AboutTroy M. MCSE, CNA, MCP, CST, IC3, Aplus Expertise Hi there! Even though I am new around here, I have been having great fun with PCs for over two decades now, becoming familiar with Windows through versions 3.x/9x/Me/2000/XP/2003. I enjoy helping others with what I feel is an exciting industry - computers are always changing, improving and offering new opportunities for learning.
I look forward to assisting you with questions concerning Windows, how it interacts with your PC Hardware, configuration/settings or just general tips and ideas.
Besides troubleshooting questions, feel free to ask the basics, as well. I will always start there, and I firmly believe that there is no such thing as a dumb question - we are all ‘Beginners’ at one time or another!
Experience I am an Aplus Certified [the 'plus sign' is unviewable here currently], Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer with Computer Service Technician and LAN Administration diplomas and 10 years direct experience with PCs including assembly, troubleshooting/support and upgrading.
I have worked for retail outlets, schools and businesses, and have been an Instructor in the past as well – helping others, just like you, understand and enjoy computers!
Education/Credentials MCSE
(Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer), CNA
(Certified Novell Administrator), MCP
(Microsoft Certified Professional), CST (Computer Service Technician (Formerly Computer Engineering Technician)(Hardware/OS servicing Diploma), IC3 (Internet and Core Computing Certification)(Hardware/OperatingSystem/Internet Fundamentals Certification), Aplus [the 'plus sign' is unviewable here currently](Computing Technology Industry Association Hardware/Operating System Certification)
Question i had gone to a cybercafe two days ago & had picked up some pics of landscapes for my desktop. when i inserted my pen drive in to the comp it just started behaving like a wierd thing and then it just shutted down. then it restarted automatically and after some time whwn i opened my task manager it opened just for 5 seconds and then the window closed. then it displayed a small window saying -- SAM--
in the title bar and --SORRY-- in the text area. i have
tried to remove these virus with Mcafee antivirus but it
was not able to find anything.
I would like to know from u whether u have seen this virus and which antivirus do u prefer. i hope that u will find out a solution to my answers.
Regards,
Dhaval.
Answer Hi Dhayal,
I'm not 100% sure on what you were saying 'shut down', the pen drive or the computer. I'm going to assume the computer as you say it was behaving funny and was shutting down and displayed some text windows/messages.
It does appear that you have a virus/trojan, as many of these will display windows or text, or try to protect themselves by not letting you run anything (shutting down the computer, closing applications, etc). I remember dealing with one that would let anything run except the Anti-Virus program on the system that was infected.
Virii/Trojans can unfortunately very easily be caught at CyberCafes, as so many people are using the same network at once and there usually isn't enough protection put into them (at least not as much as a larger business would use). It's good that you noticed things acting funny and I hope that your computer isn't infected, just your pen drive. But, by your description, it sound like your system is now infected as well.
Don't worry, there are a few things you can do. First, running an Anti-Virus program is a good idea. Not all programs will 'catch' everything as you have found out by running McAfee.
Another one you can try is AVG, by Grisoft:
You can also try going to a website (do it at home, or at a more secure network, if you have a choice) that will scan your computer for virus/trojans, such as: http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
I prefer AVG or Kaspersky to be installed fully (Kaspersky has a free version I believe, but I have purchased it for 20 dollars (in Canada) and it works wonderfully. It is even a little 'too sensitive' almost, asking me for very small things that happen in the background, but you can tailor it to ask you less and it can 'learn' what you use/is ok. I actually left mine in the mode that asks me a lot, and it has detected quite a few things.
You should try a couple different brands if you can afford it, and see which works best for you. Since you are actively infected, for now try the online scanners (do more than one as each one only knows about 'certain' virii/trojans.
Then, you can consider purchasing an Anti-Virus program if you want to further fight for your system.
or Spybot Search and Destroy
www.safer-networking.org/en/download/
These smaller programs look for malicious things and may also detect what has infected you. These are just some other ideas to try as you fight to clean your computer.
One thing to remember is that even if you ran all of the above and bought 2 anti-virus programs, the infection 'could' still be there. The best way to know you are totally clean of any problems is to Format or Delete and Restore/Install your operating system again (in this case, Windows).
It sounds scary, but if you have most of the things you want to keep (pictures of family or videos, data from work or school, etc) backed up or written to disc/etc, then you can consider formatting/erasing the Windows partition or drive and reinstalling or Restoring (if your system came with Windows installed already when you bought it, I will explain).
This is of course if the above scanners and programs do not work. If you are familiar with how to Install or Reinstall Windows, do that, while formatting your Windows drive/partition (the part with Windows on it, usually called C:). If you have your Windows CD and know someone that can help you do this, you can ask them to help you as well.
If you do not know how to do either, there are a couple options. First of all, your system may have come with Windows already installed on it when you bought it. This usually happens with most store-bought systems, where you don't have to put anything together, and most laptops.
If this is the case, you may have some discs that you can Restore from, which require you to boot from them and push a few buttons. You can call your vendor (the store that sold you the system) to help you with this if you wish, it should be free (especially if it is still under warranty).
The only drawback to doing a Restore on a pre-built, pre-installed system, from Restore discs is: usually it requires erasing EVERYTHING from your system and it will become exactly like when you first bought it from the store. It will be clean and clear of viruses and trojans, but all of your data or anything you put on there will be gone. It will be exactly like when you first bought it.
This may not be a bad thing, if your system was purchased from a store and you have Restore discs you can use (if you don't have ANY discs and you bought it from a store or online, contact your seller and ask them how to go about acquiring Restore Discs).
If you don't know how to Reinstall/Install Windows yourself, have noone that can help you close by, and your system did not come with WindowsXP, and the above programs did not help you at all, and you have the WindowsXP disc: you can go to a local store or computer repair shop and pay them to redo/reinstall Windows for you.
Just tell them that you have a virus and want everything wiped clean (I hope you have backups of your most precious information, you can try to get some of the things you want to keep of as well, but beware as they may carry the infection over to your newly cleaned system. The loss is hard, but it is best to let go of all the information on there and clean it completely, if the above programs do not clean/work for you).
This step, taking it to a store or repair shop, to Redo the Operating System, may cost a little bit of money (in Canada, it is about 60 dollars for this process) but you are assured that it is clean and ready to go, if you do not know how to do it yourself.
These are only a few ideas, and I am still ill, so I may have overlooked other possibilities, so you could try asking other forums and calling your local repair shops to see what they think as well.
I hope these ideas at least get you started, Dhaval, good luck with it and I hope everything works out for you!
