NEW Virus Alert!

[cube_]

I'm sure you've probably stumbled upon a page while surfing on your firefox or ie that looks like this:

And if you haven't, you clearly don't surf the web much. In the best case, you can just easily close the window and the fake scanning disappears. There is one out there which, once stumbled upon, will install itself automatically and corrupt your boot files. Windows Startup Repair will no help. This threat is real, and I advise you to backup all your files at once. This past week alone I have repaired 3 PC's with this issue, all having been formatted just to restore the boot files. I'm trying to look for an easier solution than to just format and any suggestions would be appreciated.

If you were hit and are lucky enough to still boot up just like I was able to, download ComboFix which will easily remove the threat.

 

[violetblueskies]

i don't know about this particular one, but i have seen others that are similar.
are you saying the boot files can't be repaired by anti-virus?
removing the virus from starting up is key whether by startup, registry, infected files.
i find that these types like to hide in the registry and execute stuff from system32 dir or temp folders.
what is winxp repair install equivalent for win7?

 

[Ghostman 1]

Yea ! I had to repair 2 pc's last week and 1 this week with almost this same virus... I would consider this a smart virus...
Have you tried system restore, It will work only some of the times.. I also just do a full reinstall.. There are allot of these bogus /Fake antivirus
Trojans running around..

 

[cube_]

are you saying the boot files can't be repaired by anti-virus?

Not at all. I don't think that even exists lol. Except maybe something like Norton Ghost...

removing the virus from starting up is key whether by startup, registry, infected files.
i find that these types like to hide in the registry and execute stuff from system32 dir or temp folders.

You can call me quite adept at removing viruses. Over the years, i've learned the hideout spots of many trojans and how to restore your system back to normal. This one really put my skills to the test, and won. This one did not show up as an item in the startup. It's hideout is:
"C:\Users\yourname\AppData\Local\". And it's hidden so you have to unhide your files and folders. Another thing this virus does is changes your registry entry for the file extension .exe so that you won't be able to load up any application. It's very nasty. But i found a trick to it. For some reason you're still able to run CMD.exe and from the Command Prompt load up regedit.exe. Now you'll be able to fix the problem using the following solution: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...xe-files/039ceca1-c81f-4136-8c04-bf13c0378495

what is winxp repair install equivalent for win7?

In Vista, 7, or 2008, Windows will load up a Startup Repair and attempt to fix any boot issues when an error is detected. Sometimes it doesn't fix the issue, so you can go ahead and select advanced options. This is what it looks like:

The easiest way to backup your files if you haven't already is to open up Command Prompt and code the files over to an external drive. Then, format and reinstall Windows. I've tried using these commands as well to restore boot files, but failed.
Windows XP does not have a startup repair. So, if your computer crashes and won't boot, your only option is to try and use a System Restore through F8, or use the installation disc to perform a repair, which looks like this: http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic8356.html

Guys, there must be one simple solution to this thing. We need to dig deeper into the root of the problem. I want to know if it's possible to gather all the boot files required by 7 or Vista, copy them to a flash drive, and when a crash occurs copy them back to their location. Could it be that simple? Obviously, Windows Recovery Environment rarely helps...

 

[violetblueskies]

in this case it seems like more time would be spent undo-ing what the virus did rather than just wipe and reload.

 

[Ghostman 1]

If it is a smart virus, It can branch out to several locations, Thus making it VERY hard to find.. I have done what you said... BUT it took 6 hours to find ALL the different branches of this Virus.. Plus you can Still NOT get it all... Or the machine will not RUN right.. Easier to just do a Total reinstall..
I do about 3 a week...

 

[cube_]

If it is a smart virus, It can branch out to several locations, Thus making it VERY hard to find.. I have done what you said... BUT it took 6 hours to find ALL the different branches of this Virus.. Plus you can Still NOT get it all... Or the machine will not RUN right.. Easier to just do a Total reinstall..
I do about 3 a week...

True, it would take more time restoring the system back to normal. And if that's what you want to do you can use these steps. Otherwise, backing up and formatting is the fastest solution to remove this "rogueware".