I have another virus

[Master Moron]

I know that after I got rid of that last virus I said I'd be more careful...but...well, I guess I wasn't...

So, anyway, this time I actually know the location of the virus. It's in Local Settings/Temp/Temporary Internet Files/Content.IE5

In the content.IE5 folder there are four folders, IZIKSXQP, 9WOQT5IG, CODKN3CZ, DR69M79P. Whenever I try to open these four folders, I get a message saying Windows explorer has generated errors and must be closed. I've tried simply deleting these folders, but I again get the same message. I can run Malicious Software removal and Stinger, but unfortunately, once it gets to these folders, I get a message saying it has generated errors and I need to try again later. I've also tried running some free anti virus programs, but once it gets to these folders it freezes. I've tried running my computer in safe mode, but it still won't let me open or delete these folders even in safe mode. So, does anyone have any idea how to get rid of these?

[dendawg]

Which programs have you used? I have Avast! and it works pretty well for me.

[En Sabah Nur]

I know that after I got rid of that last virus I said I'd be more careful...but...well, I guess I wasn't...

So, anyway, this time I actually know the location of the virus. It's in Local Settings/Temp/Temporary Internet Files/Content.IE5

In the content.IE5 folder there are four folders, IZIKSXQP, 9WOQT5IG, CODKN3CZ, DR69M79P. Whenever I try to open these four folders, I get a message saying Windows explorer has generated errors and must be closed. I've tried simply deleting these folders, but I again get the same message. I can run Malicious Software removal and Stinger, but unfortunately, once it gets to these folders, I get a message saying it has generated errors and I need to try again later. I've also tried running some free anti virus programs, but once it gets to these folders it freezes. I've tried running my computer in safe mode, but it still won't let me open or delete these folders even in safe mode. So, does anyone have any idea how to get rid of these?ANYTHING located in directory Local Settings/Temp/Temporary Internet Files/Content.IE5, is just temporary internet junk like cookies and cache. Just delete everything in Temporary Internet Files folder and that it. Trust me, i do it weekly to empty out my cache.

[Lord Dalek]

The stripped down Symantec is free I think and provides adaquite protection against viruses. I suggest investing in it.

[Master Moron]

Which programs have you used? I have Avast! and it works pretty well for me.

I tried it. When it ran the scan before starting up windows it didn't even detect the virus. Oddly, when I use the command prompt, I can't even seem to find the four folders in the content.IE5 folder. It's as if those folders are hidden when outside of Windows. I tried running the scan in Windows, and it didn't seem to detect anything. It froze before it got all the way through, but it seemed to freeze AFTER it went though my temporary internet files. Weird. I'll try to run it again tomorrow. Maybe running it in safe mode will help.

ANYTHING located in directory Local Settings/Temp/Temporary Internet Files/Content.IE5, is just temporary internet junk like cookies and cache. Just delete everything in Temporary Internet Files folder and that it. Trust me, i do it weekly to empty out my cache.

I tried deleting the whole Temporary Internet Files folder and I got an error message. This virus won't let me delete it the old fashioned way.

The stripped down Symantec is free I think and provides adaquite protection against viruses. I suggest investing in it.

I didn't see a free version on there site, though it seems kind of hard to navigate. Do you mind pointing me in the right direction?

[En Sabah Nur]

I tried deleting the whole Temporary Internet Files folder and I got an error message. This virus won't let me delete it the old fashioned way.
Not a problem. Restart your PC with F8 (restart it and press F8 repeatedly while the system in POST). Go into safe mode, and delete it that way. In safe mode you can delete any file. its easy.

[Discloner]

If you're attending a large enough college - you might want to check to see if they provide free Anti-virus software. Ours provides us with a rather basic, but effective version of Symantic and it's done it's job of cleaning/protecting my computer from the occasional virus.

[Master Moron]

Not a problem. Restart your PC with F8 (restart it and press F8 repeatedly while the system in POST). Go into safe mode, and delete it that way. In safe mode you can delete any file. its easy.

I've already tried that. I get the same error message even in safe mode.

If you're attending a large enough college - you might want to check to see if they provide free Anti-virus software. Ours provides us with a rather basic, but effective version of Symantic and it's done it's job of cleaning/protecting my computer from the occasional virus.

All right. I'll try calling them tomorrow.

[Shawn Hopkins]

I did a little detective work and figured out why you're so susceptible to viruses and malicous software.

IE5

At least upgrade, maybe think about something else all together. If you got it from the Internet instead of an E-mail, it might be spyware instead of a virus, and old IEs are much more susceptible to that than Firefox.

For spyware, I like Spybot Search and Destroy and Adaware used together.

