Virus Protection Help- Page 2

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 10:21pm

msconfig ??

*eyes cross*

Err...I have Windows 2000.

It says I have 151 spyware files and 1 vulnerability. That's not good, right?

[NYBroadwayNY]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 10:23pm

Well, most of those 151 things are probably cookies, which most are not harmful.

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 10:24pm

You're right. All 151 are cookies. So I shouldn't get rid of them, right?

[NYBroadwayNY]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 10:26pm

Well, I usually never do. Occasionally, I look through the list and see if they are all from web sites that I know I visit, like msn.com, yahoo.com bww.com but if I see something like germanspankme.com, I get rid of it....most of the time!>

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 10:28pm

germanspankme would probably be more exciting than any cookies I actually have. I suppose everything's okay, although there's something wrong with the MSN Messenger. Hmm...


Thanks for your help!

[DAME]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 10:30pm

Type_A_Tiff,
I beg you. Please change your avatar. I enjoy chatting with you but it is so hard to do with that person representing you.

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 10:31pm

Is this coming from the Dame who just earlier today supported my desire to change my avatar to one of the photos on your thread?? (Of the Liza, Courtney and Jacko variety no less!)

[DAME]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 10:37pm

Say what?

[Plum]

Posted: 4/20/05 at 10:53pm

Munk, another anti-spyware program is Spybot Search & Destroy. Here's a few other steps you can take:

-Check to make sure your anti-virus subscription is up to date. You should be able to do it somehow by opening your anti-virus program.

-Check your Add/Remove Programs list for anything strange. If you find something weird, don't get rid of it right away. Write down the name for Googling later on.

-Check what processes (not programs) are running on your computer using Ctrl-Alt-Del. Write down the names of all those, too.

-If you're using a version of Windows that isn't 95, NT, or 2000, go to Run and type in msconfig. Click on the Startup tab. See what programs run on startup. The ones you really need are ScanRegistry, TaskMonitor, SystemTray, LoadPowerFile, and your anti-virus program. There might be others you don't mind having, as well. But if any of them look strange, write down their names for Googling purposes.

Okay, now what to do with all that information?

-Check the names of the startup programs against the list at this URL:
http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php

-Check the names of the processes against the list at this URL:
http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm

-BTW, if you don't find something in this list, try the first one, and vice versa.

Now, if you're having problems, it's quite likely you'll find that some of your startup and background tasks are from less-than-legit sources. That's when things get really tricky- if you try hand-removal, you can sometimes make the problem worse as the malware "fights back" against you.

This URL is good for spyware info: http://www.spywareinfo.com/

Otherwise, try Googling. I've found that Google Answers sometimes works, too. I realize this is a long, painstaking way to go about things (it took me 2 weeks to clean out my computer), but it's worth it, if only for the sadistic satisfaction of seeing the malware get zapped. Updated On: 4/20/05 at 10:53 PM