Pc Help

[C_WRX]

Looking for some pc help, along lines of should I worry about it being infected ?

I'm okay working my way around the basics but this is something I know little about.

The story : Was surfing away, searching for a topic, and clicked in to site that was not what was looking for, not necessarily overly dodgey looking, but it opened two windows - one showing normal page (but not what I was looking for) and another that came up "could not be found". Backed out one and closed down other. Next thing my firewall is asking do I want to grant access to something, did this twice, to which I'm sure I said block. Few seconds later pc logs itself off and reboots.

I ran two virus checks, each different, and both didn't find anything.

Something is different though. I have an icon along bottom bar, red cirle with white cross in it, that keeps popping up now and then telling me "Your computer is infected. Windows has detected spyware infection! It is recomended to use special antispyware tools to prevent data loss. Windows will now download and install the most up-to-date antispyware for you. Click here to protect your computer from spyware." Can't stop this from popping up every few minutes, after did virus checks even clicked it (I maybe shouldn't have??) to see if I could go in and cancel it but nothing happened !!

Other thing that I've noticed has changed is that when I click in to my internet link it now doesn't take me to my homepage !?

Have I burst my pc ?

Sensible suggestions for what to do next ?

[st3ph3n]

It sounds like something called Spyaxe which is quite an old infection. I don't believe it's terribly destructive but you really want rid of it.

Try the instructions found here - http://www.infopackets.com/news/security/2...nstructions.htm

[pmacFTO]

It could be the XP AntiSpyware 2009 which is very prevalent on the home PC's I do repairs on. That and the XP Antivirus 2009 one. Both are made to look like they are part of Windows but they are not!

Check here and see if the screenshots match what's coming up on your PC.

The web pages redirect is just a browser hijack.

Can you still do CTR-ALT-DEL to get task manager up? If not then you have a slightly worse strain and it can be a bugger to remove!

Get, Malwarebytes anti-malware, Spybot S&D and NOD 32 Antivirus. Reboot your PC in Safe Mode and use all those progs as well as running your already installed AV programs - most viruses don't load up in safe mode and this means you have more chance of removing them.

[C_WRX]

Hmm, I'll try and look through what you've said.

I can still CTR-ALT-DEL to get task manager up okay.

Fancy a trip through to look at it for me - or me to you ? Needing it 100% for Monday !

[C_WRX]

Phew, wasn't as bad as first thought, well in pmacFTO's much more expert opinion -v- mine !

Big thanks to pmacFTO for checking it all out at short notice and "cleaning out" just a little bit of aged back ground material ! Mini-infection gone, pc running bit quicker and important settings still in place - that'll do nicely.

Thanks also st3ph3n for the reply.

[st3ph3n]

What was it in the end?

[C_WRX]

I'll let pmac answer that properly as I think it is going to be techy chat - but if I understood him right he thinks it was an old bug that hadn't fully managed to get on to my machine, maybe firewall blocked most of it, and was e.g. just trying to get me to buy rubbish, but the fake icon link didn't work so wasn't likely harmful.

First bug for a long time that managed to get passed my two firewalls (yes two but now down to one!) and I did panic just a little as I really need my pc working at the moment.

[pmacFTO]

It was a partially installed Antispyware2010 - the warning was in the taskbar but the firewall had done it's job and stopped it going to the webpage it needed to download anything else malicious. It had also disabled the XP Security Center and removed the Help and Support Service (weird). A few registry tweaks and they were back on. Windows Update was also off although I think this had been the case for a long time as SP3 was in the list of updates when I re-enabled it.

Overall the machine was fine but had 4.5yrs worth of temp files/old install files and hotfix stuff to clear out. Malwarebytes sorted the virus issue then I just did a load of maintenance stuff to make sure the PC ran as well as it could. Also with it being a Dell I removed a whole load of useless startup items from the registry and then used CCleaner and Defraggler to get it running smoother. Also, updated all AV/Firewall/Adware apps to latest updates and re-ran all scans in safe mode.

Nothing super technical as I said to Colin but for him it's just piece of mind that it is running ok, especially as it is for his work. I know how he feels as I do the same with my car - it's good to just get confirmation from someone who knows there way about!