Desktop Screwed

[Lach]

I'm having the same problem as others have posted about,
with the black screen and writing. I deleted the file,
then it went to a 'page cannot be found' screen, so i
refreshed it but then it just went to white and beige. I
am also having trouble with IE. It has been hijacked and
hotmail won't open, and my home page
is 'www.updatesearches.com' and i cant change it. I tried
using the browser restore, but it did nothing. I
consequently ran a couple of virus checks and spyware
scans, and deleted all infected files, however the
hijacker came up again in the next scan even after id
deleted it. Please can someone tell me how to fix it?

 

[Alan]

Launch IE, and then close IE.

Next, run a new scan and see if it returns the same
infected items. If so, go to c:\windows\prefetch and see
if any files there have filenames common to the infected
items. If you find any files there, delete them or shred
them using a file shredder (go to download.com and
download a free shredder program).

My best guess is that some of the spyware has left code
behind in the prefetch folder and when you launch IE, you
get re-infected.

The prefetch folder is a part of the .NET Framework. Its
purpose is to lessen the size of the executable file that
needs to be compiled. The way it works is fairly
simple. Data is stored in the prefetch folder that
allows the application to start quicker. However, many
types of spyware utilize the folder to insert code
there. And when you launch an application, such as IE,
you get re-infected. You can delete the entire contents
of the prefetch folder, if you like, but I'd recommend
deleting only the items that need deleting.

Alan

 

[Alan]

I forgot to mention this important step. Once you have
shredded the files in the prefetch folder, go back to
MSAS and delete the infected items. You should be ggod
to go, unless you don't have a firewall installed. If
you don't, go to download.com and download the free
version of Zone Alarm, or go to your local computer
retailer and buy a copy of the latest version of Zone
Alarm, you'll be glad you did. This way your system is
better protected from getting these types of infections
in the first place.

Alan