc without doing a scan? I mean it is suppose to, right and if it is not doing it that is not possible because a program such as AVG Spybot and Malware is suppose to warn me anytime a threat is present on my computer or trying to enter and if that happens I will shut the door and lock it if I have to.! I hope you just understood that!?

I think I can be save in the future with the sites that you sent me and the site that I found (and I will tell you about that later) as long as I have these sites and AVG, Spybot and Malwarebyte (if I can download and install this malwarebyte and I will tell you about that later too) I am save, don’t you think and or am I right, Lorry?

And speaking of sites, I found one that I am sending you, that I told you about it is http://www.symantec.com/norton/support/DIY/index.jsp  a site that I found from Symantec’s site I did not do anything about it yet, but what do you think?. You can have this site too as I am giving it to you as you gave me some and I only wished it was more,. I mean you sent me some and well, I just sent you one. But, what do you think about this site?

Lorry, the site that you sent me of Malwarebyte, well I can’t for some reason download it Malwarebyte. So again I could not install Malware a runtime error I got, it says one dialog box I got was Run-time error ‘0’ and I clicked o.k. and I got this Run-time error ‘440’: Automation error. How do I fix this if you may know?

What I am asking and saying, now is I can not figure out was and or with I was able to remove and or place the threat of any kind in the Virus Vault But, I can not with Trojan horse Adload_r.AKJ. another Trojan horse Adload_r.AKM. I was able too put this in the Virus Vault in AVG.

Lorry, what is Trojan horse Adload_r.AKJ as it is spelled as this is the threat that I am getting from AVG and the same kind of Trojan horse Adload_r.AKM instead of Trojan horse a Adload_r.AKJ, but now shows that this one as three different letters in it but I was able to remove this I mean it is in the Virus Vault in AVG Trojan horse Adload_r.AKM as I have said. I was able to remove this from the AVG Virus scan. But again that were able to put here in The Virus Vault of AVG. But again I do not care if you understand this or maybe I should know what it is, but all I want to do is get rid of this and ask what it was later, if you know what I mean or meant? Just like the threat of the same kind of threat but with three different letters. It has something’s red and the others don’t. In my scanning results. And what would the red mean? I think it means as I have said that I can not remove what I want removed, I’ll be happy getting rid of this Trojan horse. Could this be Adware or something.? And I have gotten Trojan horses but I was able to remove these.

As I said about Spybot not finding anything, now, again it has found 4 threats, I went to the search site that you sent me and it says no such threats, I do not think I did this with the sites search that you sent me that I have gotten in Spybot, but I can’t get rid if it, I mean them. In AVG and the threats in Spybot. Spyware that I could not remove these threats it says,”This action could not be performed completely since you are not an administrator. If you want this performed for all users, please run this application elevated as an administrator. What ever that means. I think I do, but how would I do this if you may know?

Can I uninstall AVG and Spybot? Wait! I probably will not be able to install them. I am afraid that if I uninstall a program or try to install a program I won’t be able to. Like Malwarebyte, I can not download and or install Malwarebyte I think I can download it but I can not install it. You know at first, Lorry I was not able to go on the internet at first but I can go on it now, (knocking on wood). You know, Lorry I have gotten a dialog box that I get with Vista that lets me know of a program that want to enter my computer, well in this case it was an unidentifying program that wants to enter my computer and it wants my permission I said, cancel! And this one was AntiVirus GT the program I told you about.

Lorry, I am able to scan individual files and folders and it says “No infections found during scan” or “NO infections was found during this scan”. And as I always do and I do, do this a scan of files and folders all the time!

I am noticing program problems not working or responding. Do I do a recovery or could I do one? I been getting these problems and I never got it before, well maybe sometimes, but I have been getting them frequently, more then sometimes. Well, let me put it this way, with windows more frequently than sometimes not working I hardly got and get these.

Now, getting back to my Virus scan results what Symantec did not, what about the compressed files the scan can not or could not do?

Lorry, I have gotten this, it says I mean a dialog that says AVG is not working that I have gotten and with not only that, but I have gotten others such, and what is this with windows that too that I never got before. I have had programs like this that it says that it stopped working and like I said I never got this before just like the one I got from AVG that I am telling you. (And did). But it is to say I am getting some problems I am having with window programs, I work with Microsoft word for example like I am writing to you here from and I do not think or remember if, wait! I did get something that Microsoft Word is not responding or working, but then it started to work again. And I did tell you about this before a couple of paragraphs ago. Well not about Microsoft Word, but about other program problems.

