MalWare Won: How to Wipe Drive & Reinstall

[Mute]

If you picked up the malware from web surfing, I also suggest that in the future, you run all your browsers through Sanboxie to prevent unauthorized downloads onto your computer.

[NSR500]

What is the machine used for? If it's just an Internet browsing machine for you, just roll it over into Linux.
If it's not just for general web surfing, then dual boot it with Windows and Linux. Use Windows for non-secure tasks like gaming, and whatever else. Use the Linux OS for secure transactions like online purchases and banking.

[Lyte-]

give me your HD for a day. lemme clean it.

the reason you cant clean it yourself is that once your machine is running, so is all the bad stuff.

when i do is connect the bad HD to my machine (which i know is clean) and then scan the heck out of it.

so far, i have repaired 3 family machines this way.

if you have another clean machine you can do this yourself. you just need a cool little gadget i found from frys a few years ago. this device allows you to plug any HD (from laptop to desktop, IDE or sata) and turns it into a USB connectible device.

simple...

btw, something like this:

http://www.frys.com/product/5772432?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

but remember, the machine you are connecting to, MUST BE CLEAN.

This

It normally helps to pull the drive out and slave it to another machine. This way nothing is running (which includes all the bad stuff) so its not preventing the scanning tools from fixing/ removing the bad stuff

[45R]

Zone Alarms is an excellent program that is good at locking out your browser to anything malicious. I also run "No Script" with Mozilla as an additional layer of protection.

[wc12]

Have you tried to run "msconfig" and check your startup? See if there are any programs there that look funny. Turn it off and follow the path file and delete them and re-start. also go to your "processes" under task manager and see if there is a funning looking file name. hope this helps.

[shy 7th]

a:\> format c:

[Packy14]

Try Avast + malwarebytes. if no go, sorry.

[Barbarossa]

I just did this on a workstation.

If the computer is over 2 years old go buy a new hard drive. They are mechanical devices and fail. Storage is cheap.

Try to find a disk with Windows XP Service Pack 3. I only had SP1 and it took about 2 hours to get updated.

Something I'm going to start investigating is http://www.sandboxie.com.
I'm sick of reformatting workstations.

[NSR500]

BTW... I just have to add one more thing because of all the "Poor Me" talk in this thread.

IT'S 2011!!!

Why aren't you people backing up clean system images?!?!?! Heck... Some of you don't even backup files!!!

You'd spend half the time or less getting a machine back in clean running order by restoring off of a clean system backup rather than a full reimage.

[Dr. Peter Venkman]

Try HijackThis!, Spybot S&D, Adware, and if none of those work, combofix.

[G1500]

give me your HD for a day. lemme clean it.

the reason you cant clean it yourself is that once your machine is running, so is all the bad stuff.

when i do is connect the bad HD to my machine (which i know is clean) and then scan the heck out of it.

so far, i have repaired 3 family machines this way.

if you have another clean machine you can do this yourself. you just need a cool little gadget i found from frys a few years ago. this device allows you to plug any HD (from laptop to desktop, IDE or sata) and turns it into a USB connectible device.

simple...

btw, something like this:

http://www.frys.com/product/5772432?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

but remember, the machine you are connecting to, MUST BE CLEAN.

This

It normally helps to pull the drive out and slave it to another machine. This way nothing is running (which includes all the bad stuff) so its not preventing the scanning tools from fixing/ removing the bad stuff

Why are you guys wasting your time and effort. People need to learn to organize and back up their files.

Copy your files to an external drive, when that is finished, REFORMAT, and REINSTALL your OS. All that is left is to plug in your external, scan with ESET NOD32, and copy everything back over. Your back up and running, you have a fresh registry and NO potential threats from any garbage that was left over or from a completely jacked up registry that will cause you problems in the future.

I don't know how people are still getting viruses these days anyhow.