How to rid an "anti-virus-proof" virus?

Question

I think I have a virus on my PC that's managed to prevent me from connecting to any anti-virus, spyware, etc.-related web sites.

Admittedly, I didn't have any virus protection running at the time. I do keep Windows Defender turned on, but that's pretty much useless.

I'm getting things like my Windows wallpaper background changed to a screenshot saying I'm infected with a virus and an occasional "Your system will shut down in 60 seconds." I can connect to the Internet and many web pages, however I cannot seem to connect to any sites from which I may be able to d/l a program to fix the problem. I also cannot do a restore as there are no previous restore points available using the Windows System Restore tool. Ugh!

Any ideas on what to do?

Answer 1

Download and try " Malwarebytes " it has removed some nasty files of my computer B4 I installed an Antivirus suite

Answer 2

format  

Answer 3

Try using Safe Mode with Networking to download help.  Safe Mode With Networking often keeps malware from protecting itself.

If you have an anti-virus, I suggest you make sure it has the latest virus definitions and run a scan with it in Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking.   If you don’t have one, many people here swear by AVG (it’s free).

I suggest you also download Ad-Aware 2008 and Spybot S&D (they’re free), install them, update them and run them. If any of the above (or any anti-malware, for that matter) doesn’t seem to be able to run properly or get rid of everything it reports finding, try running it again in Safe Mode.

Also, turn off System Restore to evict any copies of bad stuff that might be lurking there.  

To get into Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking:

1. Log out and reboot your machine.

2. When the machine starts the reboot sequence, press the F8 key repeatedly.

3. Select Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking from the resulting menu.

4. When the login screen comes up, log in as Administrator.  By default, Administrator has no password.

5. The machine will continue booting, but the Windows desktop will look different.  

6. When you're finished doing what you need to do, log out and reboot back into normal mode.

Note that even if the anti-malware programs get rid of the malware, they may not be able to reverse the effects.  Search the Web for possible fixes.

Update and run everything regularly, not just when you think you already have malware.

Good luck.

Answer 4

Boot to safe mode with networking. Try downloading/running Firefox instead of IE. That may loosen the grasp this thing has on you. Then go here:

www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html

(that requires IE)

www.eset.com/onlinescan/

www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner

housecall.trendmicro.com/

Do each online scan in safe mode until one of them finds/fixes your problem. If you want a really good antivirus I recommend each one of those in that order. If you want free, Avast is OK but not great. AVG is good, Avira Antivir is probably better.

Answer 5

Did you try to install an anti-virus and scan your hard disk? If that still does not work then your only option is to reformat and install a fresh copy. And be sure to install anti-virus lie AVG 8.0 or Avast.

Answer 6

It certainly sounds like you have been infected with anti-virus-proof malware. Unfortunately, if you find one infection, it is highly likely you have another one. A virus, trojan or worm are all different types of infections/malware and there are some great FREE programs that can help you.

First, clean up (delete) your cookies, temp files and temporary internet files. I prefer to use Ccleaner (available at www.filehippo.com) to do this, rather than the built-in DISK CLEANUP, as I feel it does a much more thorough job - for example, it will clean out the index files on your next reboot.

If you want to use Disk Cleanup, you can find it if you:

- Double-Click on My Computer to open it up

- RIGHT-click on your C: drive

- Choose PROPERTIES and then click on the DISK CLEANUP button

- When done, reboot your computer.

Delete these files daily or run Ccleaner every day right before you shut your computer down.

2 - You should also have a good anti-virus program to help protect your computer. AVG FREE is an excellent anti-virus program, which can be downloaded from www.download.com. You might also choose Avast or Avira, both also free programs from www.download.com.

3 -Since NONE of the anti-spyware/anti-adware programs are 100% accurate in finding and removing spyware, you need at least two programs which you will run one after the other, not at the same time.

There are three excellent free ones:

--Spybot, Search and Destroy

--Ad-Aware

--Spyware Blaster

All are available FREE from www.download.com

You will need to download, install, update (and IMMUNIZE in Spybot) and run them, one at a time. Be careful with the NAME of these programs - there are "look-alikes" with very similar names, that are in fact spyware themselves! Reboot after you install each one!

After this current infection is cleared up, be sure to run both of the above programs at least once a week if you are on the internet frequently and/or like to download music or files.

NOTE: Some infections prevent your from downloading the above programs. You may have to use a clean computer to download the programs and copy them to a thumb drive or CD. Then transfer the install files to the infected computer and run.

--Occasionally you will not be able to run these programs without being in SAFE MODE. To get there, reboot your computer and tap the F8 key, repeatedly until a menu comes up. You want to choose SAFE MODE WITH NETWORKING.

4 -You should also have a good firewall to help protect your computer. Zone Alarm makes a totally free version (watch you don't download the 30-day free trial of the paid version). You can download this from the manufacturer at www.zonelabs.com