Computer help needed

[LukeDee]

Just registered to this site and not sure if this is where i should ask, if it isn't please could an administer move to where it should be.

 

 

For about a week now my computer has been slowly getting worse. It started last weekend when i was in the middle of a game after about 20-30 mins of game play my system just turns it's self off, now shut down at all just a complete off.

But not for 2 days the Internet browser has been slow and freezing allot.

I have run an anitvirus (Norton) every day in hope of finding some thing but it hasn't Today i ran a anti spyware (stopzilla payed) found a few little things not much. But still it's the same. I have tried now three times to restore to a point more than a week ago but every time it fails to do this.

 

At this point i have no clue what else i can do.

[LukeDee]

Forgot to add computer info:-

Win vista, home premium

Processor: core quad Q8200, 2.33GHz, 2336 Mhz

RAM: 4.00 GB

[LukeDee]

The problem seems to have fixed it's self. After Norton downloaded a new update it found a virus and got rid of it. After restarting it seems to be working perfectly.

[RandyL]

Hi Luke.

 

That's great. I'm glad you sorted it and took the time to tell us so.

 

Please feel free to ask us anything else or if you want we could offer some advice if you feel the need to check for additional malware.

 

Maybe next time we can help you before you help yourself. :)

[LukeDee]

I could all ways use more advise on malware, my computers not 100% it's still slow on the internet.

[RandyL]

OK it's still slow on the internet but everything else is up to speed I'm assuming. Also assuming that it's not an issue with your ISP and your connection.

 

The first thing I would do is follow up with some scans as outlined in the guide below since you were previously infected.

 

After that if it's clean but still slow on the internet it might be your security products. It's worth checking out.

 

............................................

 

Personally the first thing I would try is uninstalling Stopzilla. You could always reinstall it but I would not have it on my computer. After that run the scans.

 

Next try disabling Norton temporarily. That's probably not the cause but Stopzilla or the combination of Norton and Stopzilla might be.

 

Here is a our guide for you to follow up with malware. Let us know if it finds anything and what it finds.

 

Your computer might still 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

[LukeDee]

Thanks I'll follow these steps now. I found the reason why my computer was crashing when in games. Apparntly i was using an old cable from my very first computer (1998) and it didn't let my computer get enough power from my socket. I'll be fowling your guide now and all should be ok. Thanks again for your help as it's helped me allot.

[LukeDee]

I tried to follow all steps but step 4 wouldn't work for me. It doesn't download the needed add on to you and when i try to download it it refreshes so there's not much more i know to do.

 

 

The problem with my system turning it's self off when I'm playing games has come back. So i know it's not a power problem. I don't know much about viruses at all, is there a virus that can do this? is there it some thing to do with my system?

[karan soni]

try using another browser {google chrome}.......

[Ben_JH]

To be fair it could still be your PSU (power supply), if whats happening to you happened to me this is the first place I would be checking. If your motherboard and components aren't getting enough power then it would result in a power-down. This may only happen when all of its components are under full load (for example, when your running demanding progams such as playing games). Whats is your PSU rated at (in Watts)?

 

Give me the full list of all your hardware and their make & model and I can calculate how much power your system needs.

[RandyL]

Ben makes a good point.