Hacked Computer

[MindenMan]

Avast.com, great stuff for virus protection, free. I wonder whsat were you running that you got hit twice? Spybot.com great software, Ad-aware also free, terrific as well.
Dude, put your guard up as best you can, and offload the important stuff to a thumb drive. I just found out and tried, a bootable copy of windows can go on a thumb drive, with all your writing too. I learned the hard way to load as many good anti spyware/ bot killers as possible, because they all do relatively the same job, but since they are written by different companies, they all find different bad things. If you need more help, just ask.

 

[Homercidal]

I'm not actually sitting there in front of the computer to have a look, but at this point, without hands on access, I'd recommend a reinstall. Security issues are sometimes hard to fix without messing up other file security rights. I'd be tempted to do a mass ownership change and get control, then backup and reinstall. At that point your system is open to further attacks, but it's temporary and (hopefully) offline anyway. Once you get the back, reinstall the OS and copy your files back.

Installing an OS is generally not a hard thing for anyone to do. Modern versions of Windows leave very little to choose in options and the process is nearly automatic. The hardest part is probably going to be making sure the computer boots up off the Windows Install Disk. It's usually all set to do it, but once in a while a computer needs to be told which device to boot from (nowadays it's often F12 during the BIOS screen).

The only other issue you may have while installing is if you need to change the SATA controller mode. It's not hard and I think most system will be fine in AHCI mode. To change mode, simply boot into the BIOS settings (F12 during the boot and select system setup, SATA Controller (or somesuch)) and pick the mode and reboot.

I'm serious when I say almost any person in the world can do this with a few screen shots of what it looks like, and most people can fumble their way through it without. After all, you'll have a backup and can't really hurt anything.

 

[Newsman]

I'm not actually sitting there in front of the computer to have a look, but at this point, without hands on access, I'd recommend a reinstall. Security issues are sometimes hard to fix without messing up other file security rights. I'd be tempted to do a mass ownership change and get control, then backup and reinstall. At that point your system is open to further attacks, but it's temporary and (hopefully) offline anyway. Once you get the back, reinstall the OS and copy your files back.
/QUOTE]

Yeah, I have to agree with Homercidal here... sometimes it's just better to take off and nuke it from orbit. Definitely should back up your documents, etc before. Get a thumb drive or something and back up. The hardest part is probably going to be device drivers. Most computers will come with a separate "driver disk" and "reinstall" disk (if it comes with a reinstall disk at all -- Microsoft in their infinite wisdom came to the conclusion that a restore partition would be good enough!) Since you seem to have access to your documents, etc. I'd recommend backing up and wiping the system, then restoring.
One other suggestion -- DO NOT MAKE YOURSELF AN ADMINISTRATOR!!! Set up a separate "admin" account for installing apps, etc. Yes, it's a pain, but it makes it harder to seriously infect your computer if you're not an admin.

 

[unionrdr]

I got Rkill to download,unzip & run in safe mode with networking. Then Malwarebytes took out 3 entries. One a vafmusic something or other,for the 2nd day in a row. Then two hijackthis registry entries. Rkill fixed some .exe, com,etc stuff too. Had to switch back to normal mode to remove the infection files. But I can't paste the Rkill.txt or MBAM notepad documents on bleepingcomputer.com reply??? Maybe have to do that in safe mode with networking as well? God,I just want this nightmare to end. It's e-check month too,so I can't spend a ton of money & time on this. Need exhaust,oil & filter change & front brake pads so idiot light goes out. Any idiot lights & you fail. So for the moment,I need cheap fixes.

 

[smccarter]

I'm an IT guy. I wouldn't call what happened to you "hacked". You're computer got a virus of some kind.

My advice to you would be to think about wiping your entire hard drive, and re-installing Windows from scratch. Saving all of your files off to an external drive of course.

I'd take it to a computer store and let them handle it though. Ask the tech who works on your computer to scan the files on the external as well.

