Help, My Laptop Has Been Hit With Some Nasty Spyware Thingy!

[FlyingJ]

Just got a new laptop the other day. About the 2nd day in, before I got to set everything up, one of my kids is on the thing. We have a wireless network, I think that it is not secure because i couldn't figure out how to get the PS3 on there when it was. Anyway, it came with Norton and all but I don't think I had it running yet when.....

All I know is that when I turn the thing on, my desck top is this big warning page with text that tells me that the PC has been infected and that I need to get this product to eliminate the virus....problem is, of course, that the warning is worded like some Russian immigarant wrote it, and ofcourse I don't want to download the "Spyware" that it wants me too, because it is a known virus. OK, what the hell do I do now? Any and all help is really appreciated. It is times like these that I like to rely on my brethren at Sat Guys!!

Thanks Anyone that took the time to read this and respond!!

Jonathan...Flying J

 

[duckydan]

I would get either Spybot Search and Destroy or AVG Anti-Spyware (free at free.grisoft.com) Both of those will get rid of it for you.

 

[mdonnelly]

I would get either Spybot Search and Destroy or AVG Anti-Spyware (free at free.grisoft.com) Both of those will get rid of it for you.

Concur. I've been using the free Spybot for years without any problems.

 

[Jared Twomey]

you are only a couple days in, cant have that much stuff on there yet... get out the restore disks. Wipe is clean and start over

 

[Cablemonkey]

Here are a couple of links to some free stuff that works great, First as mentioned earlier SpyBot, next try AdAware. I run them both as i have found one doesnt always get all the gunk. My day "job" is a computer repair tech (My wife and I own the business but she is the boss {insert whip sound}) so i use these programs on a daily basis. SpyBot has a great immunization feature, I have been using both of them on all my computers since before i can remember and havent had any problems. You mentioned you have a wireless network that is unsecure, I would set up the security on it as soon as you can PS3 or not, Here is a great site to find your router and guides and FAQ's on how to setup networks and the like. Hope this is helpful.

 

[FlyingJ]

Thanks so much guys...I will try these suggestions!!

 

[sampatterson]

We had a very similar one based on your description on a desktop machine - nothing could clean ours -Symantec, McAfee, Sophos, Adaware, Defender, or AVG. It was a nasty one. We ended up just fdisk-format-reinstall.

 

[BigTimMN]

best solution is to wipe it clean. guarantees that its gone. THEN, before doing anything else, load on the all antivirus, anti spyware, etc.

 

[FlyingJ]

Yup, nothing took care of it. Took it to Staples where I got it. Geek squad guy there put a flash drive with some kind of tools on it in it and took care of it. He did say that it was a nasty hijack! Thanks again for everyone coming to the rescue......I love you guys

Did I just say that?

 

[iwc5893]

So this brings up the question, what do we all use to protect our computers?

Personally, I used Spybot, Adaware, and AntiVir XP. I haven't had a problem in 6 years (knocking on head...I mean wood )

 

[duckydan]

On my home computer I just run AVG Antivirus and no spyware... just limit the amount of porn sites you visit and you'll be fine

 

[Van]

Trying out AVG on my new comp but I had been using comodo products for two years. Kids are a computers worst enemy specialy teenagers when it comes to surfing the web and little ones for things spilled or forced into drive bays and fan vents and wires pulled, my daughter crashed my old system a year ago and was chasing the cat with a plastic spoon behind my desk last week when it finally died.

Get the kids a cheap computer off of craigslist or from tigerdirect and set it up with cyber patrol or net nanny. Go to the router makers website and to the support where you will find info on setting up the wireless security on it. The forums for the site should have knowledgable people to help you get your ps3 into the router though all you should have to do is get into the routers settings in put the ps3 info into its accepted list.

 

[stimpson]

We had a very similar one based on your description on a desktop machine - nothing could clean ours -Symantec, McAfee, Sophos, Adaware, Defender, or AVG. It was a nasty one. We ended up just fdisk-format-reinstall.

Ditto. It happened to my work machine. Had to have a new hard drive installed.

 

[Jared Twomey]

avg antivirus... but it isnt running in the background, and i only run a scan every few weeks. no problems yet, but i am really careful what i do online.

I have a "guest" desktop computer at my house that has Windows Steadystate on it... so it would be really really tough for someone to screw that one up playing around online

 

[nsaspook]

So this brings up the question, what do we all use to protect our computers?

Personally, I used Spybot, Adaware, and AntiVir XP. I haven't had a problem in 6 years (knocking on head...I mean wood )

Linux.

 

[jayn_j]

My son put this one on his computer. You can find info on it on the net by typing in some of the names that the warning screens put up.

This thing is one of the nastiest suckers around. It took me 8 hours to clean his machine, with the help of the websites. At some point they tried to sell me solutions to clean it with some special virus catcher (blackmail-ware)

I agree with others. Wipe clean, restore from your install discs and start over.

 

[iwc5893]

Linux.

I run that on two of the 5 computers at my desk

 

[Larry1]

A lot of new notebooks do not come with the recovery discs, but have a recovery disc creator program that you run to make your own set. Check yours and make sure you have a set or make the set, as you want to be sure you have them when you need them. And sooner or later you will need them. Don't just rely on Staples being able to get them when you need them.

 

[Van]

Desktops are doing the same thing, my hp has a sector for restoring and has all of the os on it.

 

[charper1]

My kids have done this too; AND the likely reason Norton or any other AV program didn't stop it was because they browsed somewhere and it popped up something asking if they want to do something or asked then to select OK to continue and that was the APPROVAL to install crap onto the machine. You need something to block known bad sites and exploits AND to keep the kids away from the PCs or TEACH them to come to you to look at any thing out of the ordinary.