Please help! Laptop infected with a virus

rsta

Hi I really hope you can help...

My laptop has been infected with a virus.

I only noticed it as my background screen picture is just blank white no matter what i set it too.

Also, in the bottom right hand corner there is a red circle with a white ! in it, when i move the cursor over it it says 'your computer is infected'

if I hold the cursor over it and right click it give the options: close, uninstall. Should i click one of these...? Please help..

thanks..

rsta

i was just posting to say thanks to Eire... for replying to my post but their post is gone.....

(apolgies Eire but i cant remember your full name as the reply is gone.. )

EireRoadUser

I deleted what i wrote because i realized i didn't know what you were running on the laptop and what i said my have put you on the wrong track sorry.

How did you get on anyways ?

rsta

Hey there,
yeah i got it sorted out, i posted on the computer forum too cos there seemed to be more people on that forum.

i ran adaware and spybot and then did a system restore and its all back to normal now...

it was spyware that had f*cked up my system but ive got rid of it now TG!

EireRoadUser

just to warn you ,if you download loads of games and utilities from the net ,almost 40% of programs you'll get will have adware in them.
Run spybot at least once a week and keep it updated.

hobie

God said let their be light ............
and everyone got broadband.

I like that .....

**Timbuk2**

rsta.. did the system restore that I recomended remove everything? Usually it will still leave around spyware/adware all over the place, so watch out. Where as the virus will be gone and you will be able to access the registry still keep scanning your computer regualary, and if you have broadband turn on automatic updates.

PS Everyone should scan their computers before March 3rd, with the Nyxem-E virus out now and all.

bpmurray

EireRoadUser wrote:

God said let their be light ............
and everyone got broadband..

their = owned by them

I think you mean "let there be light" ....

hobie

their = owned by them

yep ... dead right there !!!! ....

I should have spotted that ...

rsta

**Timbuk2** wrote:

rsta.. did the system restore that I recomended remove everything? Usually it will still leave around spyware/adware all over the place, so watch out. Where as the virus will be gone and you will be able to access the registry still keep scanning your computer regualary, and if you have broadband turn on automatic updates.

PS Everyone should scan their computers before March 3rd, with the Nyxem-E virus out now and all.

Hi Timbuk2,
i have ran the ad-aware twice since my original post and it brought up a couple of files and i deleted them all. so its clear again.
the system restore removed everything as far as i know, also my desktop picture came back up.

is there a way i can know for sure that the spyware thing is gone?

**Timbuk2**

Not really

Just keep running scans in Ad-Aware and Sypbot... and you should be alright. If your computer is still going slow or popping stuff up when it shouldn't be (like surfing boards.ie or even when you are offline) then you know you have ad-ware/spyware

nowuckenfurries

I have a similar virus that the OP mentioned, It has been detectd by Norton Anti-Virus as "Spy falcon" But NAV can not delete it, NAV reccomends from their web page that I should delete item from my registry, But I dont want to go messing with the registry...as I've been warned by many a friend not to do so as I could really mess up my Laptop if I do....

I have run Ad-aware (With latest definitions) & Spybot, but both seem to Ignore this virus....

Can someone Please help me ....

EireRoadUser

Why not do a system restore like was mentioned before.
Or print out what a site tells you to do with the registry ,and take it easy.

nowuckenfurries

Worked a treat thanks!!!:D

EireRoadUser

Sometimes I download utils from Zdnet ,file utilities ,graphic utilies etc.
I noticed though almost 40% of files had some form of spyware ,also one file didn't completly download on my machine ie 1,000KB of 1,300KB and then it disappeared i couldn't find it.

The next day while my machine was working away the hard drive started reading really hard and fast ,sounded like the head was about to burst.

So i had to turn the machine off by holding my finger on the power button.

Don't download files your not familiar with if you haven't got firewalls or antivirus ,I have both but still i managed to get a fairly nasty file, which i've never actually located.

EireRoadUser

Just another quick note

If you run SPYBOT SEARCH AND DESTROY, on the left hand side of the program you'll find an immunize option.

Spybot updates are available every few weeks ,keep it updated.