The idea is that if a virus exists on your computer, it may still be there and could re-infect it later on. With some of these things you really have to find the offending file or files and delete them. So by wiping the entire drive - removing all partitions and reformatting the drive - you are effectively deleting any potential threat.

I run Linux on all of my computers now. Got tired of Windows and all of the virus issues, cost associated with running MS software, licensing issues, etc...

After you've re-installed Windows, install a good virus checker. I used Avast. I always used the free version. It's a really good program.

A couple of really good practices to get into... Unsubscribe from any spam email you're getting, or set your email program to move that email to your spam folder, and clear that folder periodically. Never open an attachment in an email message unless you absolutely know the sender, and you've verified that the sender actually sent you the file. Never install an application from a web site unless you know that it is abolutely reputable. Always let your virus checker scan an installation file(s) before installing an application.

I hate viruses, and hate anyone who writes such malicious software. They should all be hunted down and thrown in prison.

 

[Newsman]

Yep. SMCCarter... I'm a former IT guy... now doing telecom. I understand exactly what you're saying. I, too, would recommend linux, if it were a little more user friendly.. that being said, if the OP wants to try it, I'd strongly recommend Ubuntu as it's much more user-friendly than most versions.
My only difference of opinion, and that's all it is, would be to use Microsoft Security Essentials... after all, who better than Microsoft to know where the security holes are? It's free as well.

 

[elsphinc]

yep, linux and brewtarget. what else do you need. Oh and a mash tun, and a few other things.

 

[Newsman]

Unionrdr -- I'll be happy to burn you a bootable "live" CD if you want to try linux.

 

[iaefebs]

Tried linux for awhile. I had no issues, but the wife and son were less enthusiastic. Every change takes a little effort to get everything to play together. I gave up trying to convince everyone that it was a better system.

 

[DrunkleJon]

I just got my laptop back up and running from an obnoxious virus I loaded. Bad me. Being an IT guy I advocate two things. First and foremost a nuke and reinstall is your best bet always. Viruses make weird little changes and are nearly impossible to entirely recover from.

I suggest if it is useable attaching an external storage device and backing up anything you want to keep, then since it is a laptop and then use the inbuilt system recovery program to bring it back to the way it was when you first bought it. Then the next thing you want to do is download antivirus. There is no excuse for not having antivirus as there are solid free ones available (Avast, Avira, Microsoft Security Essentials [which I use], etc). After that is installed and up to date, reconnect the external storage to recover your files but hold down the shift key when plugging it in until you get the what do you want windows to do prompt (this keeps any autorun viruses from running just in case). From there you just need to set things back up and go from there.

If you must have your computer as is there is one other thing you can do. I have had luck with going to avira.com and in their download section under utilities (from a clean computer) download and burn their Avira Rescue System to a cd. Boot to this CD and let it scan for you. Basically what this is, is an offline virus scanner that does not let the viruses load before the AV and hide themselves. You still need to be careful afterwards with internet settings, proxies and other little changes to tick you off.

Sorry if i got a little geeky there, I just have fixed too many infected computers when I supported the construction superintendant guys's porn virus riddled laptops a couple years ago.

 

[Newsman]

DrunkelJon... Thanks for the tip about the bootable CD antivirus. I'll keep that in mind for my two IT clients who I see semi-regularly.

 

[IslandLizard]

To the OP.

How old is your computer? Maybe it's time to think about a new one? Faster, clean start, newer OS, but I recommend to stay the f#@k away from Windows 8. Although that last one may be tough.

 

[unionrdr]

Well,vista home premium is from 2007,so maybe my computer is 2006? Can't afford a new one being retired. But I did think about that last night. Maybe just a new tower? Being e-check month,I have a brake idiot light on & no idiot lights or test fail. Need new exhaust to,& electric bill just about wiped me out this month. A external solid state drive would be nice. *I have trend micro titanium anti-virus/ anti-malware,& malwarebytes pro. Windows defender has an invalid handle,supposedly from an earlier version of trend micro that didn't play well with it. New version is supposed to,but didn't fix the handle. Gotta look at those other anti-virus programs.

