Strange behaviors

[Guest]

I'm not sure when these problems began but during the course of routine
maintenance I noticed that:
System restore does not work
Defrag does not work
Network connection services do not work
Automatic update does not work [Error number: 0x800A0046]
When I attempted to run RegCleaner none of the application's screens were
visible although the program appears to be running

 

[Guest]

Hi ALH,
Do Scan against V and Spy,then if the problem still, Start in Systen
Recovery Console and Repair these Programs,and have a look to see when this
problem start and what application in Event Viewer,write the Warning Down and
send them here.
Good Luck.
nass

 

[Mike Hall \(MS-MVP\)]

ALH

Spyware/Adware/Scumware has become a major player in compromising
computers.. they introduce viruses, trojans and worms.. they attempt to send
out information about you, they slow your computer down, and quite often,
they disable services that would otherwise be useful in their removal..

The worst of it is that you probably downloaded the spyware, albeit
inadvertently..
Some basic steps to removing Spyware/Adware..

First step is to run a one shot virus remover.. I have found that McAfee
Stinger works for people.. download and run it..

http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/

You will also need to download Spyware removal software.. Spybot and Adaware
are available at these websites.. both are free.. download and run them..
don't forget to check for updates after you have started them..

Adaware SE - http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

SpyBot S&D - http://www.safer-networking.org/

Spybot has the ability to immunize a system, but there is better for this
function, so download and run Spyware Blaster too.. again, check for
updates..

SpywareBlaster - http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

Two more excellent programs..

Ewido Suite - http://www.ewido.net/en/ .. a trial working version is
available, and they also allow for an online scan..

You might also want to try this from Nick Skreptos.. Again, a trial version
is available..

http://www.superadblocker.com/ .. and he maintains that it will remove
Winfixer 2005 and others.. That can't be a bad thing..

CWShredder will eliminate CoolWebSearch and variants.. there is a free
download here..

CWShredder.. http://www.intermute.com/spysubtract/cwshredder_download.html

For other tools in the fight against spyware, visit this website and
bookmark it..

http://www.pchell.com

You must also run a firewall and anti-virus program.. here are some links
for you..

http://www.zonealarm.com .. http://www.avast.com .. http://www.grisoft.com..

Your computer must also be fully updated.. set it for 'automatic updates'


Special notes on SPYAXE (courtesy of bleepingcomputer.com)

Tools Needed for this fix: smitRem.exe

Note: These instructions are a paired down version of the Smitfraud Removal
Instructions. If you feel that you only have the SpyAxe infection, then you
should proceed with these steps. Otherwise, you may want to use the longer
complete Smitfraud Removal Instructions, which will remove SpyAxe as well as
other infections at the same time.

Removal Instructions:

Print out these instructions as we will need to shutdown every window that
is open later in the fix.

Download smitRem.exe and save the file to your desktop.

Double click on smitRem.exe and then click on Start.

When it is done, click on the OK button. You should now have a folder called
smitRem on your desktop.
Next, please reboot your computer in SafeMode by doing the following:

Restart your computer

After hearing your computer beep once during startup, but before the Windows
icon appears, press F8.
Instead of Windows loading as normal, a menu should appear.

Select the first option, to run Windows in Safe Mode. When your computer
has started in safe mode and you see the desktop, close all open Windows.

Open the smitRem folder on your desktop and double click the RunThis.bat
file to start the tool.

Follow the prompts on screen and wait for the tool to complete and disk
cleanup to finish.

When the tool is finished, it will will create a log named smitfiles.txt in
the root of your drive, eg; Local Disk C: or the partition where your
operating system is installed. Examining that log should show that the
infection was cleaned.

Reboot your computer back to normal mode.

Pasted from http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic36868.html

Please return to this thread and provide feedback.. it is the only way that
helpers here can determine how effective the advice given has been..

