Help! Possible virus on my PC - any advice appreciated

[TransAm]

Hoping you guys out there can help me out a bit - most of you are much more knowledgable than I when it comes to PC's, from what I have read on here over the past few months, so here goes...

Ok so on Sunday I was using my web-based email and (stupidly) opened an email in my bulk folder which was from a bizarre username but @fs.traderonline.net (If i remember correctly) well I opened it because I thought it might be something to do with my car sale as I advertised the car online.

I usually use firefox but my web based email is through a browser called SBC Yahoo browser. As I opened the email, the browser window refreshed and then the PC froze. Since then it has been freezing up about 3 times per day.

Now I've tried to run spybot and Norton AV, and also I have just dloaded and tried to run Grisoft AntiVirus Gold. Every time I use one of these programs the PC freezes up. I have just watched last nights EastEnders which I guess is pretty processor-intensive yet watched the whole episode with no problem.

Everytime I run a scan using Norton it freezes up within a minute or so, and can't complete the virus scan, it freezes somewhere within my administrator profile, about 500 files into the check.

Everytime I run a scan using Grisoft AVG it is a bit more successful and seems to get a bit further through the check but freezes up after scanning about 15000 files, within C:/program files/java and again can't complete the virus scan - it's too much of a coincidence but every time I run AVG it freezes within the Java program files folder

Spybot S&D can't complete a spyware check either, also freezing up about halfway during the check.

The same things happen within safe mode, by the way.

So, does anyone reckon I have contracted a virus? Should I give up now and reformat c:? :cry:

[crazidude]

I doubt this would work, but try booting up in safe mode (bashing F8 while booting up windows) and run the antivirus there.

[ZfrkS62]

start looking through the registry. it takes awhile but once you find a suspicious folder or file, delete it. it might be in that java folder. i want to say that malicious scripts and such usually have a .dll extension, but don't quote me on that.

[AlienDB7]

Interesting, I got a attacked by a worm or some sort the other day when I reformat and reinstalled Windows. Somehow the firewall on my router was switched off and basically I was attacked before I could install the patches in time! The virus scanner wouldnt even start since it would blue screen or freeze the PC.

Not sure if this would solve the problem, but try to run the anti-virus program(s) under safe-mode. Hopefully that'll prevent the spyware or virus from starting automatically. Good luck!

[ZfrkS62]

he says he gets the same result in safe mode, alien. i dunno. maybe dan can help you. this sounds like its going to get too technical REAL quick :|

[TransAm]

what i would do is make a new folder, everything that you want to save put into it and then scan it with norton to make sure all the files are clean. then transfer them to a friends hd or get them off the pc and reformat the whole thing. heck youll start off with a clean slate.

My thoughts entirely, as for running Spybot or AV in Safe mode, the PC freezes up then too. Are worms/viruses really that intelligent these days that they can detect when AV or spybot is runnign, and thus freeze the PC up :?: :?

Luckily I don't have much stuff on there - less than a CD's worth if I lose the DaVinci Code film from a certain forum :wink:

Ah well, that will keep me busy for a few hours tonight!

Thanks for all your advice guys...anyone elses advice much appreciated.

[saadie]

a tip on keeping yer computer worth usable everyday ... reinsall windows every 2nd month ... dont keep any antivirus soft .. alwayz use yer browser to chck the mails ..... theres a hidden folder named Found in every drive .. delete em ... cuz whenevery yer computer restarts without proper shut down the folders are created and all the errors are logged in there .. and if you have more then 8 or 9 of em yer computer will crash more often .... and always remove all the old system restore points and make a new one just abt every week ..... and before doing all that run ad-aware once ..