 

[DrunkleJon]

DrunkelJon... Thanks for the tip about the bootable CD antivirus. I'll keep that in mind for my two IT clients who I see semi-regularly.

No problem. One of the joys of this site, we all are happy to share what we know in a usually friendly straightforward manner. The other nice thing is now you can reuse the same CD as it can check the internet for signature updates upon boot if you want. CDs are cheap though and I usually dont bother to keep ahold of them. Be sure to burn it from a clean computer though. You never know what may slip in if you do it from the ill behaved one.

Well,vista home premium is from 2007,so maybe my computer is 2006? Can't afford a new one being retired. But I did think about that last night. Maybe just a new tower? Being e-check month,I have a brake idiot light on & no idiot lights or test fail. Need new exhaust to,& electric bill just about wiped me out this month. A external solid state drive would be nice. *I have trend micro titanium anti-virus/ anti-malware,& malwarebytes pro. Windows defender has an invalid handle,supposedly from an earlier version of trend micro that didn't play well with it. New version is supposed to,but didn't fix the handle. Gotta look at those other anti-virus programs.

Generally speaking (as of 4 or so years ago) laptops expect about a 3 year lifespan where desktops like to say 5 before they go all obsolete. You can keep a computer that does not need to be used for gaming, video processing, etc alive for much longer though, as my laptop has been going for 7? years now. Nuking and reinstalling Windows will speed it up greatly.

Do be sure to completely remove any antivirus programs and reboot before you install a new one. They do not play nicely with each other. Also, avoid like the plague the registry cleaners and anything advertised on TV or in a popup ad that claims it will speed your computer up. They don't really do anything, and usually make things worse.

 

[Newsman]

No problem. One of the joys of this site, we all are happy to share what we know in a usually friendly straightforward manner. The other nice thing is now you can reuse the same CD as it can check the internet for signature updates upon boot if you want. CDs are cheap though and I usually dont bother to keep ahold of them. Be sure to burn it from a clean computer though. You never know what may slip in if you do it from the ill behaved one.

Yeah. I'm a former IT guy playing telecom engineer now... I still support a couple clients and friends who have problems from time to time, but my main PC at home is Fedora 20. Definitely would not recommend it for your average joe, though. I second your point about CDs being cheap. Another trick for if you ever forget your Windows logon password is Pete Nordahl's Password Reset CD. I usually just burn a new one of those any time I need it... Fortunately, I haven't had to use it much since I left IT.

 

[IslandLizard]

When I said "new computer" I meant the "box," yes, not the monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc., although sometimes complete system deals can get really sweet.

You can buy (new) desktops for sub-$200 to $500. I'm not saying your current computer isn't worth anything, it isn't broken. You really only need to get Windows (re-)installed AFTER your current harddrive contents is saved to a spare harddrive. But IF you have to take it to a shop to have that done, you're out good money too. And you still have Vista, one of M$'s (almost) admitted mistakes on her way to Windows 7.

Don't you have some kids, niece or nephew, neighbor, friend of friend, who can do this for you? For many of today's half-geeks with the right talent this is "nothing" to worry about. They'll fix it while they look away from their game, briefly.

Regarding harddrives.
Solid state ones are nice, fast but pricy. They are to be used as your main system drive.

The regular ones (not Solid State), you can get 2.5" portable externals (USB) that hold 1TB (1000 GB) of data for $60 (e.g., NewEgg).

There are a lot of excellent suggestions and recommendations in this thread. Almost "sticky" worthy, if we mention beer at least 2 more times.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Also, for getting a neighbor/friend to do it for you. Most computerly geekish types enjoy beer if you know what I mean.

