Computer Virus

Ugh. This morning in the middle of writing emails the old computer started acting funny. I think I have a pretty serious virus. Seeing as how Im not all that great with computers other than at the end-user level I think a lot of hardship is coming my way.

Bad way to start the morning

CreamyGoodness said:

Ugh. This morning in the middle of writing emails the old computer started acting funny. I think I have a pretty serious virus. Seeing as how Im not all that great with computers other than at the end-user level I think a lot of hardship is coming my way.

Bad way to start the morning

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You could always blow up your PC and then buy a Mac...

OR

Install Malwarebytes, reboot in safemode and run a full system scan.

Get Malwayrebytes and run in safe mode, as MargainMugs suggests. As a first step. Malware has become sometimes very difficult to remove, and as far as I know there is no single program out that will clean it all 100% of the time.

The best thing is to get scanning ASAP.

Check your hosts file. Do google search on it and find where it is and what it needs to have in it. Spyware will often modify this file to make it easy to re-infect your computer.

This is very good advice. Thanks gents.

Malwarebytes is good, but it failed to clean up a Firefox redirect virus.

I had to use Avast to get rid of it.

MC

Lots of people mistake malware or registry corruption for viruses
Here are some other useful programs that help:

Wise registry cleaner -cleans registry
[ame]http://download.cnet.com/Wise-Registry-Cleaner-Free/3000-18512_4-10605508.html?tag=mncol;8[/ame]

CCCleaner -cleans HDD, frees up wasted space, has a registry cleaner (not as good as wise)
[ame]http://download.cnet.com/CCleaner/3000-18512_4-10315544.html?tag=mncol;5[/ame]

AVG free -best free anti-virus
Note: Norton anti virus can hinder performance worse than most real viruses.
[ame]http://download.cnet.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition-2012/3000-2239_4-10320142.html?tag=mncol;2[/ame]

If Win7 is just a bit slugglish here are some tips:
http://www.computingunleashed.com/speed-up-windows-7-ultimate-guide-to.html
http://www.ruhanirabin.com/ultimate-performance-guide-windows-7/

No need to buy anything; everything you need to fix your computer is free.

Maybe this will help, what is going on is when I boot in, instead of the usual desktop every icon is 3x normal size and the resolution looks more like the old EGA graphics of yore...

While you are doing your scans...sit back and think of all the people you might have infected through the email you sent today. :cross:

Not having anti-virus or anti-malware software that is up to date and running on your computer is just plain irresponsible.

I just pretended that the woman in your signature berated me about responsible computer use, and I feel oddly turned on.

Another good practice after removing malware with your tool of choice is to perform a system restore after it is done to an earlier time. Some tools remove the infection but if the file that installed it is still there, it will just reinstall itself.

CreamyGoodness said:

Maybe this will help, what is going on is when I boot in, instead of the usual desktop every icon is 3x normal size and the resolution looks more like the old EGA graphics of yore...

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Yikes
You will simply need to readjust your resolution.

Or you will need to update your video card drivers
Or you ended up in safe mode by accident?
Or (worse case) you are about to have a hardware failure (video card) due to overheating.

This is why I run Linux. Same Ubuntu install on my box from when I got it in 2009, and I've never had to worry about a virus or performance issues.

Granted, desktop Linux is only as safe as it is because it's got such a small market share that nobody wants to bother writing viruses for it. So whatever you do, don't install Linux!!

I was super worried about overheating so I shut down for the day. I hope that isnt it and if it was, that the cooling down time helps... This sucks.

mredge73 said:

Yikes
You will simply need to readjust your resolution.

Or you will need to update your video card drivers
Or you ended up in safe mode by accident?
Or (worse case) you are about to have a hardware failure (video card) due to overheating.

Click to expand...

CreamyGoodness said:

Maybe this will help, what is going on is when I boot in, instead of the usual desktop every icon is 3x normal size and the resolution looks more like the old EGA graphics of yore...

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If you booted to safe mode, that is common. Safe mode only loads basic drivers and sets the screen resolution to the lowest setting. If it's booted in regular mode, then that's weird.

I wish Linux was user friendly since it has lots of advantages over windows for simple tasks like word processing and web browsing. As soon as I try to do more like install programs or file manage I feel like I am lacking a required Masters degree in Computer Science.

mredge73 said:

As soon as I try to do more like install programs

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Synaptic.

mredge73 said:

or file manage

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Nautilus.

... although to be fair, both file management and software installation follow fundamentally different philosophies in Linux than they do in Windows. For example, you can't just click a link on a website to download and install a Linux program, but as they say: that's a feature, not a bug.

mredge73 said:

I feel like I am lacking a required Masters degree in Computer Science.

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Hey now. I get on fine with just a Bachelor's...

If I overheated, and I let it cool down considerably, is there a chance that there wont be lasting damage?

CreamyGoodness said:

If I overheated, and I let it cool down considerably, is there a chance that there wont be lasting damage?

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Sometimes just letting it cool will do the trick. You need to find out what caused it to over heat and correct the problem. Often times it is just dust build up on the heat sinks.

But other times it will bubble the solder creating cold joints that will not repair themselves. I had to do this this weekend on a HP DV6000:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnkQNmKauEc&feature=pyv&ad=5823851286&kw=laptop repair

*Eric Cartman Voice* I love you guys.

The old girl was definitely overheating. When I booted after getting home, after her being turned off all day, she ran without issue. When I get home today Im going to pick up a million cans of dust off and clean her out completely.

Thanks for the help guys.

You can use hwmonitor to keep an eye on your temps.
Computer chips start breaking down at 75C-85C; best to keep them under 65C.

http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

Only temp over 60C is Auxtin at a whopping 119C. Is that normal?

mredge73 said:

You can use hwmonitor to keep an eye on your temps.
Computer chips start breaking down at 75C-85C; best to keep them under 65C.

http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

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