View Full Forums : Do I Have a Computer Virus?


Tejaye
03-19-2004, 01:07 AM
OK...within the last few minutes I keep getting PoP-Up ads telling me my computer needs to download Spyware Software from some company.
****My CD-Rom drives on my computer are both sliding open. My Screen has a PoP-UP saying "Are your CD-Rom Drives popping open, if so you need to purchase Spyware Software"................is this a Virus?
How can this PoP-UP physically make my CD Drives POP Open?
Each time I Logon now I get those POP UPs plus my drives POP open....anyway for me to avoid this without payin money to whoever is doing this?
HELP Please.

Ndainye
03-19-2004, 01:29 AM
Download and use Adaware (http://www.lavasoft.de/) free spyware cleaner in conjunction with your normal virus scanner. I don't know a free virus scanner that I'd recommend. I use norton's and it's well worth the subscription fee to not have to deal with wiping the hard drive and reinstalling everything because of a virus.

Angelwings
03-19-2004, 01:35 AM
I was going to suggest Adaware also :) I use it too.

Here are links to some free online virus scans you can use-
http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp

Aidon
03-19-2004, 02:23 AM
I'd actually use Spybot-Search and Destroy in conjunction with Adaware. Both are free.

As for a free virus protection program...Panda is good, but if you pay for one piece of software on your system, let it be Virus protection.

Myself, I'm partial to McAffee's. I've never trusted norton products since I saw a friend take a magnet to his harddrive in an attempt to get norton utilities off.

Tejaye
03-19-2004, 08:57 AM
The Ad-Aware Did Not work and the POP UP is still there. I would like to try your advoce on the Spybot Search and Destroy......could you link me to where I could get that Spybot from.
****Also, what is Spybot and how will it help me better than Ad-Aware.
I did the Ad-Aware scan and it did not get rid of this POP UP that keeps opening my CD Drives. That POP UP is clearly and advertisement and I would love to get rid of it.
Please tell me how Soybot can help and how to I get it.
Thank you :)

Stormhaven
03-19-2004, 09:17 AM
Spybot can be found here -
http://www.safer-networking.org/index.php?page=download

Also, if you find out what's running in the processes, you can usually Google the file to find out how to remove it.

Rydex
03-19-2004, 10:13 AM
I have this problem too.

First I used Ad-Aware to see if that would help. I scanned the HD, found a few spyware progies and deleted them. The problem did not go away. I next installed and ran TrojanHunter. It found a few paths that might be trojans. I fixed those, the problem did not go away. I now installed Nortons again (just reformatted HD and didn't get around to reinstalling Anti-Virus because I have to have it off 90% of the time due to conflicts with games). Nortons detected a worm and proceeded to nuke it, the problem did not go away. So I run all 3 programs again and again until nothing shows up. Yet every third time I start up IE I get these crappy popups (5 or 6 in all and one that you have to ctrl - alt - del to close).

Finally I download Netscape, wam, no more problems (as long as I did not start IE). I think it has something to do with malicious cookies. I might try nuking my cookies folder eventually if I ever want to use IE again. Netscape is working better than IE fer the time being.

Araxx Darkroot
03-19-2004, 11:07 AM
I had a problem a few weks ago, installed Spybot Search and Destroy, Lavasoft's Ad-Aware, and AVG antivirus (ALL free). All my problems went away.
Also install the Google toolbar and it will disable PoP-ups, so when that pop-up wants to, ehm, pop-up, it'll stop it.
Right.
In.
Its.
TRACKS!

a-HA!!

:)

oh, and hi Rydex :)

Rydex
03-19-2004, 11:11 AM
I think I read something on a securety website about Google's toolbar have spyware or some other conflicts in it. Not 100% sure though. The newest version of Netscape also has a built in pop up nuker.

/wave Araxx

Tejaye
03-19-2004, 12:59 PM
How do I downlaod Netscape as my new Internest Browser instead of using Internet Explorer that has the problem?

oakdad
03-19-2004, 01:34 PM
Did your home page change?
When I had such a problem it had.

