I want to choke the idiot who wrote the XP Anti-virus virus

[OBIO]

A couple weeks ago, I got a call from my wife's aunt stating that her puter was down. I go over to check it out...and it has the XP Anti-Virus 2011 thing on it. So, I format, deep clean the HD and do a total reinstall of XP, all the updates, security...the whole nine yards.

A few days ago, I get another call from her and her system is down again and she can not even get online. I go over today...and she picked up the 2012 version of XP Anti-Virus. And this version is nastier than last year's version...with XP Anti-Virus 2011, she could still get online. With the 2012 version, could not even get online.

So, another format and deep cleaning and another reinstall of the OS. I didn't feel like spending hours at her house doing all the updates and such...so I brought her tower home to do all that stuff. Will be up late tonight working on her system...and dealing with a sinus cold and the resultant headache.

If there were anybody or group of anybodies I would like to choke to death, it would be the people behind the XP Anti-Virus stuff. They make my life hard....through other people's computers.

OBIO

[Allen]

I know... My Win 7 got the Win 7 ver.... I have no idea how as I was not there when it happen but I had to clean it up.

Spybot removed it but the damge is done. Automatic updates at shutdown is gone, No idea how to fix it. Security Center was shut down I got part of it back up but it still don't recognize my Anti-virus 100%. When I pause my Anti-virus I don't get pop-up warning me that the Anti-virus is off or I do not have a Anti-virus installed from the Security Center like I use to. I had to pause my Anti-virus to play BattleField 1942 or it would randomly disconnect.

The damm virus deleted the regs for the Security Center but some one that had the same Prob uploaded at least part of regs so I was able to get them back on. If I find them OBIO they will be in Shasta Lake with the fishes.

[SpitXIV]

Me too, this is why I don't like being online, there's always some idiot with nothing better to do than make Viruses for amusement.

[OBIO]

Allen

After spending hours and hours researching this family of morphing trojans, I have come to the conclusion that the only sure way to fully remove the virus and repair your system to 100% functionality is to do a full deep format of the operating system drive and a full reinstall and reupdate of the OS. Time consuming...yes. But better to do it and KNOW that you have the virus wiped off your system than to find out later that the virus had hidden itself on you HD someplace and simply reinstalls itself a week or two after you think it was gone.

The bad thing about this family of viruses is that it nails your system without you even knowing it...until later when you start seeing your system slow down, begin getting all those annoying pop ups about your system being infected (YEAH BY THE VERY SAME "ANTI_VIRUS PROGRAM" THAT IS TELLING YOU YOUR SYSTEM IS INFECTED).

My wife's aunt is 72, still uses marajuana and should not be allowed in the same room as a computer, let alone sitting in front of one looking at porn (she tells me that she only reads the local news on line....but she admitted to my sis-in-law that she goes to the porn sites because she is curious about how gays and lesbians "do it"). I will spend hours getting her system back to 100%...and in a few days, it will be buggy again. The first time I worked on her system, it nearly 600 viruses/trojans/woms and such on it.

This will be the 4th time I have done a total format and rebuild of her system in 2 or 3 years.

OBIO

[Allen]

Me too, this is why I don't like being online, there's always some idiot with nothing better to do than make Viruses for amusement.

These viruses are not made for amusement. They are made to steal info and money.


Allen

After spending hours and hours researching this family of morphing trojans, I have come to the conclusion that the only sure way to fully remove the virus and repair your system to 100% functionality is to do a full deep format of the operating system drive and a full reinstall and reupdate of the OS. Time consuming...yes. But better to do it and KNOW that you have the virus wiped off your system than to find out later that the virus had hidden itself on you HD someplace and simply reinstalls itself a week or two after you think it was gone.

OBIO

Yes I know full wipe is the ony way to get 100% functionality. I don't use it much so all it has to do is small things and I watch to make sure the virus don't pop up. I don't even know what a wipe for a Win 7 entails...

[Willy]

As long as someone keeps hitting the porn sites, they'll keep getting infected with god knows what. I went through this with my brother's comp several years ago. As fast as I could get him back up and running, he'd hit the porn sites again and re-infect the thing. It was a never ending battle that I eventually told him to start taking it to a shop. And this was an old 98SE machine.

[Allen]

Porn sites? I know those kid sites for cartoon are much worse. Disney Cartoon network .etc... More Spy and Add crap than I can count.

