I think I have a virus but can get rid of it

[bradhig]

I restored my system because explorer kept crashing when Windows ME started up. Now the graphics on my start button are gone and sooner or later the icon graphics are gone get screwed like several times before. I stopped using IE because sometimes it would repeatly open new windows trying to load the same page I was on over and over again until the system crashed. I ran AVG and it found a virus in system restore directory which I removed but still this thing acts up. Please help its driving me nuts.

[Shane R. Monroe]

Depending on the virus, you may have NO choice but to nuke the system clean and start over (preferably with something a lot better than Windows ME, which is practically a virus to start with). The 9x kernal (Win95, 98, ME) is very delicate and really has no innate defenses against today's super strong viruses.

Bryan just went through this and might be able to offer a couple of options for you that he has discovered in his travels (his wife's computer kept getting reinfected).

I would also recommend NOT using Outlook or Outlook Express as well as IE. Both are suceptible to almost every popular virus. My selections for security and protection are Opera 7 for browsing and The Bat for email security.

[bradhig]

I don't touch IE unless Operea 7 runs into java stuff it can't handle. Is there any good anti virus software you recommend?

[Shane R. Monroe]

No AV software can remove certain viruses because they live inside the system areas of your OS, which means they are basically IMPOSSIBLE to get rid of without some deeper OS knowledge or dedicated specialized tools that can boot the system to DOS or handle OS protected files.

A/V software is kinda a scam. Unless you run it resident, and get updates every other day, its basically useless. Of course, if you do that, you'll smack down your system performance or spend your time 'playing' with your OS and programs instead of getting anything accomplished (See Linux). Its a false sense of security most of the time.

I don't run resident A/V, or Firewalls, or any of that bit. I've never been hacked or stricken with a virus. The Good News is that if you stay away from MS software, you are like 95% immune. Good, simple practices on the web and the internet make that number like 99%.

My A/V software runs on startup only, then unloads (I use Fix-it Utilties built in A/V stuff which is using Trend Micro's A/V engine and definitions).

So far, so good. I would hit www.sarc.com or other similar virus encyclopedia, and learn what your virus does and look for a dedicated removal tool.

Again, it simply may not be possible.

[Bryan 'KidHype' Smith]

My PC's here at home are basically bullet proof (Thanks to Shane) and the way my wife got a virus was by grabbing a unknown persons zip file off of a yahoo groups site (nothing is more fun than grilling your spouse on what they've downloaded for a hour when they keep saying, "I didn't download nothin" and theres Klez eating through everything in its path")

Shane and I both run XP. If you dont want to deal with registration hassles get 2000. Whatever you, "JUST STOP RUNNING ME!!!"

Symantec's website has specialized repair tools for stuff your average (including Symantec's basic Anti Virus) programs cannot get out (what really sucks about A/V programs is they are nice enough to tell you that you have a virus but when you ask them to come to bat and remove them they are like, oh hell no!).

KLEZ is a evil SOB. It will rename or delete all your exe's slowly, one by one until you can't boot any more. By that time, you are looking at reformating your pc. If running Norton's KLEZ remover (which you have to do in safe mode in order for it to work) and rebooting doesn't get rid of all of it, then its likely your System Restore folder on your pc. What sucks is that on the 9x kernel you cannot turn that off (i dont think i could be wrong) but on 2k and XP you can go into the system settings, set System Restore to 0 and the virus will go away (since when you do that, the OS itself deletes the System Restore files) the down side is, you can't roll back or restore important files.

If there is no way to turn off or delete the system restore files, you are pretty much screwed and need to refomat the hard drive.

Hope that helps

[Anonymous]

Actuallly it is the WS sobig virus. I don't see why anyone would create such crap. Virusses are totally useless.

[Bryan 'KidHype' Smith]

My conspiracy therory on viruses (and why i refuse to run a resident A/V program in the background of any pc in my house) is that A/V companies make the viruses. I just find it way too hard to believe some goofy kid in his bedroom is going, "Wonder if i can halt the world with THIS!"

There are no excuses why there are only viruses on the Windows OS (unless dumb ass Linux users are actually writing the viruses too). I still think its the A/V sellers. If there is no more viruses, there is no need for AV software.

Think about it.

[Keith_N]

There are no excuses why there are only viruses on the Windows OS (unless dumb ass Linux users are actually writing the viruses too). I still think its the A/V sellers. If there is no more viruses, there is no need for AV software.

Think about it.

That would explain why AV sellers get the patches so quickly as soon as the virus hits the community.

[Fractalus!]

here's a free sobig removal tool that will take care of your problem:

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.sobig.a@mm.removal.tool.html

[classic_gamer]

My conspiracy therory on viruses is that A/V companies make the viruses. I just find it way too hard to believe some goofy kid in his bedroom is going, "Wonder if i can halt the world with THIS!"

There are no excuses why there are only viruses on the Windows OS (unless dumb ass Linux users are actually writing the viruses too). I still think its the A/V sellers. If there is no more viruses, there is no need for AV software.

Think about it.

I've felt that way almost since I first heard of viruses and AV software. I also believe the same to be true of popup windows. To consumer "Buy this software and you won't be annoyed by popup windows anymore." To web page developers "pssst, here's a way to get around our newest popup blocker software."

[Shane R. Monroe]

Its the standard phone crap.

LOOK! CALLER ID! WAIT, HERE! CALLER ID BLOCK! OH BUT WAIT! CALLER ID BLOCK BYPASS!

Screwed ...