Windows XP Security pro virus?

[mikem]

My wife's computer got the Windows XP Security Pro virus. It wouldn't let me uninstall it or get to the DOS prompt to erase it. Every time I tried to get on the internet it gave me the virus message.

Took it to the computer store and they fixed it for $75.

How do they do that? Inquiring minds want to know.....

[gcude]

Sometimes pulling the hard drive and putting it in an external USB box, then plugging it into a known, clean PC to do scans and cleanup on your infected drive. Various other methods, but this is a common one.

[radkins]

I have had a version of that type of virus and I fixed another one that was very similar on a friend's computer. What I did was to install R-Kill from a thumb drive (downloaded it to another computer from Bleepingcomputer.com) and used that to stop the rogue program then ran Spybot to remove it, fairly simple to do actually.

Lots of good stuff to fix bad stuff here!

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/

[mooney1el]

Just fixed a friend's computer with the same issue. Signed on to computer ad ADMIN, then accessed internet using Firefox or Chrome (forgot which) since his default browser was IE and then downloaded Malwarebytes (free) and ran the scan three times rebooting between runs. That fixed several trojans and other malicious attacks. Took time to run the scans, but I don't sit and watch the the computer screen......

Now, the question becomes, where did the trojan come from? And why didn't the antivirus software catch it? My friend's came in as part of an executable file sent in another friend's email. The antivirus didn't catch it because of the source, he allowed it to run. Personally, I never open an exe file except from known manufacturers.

[chucketn]

As a retired public school computer tech, I can tell you that no one brand of anti-virus gets all the stuff out there. My favorites are Avast, and AVG, both have free versions. If you know the name of the particular virus/malware infecting your machine, Symantec(Norton) usually has free removal utilities.
Malware cleaners I reccomend are MalwareBytes, CCleaner, HiJackThis, and Spyware Search and Destroy. I have a standing offer to help any board members with such problems, even to the extent of using a program called TeamView to connect to your computer to check the registry as long as you can start your computer and connect to the internet.

Chuck

[CCWKen]

AVG is crap. I diagnose so many BSODs caused by AVG it's a wonder they stay around. It also uses 6-7 drivers to operate. Way too much bloat. Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) is fast, clean, capable and integrates well with Windows 7 and above.

[chucketn]

I'll admit to changing to Avast from AVG when it got slow, but never had a BSDin 3 years of useing AVG. I probably keep my personal machine cleaner than most so seldom see a BSD.

Chuck

[Black_Moons]

Generaly, a boot disk antivirus is used in cases where the PC is totaly screwed up.

Thats basicly an AV that has its own OS and can be run off a cd rom or usb drive.

[mikem]

Everything that I tried didn't work but I was thinking that I maybe I could interrupt the boot up to get to the DOS prompt and then try to erase it from the startup file? Not sure the terms I used are current....

If I had used a usb drive, how do I get it to boot from that instead of the C: drive. What would I put on the usb drive to make it bootable?

[legendboy]

Windows xp is vulnerable to so many nasty viruses.
My best suggestion for xp users would be keep all your documents, pictures, favorites, everything on a usb hard drive. Xp SP.XXX can reinstall in less then 30mins.
Then your back up and good to go

[Joel]

My best suggestion for xp users would be keep all your documents, pictures, favorites, everything on a usb hard drive. Xp SP.XXX can reinstall in less then 30mins.
Then your back up and good to go

What is the best free software for XP to back up to a USB hard drive? I want a simple and complete, uncompressed copy, like diskcopy used to do (at least I think that is what I want). Something that doesn't require special software to access and use the data. I am about to try EaseUS Todo and use the disk/partition backup.

[J Tiers]

I have been using "synctoy" from Microsoft..... free download.

It has different modes..... one erases what has been erased on all copies, and adds what has been added. Don't use it, you will lose data sure as birds fly.

I use the "contribute" mode..... all it does is put on whatever is not yet on the "destination" (for you, the USB drive). I then handle deletions myself. I use it to keep the same data on 2 computers, and keep 2 backup stick drives all up to date, even though both computers add data to the total.

One stick is always off-site.

[tlfamm]

I have been using "synctoy" from Microsoft..... free download.

It has different modes..... one erases what has been erased on all copies, and adds what has been added. Don't use it, you will lose data sure as birds fly.

I use the "contribute" mode..... all it does is put on whatever is not yet on the "destination" (for you, the USB drive). I then handle deletions myself. I use it to keep the same data on 2 computers, and keep 2 backup stick drives all up to date, even though both computers add data to the total.

One stick is always off-site.

I use good 'old xcopy - a DOS utility available on all Windows versions (so far as I know).

xcopy /c/v/e/d .\source .\destination

will copy a tree of files and folders from "source" to "destination", or update an existing copy - similar to synctoy contribute.


And you bring up an important point: valuable data should be replicated by at least three copies, two of which being on removable media which are stored "elsewhere".

[J. Randall]

AVG is crap. I diagnose so many BSODs caused by AVG it's a wonder they stay around. It also uses 6-7 drivers to operate. Way too much bloat. Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) is fast, clean, capable and integrates well with Windows 7 and above.

You may well be right about the bloat, but I have used AVG for yrs. on XP and don't recall one instance of the BSOD, so I am sure it does not cause them on my machine. Makes me wonder why it would cause them for you and not others?
James

[Glug]

I really prefer to run XP in a virtual machine, under the control of another OS. I don't typically allow it to have network access. This allows you to install apps on the virtual machine, rather than risking any changes to your boot OS.

This has gotten a lot easier in recent years, and there are many advantages. I use the free version of Virtualbox from Oracle.com.