Expert: Lorry - 4/1/2011

Question
Under my Downloads folder, I have about 6 ccsetup.exe files.  I googled it to see if it'd be ok to remove the older ones and I keep seeing links that say it's a dangerous file to have on your system, but it's the file for CCleaner that I run frequently to clear out unneeded files.  Is it true that it's viewed as spyware and if not, is it okay to delete older versions without it affecting anything?

I'm really trying to speed up my computer because it's so slow. I'm clearing things out (carefully) and am in the process of moving things like itunes over to an external hard drive to free up space and hopefully make my computer faster. I've always kept temp files, cookies, etc clear but it doesn't seem to do any good.  I have protection in the form of an antivirus program, Spybot, and Malwarebytes so I really don't think a virus is the problem. I was recently "hijacked" though according to Spybot and I found that Bing had been made into my default search engine in Firefox and IE.  I removed the offending program (a dvd ripper), the actual spyware, and corrected my defaults.  Could it have done further damage, btw? I ran spybot twice after removing it & then ran a deep scan. But anyway, I'm deleting anything that can help me feel like I ACTUALLY have a high speed internet and I just ran across the ccsetup.exe files.

Thanks for any help you're able to give!

Answer
Hi Sandy,

Yes, there could be more damage. In the last few years there have been viruses and/or malware that will actually stop the installed anti-virus program from working. One way to look at this would be if you feel that Windows is running slow, you have updated the AV, Spybot and Malwarebytes, run scans and come up empty handed, then it is a good time to go to Symantec or another well known AV program where you may run a free scan - as those sites will be up to date.

CCleaner downloads one ccsetup.exe file only. Since you know that your pc was hijacked, I world suggest using Internet Explorer, go to:

http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/WelcomePage.asp

Click on Continue to Symantec Security Check. Under Virus Detection, click Start, accept the End-User Agreement. It will ask you a few times to permission to install Active X Controls, answer yes. Once you see that the program is actually scanning, leave the computer alone until the scan is finished.

Once the scan is done, write down exactly anything it finds, then go to:

http://www.symantec.com/search/  

and do a search for what was found. Symantec usually has a removal tool and/or directions for removing manually. Make sure that you follow the instructions for removal, step by step, especially the part regarding disabling System Restore.

If after doing the above, you still have more than one ccsetup.exe file, I would update Malwarebytes and run a scan.

Let me know how this goes but I really think this will do the trick. If not, please let me know and we will take it from there.

Have a good evening!
Lorry