Help! How do you know if its a virus?

Question

My laptop keyboard is driving me crazy. Some keys work,some don't .Different prompts pop up without any rhyme or reason. I was so frustrated that I ran the recovery/restore ccd but I'm still having problems with the keyboard and popups. Does this sound like a virus? I'm not sure what my next step should be since this lap top isn't old. Thanks in advance for any replies.

Answer 1

If you restored,it's probably not a virus but some kind of configuration problem

If you're running Vista,then you would have had to approve any Key-scrambling devices through a series of security prompts.

On XP,it could be a bit more difficult to solve.

If you want to talk security,you can e-mail me if you feel vulnerable,as I'm a big security guy.

The way you described your problem,it sounds more like you spilled something on the keyboard,but if you're positive that isn't the problem,then we can diagnose it more clearly.

Answer 2

try re-installing the drivers for ur keyboard

Answer 3

http://www.mcafeeasap.com/intl/en/Defaul...

Sometimes you don't, they hide.  You scan and your anti virus tells you.

Answer 4

Your best start is to read to this forum -

http://www.castlecops.com/HijackThis.htm...

Which will walk you thru the tools listed -

http://wiki.castlecops.com/Malware_Remov...

One important thing is the fact that you should completely update the Operating System and ALL of the patches. If your machine is patched for the vulnerability on the HD, then YOU cannot get infected. It is the more proactive approach (patching your machine, keeping your software updated, using the most current firmware and drivers). AV is ALWAYS reactive!

When you installed the the program from the recovery/restore CD, did you format the harddrive?

Can you borrow someone else keyboard?

Keyboards shouldnt cause popups...

Do you have any type of Antivirus?

If you need any help (especially if the forum is slow), please let me know!

Good Luck!