Expert: Lorry - 6/18/2005

Question
Hello ,I downloaded the latest virus update from microsoft on my laptop this morning , but after it rebooted it wouldnt let me access the internet via internet explorer , i ran avast virus checker and it found trogan general which i deleted . But as the day has gone on it wont let me run anything without blocking it with an error report . So i cant even go back to a restore point without it blocking with another error report which it says can be sent off to microsoft. Do you think it a virus and if so how do i get rid of it

Answer
Hi Shane,

Am assuming that you meant that you went to Windows Update and downloaded the updates that were available, correct? If you didn't go to Windows Update, I would checked for viruses and/or spyware.

Even though you have Avast installed, I would suggest that you go to:  http://sarc.com/  Scroll down and click on,"Free Online Virus and Security Check"  Write down exactly anything it finds, then return to: http://sarc.com/  and do a search for what was found. Symantec usually has a removal tool and/or directions for removing manually.

Download Ad-AwareŽ SE Personal Edition, a free program that you can download at:

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/

Check for updates before running program. Then follow the directions here to do a full scan:

1. In the 'General' window make sure the following are selected with a checkmark and are green:

ˇ Automatically save log-file
ˇ Automatically quarantine objects prior to removal
ˇ Safe Mode (always request confirmation)

2. Click on the 'Scanning' button on the left and select :

ˇ Scan Within Archives
ˇ Scan Active Processes
ˇ Scan Registry
ˇ Deep Scan Registry
ˇ Scan my IE favorites for banned URL's
ˇ Scan my Hosts file
ˇ Under 'Click here to select drives + folders, choose: All of your hard drives.

3. Click on the 'Advanced' button on the left and select:

ˇ Include additional file information
ˇ Include additional object details
ˇ Include environment information

4. Click the 'Tweak' button and select:

Under the 'Scanning Engine' be sure a checkmark is beside:

ˇ Unload recognized processes & modules during scanning
ˇ Scan registry for all users instead of current user only
ˇ Obtain command line of scanned processes

Under the 'Cleaning Engine' be sure a checkmark is beside:

ˇ Automatically try to unregister objects prior to deletion
ˇ Let Windows remove files in use at next reboot
ˇ Always try to unload modules before deletion
ˇ During removal, unload explorer and IE if necessary
ˇ Delete quarantined objects after restoring

5. Click on 'Safety Settings' and select "Write-protect system files after repair (Hosts file, etc)"

6. Click on 'Proceed' to save the settings.

7. Click 'Start' and on the next screen choose 'Activate in-depth Scan' at the bottom of the page and then choose:

ˇ Perform full system scan

8. Close all programs except Ad-Aware.

Click on "Next" in the bottom right corner to start the scan.

Run the Ad-Aware scan and allow it to remove everything it finds and then REBOOT - Even if not prompted.

After you log back in, Ad-Aware may run to finalize the scan and remove any locked files that it may of found. Allow it to finish.

If the above doesn't help, let me know what version of Internet Explorer and Windows you are using? Also, what exactly is the error report you receive? Thanks!

Hope this helps!
Lorry