[AlienDB7]

a tip on keeping yer computer worth usable everyday ... reinsall windows every 2nd month ... dont keep any antivirus soft .. alwayz use yer browser to chck the mails ..... theres a hidden folder named Found in every drive .. delete em ... cuz whenevery yer computer restarts without proper shut down the folders are created and all the errors are logged in there .. and if you have more then 8 or 9 of em yer computer will crash more often .... and always remove all the old system restore points and make a new one just abt every week ..... and before doing all that run ad-aware once ..
That's a bit extreme, I usually can keep my box up without rebooting for 2 months. Windows can be pretty stable as long as you take good care of it. Most of the time, instability is introduced by the user through installation of some buggy programs. Buy a router and have it block most/all incoming traffic. Keep updated on windows and anti-virus updates. There shouldn't be any problem unless you like to do things windows doesn't expect you to do.

[TransAm]

/\ ...Like opening dodgy emails! :cry:

[TransAm]

Well I have tried to reinstall XP a couple of times, but the PC freezes on the blue screen where it loads the Win XP files from the CD into the 8mb 'windows install ' partition. This is like a DOS screen, white text on blue background. It never gets as far as installing win XP through the GUI

Also, I tried to delete the existing 57000mb partition which is of course the main 'data' part of my HDD. PC freezes everytime I try that...

Could it be I have a imminent HDD failure?

Will my recovery CD still work if I format C: from the prompt? Or is that going to end up in me being completely stuck?

Thanks again!

[crazidude]

Your recovery CD will still work if you format C drive. If you can't even format, I would suggest trying to use the HD on someone elses computer if it can format then.

[TransAm]

Well ta for the advice on format c, that's allayed my concerns

tomorrow I will ask the IT people at work - I sit very near them

PC keeps hanging everytime I try and run AV, spybot, (in safe mode too) reformatting the partition using recovery disk, reinstalling windows using recovery disk

Is there such a thing as a MBR-resident worm or virus does anyone know or is it more than likely a slight fault on the HD somewhere? I'd rather just replace that than keep trying at all this - but all I know about HD failure is from RC's recent post on the topic - I don't have any wierd noises coming from the HD but the tone of the PC humming always changes when it freezes. The PC is nearly 2 years old and is an 'unbranded' PC but surely nothing should fail at this stage - even though I have had the PC running moreorless nonstop since the day i bought it?

So far tonight I've uninstalled XP SP2 , found out that my drive is 34% fragmented - but surely that wont cause a system freeze? or will it?

I've had the side of the PC off and dusted and vaccuumed everywhere that looks safe to touch (no PCBs just the fans really)

Disk cleanup within system tools makes it hang up too

Other than that if you are just doing 'normal PC type of stuff' it is freezing about once every 8 hours.

Oh and I deleted that Java folder I was on about further up the thread - but would a virus of this day and age be intelligent enough to realise the folder within which it is located is going to the recycle bin, and move itself elsewhere? The reason I ask is cos last time I had a virus or this many PC problems /hangups was running DOS 6 and win3.1 (I had the junkie virus) so it was a lot simpler to remove and reformat back with that 'simple' system IMHO !!!!

Any more advice based upon my ramblings, guys?

[TransAm]

Rather not buy a new PC - mine is pretty high spec (well when it works)

[TransAm]

Thamar, when I say blue screen - it is not the "blue screen of death" with all the weird codes on it, it is my windows recovery install program

I suspect the HDD also.

[TransAm]

Please see the screenshot below: what do we make of this? I did chkdsk from command prompt

http://img51.exs.cx/img51/1804/screen9gw.th.jpg (http://img51.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img51&image=screen9gw.jpg)

[TransAm]

I've now dloaded and run some western digital (my HDD) diagnostic tools - did the extended scan and it says that the HD is ok, whatever chkdsk was doing it might have fixed the HD maybe?

Now I am back to thinking it might be my RAM but the check that all pc's do when they start up says all my RAM is ok? Could it still have a problem even though the PC tells me that the RAM checks ok?

As always, advice appreciated...

8)

[crazidude]

Well if you think there's something wrong with your ram try this. http://www.memtest86.com/
All it does is basically tell you all the errors and crap with your ram.

[TransAm]

Thanks for the link to memtest

Got it booted and it locked up on the second or third test in the series

I think I will be buying some RAM tomorrow and if that doesnt work I foresee a reluctant (cos it'll cost me money for someone else to fix the problem lol) trip to CompUSA!!!