A mixture of problems

[speedo]

Hi,

I have a Fujitsu Siemens Amilo note book, running on Windows XP home edition version 2002 with service pack 3.

I have number of issues that have suddenly appeared, not sure if they are connected but it all went wobbly at the same time.

I reckon I have a virus of some sort but cant find a way to remove it as it wont allow me to run some programmes.

 

Here is a list of the issues:-

 

• Screen /Picture is distorted with lots of different colours and lines (pixilation?)
  
• Sometimes the screen just goes blank after a while and the laptop will go into a reboot.
  
• I am constantly redirected to other web sites when clicking on Google web search results
  
• It won’t allow me to run Spybot S&D
  
• Systems restore won’t function - it will go so far but freezes when I get to the ‘select a restore date’.
  

I have reloaded the drivers for the graphics card but the screen issue still remains.

 

Please advise if you have any ideas as I am now completely lost as what to try next.

 

Many thanks

[RandyL]

Hi speedo;

Your last three issues definitly sounds like an infestation. The first two could be related.

 

Please try to follow our guide on removing malware. If you have any trouble running the following programs let us know and we'll try to find a way to make it possible for you.

 

 

Your computer appears to be infected with Malware. Malware is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. It is a combination of the words malicious and software. The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code.

 

It is in your best interest to note the following:

1. Please disable your resident security applications (such as AVG, Spybot, WinPatrol, etc.) before performing the below procedure so that they do not interfere with the process.
   
2. Perform all the steps in the order listed to avoid any conflicts.
   
3. If unsure, please stop and voice your doubts.
   
4. You might be required to go offline during the disinfection process. Therefore, it is recommended to print off the instructions below for ease of reference.
   

If you stick to the above guidelines, all should go smoothly.

 

 

 

================================================

STEP 1

1. Download ATF-Cleaner by Atribune.
   
2. Save the file to your Desktop.
   
3. Double-click on the file to run the program.
   
4. On the Main tab, check the Select All button.
   
5. Next, click on the Firefox tab (if applicable) and check the Select All button.
    
   Note: If you would like to preserve your saved passwords in Firefox, then click No at the corresponding prompt.
   
6. Now, click on the Opera tab (if applicable) and check the Select All button.
    
   Note: If you would like to preserve your saved passwords in Opera, then click No at the corresponding prompt.
   
7. Press the Empty Selected button and click OK to acknowledge the corresponding prompt.
   
8. Click on the Exit button to quit the program.
   

================================================

STEP 2

1. Please click here to download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware.
   
2. Save the file to your Desktop.
   
3. Double-click mbam-setup.exe and follow the prompts to install the program.
   
4. At the end, make sure a check mark is placed next to:
   1. 
      
   2. Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
      
   3. Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
      

[*]Click Finish.

[*]The program will download and update itself if it finds the necessity to do so. Please allow this.

[*]Once the program has loaded, select Perform full scan, then click Scan.

 

 

Note: Depending on your computer specifications, the scan may take some time to complete. Please wait patiently and do not interrupt the process.

[*]When the scan is complete, click OK, and then Show Results to view the results.

[*]Make sure that every entry is selected, and click Remove Selected.

[*]Restart your computer.

================================================

STEP 3

1. Please click here to download SUPERAntiSpyware (Free Version).
   
2. Save the file to your Desktop.
   
3. Double-click SUPERAntiSpyware.exe and follow the prompts to install the program.
   
4. Open SUPERAntiSpyware.
   
5. Under Configuration and Preferences, click the Preferences button.
   
6. Click the Scanning Control tab.
   
7. Under Scanner Options make sure the following fields checked:

   [*]Click the Close button to leave the control center screen.

   [*]On the main screen, under Scan for Harmful Software click Scan your computer.

   [*]On the left, make sure you check mark All the Fixed Drives.

   [*]On the right, under Complete Scan, choose Perform Complete Scan.

   [*]Click Next to start the scan. Please be patient while it scans your computer.

   [*]After the scan is complete, a Scan Summary box will appear with potentially harmful items that were detected. Click OK.

   [*]Make sure every entry has a check mark next to it and click Next.

   [*]A notification will appear that Quarantine and Removal is Complete. Click OK and then Finish to return to the main menu.

   [*]Restart your computer.

   ================================================

   STEP 4
   1. Please visit the ESET Online Scanner, using Internet Explorer to initiate the scan.
       
      Note: If you are running Windows Vista, then you will need Administrative privileges to complete the latter part of the procedure. To do so, right-click on the Internet Explorer icon in the Start Menu and select the Run As Administrator option in the shell context menu.
      
   2. Check mark the YES, I accept the Terms of Use box.
      
   3. Click the Start button.
      
   4. Click the Install button on the following screen.
      
   5. Click Start. This will will initialize and update the scanner engine.
      
   6. Check mark the box beside Remove found threats.
      
   7. Click the Scan button. This will start the scan. Please be patient while it is in progress.
      
   8. Restart your computer.
      

   ================================================

   STEP 5
   1. Click on Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools and select System Restore.
      
   2. Choose the radio button marked Create a Restore Point on the first screen and click Next. Give the restore point a name then click Create. The new point will be stamped with the current date and time. Keep a note of this so you can find it easily should you need to use System Restore.
      
   3. Next, click on Start > Run, type Cleanmgr and click on OK.
      
   4. Click on the More Options tab.
      
   5. Click the Clean Up button in the System Restore section to remove all previous restore points except the most recent one.
      

   This will remove any infected files that have been backed up by Windows. The files in "System Restore" are protected to prevent any programs changing those files. This is the only foolproof way to ensure the deletion of those files.

    

   Note: Do not clear restore points on a regular basis as doing so will clear all previous restore points even those that you may need. System Restore is a useful tool to revert your computer back to a working condition if something goes wrong.

    

   Re-enable all your security applications and please return here and tell us how the computer seems to be operating.

    

   Happy Safe Computing!

Close browsers before scanning
Scan for tracking cookies
Terminate memory threats before quarantining

[speedo]

Many thanks for such comprehensive instructions, I will give it a try and let you know what happens.

 

Many thanks

[speedo]

Hi Randyl

Well step one works fine, but when I click on step 2 link it tells me the 'page cannot be displayed'. I tried the other links on the other stages and it tells me the same for them all.

any idea?

 

cheers

[RandyL]

It would seem that the infections are blocking you from connecting to the best malware removal sites.

 

This has been seen many times and is not unusual at all.

 

I don't know how you connect to the internet but it might be possible to connect via SafeMode with Networking to download these programs.

 

If that is not an option you may have to downloade MalwareBytes and SuperAntispyware and burn it to a disk along with the updates from a non infected computer.

 

But you may also want to look at this first.

 

Remove Downadup - Removal tool for Downadup (known also as Conficker or Kido)

[speedo]

Hi,

I ran Downandup but it came up clear.

Trying to download from safe mode was the same as being in normal mode - didnt want to know so I down-loaded the two files as you suggested from another computer burnt them onto disk and put them onto this one. The Malwarebytes programme wont start at all although it has copied onto my hard drive. I can click as hard as I like but it just wont run. The Superantispyware wont even run or copy onto my harddrive it just says 'error' and prompts me to send an error report to Microsoft.

Is there anything else I can try or am I going to have to reload windows completly?

 

Many thanks