 

[IslandLizard]

[snip] Generally speaking (as of 4 or so years ago) laptops expect about a 3 year lifespan where desktops like to say 5 before they go all obsolete. You can keep a computer that does not need to be used for gaming, video processing, etc alive for much longer though, as my laptop has been going for 7? years now. Nuking and reinstalling Windows will speed it up greatly.

This indeed depends highy on what you're doing and the quality of the system you started out with. Sometimes just adding more memory is the best upgrade you can give yourself... the machine that is.

[snip] Also, avoid like the plague the registry cleaners and anything advertised on TV or in a popup ad that claims it will speed your computer up. They don't really do anything, and usually make things worse.

Wow, ain't that the truth!
It's about time they start teaching that in school. No, better yet, you can't graduate from any school until you can prove you understand these principles. Then there's also the need for proven understanding of the exponential function... let's not digress.

Avast gets my nods for antivirus software. It's non-intrusive, which places it high on my list. Like a good bittering hop.

 

[IslandLizard]

Well,vista home premium is from 2007,so maybe my computer is 2006? Can't afford a new one being retired. But I did think about that last night. Maybe just a new tower? Being e-check month,I have a brake idiot light on & no idiot lights or test fail. Need new exhaust to,& electric bill just about wiped me out this month. A external solid state drive would be nice. *I have trend micro titanium anti-virus/ anti-malware,& malwarebytes pro. Windows defender has an invalid handle,supposedly from an earlier version of trend micro that didn't play well with it. New version is supposed to,but didn't fix the handle. Gotta look at those other anti-virus programs.

This is what I would do:
A. Get your data saved to another hard drive (e.g., 1TB external USB, $60 shipped). Or buy a new primary one.
B. Install Windows from scratch. Unless you use a new primary drive, overwrite everything on that existing hard drive
C. Install a good virus program. Malwarebytes is good to have alongside.
D. Copy the data back
E. Enjoy your "new" system

That idiot brake light could be low brake level fluid, a stuck floater, or even a loose wire in that circuit. Could also have to do with the ABS system if you have one.

 

[unionrdr]

This is what I would do:
A. Get your data saved to another hard drive (e.g., 1TB external USB, $60 shipped). Or buy a new primary one.
B. Install Windows from scratch. Unless you use a new primary drive, overwrite everything on that existing hard drive
C. Install a good virus program. Malwarebytes is good to have alongside.
D. Copy the data back
E. Enjoy your "new" system

That idiot brake light could be low brake level fluid, a stuck floater, or even a loose wire in that circuit. Could also have to do with the ABS system if you have one.

No abs. It checks for low fluid level,which happens as the brake linings wear down,puting more fluid in the brake lines from the resevoir as they wear down.
I have trend micro titanium & malwarebytes pro. I finally got through running vipre security scanner newsman posted. It took some 5 hours & ten minutes to run,quarentine & clean. Couldn't find the log though. But since it's an online program,it might be online? Anyway,it found,by searching every line of programing in the thing,106 threats,cleaning 20 or 21 of them,quarentining the rest. Most of the trojans & adware it found were connected to conduit toolbar or Vafmusic2 in mozilla firefox. A couple of the trojan lines had name: 1cooldudme <1>.exe. win32. Generic!BT or name: 1cooldudeme.exe.win32. Generic!BT at the end of them,the Generic!BT in the red [THREAT] program warning line by vipersecurityscanner. Now if I could just find out who 1cooldudeme is,I'd like to heel & hide is behind to a barn door.
Good idea on the external drive,but with maybe enough left to fix the exhaust to get by e-check,I'd still have to wait or borrow the money to get my stickers. Much less the external drive,which I'd love to have. I used to have an external OBD drive,but it's old & I don't know where it is.

 

[unionrdr]

This is what I would do:
A. Get your data saved to another hard drive (e.g., 1TB external USB, $60 shipped). Or buy a new primary one.
B. Install Windows from scratch. Unless you use a new primary drive, overwrite everything on that existing hard drive
C. Install a good virus program. Malwarebytes is good to have alongside.
D. Copy the data back
E. Enjoy your "new" system

That idiot brake light could be low brake level fluid, a stuck floater, or even a loose wire in that circuit. Could also have to do with the ABS system if you have one.