[Master Moron]

At least upgrade, maybe think about something else all together. If you got it from the Internet instead of an E-mail, it might be spyware instead of a virus, and old IEs are much more susceptible to that than Firefox.

For spyware, I like Spybot Search and Destroy and Adaware used together.

Yeah, I got it from a website. I actually ended up clicking on something without thinking first, and I as soon as I saw something download to my computer, I knew it was a virus. It downloaded too quickly for me to his cancel. I've tried running Spybot and Adaware, and while they ran fine and ended up picking up a few other things, it didn't pick up this. Anyway, doesn't Firefox have a lot of disadvantages? Like not being able to view certain features on certain cites? I have Opera too, but I practically never use it. So, what is the latest Internet Explorer upgrade, anyway?

[Matt Hazuda]

I did a little detective work and figured out why you're so susceptible to viruses and malicous software.

IE5

At least upgrade, maybe think about something else all together. If you got it from the Internet instead of an E-mail, it might be spyware instead of a virus, and old IEs are much more susceptible to that than Firefox.

For spyware, I like Spybot Search and Destroy and Adaware used together.Good idea, but wrong answer most likely. The folder is called IE5 even in IE6.

Yeah, I got it from a website. I actually ended up clicking on something without thinking first, and I as soon as I saw something download to my computer, I knew it was a virus. It downloaded too quickly for me to his cancel. I've tried running Spybot and Adaware, and while they ran fine and ended up picking up a few other things, it didn't pick up this. Anyway, doesn't Firefox have a lot of disadvantages? Like not being able to view certain features on certain cites? I have Opera too, but I practically never use it. So, what is the latest Internet Explorer upgrade, anyway?The current version of Internet Explorer is 7, but only if you have XP or Vista. If you have XP, I wouldn't even recommend using it. to find out what version of IE you have, open it, then select Help --> About Internet Explorer. If you version says 6 and it also says "Update Version SP2" you're using the most current version.

To check which OS you are using, right-click on My computer on your desktop and select "Properties." Let us know what is listed under "System" and if any service packs are installed.

About Firefox (http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/), yes there are pages that may have issues with it due to them using Microsoft's coding standards, but a majority of pages work properly with it without problems. I would suggest using it for any day-to-day surfing. Any pages that have problems, you can still use IE for.

For a good virus scanner, try Trend Micro's Housecall (http://housecall.trendmicro.com/). It's an online scanner that will usually catch any infections and clean them up. Next, if your university doesn't provide any virus scanning software for free, get a copy of avast! (http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html) or AVG (http://free.grisoft.com/), both are free to use. Make sure you set them to automatically update daily, as most scanners typically provide scanner updates every weekday now. Also, consider a firewall if you don't have one or are just using the one provided in XP. I like Comodo Firewall (http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/). It's absoluately free forever, and isn't a bloated pig like Zone Alarm is.

A few other things to do. Make sure Windows is automatically updating. Go to your control panel Start --> Settings ---> Control Panel and double-click Automatic Updates. Make sure it is set to Automatic and the check occurs every day at a time of your choosing (your computer will update next time it is turned on if it is off at this time). You can force the update to happen automatically by going to Start -- > Run and typing in command "wuauclt /detectnow" without the quotes. You can also go to http://update.microsoft.com/ and check for updates at any time (automatic updates only download and install critical updates, so you may need to visit the page if you want to install any optional updates. If the page says you should upgrade to Microsoft Update, click on the link and install the software. It allows for some extra update functionalities).

Also, it is important to make sure any other software on your PC is up-to-date to make sure security holes cannot be taken advantage of. Plugins such as Quicktime, Realplayer, etc should be updated. Check software on your PC. Lots of newer software typically has a "check for updates" option built into it. This would usually be under the "Help" or "Tools" menu of the specific software if it is not its own button. Shockwave and Flash can both pull updates from http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/alternates/. Make sure you get the Netscape/Opera version of Flash in addition to the IE version if you plan on using Firefox (install it after Firefox) or Opera with Flash, any other plugins work fine with Firefox without additional work normally. If you're using an older version of Office (Office 2000 and below), be sure to go to http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/maincatalog.aspx (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx) to install Office updates. Office XP, 2003 and 2007 all work with Microsoft Update, so they'll get updated when automatic updates occur.

That's everything I can think of for a base cleaning, we can get deeper if need be, but hopefully this helps with the main problem. Let me know if you have more questions.

[Master Moron]

Good idea, but wrong answer most likely. The folder is called IE5 even in IE6.

The current version of Internet Explorer is 7, but only if you have XP or Vista. If you have XP, I wouldn't even recommend using it. to find out what version of IE you have, open it, then select Help --> About Internet Explorer. If you version says 6 and it also says "Update Version SP2" you're using the most current version.

