Virus is back on my computer AGAIN!

[Supreme Admiral]

That's just great.

I can't go back to work on my project. Virus isn't supposed to be coming back after removes most of viruses that was on it two months ago, now it's coming back to prevent me from opening any programs that I'd like to access.

I was studying the scripts from that site. I think that gives me the viruses again. So what should I do about it? I shouldn't have open that stupid site where I'm studying the scripts!

twiztv is the scripts site that I went to.

How stupid can I be????

 

[Tiberius Jim]

I've been running Windows 7 for a few months now, and Vista before that, without a single anti-virus or anti-spyware program running...and have been virus free. I really don't understand how people get viruses...I'm guessing programs like Limewire and other P2P file sharing programs are to blame. It's basically like sharing a drink with a stranger and being surprised when you catch a cold.

I know a great anti-virus program, it's called Common Sense 1.0. Everyone should try it out.

 

[Supreme Admiral]

Why didn't they take that script site down? That site itself has virus that spreading like cancer!

This is unacceptable!

 

[Sparky]

I know a great anti-virus program, it's called Common Sense 1.0. Everyone should try it out.

Is it easy to use? I tried looking for it but I couldn't find it. Do you have a download link? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[USS Triumphant]

I can't go back to work on my project. Virus isn't supposed to be coming back after removes most of viruses that was on it two months ago, now it's coming back to prevent me from opening any programs that I'd like to access.

Go to download.com. Search for AVG Free, get that, run it. Then, back at download.com, search for Threatfire. Get that, run it. That might be all you need to do. If not, or even if so when you have the time, run full scans with both.

And yes, I am an IT professional.

I've been running Windows 7 for a few months now, and Vista before that, without a single anti-virus or anti-spyware program running...and have been virus free. I really don't understand how people get viruses...I'm guessing programs like Limewire and other P2P file sharing programs are to blame. It's basically like sharing a drink with a stranger and being surprised when you catch a cold.

I know a great anti-virus program, it's called Common Sense 1.0. Everyone should try it out.

You've played the odds, and been lucky. I recommend that you do the same things that I just advised Supreme Admiral to do. Also, acquire manners - it isn't nice to call people who are asking for help stupid, even if it isn't in so many words, and especially not when your own unprotected and irresponible behavior is not "common sense". (Your machine could be owned, spreading botnets or helping perform DDOS attacks, with no signs that would be apparent to you. The worst virii spread, do their work, and try to remain undetected so they can keep doing their work.)

 

[trekkiedane]

I know a great anti-virus program, it's called Common Sense 1.0. Everyone should try it out.

Is it easy to use? I tried looking for it but I couldn't find it. Do you have a download link? Any help would be appreciated.

I hear that the web-users version: CommonSense 1.5.03 is out now -so much better -even if it is a beta; it even prevents use of links mailed from Nigeria


ETA: What I mean is very much better written here:

(Your machine could be owned, spreading botnets or helping perform DDOS attacks, with no signs that would be apparent to you. The worst virii spread, do their work, and try to remain undetected so they can keep doing their work.)

And of course: keep your software (especially the OS) updated!

 

[TheGodBen]

You've played the odds, and been lucky.

It's not luck at all, you're not going to be infected by anything so long as you know what you're doing and don't visit dodgy websites. I used to have AVG Free installed on my PC but I'd only let it run a scan once every three months or so, the worst it ever found is tracking cookies. And it turns out that a lot of what it thought were tracking cookies were actually just regular cookies and the computer forgot all my passwords. Apparently being a member of the TrekBBS is considered a danger.

Maybe it is because I've been running Vista and/or 7 now for almost two years, but my PC does not become infected because I've never let it get infected. Common sense is just as effective as the average anti-virus software, and it doesn't slow down your PC by perpetually running scans or downloading virus definitions.

And yes, I am an IT professional.

As for AVG, that became a bigger nuisance to me than an infection has ever been, last month it started bringing up pop-up ads about once a day telling me I should upgrade to the full suite. I wasn't going to tolerate that sort of nonsense, I uninstalled it after the third pop-up message.

 

[Tiberius Jim]

I can't go back to work on my project. Virus isn't supposed to be coming back after removes most of viruses that was on it two months ago, now it's coming back to prevent me from opening any programs that I'd like to access.

Go to download.com. Search for AVG Free, get that, run it. Then, back at download.com, search for Threatfire. Get that, run it. That might be all you need to do. If not, or even if so when you have the time, run full scans with both.

And yes, I am an IT professional.

