HELP ! Browser disaster !!

[pg]

HELP, I NEED HELP !!

Last night I used my computer everything was ok, and today, all
browsers except Google Chrome suddenly can't be used anymore !

My computer has a 4-core CPU, with 4GB of RAM, running XP Pro, and I
upgraded it to SP3.

I have IE, FF, Opera and Google Chrome in my system. Normally I use
IE, but from time to time I do use other browsers as backup.

However, everything changed this morning.

Suddenly, every single browser, except Google Chrome, can no longer be
used.

I clicked on IE, nothing came up.

Clicked FF, still nothing.

Click on Opera, same, nothing.

Check under Task Manager, they are there, eating up a lot of CPU
cycles (80% of 3 of the 4-cores)

Then I click on Google Chrome, it works !!!

I even re-downloaded new copies of IE, FF and Opera and re-installed
them.

Still no use.

I downloaded Dr. TCP and also TCP Optimizer to check if anything is
wrong with the TCP setting, no problem so far.

I mean, if Google Chrome can run, TCP must have been working, right?

But still the other 3 browsers aren't !

Can anyone tell me how to diagnose what is wrong?

Please help !!

Thank you !!

 

[pg]

HELP, I NEED HELP !!

Last night I used my computer everything was ok, and today, all
browsers except Google Chrome suddenly can't be used anymore !

My computer has a 4-core CPU, with 4GB of RAM, running XP Pro, and I
upgraded it to SP3.

I have IE, FF, Opera and Google Chrome in my system. Normally I use
IE, but from time to time I do use other browsers as backup.

However, everything changed this morning.

Suddenly, every single browser, except Google Chrome, can no longer be
used.

I clicked on IE, nothing came up.

Clicked FF, still nothing.

Click on Opera, same, nothing.

Check under Task Manager, they are there, eating up a lot of CPU
cycles (80% of 3 of the 4-cores)

Then I click on Google Chrome, it works !!!

I even re-downloaded new copies of IE, FF and Opera and re-installed
them.

Still no use.

I downloaded Dr. TCP and also TCP Optimizer to check if anything is
wrong with the TCP setting, no problem so far.

I mean, if Google Chrome can run, TCP must have been working, right?

But still the other 3 browsers aren't !

Can anyone tell me how to diagnose what is wrong?

Please help !!

Thank you !!

Forgot to add,

I scanned and re-scanned for trojan and virus, found nothing !

 

[Elmo]

Forgot to add,

I scanned and re-scanned for Trojan and virus, found nothing !

Use these to scan; your current software has been compromised.

Malwarebytes© Corporation
http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam/program/mbam-setup.exe

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

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Forgot to add,

I scanned and re-scanned for trojan and virus, found nothing !

What did you scan with? It's highly likely that you are infected.

 

[Jim]

HELP, I NEED HELP !!

Last night I used my computer everything was ok, and today, all
browsers except Google Chrome suddenly can't be used anymore !

My computer has a 4-core CPU, with 4GB of RAM, running XP Pro, and I
upgraded it to SP3.

I have IE, FF, Opera and Google Chrome in my system. Normally I use
IE, but from time to time I do use other browsers as backup.

However, everything changed this morning.

Suddenly, every single browser, except Google Chrome, can no longer be
used.

I clicked on IE, nothing came up.

Clicked FF, still nothing.

Click on Opera, same, nothing.

Check under Task Manager, they are there, eating up a lot of CPU
cycles (80% of 3 of the 4-cores)

Then I click on Google Chrome, it works !!!

I even re-downloaded new copies of IE, FF and Opera and re-installed
them.

Still no use.

I downloaded Dr. TCP and also TCP Optimizer to check if anything is
wrong with the TCP setting, no problem so far.

I mean, if Google Chrome can run, TCP must have been working, right?

But still the other 3 browsers aren't !

Can anyone tell me how to diagnose what is wrong?

Please help !!

Thank you !!

System restore back a day ?

 

[Peter Foldes]

If infected System Restore will do more harm than good. Besides System Restore will
not get rid of any malware and or virus

 

[Bill in Co.]

If infected System Restore will do more harm than good. Besides System
Restore will not get rid of any malware and or virus

But what would be the consequences of doing it, if he went back to a Restore
point prior to the infection? (I'm assuming System Restore would have
monitored the files added since that time, including the malware files, so
that a restore operation could and would delete these problematic files, too
(assuming they were of the types being monitored by SR, which seems likely).

 

[Bill in Co.]

Addended, in retrospect.

But what would be the consequences of doing it, if he went back to a
Restore
point prior to the infection? (I'm assuming System Restore would have
monitored the files added since that time, including the malware files, so
that a restore operation could and would delete these problematic files,
too
(assuming they were of the types being monitored by SR, which seems
likely).

Maybe my assumption that System Restore could delete the newly added virus
files during its Restore operation is in error, and that those files would
be likely be "locked" by the virus program, so that System Restore would
most likely fail. Is that the essence of the problem in trying to use
System Restore in this case?

 

[Peter Foldes]

System Restore will not clean an infected computer

 

[Bill in Co.]

Yes, I know you said that, but I asked specifically about what would be the
consequences of running System Restore in more detail, Peter (see below).

System Restore will not clean an infected computer

--
Peter

Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.

