System Shutdown and Virus'?

Question

Hey.

The bar states: "This system is shutting down. Please save all work in progress and log off. Any unsaved changes will be lost. This shutdown was initiated by NT AUTHORITY/SYSTEM. Time before shutdown: 00:00:60. Message: Windows must now restart becuase the DCOM Server Process Launcher service terminated unexpectedly."

Could someone help? I have a virus on my computer and this is an obvious link. All comments will be very much appreciated. Could you please recommend any good and free anti-virus' and spyware to get rid of the virus?

Many thanks!

Answer 1

Hello,

To stop the countdown, click on Start > Run..., and type :

shutdown.exe -a

Click on OK.

A.V.G. Anti-Virus Pro/Free 8 is very effective and includes an Anti-Adware (= Anti-Spyware) with real time protection.

Bye

Answer 2

It could of been just an error in something your running.

However, DCOM is something that is used to make remote connections to other computers.  With that note, I would be very cautions and upon reboot immediately Patch/Update your machine!

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!

Additionally, In the world of security, you get what you pay for!

Larger companies are able to be more proactive in developing signatures for the latest threats. Every day, new viruses are created or morphed from old ones that a whole new definition has to be written for.

If you pay for your AV, your getting a PAID staff to stay on top of things. Free AVs have to go about other ways and enticements to get their money to survive.

It all depends on what you do with your computer. Do you use it to surf p**n? Do you care about your information? Do you use it for sensitive information?

THE most important things you can do (besides running AV) is to ensure that the OS is fully patched, all of your software has the most current version, and that you do your everyday things with an account that does not have Admin Privileges!

If I was going to pay money (much better), I would go with Eset, Norton, McAfee, or Trend Micros, Kapersky.

Some good reviews for specifics are -

http://anti-virus-software-review.topten...

http://antivirus-software.topchoicerevie...

http://www.av-comparatives.org/

If I was going to set up your computer, I would use ESETs Smart Security Suite to cover AV, Spyware and Firewall needs.  I would also augment it with a relatively new free product called ThreatFire.  ThreatFire is behavioral based so has a good chance of picking up "zero day" attacks.  

I would really be putting weight on the value, protection and updates vice the lowest memory used.  Todays computer usually have a TON of memory in them.  As long as you have it running the full scan at night or when your not using it, you wont have anything to worry about!

Things you want -

1) Real time protection (yes it slows your machine down, but YOU have to have it)

2) Signitures updated every 24 hours (and makes sure that it does so)

3) Full system scans each night

4) Some type of Host Based Intrusion Detection Systems

All in All, no AV is better than another. Once a virus is found, they race to update their definitions first. Symantec/Norton will not be first all of the time... However, it DEFINITELY wont be AVG!

Answer 3

http://free.avg.com

Answer 4

even better I would provide the procedure to do it using free tools

Follow the instruction on the link below to clean your computer

10 easy step virus and spyware removal using free software

http://www.review-ninja.com/2008/08/10-e...

Answer 5

This really sounds like the blaster worm (Which is surprising because it's been a while since Microsoft released patches for it). Make sure that your computer is up to date by visiting Update.Microsoft.com You should have the latest service pack installed (The latest one is SP3, but chances are you will need to install SP2, and even SP1 if you don't have it). If you aren't able to install these updates because the computer is restarting, then this is how it should be removed (Remember to go back and install the updates though):

The easiest way to fix it is using Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware (Download it, update it, do a full scan, and remove everything it finds).

I would also recommend the following programs to make sure that you don't get infected again in the future:

Spybot - Search & Destroy

Avira AntiVir Personal

Spyware Doctor Starter Edition