Windows 7 Spyware Problem

[pjphilli (Peter)]

Hi

I am presently operating on my spare PC with Windows XP.
this is protected by the free AVG software.

My main PC appears to be completely overun by malicious spy/adware.
It uses Windows 7 Pro and I had previously turned on all the Windows security programs. Lately, it has been invaded by adware which now completely
overcomes either my Firefox or Chrome search engines to the extent that it replaces completely my selected site with adware.
Then I received a voice message titled "Windows System Warning" which urged me to telephone 1-800-764-708 so that my PC could be cleaned by a "Technician". This sounds like a US number and I am wary about using it in case it is part of the malware scam even though it appears to be under Microsoft auspices.

I then went over my Win 7 security programs and found that the Windows Defender which is supposed to guard against spyware etc was switched off. When I tried to switch this on it said it was out of date but I could not download a new version either by that screen or over the net.

It looks like the Windows 7 security system is not robust enough to guard against agressive spy/malware. Any suggestions for obtaining software that can really protect my PC? Is AVG still an option?

I previously made an image of my complete Win 7 which I trust has not been infected since I did not see any sign of it in this previous version.
Would it be safe to load the PC with this image as I guess that reloading this image would completely delete my current infected version?

Your assistance would be appreciated.

Cheers Peter

[billdan (Bill)]

I don't know much about Win7, but on my XP machine when I encountered this problem I did a system restore to a last known date that I new was clean. Then scanned the hard drive with AVG with the latest update.

You could try that otherwise you may have to reload your HD image.

Regards
Bill

[FlashDrive (Poppy)]

If I were you ....I'd format the drive and then reload your image.
If that to turns out bad.... reformat the drive and do a fresh installation of your Win7.

I know it's a pain ... re-installing programmes etc.... .. at least you'll have a sense of confidence that everything is ' clean '

I'd suggest SpyBot Search & Destroy ... it's free and does a good job.
You have to do ' manual ' updates though on ' definitions ' .....it's painless tho'.

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/spybot.html

or

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/malwarebytes.html

Either of these programmes DO NOT take the place of Anti Virus .....you still need that.

Col....

[Garbz (Chris)]

Malware Bytes is a nice free tool which does a wonderful job of cleaning up spyware. But sometimes a system restore / complete refresh may be the only option.

[JB80 (Jarrod)]

I agree with Malwarebytes as a great free bit of software although I would be running a number of different software to identify what the cause is.

Sometimes though a virus will lock you out of downloading or running the software so first scan I would use is Eset online scanner. http://www.eset.com/us/online-scanner/

Then after that I would run Malwarebytes, Superanti Spyware, Adwarecleaner and whatever else you can find to clean it up.
If these programmes wont respond you may have to do all this in your PCs "safe mode".

It should be possible to clean it up without resorting to reinstalling and restore points.

If it gets too hard then register on a site like Bleeping Computer and post your problems and someone will walk you through step by step.

Thing is Win Defender is rubbish(as are Norton and mcaffee), I would always switch it off and rely on Avast, avg or whichever is your chosen anti virus but at the end of the day no AV will give total protection. It doesn't take much to click on the wrong thing when you miss that little 'x'.

[Exfso (Peter)]

Peter I have used Fixmestick in the past and it worked very well, it gets stuff removed right at the start of bootup. Here is the link if you are interested.

https://www.fixmestick.com/

[RAJAH235]

Sounds like you picked up a nasty.
Try > http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/adwcleaner/
along with the others, but update them & run full scans.
You may have to load & run them off a USB/Flash drive, provided the comp is set up that way.

&, it's a scam. MS do not contact anyone.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

You have been seriously infected. I'd be for a reformat and start afresh because your chances of cleaning it all out and retaining good clean operation is probaly just about nil. Those damn things get in and destroy all sorts of critical software links.

If your earlier made image is clean then it's the best start point as it will have all the drivers and configuration your PC needs. Reformat and reimage first. If it fails to fix it because it is already polluted then revert back to a clean install from the disks and license I hope you have got.

AVG works quite happily on Win7, been running it for years. Get it in fast, as soon as you have completed the basic rebuild and update it. Turn on your Firewalls, I hope your router has an inbuilt one as well, gets rid of the first wave of trash mostly.

I find that if the PC is totally trashed by Adware, BHO's and trojans it is just about impossible to clean up to a safe status. The Softwares mentioned above, Malwarebytes, ADWare cleaner etc are all reputable but there are heaps of other so-called Fixit programs that are just carriers of more of the same stuff.

If you want to have a go at a clean up first then start here.

MBAM, (MalwareBytes AntiMalware) has a free scanner which is very good IF your curent PC infestation will let you run it. I download it on another PC, then copy it across on a USB stick to the desktop and let her rip. The infestation may try to stop the update but it should still run and give you a start on a cleanup.

McAfee also has a free 'Stinger' as they call it. Do the same for that one.

I have a few other more esoteric pieces of software from suppliers that can be really nasty on viruses but they have to be applied with caution.

Keep us posted

[pjphilli (Peter)]

Thanks All

Lots of good advice - I will get to work on it.

Incidentally, it has been some time since I had to format a C drive.
I used the old DOS FDISK method. Is there a better way? Do I have to do a full format or would quick format be safe? Maybe there are some newer formating utilities available?

Cheers Peter

[Garbz (Chris)]

Originally Posted by pjphilli

Thanks All

Lots of good advice - I will get to work on it.

Incidentally, it has been some time since I had to format a C drive.
I used the old DOS FDISK method. Is there a better way? Do I have to do a full format or would quick format be safe? Maybe there are some newer formating utilities available?

Cheers Peter

What's DOS?

Kidding. No pop the Windows 7 install CD in and start. It gives you the option to delete / format the partition during the install process. Don't use FDISK at all if you have a solid state disk. It doesn't do block alignment of partition tables and can decimate performance.

[pjphilli (Peter)]

Gee Chis am I showing my age? Will still hang onto my FDISK floppy - it may be worth squillions in 50 years time or perhaps I should frame it.

I get your method of formating using the Win 7 disk - I now recall doing a similar thing in the past.

Thanks Peter

[Nikolas (Nik)]

Go into control panel and then look at the programs
Go to uninstall and sort them by date.
This will then allow you to see what programs were added and when, then patiently uninstall them one by one.
The bane of my existence at the school I work with where kids are always installing ad riddled software and allowing all the extras to be added as well.

[pjphilli (Peter)]

Thanks Nik - this is a good tip. I just tried it and kicked out a couple of unwanted programs recently installed unintentionally. Cheers Peter

[Robert9 (Robert)]

Hi Peter,
Trend Micro have a free service called "House Call". Try and download and run this. I had the same problem with WIN7 and this scanned my PC and found and cleaned it beautifully.
Be careful when downloading - make sure that when you hover the pointer over the link you see the correct item on the status bar at the bottom of the browser.
Robert

[pjphilli (Peter)]

Thanks Robert - I will give it a try. Cheers Peter

[sil (Steve)]

A good HOSTS file negates the need for useless anti-virus/spyware/etc software. Every machine I fix for friends never has another problem. Feel free to run whatever protection you think will protect you (none of them can without your help anyway). Then again its hard to get infected without your help in the first place.

[pjphilli (Peter)]

Thanks Sil - Hosts file looks like worth trying. I downloaded the .zip file and unzipped it to obtain the mvps.bat Windows Batch file but I am unsure how to proceed further. I am now using Windows 10. Are you able to advise further? Cheers Peter