Tejaye
03-19-2004, 05:10 PM
Oakdad you are correct............my Homepage had changed and the POP UP Program was in it.
All I did was change my Homepage back and woot.....problem resolved.
Thanks all :)

Beiggin Tawl
03-21-2004, 12:00 AM
Just changing your homepage would be a nice simple fix wouldn't it? To bad it won't work, you have a cookie that'll change your homepage again and restart the popups. Look for a cookie called *@hp[2] or [1] in your cookies folder, that's the culprit. I had this same problem and just started using Mozilla to cure it till I found Spybot S&D which killed the cookie and the trojan that kept replacing the cookie after I'd delete it. Get Spybot, it finds things Adaware can't find, and fixes erronious registry entrys that Adaware can't fix.

Beiggin Tawl
House of Ancients
Cazic-Thule

Aly
03-21-2004, 12:18 AM
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/releases/

Great browser. Especially for browing forums. Tabbed browsing is the best thing since sliced bread. ^.^ Especially if you have a mouse with a scroll wheel. Just click the scroll wheel and tabs ahoy!

Sobe Silvertree
03-21-2004, 05:16 AM
http://pestpatrol.com/ is what I use now - I liked spybot but I finallly broke down to buy something that was on all the time and protected me all the time. The chit this program found that spyware and adaware didn't find was almost silly - the computer seem to gain speed and was much smoother surfing.. I did finally go to Firefox (Mod) also and at this point I just don't worry about it anymore.

I don't game on this computer is strictly for surfing/email and downloading etc. But still I like to keep it clean.

There is a free scanner on that page that will alude you to what you have on your system.

Trevize
03-21-2004, 10:00 AM
Firefox/Mozilla rocks. Seriously it is time to ditch IE if you haven't already.

It's also time to ditch MS Windows. Suse or Fedora rocks! Sony needs to release a native eq client for Linux!

Delowen
03-21-2004, 10:35 AM
I was recently getting something similiar to what you are having, I opened my browser and my homepage was changed to some page that said I needed to download some spyware detectors from some company. Needless to say I ran both Ad-aware and Spybot search and destroy and found some spyware, deleted them and it hasnt come back since.

You can find Spybot-Search and Destroy at:
http://download.com.com/3000-8022-10194058.html?tag=lst-0-1

Grygonos Thunderwulf
03-22-2004, 03:14 PM
free your mind...
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

ie is total ****e as a browser and that's why people exploit it. standards compliant browsers... mmmm.... delicious....

Patofnaud
03-22-2004, 05:45 PM
Here is what is happening and why Spybot or Anti Virus will not help you..

Spyware is defined as code on you machine that sends out information on your "habits" so that marketeers can then tailor spam to best fit your needs.

Virus's are defined are something that infects and destroys your machine and have the ability to be passed on like a cold.

What you have is neither..

Anytime you load down freeware like Bonzai Buddy, Weather Watcher, Comet Cursor if you read the very very very very fine print, when you click "OK" you are allowing them to run code on you machine.

So what they do is load hidden files one your machine that "pull" ads in not "push" information out. Becuase they don't push information out they are not considered Spyware, because you clicked ok and they do not migrate to others, they are not considered virus's.

I have not found a good tool to remove them.

What I did do, was use MSCONFIG.EXE (ships with Win98, but do a google search and there are tons of after market clones) and I looked at what my machine was actually starting up. And voila, I found a start up line to execute c:\winnt\system32\aa.exe

Microsoft does not name system files "aa.exe" so that was clue. ;)

Best thing to do, is to get rid of all those freeware IE "helpers" like Comet/Bonzai/WeatherBug and the like. Goggle is ok.

Your mileage may vary.

And if you find a tool that knows how to erradicate these non-virus, non-spyware type pieces of crap, let me know.