Lorry, I even went to Symantec’s (the site that you sent me) and AVG’s Virus search even Symantec’s and AVG’s Virus Encyclopedia and there is no match for Trojan horse Adload_r.AKJ as I got in from AVG. Well I at least did a search with Symantec and AVG search and (this Trojan horse) it did not find anything on it Trojan horse Adload_r.AKJ no search found at least again it did not find anything as I said. They said, AVG said. We did not find any virus in the Virus Encyclopedia. Please try to use a more generic name at least 3 characters long I even tried Trojan horse Adload, still no search found. But I seemed to not be able to find in Symantec’s site Virus Encyclopedia and could not seem to find it, but I only did it in AVG’s site but I did do a search on both AVG and Symantec on the Virus search though.

Lorry, I am going to tell you it is a result of my Windows Defender, that was done a couple of days ago. Tuesday 8/31/10, I believe, and I got this and these problem(s) with my computer last Thursday 8/26/10, with the threats, viruses. (Well as I said the site that you sent me did not find any viruses). And I did this virus scan from the site that you sent me on Sunday 8/29/10. I just thought I tell you the results that I got, from my Windows Defender and it says “No unwanted or harmful software detected.”

But, I am still concern of, if it did any damage that I do not know of, but how do I know? Other then what I told you about programs not working, but anything else, how would I know. And what about hackers? If it is o.k. with you I will contact you about any problems that I may have just like I told you here, Lorry. But, I do not think it will be that long as it was here.

Alright and O.K. Lorry I figure I tell you everything, right now and yes I did take notes to write this obviously, but I did figure that I tell you everything I can think of and thank you very much for your time and patients in this matter.

I guess I will have to wait to see what happens. And I will contact you again if I have any problems if any. Again, Lorry thank you so very much and again thank you for your time and patients again thank you, Lorry and yes this was a long letter, well it did take me five days to do it. So, now I am asking if you can and could help me with this situation, do you think you can help me? Again I will certainly appreciate it one more time, thank you, Lorry.

Sincerely yours,

Martin C. Meyer

P.S. One more time. Lorry, I was thinking, can I just find these threats by the file names and delete them that I can not remove from either AVG, Spybot or any other program? And would it be safe to do this and what happens if it comes back and if I can not delete them? And I was thinking maybe I would have to buy AVG at a retail store, like Target, I saw AVG and it is about 20 to 30 dollars. I went to AVG site and it would cost me about $129.00 for virus removal and I do not know what it would be for Spyware and any other threats removal I contacted AVG and they said about me getting and this would be buying AVG Internet Security 9.0 so I think that if they want me to buy that why not buy AVG at Target? At least I will get rid of any threats and I hope my computer did not get damaged if, I do not know? You know, Lorry I was thinking what I can do, is buy this AVG at Target and when the software expires I can download the free version of AVG, because sometimes Target has it sometimes it doesn’t at least that is how I bought AVG at Target the last time. They had it and when I bought it I saw some other time that they did not have it. And when they do have it I could buy it and do this all over again, I am on a budget, Lorry if you can understand that?

A couple of more things as I wrote this I just happened to have gone to my browser and I have a AVG tool bar and I went to the options I went to AVG info and went to “Current Threat Level and it was at “Elevated Risk Level. I mean it was a web page and I do not know if this applies to me, again I do not know.

And I got a dialog box that I got when I first went on the computer just before writing and rewriting this to you and I do not know if you know what this means it says, “The exception unknown software exception (0xc0000005) occurred in the application at location 0x720d4852.” Click to terminate the program. I do not know if you would know what this means Lorry. I guess this is finally it I mean with this long letter. Once again thank you for your time and patients it is greatly appreciated.

Lorry, I hope you understood why I wrote this long letter. And again, I hope you can help me out with this, I will certainly once again appreciate it, thank you Lorry. And Happy Labor Day!!

Answer
Hi Martin,

At this point I would suggest backing up anything of importance - including the Address Book and reinstall Windows. Not knowing which version of Windows you are using, Leo explains - with pictures how to reinstall XP or Vista at:

http://ask-leo.com/how_do_i_reformat_and_reinstall_windows.html

Another thing you could try is use system restore to go back a month or before these problems arose. Then go to the Symantec site and run their virus scan.

If you reinstall Windows, after installing the programs you added by either CD and/or downloading from the net, run a virus scan on the backup(s) before putting those onto the computer.

Remember that before removing a virus, disable system restore first, otherwise the next time you start Windows, the threat will be back again. Don't forget to enable system restore afterwards.

Norton AntiVirus can be bought for about $40.00 from Office Depot, Staples, etc.. Don't get Norton's bundled software, just the AV program. After buying NAV, next year before the subscription is up - look for sale prices with rebates for previous owners. By doing that, you will get it for free or darn close to it.

Send me a private question and let me know how this goes.

Learn more about AntivirusGT from:

http://www.articlesbase.com/security-articles/remove-antivirus-gt-how-to-remove-...

Later,
Lorry

PS - Happy Labor Day to you too! Let's get this fixed so you may enjoy it.