Nice lookin hard drive for the price. Too bad it isn't made to fit my "portable media drive" in the front of my tower. Gunna search the site for one. Windows vista disc has a recovery something or other on it. Just gotta find it.
**So much for ading the site to my favorits folders. Can't add anymore since I saved bleepingcomputer.com on temp desk top. Another on the to do list...makes me feel like Samuel Jackson's character in Jurassic Park. "Please! Dammit! I hate this hacker crap!".

 

[unionrdr]

Well,since he was stubborn enough to be so thorough in his dirty deeds,I can be just as stubborn,exhausting every other means of recovery before admiting defeat & wiping the drive. Still waiting for the response team on bleepingcomputer.com to responde with what to do next. But I gotta say,you guys have been very helpfull in your efforts to help me. Looking back,I'm not sure what I should've done first. Comp warned me not to reboot,or I'd loose the various files. But I dood it anyway. Big mistake. But on the other hand,I didn't know about vipre security scanner or Rkill,etc before Newsman started helping me,& you guys chimed in. Anyway,my point being I'm still not sure if bleepingcomputer's program to restore desktop,etc was better to do first,or vipre? Viper scans every single line of programming. Then cleans or quarentines them. The program on bleeping computer restores & removes,but not as thoroughly as vipre.And Idk if vipre could/would restore your desktop like bleepingcomputer's program does? It seems to look for the hidden files to restore them. But not every single one. 3rd party stuff seems to be on you to fix.
So I'm stuck waiting to get past e-check,b-day money gone. Need that external hard drive that retro-fits to USB 2.0,which I think I may have. USB 3.0 nowadays,I'm assuming for newer computers? I'm basically waiting for the response team on bleepingcomputer to look at the log files I posted from what the programs I've used so far tell them I could try next...

 

[plankbr]

Try this: In my extensive years of technology (computers being the easiest working in a large enterprise), malware or some viruses nowadays seem to specifically target the local profile, meaning all other profiles besides your own are not targeted. That being said, try creating a new profile from the control panel and give that profile Administrative privileges. Log off your current account and log on to the newly created account. See if the issues still remain. If not, then use this as your permanent profile and start copying over the contents of the 'old' profile (my docs, favorites, etc...) and see if that does the trick. If this proves successful and you feel you have copied over every bit of data you deem important, then simply delete the old, affected profile. problem solved (hopefully).

 

[MarcusKillion]

No worries, my friend! That's just the geek in me. As the link says, they make copies of all the shortcuts into a hidden directory then delete the original shortcuts. Now, either go buy a portable hard drive and/or sign up for a cloud storage backup! That way, you can keep all your important things in at least two different places! I keep all my pictures on three different external hard drives.

Exactly , backup . the most important thing you can do everyday . I use CrashPlan . Very good . After researching many I found it had the features needed and a price that was good . Unlimited space and i can allow my friends to backup to mine for free. So far I have backed up 399.3 GB and still going strong .

 

[IslandLizard]

I was just reviewing the problem again. New day, new thoughts

I gather you're on this machine right now. So it's functioning.
Do you have access to all your documents and the ones you were looking for? Or are they or some still missing or hidden?
If you can't see them now, you won't be able to copy them to an external/second drive.

It may be wisest to get a new primary drive. That will replace the one you have now. You can get one in the same price range, like $55 for 1TB at NewEgg. There's always something on special there. The central idea is, leave the current drive as is without wiping, modifying, or overwriting.
You'd never know, a few months from now you may want something that's still on there. Not all your files are stored in the My Documents folder.

Really, it would be helpful to have a savvy friend to assist or do this for you.

