Sign in

Microsoft.com

Microsoft

Remove From My Forums

Off Topic:Cannot Remove over 4000 spyware and Virus, bugs

General discussion
0

Sign in to vote
8/26/08
Wednesday
10:16am PDT

Hello
I bought a new used computer from a woman who really was not ready for one. All she had was religious music, kazza and Lime wire with no protection.
I immediately installed and ran Ad-Aware 2008. It scanned 4000 files as it found 4000 bugs and crashed. I has tried all kinds of ways to remove these using Ad-Aware, which I have used, with no problem in many computers for years.
I tried Windows Defender, three time, it never found anything. I instaled and used Symantic Endpint Protection. That found under 100. Next I used PC Tools Spyware Doctor. That found 140.
I would have used System Mechanic, but I am have an installation problem. It seems to not be downloading a file it need to run. I also used a progra called "Reg Cure" That did straighten out my registry a bit.
When I try Ad-Aware again. I stopped the scan befor it reached 1000. But it would not let me either remove or quarantine anything.
I would like to avoid reinstalling Windows because I do not have any back-up disks or Windows Vista, She is looking for them, but I cannot count on her finding anything as she is not a good housekeeper.
One Care I ran twice...not to speak of.
Does anyone have any idea what I can do to remove these, or atleast a good portion of the spyware and viruses?

Thank you,
Wednesday, August 27, 2008 5:30 PM

All replies

0

Sign in to vote

With a PC that is that infected, I think you may want to bite the bullet and purchase a copy of XP or Vista basic and install it after wiping the drive. Short of that, you are likely to be facing root kits and malware that will resist detection and removal attempts.

You could boot to safe mode and run scans using multiple products in Safe Mode and look into products such as Rot Kit Revealer to determine if there may be root kit activity present, but removal of root kits will usually be manual and is usually not recommended.

Note that, although you mentioned trying OneCare for removal, if you are not currently using OneCare you're off topic for this forum. If you are using it in trial mode, you can contact support via email. I'm not sure if the Microsoft Security help center will assist with a PC that is so badly infected, but it may be worth a try if you are unable to do a fresh Windows install.

For help with spyware issues, you may want to try the forums here:

http://aumha.net/ For help with virus removal, contact the maker of your Antivirus program.

If you are in North America, you can call 866-727-2338 for help with virus and spyware infections. See http://www.microsoft.com/protect/support/default.mspx for details. For international information, see your local subsidiary Support site.
-steve

Wednesday, August 27, 2008 6:27 PM

Moderator