Platte account? Spyware?

Question

I discovered an icon on my desktop that says Platte account, I found it strange because I didn't put it their so I opened up AVG 8.0 and did a full scan and it hasn't found anything suspicious. I also googled Platte Account and it seems to me as if it is spy-ware of some sort but nothings really clear. I've heard of some people just trying to delete the icon but it kept coming back after they rebooted. I haven't touched the icon at all but I'm just curious to know if this is a serious problem and if it will do any permanent damage to my computer and if at all you can remove it with out having to download a whole bunch of crack programs that never work anyway. Any help is appreciated

Answer 1

I had the same problem but i came to resolve it with a software called unlocker that you download free on the internet : http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/

without it I was unable to delete the files that come with the icon because they are protected. Look for the files that are related to the icon, on mine they were on c:/windows/system32/ pm_proc1 and pm_proc2.

good luck

Answer 2

It certainly sounds like you have been infected with some kind of 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