Bleeping is a good site with very helpful people, like HBT. They will have you run programs and post the results. They'll get ticked off if you change the recipe or hop schedule.
I'm sure you can get the thing working as it should with all traces of viruses and malware removed.

 

[Owly055]

You can access Windows files from a Linux installation on the same system. Control panel in Windows will allow you to shrink your partition if your Linux install won't. The file manager in Linux Dolphin or Konqueror will allow you to access files on the Windows partition in administrator mode.

H.W.

( 15 years on SUSE Linux )..... IT'S STABLE AND RELIABLE..... unlike Windows!!

I don't know how it happened,but my desktop & files are all gone. They're in memory,but access is denied? My book was almost done,but now I got a temporary desktop from windows. My wife's partition on the hardrive had something go wrong with services,bad logon failure,taking out mine as well? Anyone know how to use adminastrative tools to get it all back? I'm not very good with all the stuff in that little event log window. There's no button to fix or restore logged errors??? File backup won't work either. Some kind of denial. Please help me get back my files for my book,pics,etc!! *Malwarebytes found a malware program that hijacked my start up menu file. The files I'm missing are in memory,but I can't acess them. How to fix start up menu file??

 

[Rick91981]

When a virus is stubborn like this, there is often a rootkit that keeps it from being removed easily. Download and run TDSSKiller and see if it picks anything up. That program specifically targets rootkits. If it finds and removes something, then run Malwarebytes again.

The folks at bleepingcomputer will probably have you run combofix which is a great program, but highly aggressive. Backup everything you can before running it.

 

[unionrdr]

Well,I feel so violated,I don't know what to say. I doubt I'll get car through e-check needing new exhaust,etc to pass. Idk if I have enough money to do that,let alone pay for the stickers. I can't pay for anything new atm,let alone the external drive,clouds,etc. I'm in safe mode with networking now. Malwarebyte's rootkit beta didn't finnd anything. My life has been ruined by the electric company's new policies & some ****** I don't even know,let alone did anything to to diserve this. I don't know what to do at this point. May have to try the new profile thing. But that damn Vafmusic2 toolbar will have to go if I can find it. It's in my partion somwhere,but I don't use it. The kids do. I had vipre clean all the files,including Vafmusic2. But the malwarebytes I just finished running in safe mode shows it as hit again. Might have to say goodby to y'all till I can solve this. But keeping him out will be tough,from what I keep seeing. Vipre went through every line of code in my computer. More programs hit. Many lines of code for windows & IE have "_none_ in the program lines again where "_en-us_" is in some lines. I'm just plain stuck till I can get some money again. Can't even afford to do my taxes. My whole life is screwed nearly beyond my ability to fix it at this point.

 

[LLBeanJ]

Well,I feel so violated,I don't know what to say. I doubt I'll get car through e-check needing new exhaust,etc to pass. Idk if I have enough money to do that,let alone pay for the stickers. I can't pay for anything new atm,let alone the external drive,clouds,etc. I'm in safe mode with networking now. Malwarebyte's rootkit beta didn't finnd anything. My life has been ruined by the electric company's new policies & some ****** I don't even know,let alone did anything to to diserve this. I don't know what to do at this point. May have to try the new profile thing. But that damn Vafmusic2 toolbar will have to go if I can find it. It's in my partion somwhere,but I don't use it. The kids do. I had vipre clean all the files,including Vafmusic2. But the malwarebytes I just finished running in safe mode shows it as hit again. Might have to say goodby to y'all till I can solve this. But keeping him out will be tough,from what I keep seeing. Vipre went through every line of code in my computer. More programs hit. Many lines of code for windows & IE have "_none_ in the program lines again where "_en-us_" is in some lines. I'm just plain stuck till I can get some money again. Can't even afford to do my taxes. My whole life is screwed nearly beyond my ability to fix it at this point.

