OT: Computer help!

[Eddieee]

OT: Computer help!

Hey, sorry for the off-topicness in this forum..
I saw a thread on computer problems and saw the enormous amount of replies/assistance, so heck, why not ask?
Anyway, I have this virus/bug/worm/something for months-year (or more perhaps?)
So, I used to be able to Control+Alt+Del all the time, and then I guess I dl'ed a malicious bug and now it doesn't work ;(.
Everytime i press them, it comes out and disappears in less than 2 seconds, or doesn't even decide to show up.

If anyone knows a solution (i've looked a lot but my computer-illiterateness is baaaaad ), please help.

All help is appreciated.
Thank you VERY much!

 

[D2Addict]

If you are running a decent antivirus software you should be albe to at least identify it if not eliminate it. If you could find out what it is and where it infects then you could rebuild your machine at worst and leave off any questionable items. Try Mcafee or Norton. If it is a spy type thing try Spybot or hackthis.

 

[Serdash]

My computer had the exact same thing.

Yesterday it went down completely.



I'm not saying that it's going to happen to yours, but you'll want to find a way to get rid of that as soon as you can. You get lots of adware, spyware, and trojans from whatever it is.

 

[Pucho]

I can't understand what it does..
maybe if you tell us the name of the program you used to kill in the task manager.
I work fixing things like that, but if you can't identify it, I can't help you....

 

[Serdash]

Basically when any unwanted program or adware is running in the background of your computer, with Windows XP you can run the task manager and end the process, then you can remove it easier.

The problem with this adware/spyware/virus/whatever is that it wont let you access task manager. I believe it also prevents registry settings, virus scanners(some, not all), and Adaware as far as I know.

My advice is to find out what it is and get rid of it.

 

[pesot]

another good way is to use on-line virus scan. when a virus/worms screws your pc up, you might as well assume that local antivirus has been screwed up as well. go with either panda or pc-cillin online scan. i like panda better though. also, you might want to check your system32 folder and find any weird programs manually. but if you're not familiar with the files, i don't recommend it.

 

[Serdash]

Nope. I used a few online virus scanners, and they didn't snag it either.

It's slippery. =\

 

[pesot]

Nope. I used a few online virus scanners, and they didn't snag it either.

It's slippery. =\

i used both panda and pc-cillin(one at a time). they snagged it pretty well. :thumbsup:

 

[Serdash]

I even tried booting up in safe mode and running the stuff. Didn't work at all. =\


Oh well.

 

[pesot]

I even tried booting up in safe mode and running the stuff. Didn't work at all. =\


Oh well.

maybe it's a stealth virus variant. most antiviruses have hard time snagging those. like i said, this may require you to check your system32 folder and registry value. that could screw things a lot worst if you're not carefull. also, try updating windows with the security pacthes. this is the way i deal with all those infections . my record was ~10 months running my win2k without any formatting or reinstalling. that's the longest for me :lol:

 

[Serdash]

this may require you to check your system32 folder and registry value

Wouldn't let me in registry settings, bud.

I've went my entire years through this computer without having to reinstall/format.

 

[pesot]

Wouldn't let me in registry settings, bud.

I've went my entire years through this computer without having to reinstall/format.

oh yeah, i forgot about that. i think i have that problem too once, before my hd crash(a few days before yours). but that was in the tenth month, so i just format and reinstall . that's the only solution for me.

 

[discreaderror]

I've went my entire years through this computer without having to reinstall/format.

That's a good thing? I reformat every six months at the longest. To me it's like a regular oil change. If I back up only what I need and reformat and reinstall windows, I get to start everything fresh again while not losing any of my settings. Less spyware, viruses, and junk in general.

But that's just me.