I've been running Windows 7 for a few months now, and Vista before that, without a single anti-virus or anti-spyware program running...and have been virus free. I really don't understand how people get viruses...I'm guessing programs like Limewire and other P2P file sharing programs are to blame. It's basically like sharing a drink with a stranger and being surprised when you catch a cold.

I know a great anti-virus program, it's called Common Sense 1.0. Everyone should try it out.

You've played the odds, and been lucky. I recommend that you do the same things that I just advised Supreme Admiral to do. Also, acquire manners - it isn't nice to call people who are asking for help stupid, even if it isn't in so many words, and especially not when your own unprotected and irresponible behavior is not "common sense". (Your machine could be owned, spreading botnets or helping perform DDOS attacks, with no signs that would be apparent to you. The worst virii spread, do their work, and try to remain undetected so they can keep doing their work.)

Dude, chill out. It was a joke. I never called anyone stupid, nor did I imply it. Lack of common sense does not equal stupidity. And "unprotected and irresponsible behavior?" It's not like I'm sleeping with hookers without a rubber.

And I'm sorry but luck has very little to do with it. When you've had 7-8 years of experience and have yet to have a problem that couldn't be attributed to some easily avoidable mistake (clicking on a suspicious link, opening an email attachment) it's a little hard to call it "luck". I do run a scan from time to time using a program I keep on a USB drive, and have been mostly clean so far, save for a few tracking cookies here or there. Never any system-crippling worm. The only time I ever got a serious virus was after downloading a few songs on Limewire in my "younger days"...which is the same program I found on every customer's virus-ridden computer back when I was a service tech.

There's nothing wrong with running an anti virus program all the time, as long as it's not some BS paid program like Norton or McAfee. They hog resources like crazy and, well...there's better stuff out there for free.

 

[Supreme Admiral]

I can't go back to work on my project. Virus isn't supposed to be coming back after removes most of viruses that was on it two months ago, now it's coming back to prevent me from opening any programs that I'd like to access.

Go to download.com. Search for AVG Free, get that, run it. Then, back at download.com, search for Threatfire. Get that, run it. That might be all you need to do. If not, or even if so when you have the time, run full scans with both.

It won't let me run the program. It keeps said that "Application cannot be executed." And also it keeps asks me the same question all over again and again. "Do you want to activate your antivirus software now?"

That comes back to prevents me from executs any programs that I want to remove. Now it will have to go back to computer store for one last time to have it remove once again.

 

[trekkiedane]

^Do you have some sort of software firewall?

ETA:

I mean: what's asking that question?

 

[Tiberius Jim]

Got to Start > Run and then type in "msconfig" (minus the quotations of course)

Select "Selective Startup" then go to the Startup tab and uncheck anything that looks suspicious (or you could just temporarily uncheck everything) and then restart. That should deactivate the virus from starting up next time, allowing you to install your scanner program and remove it.

 

[Supreme Admiral]

Got to Start > Run and then type in "msconfig" (minus the quotations of course)

Select "Selective Startup" then go to the Startup tab and uncheck anything that looks suspicious (or you could just temporarily uncheck everything) and then restart. That should deactivate the virus from starting up next time, allowing you to install your scanner program and remove it.

Thanks. Going to try that now.

EDIT: NOPE!! It's not working.

 

[USS Triumphant]

Apparently being a member of the TrekBBS is considered a danger.

As I recall, the board did have some sort of "poisoning" a little while back, did it not? Nothing a good anti-virus couldn't catch, though.

Dude, chill out. It was a joke. I never called anyone stupid, nor did I imply it. Lack of common sense does not equal stupidity. And "unprotected and irresponsible behavior?" It's not like I'm sleeping with hookers without a rubber.

Two things I really just can't stand: When people give WRONG tech advice of the type that ends up causing me more work, and anyone who thinks that the fact that they have specialized knowledge from their profession makes them better than someone else - without any regard for the idea that that person may know plenty of things from that person's own disciplines that they do not.

And you're right - saying someone has no common sense is not calling them stupid. It is calling them a fool. But that is a semantical (symantec-al? ) difference that still doesn't bear on the fact that it is impolite.

some BS paid program like Norton or McAfee. They hog resources like crazy and, well...there's better stuff out there for free.

This much is certain, although Norton AV 2009 (NOT the security suite) has finally been rewritten to eliminate bloat as opposed to previous versions, so it isn't terrible. I'd still rather have NOD32 or AVG, though.

It won't let me run the program. It keeps said that "Application cannot be executed." And also it keeps asks me the same question all over again and again. "Do you want to activate your antivirus software now?"