Sorry to hear of your troubles, bud. I'm an IT guy and I have several older Dell towers at work that I've pulled out of commission over the past year or so doing nothing but collecting dust. If you're interested, PM me your name and shipping address and I'll ship you one at no charge to you, with the hard drive formatted and loaded with a fresh copy of Windows and all the requisite drivers. It may not be a new hot rod, but it will be plug and play and you'll have something to keep you connected for awhile. I can also throw in a small USB thumb drive if you need it to copy your files over from your old system. Just let me know if you're interested and I'd be happy to do it.

 

[krackin]

Thank you for making the offer to unionrdr.

 

[IslandLizard]

Sorry to hear of your troubles, bud. I'm an IT guy and I have several older Dell towers at work that I've pulled out of commission over the past year or so doing nothing but collecting dust. If you're interested, PM me your name and shipping address and I'll ship you one at no charge to you, with the hard drive formatted and loaded with a fresh copy of Windows and all the requisite drivers. It may not be a new hot rod, but it will be plug and play and you'll have something to keep you connected for awhile. I can also throw in a small USB thumb drive if you need it to copy your files over from your old system. Just let me know if you're interested and I'd be happy to do it.

Awesome offer! You're the best.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Can I make a potential suggestion for my folks who want to get a computer fixed or something else. you can try posting on craigslist looking for computer help and offer to barter. Someone may be willing to do it for homebrew or something els.e

 

[unionrdr]

Thanks for the offers guys. I may wind up taking llbeanj or newsman up on the thumb drive thing. I got bumped back to like page 7 on bleepingcomputer. Bumped it asking if they're doing anything to solve it. I didn't know that about combofix. So it looks like I'll need backup either way? I should've guessed that'd be the case. My son's big lap top & a thumb drive might be needed at this point either way. I just wondered too if I wrote down the key code for BS2 if they'd let me dowmpload an update & use my original keycode To get it working again? Gotta do something...

 

[DrunkleJon]

Thanks for the offers guys. I may wind up taking llbeanj or newsman up on the thumb drive thing. I got bumped back to like page 7 on bleepingcomputer. Bumped it asking if they're doing anything to solve it. I didn't know that about combofix. So it looks like I'll need backup either way? I should've guessed that'd be the case. My son's big lap top & a thumb drive might be needed at this point either way. I just wondered too if I wrote down the key code for BS2 if they'd let me dowmpload an update & use my original keycode To get it working again? Gotta do something...

You should be able to install BS on a new install or different computer. If you have trouble just send them an email and they should help. Believe me, people have to reinstall their workstations enough that most programs will let you do so.

 

[unionrdr]

Good to know. I'll try to save the files part of the program & see if I can load'em in on the re-install,if it comes to that. Newsman's gonna send me a thumb drive I feel I can use with son's laptop to fix it. Unless bleepingcomputer comes up with something else I can do?!

 

[Homercidal]

I've reinstalled BS2 several times using the same code from the email they sent. I know the support is good about getting your code to you as well, so you won't have any problems installing it fresh.

 

[unionrdr]

Thanks. I'm going to save my BS2 files & all that stuff in the folder. Several corrupted/MIA files. Over the weekend I think I got the last 2 threat lines taken care of by vipre. Gotta save all the log files as well when I get the thumb drive. Plus some of the kids important stuff,if the mem space is available on the thumb drive.

 

[LLBeanJ]

Glad to hear you're on your way to getting it worked out. I've also got a few spare hard drives lying around (nothing special, probably 80 GB), so if you would like one so that you can leave your old one with all the files intact, let me know and I'll send one your way.

 

[unionrdr]

I'm trying to find out how big my hard drive is. On the computer page,it says drive C has 110GB free of 288GB. Drive D has 3.01GB free of 9.71GB? System page says 2GB of RAM memory?

 

[flars]

Try this PC cleaner. Offered by the company I have my anti-virus program from. It may pick up some items other cleaners couldn't get to.

http://www.f-secure.com/en/web/home_us/online-scanner?ecid=4465&pcid=4465