need some tech help-viruses

[sgresso]

I have been down with some major computer viruses on the computer and have tried justs about anything to fix it.

I have Zone alarm on my computer and windows firewall
I have AVG antivirus and Norton corporate.

I use Adaware and spybot search and destroy and panda active scan to find whats on the computer.

it seems to get whats there but not all of whats there.

Is my only option to just say screw it and reformat my drive and start from scratch?

any computer geeks can help?
I have been at this for almost a week?

[Scimmia]

Have you tried scanning in safe mode? If not, it's possible the virus is still active in memory and can survive while you're trying to remove it. I'd shut down the computer completely (not just a reboot), then start it back up in safe mode and see what you can get.

[cman78]

Any details about the viruses?

[sgresso]

one that i know that i had is the vundo.virus
the other is error protector popup virus

[sgresso]

I used the virus removal tool from microsoft and it said it got everything.

[doctorcue]

If you can... take out the hard drive and put it in as a secondary in another computer. Run the scan then. A lot of the time the virus can't always be altered/cleaned/removed/etc because it is a running service.

As a FYI... we had a machine with Vundo. It is a nasty trojan. Ultimately, after many hours of trying to remove it; I just backed up the needed data and wiped/reinstalled Windows. For me; it was just taking up too much time to deal with. Plus... machine was a couple years old; so the fresh OS install allowed it to run smoother.

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by doctorcue

If you can... take out the hard drive and put it in as a secondary in another computer. Run the scan then. A lot of the time the virus can't always be altered/cleaned/removed/etc because it is a running service.

Generally, viruses like those have to be removed when the harddisk is not active. A tool like BartPE or WindowsPE will allow you to delete files as the CD ROM and RAM are the OS. If you know what files you want to delete and/or reg keys, you should be all set if you boot to CD or use your infected drive as a slave.

Starting over may be easier in the long run too...

[cman78]

Originally Posted by doctorcue

If you can... take out the hard drive and put it in as a secondary in another computer. Run the scan then. A lot of the time the virus can't always be altered/cleaned/removed/etc because it is a running service.

As a FYI... we had a machine with Vundo. It is a nasty trojan. Ultimately, after many hours of trying to remove it; I just backed up the needed data and wiped/reinstalled Windows. For me; it was just taking up too much time to deal with. Plus... machine was a couple years old; so the fresh OS install allowed it to run smoother.

if it takes more that 2 hours to deal with it you could have already had a clean install. It takes the fun out of tracking it down and knowing you beat the trojan, but if productivity is what you need back the third R is faster. Refresh, Reboot, Re-install the three R's of Windows.

[hugecanoli]

Another trick you can try is to temporarily disable system restore (if you have Windows XP).

By disabling this feature, all the restore point folders get deleted, and they are a breeding ground for hiding virus files. Be sure to turn it back on after rebooting immediately after turning it off.

Hope that helps.

[drawfour]

I'd recommend just blowing everything away (saving your data somewhere else, of course!). Reinstall everything, grab all the latest patches, and then install what antivirus/ant-malware programs you have. For free virus scanners, AVG Free is pretty good.

Once you have all the protections in place, then start reinstalling your software and copying your data files back.

You'll probably find the system runs a lot faster than it used to as a result of cleaning everything out.

[taltos]

One other suggestion that I have not seen is to disable Norton and just let Avasti to run in safe mode. Sometimes it is not a great idea to allow more than one anti-virus to run at the same time.

[Moosie]

Originally Posted by taltos

One other suggestion that I have not seen is to disable Norton and just let Avasti to run in safe mode. Sometimes it is not a great idea to allow more than one anti-virus to run at the same time.

This could be the problem. Nod 32 said to be sure only one anti virus is being used. Hope this helps.

[jaysun23]

You can follow the steps listed here

http://forums.techguy.org/security/4...ndo-virus.html

[screwbag]

I have gotten so fed up with viruses and spyware and such over the years...I'm thinkin about switching to a mac....

my current setup is simply zonealarm pro...with a monthly scan thru micromedia housecall. that is all. it works well for me...

I would just save what ya need and wipe it!!

[stirwood]

Sounds like a recovery to me. In case anyone is interested I us Avast it is a completely free program at avast.com solved my problems and is very active on the computer at blocking viruses updates almost daily automatically. all they ask is that you register with your name and address once a year, they say they make other programs and keeping as many viruses of the net as they can makes their business run smoother.