Except I addended this to point out a possible limitation, in that some of
the virus files might be locked down so that System Restore couldn't delete
them during its Restore operation.

 

[Jack [MVP-Networking]]

Hi
Scan your computer and make sure that you do not have any Viruses and or
Spyware running in the background.
When it is clean, try this process.
http://www.ezlan.net/infestation.html#refreshnet
Jack (MS, MVP-Networking)

 

[Unknown]

Not entirely true. It depends on the infection.

System Restore will not clean an infected computer

--
Peter

Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.

 

[HeyBub]

Yes, I know you said that, but I asked specifically about what would
be the consequences of running System Restore in more detail, Peter
(see below).

Because Restore doesn't add or delete ordinary files. Restore snapshots the
Registry and backs up dynamic system files, unsigned drivers, automatic
updates, and the like. It does not touch what it thinks are "application"
programs, nor does it fool with "data."

 

[Bill in Co.]

Because Restore doesn't add or delete ordinary files. Restore snapshots
the
Registry and backs up dynamic system files, unsigned drivers, automatic
updates, and the like. It does not touch what it thinks are "application"
programs, nor does it fool with "data."

I was under the impression System Restore monitored ALL exe, dll, com, and
the like, files. In other words, all potentially problematic files.
(Excluded would be things like text files, for example).

In fact, I'm pretty sure it does this, since if you've ever added any such
files to your HD, and then done a System Restore back prior to that point in
time, you will lose them all, UNLESS those files were saved in the personal
folders, like Documents and Settings, My Documents.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I was under the impression System Restore monitored ALL exe, dll, com, and
the like, files.

No, it doesn't do this at all. It's *System* Restore. What it monitors
is *system* files only. Application files like exes, dlls, etc. are
not monitored.

In other words, all potentially problematic files.
(Excluded would be things like text files, for example).

In fact, I'm pretty sure it does this, since if you've ever added any such
files to your HD, and then done a System Restore back prior to that point in
time, you will lose them all, UNLESS those files were saved in the personal
folders, like Documents and Settings, My Documents.

No, not even if they are saved there.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

I was under the impression System Restore monitored ALL exe, dll, com, and
the like, files. In other words, all potentially problematic files.
(Excluded would be things like text files, for example).

In fact, I'm pretty sure it does this, since if you've ever added any such
files to your HD, and then done a System Restore back prior to that point
in
time, you will lose them all, UNLESS those files were saved in the
personal
folders, like Documents and Settings, My Documents.

cf. http://bertk.mvps.org/html/filesfolders.html

 

[Daave]

No, it doesn't do this at all. It's *System* Restore. What it monitors
is *system* files only. Application files like exes, dlls, etc. are
not monitored.

See the link PA Bear posted:

http://bertk.mvps.org:80/html/filesfolders.html

They are monitored (unless they are located in a non-monitored folder).

No, not even if they are saved there.

Maybe the term "monitored" is causing confusion. If you download an
installation file (.exe) to your desktop and perform a System Restore to
a time before you downloaded it there, it will be gone. If you place it
in your My Documents folder however, "Bill in Co" is correct; it will
remain there after a System Restore(becuase even though .exe files are
normally monitored, they are not monitored if they are in a
non-monitored folder). You can confirm this yourself if you wish.

 

[Bill in Co.]

No, it doesn't do this at all. It's *System* Restore. What it monitors
is *system* files only. Application files like exes, dlls, etc. are
not monitored.

Beg to disagree, Ken. Those are monitored (and see the links posted
since).

correction: or a few other unmonitored directories.

No, not even if they are saved there.

I beg to disagree, Ken.
Check it out and see. BTDT regarding the above (unless my computer is
unique.

 

[Bill in Co.]

cf. http://bertk.mvps.org/html/filesfolders.html

Thanks for the link. That confirms what I was saying, except that I didn't
realize there were several other unmonitored directories too.

 

[Bill in Co.]

cf. http://bertk.mvps.org/html/filesfolders.html

I just noticed that that page seems to have at least one error in it. For
example, it says:
List of folders that System Restores Monitors in Windows XP
*:\Documents And Settings\*\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet
Explorer\Quick Launch c:\placeholder\ph.dll
That's not a list of folders!

But here is what I found on the Microsoft web site
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/.../en-us/app_system_restore_hss_understand.mspx

(on System Restore):
For example, if you accidentally delete monitored program files (such as
files that have the .exe or .dll file name extensions), or monitored program
files become corrupted, you can restore your computer to a state that
existed before those changes occurred.

By default, System Restore monitors and restores all partitions and drives
on your computer. It also monitors all installations of applications or
drivers that users perform through delivery mechanisms such as CD-ROM,
floppy disk, Systems Management Server (SMS), or IntelliMirror.

Restores your computer without losing your personal files:

System Restore does not cause you to lose your personal files or password.
Items like documents, e-mail messages, browsing history, and the last
specified password are saved when you revert to an earlier state with System
Restore.

System Restore protects your personal files by not restoring any files in
the My Documents folder. It also does not restore any files that use common
data file name extensions, such as .doc or .xls. If you're not sure whether
your personal files use common data file name extensions, and you do not
want the data files to be affected by System Restore, save them in the My
Documents folder.