do I really need to "wipeout the pc"

C

childofthe1980s

Hello:

I eliminted a virus on my laptop today that said the following: “Some
dangerous trojan horses detected in your system. Microsoft Windows XP files
corrupted. This may lead to the destruction of important files in C:\WINDOWS.
Download protection software now!â€

I eliminated the virus by downloading and installing FixIEDef.exe from the
following URL and it worked perfectly:
http://untamedmind.wordpress.com/20...some-dangerous-trojan-horses-detected”-virus/

I have no issues on my laptop. I can browse files and the internet now just
fine.

When I e-mailed others at my firm just to let them know in case they get the
virus, somebody said that I will now need to wipeout the pc and reload it.
Is that true?

childofthe1980s
 
C

Carey Frisch [MVP]

Once your PC is infected with a computer virus or worm, your
computer becomes compromised and nothing less than a reinstallation
of the operating system is going to work. Yes, you can try
to scan and eliminate the initial virus, but you generally
cannot undo the damage caused by the virus to the system
files. You'll need to reformat your hard drive and then
reinstall your Windows operating system.

Cleaning a Compromised System
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/columns/secmgmt/sm0504.mspx

Clean Install Windows XP
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

After restoring your system, consider installing a good
antivirus program, such as Windows OneCare. You can
try it absolutely FREE for 90 days.
http://onecare.live.com/standard/en-us/default.htm


--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Desktop Experience -
Windows Vista Enthusiast

---------------------------------------------------------------

:

Hello:

I eliminted a virus on my laptop today that said the following: “Some
dangerous trojan horses detected in your system. Microsoft Windows XP files
corrupted. This may lead to the destruction of important files in C:\WINDOWS.
Download protection software now!â€

I eliminated the virus by downloading and installing FixIEDef.exe from the
following URL and it worked perfectly:
http://untamedmind.wordpress.com/20...some-dangerous-trojan-horses-detected”-virus/

I have no issues on my laptop. I can browse files and the internet now just
fine.

When I e-mailed others at my firm just to let them know in case they get the
virus, somebody said that I will now need to wipeout the pc and reload it.
Is that true?

childofthe1980s
 
O

Offer

hi childofthe1980s
you can also boot the computer with WINDOWS CD-ROM and choose repair
installation. It might work as fine as reinstalling windows/
 
K

Kayman

Hello:

I eliminted a virus on my laptop today that said the following: ´Some
dangerous trojan horses detected in your system. Microsoft Windows XP files
corrupted. This may lead to the destruction of important files in C:\WINDOWS.
Download protection software now!¡

I eliminated the virus by downloading and installing FixIEDef.exe from the
following URL and it worked perfectly:
http://untamedmind.wordpress.com/20...some-dangerous-trojan-horses-detected”-virus/

I have no issues on my laptop. I can browse files and the internet now just
fine.

When I e-mailed others at my firm just to let them know in case they get the
virus, somebody said that I will now need to wipeout the pc and reload it.
Is that true?

1. CCleaner - Free
Cleans temporary internet files, cookies, history, recent urls, application
MRUs, etc. ...
http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/
If Windows Defender is utilized go to Applications, under Utilities
uncheck "Windows Defender".

Reformatting of HDD is the preferred course of action!
"The only way to clean a compromised system is to flatten and rebuild.
Thatÿs right. If you have a system that has been completely compromised,
the only thing you can do is to flatten the system (reformat the system
disk) and rebuild it from scratch (re-install Windows and your
applications)..."

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/columns/secmgmt/sm0504.mspx

There are however a number of valid reasons where this may not be possible
or achievable. Not everybody is technically versed to do so or has an
experienced acquaintance who may be able to assist. There are many users
who reside in less developed environments where professional help just does
not exist or is very hard to come by. Therefore, a user may find the
procedures as per:
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Reinstalling_Windows
too overwhelming and shy away from the perceived complexeties of
re-installing the OS.
The procedures as per:
http://www.claymania.com/removal-trojan-adware.html
(especially David's MULTI_AV Tool) have had helped solving malware issues
for uncountable users for many years; And is (IMO) the next best thing to
flatten and rebuild an operating system. It can keep you going until
experienced and/or professional is available for thorough examination of OS
and/or reformatting of HDD.

Other quality Standalone Malware Scanners are:
Kaspersky® AVPTool
http://avptool.virusinfo.info/en/
http://downloads5.kaspersky-labs.com/devbuilds/AVPTool/
There's no updating involved since the scanning engine is updated
several times a day and you simply download the updated scanner whenever
you want to do a scan.
and
Dr.Web CureIt!® Utility - FREE
http://www.freedrweb.com/cureit/
and
Malwarebytes© Corporation - Anti-Malware
http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam/program/mbam-setup.exe

SuperAntispyware - Free
http://www.superantispyware.com/superantispywarefreevspro.html

Once the scanners are updated it is suggested to scan in Safe-Mode.

BTW, many experts would suggest to steer away from utilizing Windows One
Care. There are impressively better (and free) applications available.

Good luck :)
 
M

Mike Hall - MVP

childofthe1980s said:
Hello:

I eliminted a virus on my laptop today that said the following: “Some
dangerous trojan horses detected in your system. Microsoft Windows XP
files
corrupted. This may lead to the destruction of important files in
C:\WINDOWS.
Download protection software now!â€

I eliminated the virus by downloading and installing FixIEDef.exe from the
following URL and it worked perfectly:
http://untamedmind.wordpress.com/20...some-dangerous-trojan-horses-detected”-virus/

I have no issues on my laptop. I can browse files and the internet now
just
fine.

When I e-mailed others at my firm just to let them know in case they get
the
virus, somebody said that I will now need to wipeout the pc and reload it.
Is that true?

childofthe1980s

If your laptop is ever connected to your firm's network, they may be telling
you that to ensure that their network doesn't get taken out by anything
residual on your computer..




--
Mike Hall - MVP
How to construct a good post..
http://dts-l.com/goodpost.htm
How to use the Microsoft Product Support Newsgroups..
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=newswhelp&style=toc
Mike's Window - My Blog..
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/default.aspx
 

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