[gigabyte]

Obio, I will make a suggestion, get yourself a good imaging program there are plenty, Norton Ghost, Acronis True Image, etc or there are some darn good free ones as well - I use Macrium Reflect available free here - http://www.macrium.com. once you clean up the mess next time and you know there will be a next time. Set up her system just the way she wants it with her fav porno sites booked marked and her eMail all configured then burn an image to a DVD or CD's. Then any time after that she has a problem just come back wipe the partition, and run the image to rebuild the drive, it will be a heck of a lot faster and no more messing with resetting up or configuring it is all "Done in one" I use this for all my "Stupid User Tricks" and trust me it is a huge time saver.

[wombat666]

Tim, why not try setting 'Parental Control' to a level where your Aunt-In-Law can't get anything but her 'Local News'.
Been there and done that to both my brothers' grand-kids .................. I'm not popular with them but tough!
:173go1:

[hey_moe]

Their is a way to stop what you are going through if she insist on going to porn sites. Go into your AV program and then into the parent area and set up a block. You should also be able to down load a free program that will also block her from going to certain sites. You can also set up you AV and AS security so high it won't let her go to any of those sites. She must be going to some pretty nasty sites to get what she is getting. You can go into her cookies and see and try and figure out which one is doing the damage and block just that one. The wife kept screwing up her pooter from going to different movie stars site. Finally I got the bright idea and went into her system and blocked them. Now when she goes there she can't get a download...lol. She asked me how come this keeps happening, I just scratch my head and tell her that site must be down >> GRINS <<

[hey_moe]

LOL... we were both thinking the same thing.
Tim, why not try setting 'Parental Control' to a level where your Aunt-In-Law can't get anything but her 'Local News'.
Been there and done that to both my brothers' grand-kids .................. I'm not popular with them but tough!
:173go1:

[wombat666]

LOL... we were both thinking the same thing.

That is because we are both evil Mike!
:cool:

[OBIO]

Gigabyte

I had plans to ghost her system this time...once I get all the updating and securing done....onto my external HD for future use, but had not thought about doing an image of it onto a DVD..that will be much better.

Mike and Wombat

Had not thought about setting parental controls to keep her from the porn sites. Why does she need to go to porn sites? She's 72 and has lived through the entire history of sex. When she was young, there were only 2 positions..inside the cave and outside the cave.

OBIO

[rdaniell]

Gigabyte

When she was young, there were only 2 positions..inside the cave and outside the cave. OBIO


To quote Larry the cable guy, "That's funny I don't care who you are."

Romeo-Delta

[Devildog73]

Hey guys, it is not just porn sites.
Any site where people d/l music videos and audios are full of worms, trojans, spyware, and viruses.

You all need to get "hijack this".
As soon as you install software, run it and log the registry with it. Print it out.
As soon as you install new software, run it and log the registry with it. Print it out.\

As soon as you get the virus, worm, trojan, etc. run Hijack This in safe mode and log it.
You can, for a small fee, send it to the developers and they will tell you what to delete.
Or, you can compare the log to the infected one and delete the proper registry entries.

It saves formatting and reinstalls ad nauseum.

DD

[Daveroo]

oh let her look at porn if she wants....next time she wants you to fix her puter...charge her

[Paul Domingue]

Do like I do, next time someone says they are having computer problems save yourself a lot of trouble and headache, plead ignorance or claim a phobia about keyboards and mice, say anything that comes to mind (rational or not) and give them this number 1-800-GeekSquad then run like hell.<o:p></o:p>

[hey_moe]

72 and still going to porn sites. What does age have to do with it anyway. Maybe she wants to try something new:engel016:
Gigabyte

I had plans to ghost her system this time...once I get all the updating and securing done....onto my external HD for future use, but had not thought about doing an image of it onto a DVD..that will be much better.

Mike and Wombat

Had not thought about setting parental controls to keep her from the porn sites. Why does she need to go to porn sites? She's 72 and has lived through the entire history of sex. When she was young, there were only 2 positions..inside the cave and outside the cave.

OBIO

[OBIO]

After 16 hours of formatting, installing, updating, cleaning, optimizing, more installing, more updating, etc., I am now creating the image of the newly restored "Aunt Linda Pornographic Box." From this point on, rebuilding the daffy old bat's computer will not be such a headache to do.

OBIO

[Firebar]

I've had this one turn up on a work computer somehow, it's a sneaky little bugger. It got so bad that it was impossible to even start the computer up, had to use a boot cd to transfer data and get hold of all the files that were needed before having to totally reinstall windows via the xp disc.