ssbmem Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 desktop picture and the mouse arrow. What should we do? I don't know if we have a virus or what. i read about starting with Safe Mode by pressing F8, then choosing a safe mode option... Which one should I choose? What is safe mode with networking? We can't access the internet in safe mode, right? I read about System Restore from another post. Is that my first step? Thanks for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 I'm using XP, and the way I access System Restore is through All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. Then you follow the instructions to restore the system to an earlier point in time. If you're not using XP, the details might vary a little, but you should be able to Google it. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yabusame Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 The easiest way to deal with an infected computer is to reformat the hard disk and reinstall the operating system & applications. Of course, this assumes you have backups of all your data/documents. This process can take 1/2 a day, whereas you can spend several days trying to eradicate a virus (and still not be completely virus-free). If you have documents etc on the hard disk that its important that you keep, then you could use a bootable CD containing DSL (D**n Small Linux) and use that to navigate to your folders and copy stuff off. Once you've done that, reformat etc... If the above sounds difficult, I'd recommend that you take it to a professional and let them do it for you. Tell them what you want them to do, and they should be able to sort it for you. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssbmem Posted October 15, 2010 Author Share Posted October 15, 2010 Where do you get a "bootable CD containing DSL (D**n Small Linux)"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 It is best to never click on *any* buttons in a pop-up window. You should always close a window using the windows 'X'. Recently I had a devil of a time taming a website which was attacking my computer because each time I clicked the 'X' I would get more pop-ups. In order to continue, I had to kill Firefox using the Task Manager. Unfortunately, the page reopened when I restarted Firefox. So I killed it again and reopened Firefox in safe mode. Then I was able to tell it not to restore the tabs. It's pretty frustrating that there are people out there writing this kind of software... :glare: Good luck with your computer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yabusame Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 (edited) Where do you get a "bootable CD containing DSL (D**n Small Linux)"? You can find details here: http://www.****smalllinux.org/ It seems the above profanity won't display (which is good) but I think you can work out what it is and change the asterisks accordingly. You'll find a book on Amazon relating to DSLinux here too. Remember, that you need to run DSL from the CD/USB device so that nothing of the original Windows system on your computer is loaded into memory. That way, you can copy off data (don't forget to scan it for viruses later) and then begin your rebuild. Edited October 15, 2010 by Yabusame Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssbmem Posted October 15, 2010 Author Share Posted October 15, 2010 The easiest way to deal with an infected computer is to reformat the hard disk and reinstall the operating system & applications. Good luck! How do you reformat a hard disk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 Do try a System Restore first! If successful, it will reverse the problem in a few minutes. It is far easier than reformatting your hard drive. I've used the reformat method before too, and it was a good learning experience, but I would only do that if a System Restore is not possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysticamethyst Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 If you have Vista you can do a system restore from a few days back. This basically means anything you have done to your computer in the last 24 hours would be gone meaning virus and anything else you have done in that time. Start/Control Panel/Backup and Restore then it should walk you through the rest. I hope you can get it resolved, my dd did this about a month ago this is what fixed it for us. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HalonaD Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 Safe mode with networking. Then go onto the internet and download 2 or more programs that scan for malware (sometimes 1 will catch something the other doesn't). Along with my antivirus' scanner (AVG), I use Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware: http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam-download.php If you end up with something you can't get rid of right away, Malwarebytes has a forum where you can post your problem and get help for free. A few weeks ago I had a rootkit - really, really nasty. I thought I would have to reformat my hard drive, but the person helping me walked me through different programs which finally cleared it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssbmem Posted October 15, 2010 Author Share Posted October 15, 2010 Tried plain Safe Mode. Didn't see any Start button. Will try Safe Mode with Networking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssbmem Posted October 15, 2010 Author Share Posted October 15, 2010 Trying System Restore to the day before the problem. Got to a window that says," Please wait... Loading your personal settings..." I have been waiting 20 minutes already. That's not normal, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 Nope, not normal. I'd force a restart and try an earlier point too, just in case the last one was damaged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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