It actually says "Update Version SP1".

To check which OS you are using, right-click on My computer on your desktop and select "Properties." Let us know what is listed under "System" and if any service packs are installed.

Microsoft Windows 2000
5.00.2195
Service Pack 4

For a good virus scanner, try Trend Micro's Housecall (http://housecall.trendmicro.com/). It's an online scanner that will usually catch any infections and clean them up. Next, if your university doesn't provide any virus scanning software for free, get a copy of avast! (http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html) or AVG (http://free.grisoft.com/), both are free to use. Make sure you set them to automatically update daily, as most scanners typically provide scanner updates every weekday now. Also, consider a firewall if you don't have one or are just using the one provided in XP. I like Comodo Firewall (http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/). It's absoluately free forever, and isn't a bloated pig like Zone Alarm is.


I still need to check with my University, but I tried using Micro's Housecall. Is it supposed to automatically close Internet Explorer when it's done? Because, after a few minutes of running I came back and Internet Explorer was closed. No error message or anything. Avast! didn't pick it up. Oh, and my school has a firewall up already. It's actually quite annoying, as I can't use any file sharing programs.

A few other things to do. Make sure Windows is automatically updating. Go to your control panel Start --> Settings ---> Control Panel and double-click Automatic Updates. Make sure it is set to Automatic and the check occurs every day at a time of your choosing (your computer will update next time it is turned on if it is off at this time). You can force the update to happen automatically by going to Start -- > Run and typing in command "wuauclt /detectnow" without the quotes. You can also go to http://update.microsoft.com/ and check for updates at any time (automatic updates only download and install critical updates, so you may need to visit the page if you want to install any optional updates. If the page says you should upgrade to Microsoft Update, click on the link and install the software. It allows for some extra update functionalities).

Okay.

Also, it is important to make sure any other software on your PC is up-to-date to make sure security holes cannot be taken advantage of. Plugins such as Quicktime, Realplayer, etc should be updated. Check software on your PC. Lots of newer software typically has a "check for updates" option built into it. This would usually be under the "Help" or "Tools" menu of the specific software if it is not its own button. Shockwave and Flash can both pull updates from http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/alternates/. Make sure you get the Netscape/Opera version of Flash in addition to the IE version if you plan on using Firefox (install it after Firefox) or Opera with Flash, any other plugins work fine with Firefox without additional work normally. If you're using an older version of Office (Office 2000 and below), be sure to go to http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/maincatalog.aspx (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx) to install Office updates. Office XP, 2003 and 2007 all work with Microsoft Update, so they'll get updated when automatic updates occur.


This is probably a stupid question, but how do you know which version of Office you're using?

[Matt Hazuda]

It actually says "Update Version SP1".SP1 is correct for your version


Microdoft Windows 2000
5.00.2195
Service Pack 4You're up-to-date with service packs, which is good.

I still need to check with my University, but I tried using Micro's Housecall. Is it supposed to automatically close Internet Explorer when it's done? Because, after a few minutes of running I came back and Internet Explorer was closed. No error message or anything. Avast! didn't pick it up. Oh, and my school has a firewall up already. It's actually quite annoying, as I can't use any file sharing programs.No, Housecall should not close out IE, you have a problem if it is.


This is probably a stupid question, but how do you know which version of Office you're using?Start --> Settings --> control Panel. Select Add/Remove Programs. It will be listed under Microsoft Office (Year or name)


Another thing you can try to get rid of this virus is to download Knoppix (http://www.knopper.net/knoppix-mirrors/index-en.html). to do this, you'll need a clean PC (such as one in in a school computer lab) and a blank CD to burn it to. You can get the most recent ISO at http://ftp.uni-kl.de/pub/linux/knoppix/KNOPPIX_V5.1.1CD-2007-01-04-EN.iso or one of any of the other mirrors. Once you have the ISO, you will need to use CD burning software to burn it to disc. After it's burned to disc, power on your infected PC, insert the CD and boot into Knoppix.

For this part, your PC will have to be connected to the network to get the virus scanner. Do the following once it is connected.

get a root shell: k-->knoppix root shell
type: apt-get update
type: apt-get install f-prot-installer

When it finishes go back to the desktop , right click on the drive you want to scan, click mount

Go back to the root shell and type: f-prot /mnt/hdxx , replacing xx with the drive you just mounted. (this will most likely be hda1)

Another option would be to remove your infected drive from your PC, put it in a drive enclosure and then hook it up to another PC with a working and updated virus scanner. You can then scan the drive and clean the viruses off, since it will not be in use by Windows. This is a much more advanced solution though and requires equipment you may not even have. Speak you your school's computer support before it comes to this, they may be able to clean the virus off for you at little or no cost.