--
Mike Hall
MVP - Windows Shell/User

I'm not sure when these problems began but during the course of routine
maintenance I noticed that:
System restore does not work
Defrag does not work
Network connection services do not work
Automatic update does not work [Error number: 0x800A0046]
When I attempted to run RegCleaner none of the application's screens were
visible although the program appears to be running

 

[Guest]

Mike,
I'm not sure of exactly which of the spyware/adware removal utilities did
the job but my "strange behaviors" are in the past. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!
--
ALH

ALH

Spyware/Adware/Scumware has become a major player in compromising
computers.. they introduce viruses, trojans and worms.. they attempt to send
out information about you, they slow your computer down, and quite often,
they disable services that would otherwise be useful in their removal..

The worst of it is that you probably downloaded the spyware, albeit
inadvertently..
Some basic steps to removing Spyware/Adware..

First step is to run a one shot virus remover.. I have found that McAfee
Stinger works for people.. download and run it..

http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/

You will also need to download Spyware removal software.. Spybot and Adaware
are available at these websites.. both are free.. download and run them..
don't forget to check for updates after you have started them..

Adaware SE - http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

SpyBot S&D - http://www.safer-networking.org/

Spybot has the ability to immunize a system, but there is better for this
function, so download and run Spyware Blaster too.. again, check for
updates..

SpywareBlaster - http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

Two more excellent programs..

Ewido Suite - http://www.ewido.net/en/ .. a trial working version is
available, and they also allow for an online scan..

You might also want to try this from Nick Skreptos.. Again, a trial version
is available..

http://www.superadblocker.com/ .. and he maintains that it will remove
Winfixer 2005 and others.. That can't be a bad thing..

CWShredder will eliminate CoolWebSearch and variants.. there is a free
download here..

CWShredder.. http://www.intermute.com/spysubtract/cwshredder_download.html

For other tools in the fight against spyware, visit this website and
bookmark it..

http://www.pchell.com

You must also run a firewall and anti-virus program.. here are some links
for you..

http://www.zonealarm.com .. http://www.avast.com .. http://www.grisoft.com..

Your computer must also be fully updated.. set it for 'automatic updates'


Special notes on SPYAXE (courtesy of bleepingcomputer.com)

Tools Needed for this fix: smitRem.exe

Note: These instructions are a paired down version of the Smitfraud Removal
Instructions. If you feel that you only have the SpyAxe infection, then you
should proceed with these steps. Otherwise, you may want to use the longer
complete Smitfraud Removal Instructions, which will remove SpyAxe as well as
other infections at the same time.

Removal Instructions:

Print out these instructions as we will need to shutdown every window that
is open later in the fix.

Download smitRem.exe and save the file to your desktop.

Double click on smitRem.exe and then click on Start.

When it is done, click on the OK button. You should now have a folder called
smitRem on your desktop.
Next, please reboot your computer in SafeMode by doing the following:

Restart your computer

After hearing your computer beep once during startup, but before the Windows
icon appears, press F8.
Instead of Windows loading as normal, a menu should appear.

Select the first option, to run Windows in Safe Mode. When your computer
has started in safe mode and you see the desktop, close all open Windows.

Open the smitRem folder on your desktop and double click the RunThis.bat
file to start the tool.

Follow the prompts on screen and wait for the tool to complete and disk
cleanup to finish.

When the tool is finished, it will will create a log named smitfiles.txt in
the root of your drive, eg; Local Disk C: or the partition where your
operating system is installed. Examining that log should show that the
infection was cleaned.

Reboot your computer back to normal mode.

Pasted from http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic36868.html

Please return to this thread and provide feedback.. it is the only way that
helpers here can determine how effective the advice given has been..

--
Mike Hall
MVP - Windows Shell/User

I'm not sure when these problems began but during the course of routine
maintenance I noticed that:
System restore does not work
Defrag does not work
Network connection services do not work
Automatic update does not work [Error number: 0x800A0046]
When I attempted to run RegCleaner none of the application's screens were
visible although the program appears to be running