That comes back to prevents me from executs any programs that I want to remove. Now it will have to go back to computer store for one last time to have it remove once again.

Sounds like one of those that changes the registry to stop .exe files from running. You might try renaming the installs to .com, instead. Better, before that, you might go back to download.com, search for "dr web cureit", get that, and rename IT to .com once it is down. Then run it and scan and let it clean. Then try the others again.

(You can make Windows show you the file extensions by going into My Computer, Tools, Folder Options, View tab, and uncheck "Hide file extensions for known file types". If your PC won't let you into My Computer, you can open a web browser like IE, type "c:" and enter on the address bar, and that might get you to where you can reach the above.)

If none of that works, I'm afraid it probably really will be time to take it to a tech again. Good luck.

 

[Tiberius Jim]

Two things I really just can't stand: When people give WRONG tech advice of the type that ends up causing me more work, and anyone who thinks that the fact that they have specialized knowledge from their profession makes them better than someone else - without any regard for the idea that that person may know plenty of things from that person's own disciplines that they do not.

I think my results speak for themselves. I use my computer every day for probably the last 5 years and have never had anything worse than tracking cookies on my system. I'm thinking I must be doing something right.

 

[trekkiedane]

you might go back to download.com, search for "dr web cureit", get that, and rename IT to .com once it is down. Then run it and scan and let it clean.

THAT sounds very interesting!

Thanks!

 

[RoJoHen]

Two things I really just can't stand: When people give WRONG tech advice of the type that ends up causing me more work, and anyone who thinks that the fact that they have specialized knowledge from their profession makes them better than someone else - without any regard for the idea that that person may know plenty of things from that person's own disciplines that they do not.

I think my results speak for themselves. I use my computer every day for probably the last 5 years and have never had anything worse than tracking cookies on my system. I'm thinking I must be doing something right.

I'm right there with you. Viruses are quite easy to avoid as long as you're careful and use common sense. I think the worst thing to ever get on my computer was some random Trojan Horse, but that was back when I was 14 and had no idea what I was doing. Even so, it was easily removed by fiddling around in Safe Mode for about 5 minutes.

Now, like you, the worst I ever get are some cookies here and there.

 

[USS Triumphant]

I'm right there with you. Viruses are quite easy to avoid as long as you're careful and use common sense. I think the worst thing to ever get on my computer was some random Trojan Horse, but that was back when I was 14 and had no idea what I was doing. Even so, it was easily removed by fiddling around in Safe Mode for about 5 minutes.

Now, like you, the worst I ever get are some cookies here and there.

The Rhythm Method works pretty well, too - until it doesn't.

Of course there are ways to avoid websites and programs that will infect your computer. I'm not denying that. But - especially lately - perfectly legitimate websites can end up "poisoned", and how would you know to avoid that? Or, would you really have thought that the copy of $programname that you just bought in a retail package would be infected? Because that happens from time to time, too.

 

[Amaris]

The Rhythm Method works pretty well, too - until it doesn't.

Of course there are ways to avoid websites and programs that will infect your computer. I'm not denying that. But - especially lately - perfectly legitimate websites can end up "poisoned", and how would you know to avoid that? Or, would you really have thought that the copy of $programname that you just bought in a retail package would be infected? Because that happens from time to time, too.

Antivirus 2009 for example, likes to zip around on ad hosts unsuspecting. Legitimate sites get this "ad" and then you've got a POS infecting your computer. Sure, it doesn't do much beyond annoying the hell out of people and making it difficult to remove (lots of registry keys on that one), but just the same, Common Sense 1.0 is only good until Aggressive Ad Market v2.0 comes out.

By the way, I still dislike Norton. Sure they're trying to turn it around, but the Peter J. Norton Antivirus that I knew more than a decade ago is long gone. I shall remain unconvinced for some time.

J.

 

[Lonemagpie]

It'd help if we knew which virus it was...

(Not an IT professional - but used to be!)

 

[TheGodBen]

Antivirus 2009 for example, likes to zip around on ad hosts unsuspecting. Legitimate sites get this "ad" and then you've got a POS infecting your computer.

And yet every time that I've ever seen a PC infected with antivirus 20XX it has been somebody who doesn't know much about computers and they were tricked into installing it of their own free will. I have never known anybody that knows about computers who has been infected with it, and if anybody does get infected with they just need to install Malwarebytes and let it do its thing. It is not a serious concern.

Edit: I'm not saying that the average computer user doesn't need anti-virus protection, they certainly do, but if you are what would pass for a computer "expert" you're a) not likely to get infected and b) you'll know what to do to get rid of the infection quickly.