My mcafee wont work along with other problems

[chris55515]

Hello, I'm new on here and I'd really appreciate a bit of advice.

 

I bought a new pc a few moths ago and it's been great - until today.

 

I keep getting a message telling me that my Mcafee security isn't on and when I to turn it on it wont work.

 

I also cannot log onto msn, I've started getting message saying that the website doesnt have a certificate when I try to access certain websites (HSBC, Hotmail and others)

 

I know that the websites I'm trying to access are legit and I know that I should be getting onto MSN.

 

If anyone's got any suggestions I'd be very grateful.

 

Thanks, Chris.

[Jelly Bean]

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.

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

[RandyL]

As Jelly Bean said there is a very real chance you are infected and the above steps are likely to help.

 

Of course with the information you supplied I might comment on a few things.

 

You bought the PC a few months ago.

Mcafee may have been preinstalled as a bundled trial version. This is common on new PC's. However after a period of 30 to 90 days (probably 30 with Mcafee) you would no longer be able to update it which in effect makes it worthless.

 

If you are getting a message that it is not turned on then it might be Mcafee or Windows Security stating that fact. Although Windows Security does not always recogize certain security products (Windows did not recognize my Mcafee on Vista but does on my Windows 7) it might also be that Mcafee is giving you that message. If it truely can't be turned on then malware has indeed infected you.

 

The point is that if your trial period was up and you did not subscribe to updates then it's the same thing as running unprotected. As such you need to do what Jelly Bean said and run the scans in the guide if you can.

 

Not being able to login to certain sites is classic malware signs. MSN or Hotmail is well known.

 

There is however one other thing to consider as well. the website doesnt have a certificate

 

Some secure sites have certificates registered such as hotmail, banking sites and more. They register them so that security programs such as Mcafee can run a check to make sure they are legit and not phished or hacked.

 

It is possible that Mcafee is blocking those sites because they have not updated their certificates or because Mcafee needs updating to check for them or you need to install Windows updates.

 

As Jelly Bean said you have classic signs of an infection. At the very least you might be running unprotected with an outdated security product. In either case you need to run some scans then get fully updated protection.

 

And also make sure you have all of the Windows updates.

[chris55515]

Thanks for your help guys.

 

I tried all the steps which jelly bean suggested and an infected file was found (hijack something) so i removed it.

 

After removing and following the next steps I still had the same problems.

 

You mentioned about my mcafee. It was through Sky and it was paid up and active. I didn't have any other AV either.

 

After seeing the "Hijack" file I panicked and formatted my hard drive, reinstalled Windows7 and bought Kaspersky.

 

After that I haven't had any of my original problems and my bank balance hasn't took a nose dive :)

 

Thank you so much for the time you took to reply to me.

 

Thanks again, Chris.

[Jelly Bean]

Oh thankyou for getting back to us.

 

Gosh a lot of money but hey you have a good clean install and a safer computer.