Wierd Virus...boot?

[Yvonne]

Hi!

I wonder if anyone can help me and solve this problem. My neighbour has
a virus (I think) on her machine. I really don't know what to search
for. The problem is:

First her computer started to behave strange. She tried to write
adresses in the adressfield in Firefox, but when she put the mouse
there, it started to write a lot of number 3's without end. She had
Avast antivirus and did a full scan and it did find virus. It did say
bootsectorvirus and gave her instructions to remove it. She did follow
the instructions and then she did a full scan again and Avast said no
viruses found. But the problem with the strange behavior was still there.

I installed F-secure on her machine. When I tried to write the
serialnumber it started with the same behavour as in Firefox. It did
write a lot of 2's this time. I skipped using the mouse and used only
the keyboard and it did work.

I then did a full scan. I have heard that it isn't going to help to
install a virusapplication afterswards, is it right? Anyway I did that
since I didn't know what else to do. F-secure didn't find the virus
either. So I really don't know what to do, since I don't know what kind
of virus it is, the name of it etc. I wasn't there when Avast did find
it, so all I know is that my neighbour said it was a bootvirus.

Anyway, I am supposed to upgrade her computer with a larger harddrive.
Do I have to solve the problem first, or is the problem only the
harddrive? Also she would like to keep the harddrive and install Fedora
on it, will formatting the drive erase this virus? Many viruses disapear
when you format the harddrive, but I don't know about this virus. Does
anyone know what virus this is?

Thanks
Yvonne

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Yvonne" <[email protected]>

| Hi!
|
| I wonder if anyone can help me and solve this problem. My neighbour has
| a virus (I think) on her machine. I really don't know what to search
| for. The problem is:
|
| First her computer started to behave strange. She tried to write
| adresses in the adressfield in Firefox, but when she put the mouse
| there, it started to write a lot of number 3's without end. She had
| Avast antivirus and did a full scan and it did find virus. It did say
| bootsectorvirus and gave her instructions to remove it. She did follow
| the instructions and then she did a full scan again and Avast said no
| viruses found. But the problem with the strange behavior was still there.
|
| I installed F-secure on her machine. When I tried to write the
| serialnumber it started with the same behavour as in Firefox. It did
| write a lot of 2's this time. I skipped using the mouse and used only
| the keyboard and it did work.
|
| I then did a full scan. I have heard that it isn't going to help to
| install a virusapplication afterswards, is it right? Anyway I did that
| since I didn't know what else to do. F-secure didn't find the virus
| either. So I really don't know what to do, since I don't know what kind
| of virus it is, the name of it etc. I wasn't there when Avast did find
| it, so all I know is that my neighbour said it was a bootvirus.
|
| Anyway, I am supposed to upgrade her computer with a larger harddrive.
| Do I have to solve the problem first, or is the problem only the
| harddrive? Also she would like to keep the harddrive and install Fedora
| on it, will formatting the drive erase this virus? Many viruses disapear
| when you format the harddrive, but I don't know about this virus. Does
| anyone know what virus this is?
|
| Thanks
| Yvonne
|

Yes, you need to resolve the problem first.
My first suggestion is to try replacing/swapping the keyboard.
My inclination is that this is NOT a virus.

 

[Dave Cohen]

From: "Yvonne" <[email protected]>

| Hi!
|
| I wonder if anyone can help me and solve this problem. My neighbour has
| a virus (I think) on her machine. I really don't know what to search
| for. The problem is:
|
| First her computer started to behave strange. She tried to write
| adresses in the adressfield in Firefox, but when she put the mouse
| there, it started to write a lot of number 3's without end. She had
| Avast antivirus and did a full scan and it did find virus. It did say
| bootsectorvirus and gave her instructions to remove it. She did follow
| the instructions and then she did a full scan again and Avast said no
| viruses found. But the problem with the strange behavior was still
there.
|
| I installed F-secure on her machine. When I tried to write the
| serialnumber it started with the same behavour as in Firefox. It did
| write a lot of 2's this time. I skipped using the mouse and used only
| the keyboard and it did work.
|
| I then did a full scan. I have heard that it isn't going to help to
| install a virusapplication afterswards, is it right? Anyway I did that
| since I didn't know what else to do. F-secure didn't find the virus
| either. So I really don't know what to do, since I don't know what kind
| of virus it is, the name of it etc. I wasn't there when Avast did find
| it, so all I know is that my neighbour said it was a bootvirus.
|
| Anyway, I am supposed to upgrade her computer with a larger harddrive.
| Do I have to solve the problem first, or is the problem only the
| harddrive? Also she would like to keep the harddrive and install Fedora
| on it, will formatting the drive erase this virus? Many viruses disapear
| when you format the harddrive, but I don't know about this virus. Does
| anyone know what virus this is?
|
| Thanks
| Yvonne
|

Yes, you need to resolve the problem first.
My first suggestion is to try replacing/swapping the keyboard.
My inclination is that this is NOT a virus.

If the keyboard is giving a problem, this should show up running any
application in xp.
A virus is a software thing (unless it attacks the bios). Thus formatting a
drive will elliminate, code fragments may be present scattered over the hd,
but will never get executed.
Dave Cohen

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Dave Cohen" <[email protected]>


| If the keyboard is giving a problem, this should show up running any
| application in xp.
| A virus is a software thing (unless it attacks the bios). Thus formatting a
| drive will elliminate, code fragments may be present scattered over the hd,
| but will never get executed.
| Dave Cohen
|


All malware are some form of software even it is like the CIH (Chernobyl) which wipes the
BIOS of an affected PC.

However, formatting a hard drive is a last-ditch effort and this draconian action should not
be performed as a knee-jerk reaction. In addition, if it was a Boot Sector infector
formatting is not the solution.

Yvonne specifically indicated "When I tried to write the serialnumber it started with the
same behavour as in Firefox." The first thing is to start with the simple tests/solutions
and from there other steps can be taken.

I really don't think it would be a smart idea to wipe a hard disk and reinstall an OS
because of a repeating key problem.

 

[Roger Wilco]

From: "Dave Cohen" <[email protected]>


| If the keyboard is giving a problem, this should show up running any
| application in xp.
| A virus is a software thing (unless it attacks the bios). Thus formatting a
| drive will elliminate, code fragments may be present scattered over the hd,
| but will never get executed.
| Dave Cohen
|


All malware are some form of software even it is like the CIH (Chernobyl) which wipes the
BIOS of an affected PC.

However, formatting a hard drive is a last-ditch effort and this draconian action should not
be performed as a knee-jerk reaction. In addition, if it was a Boot Sector infector
formatting is not the solution.

Yvonne specifically indicated "When I tried to write the serialnumber it started with the
same behavour as in Firefox." The first thing is to start with the simple tests/solutions
and from there other steps can be taken.

I really don't think it would be a smart idea to wipe a hard disk and reinstall an OS
because of a repeating key problem.

It might be good to eliminate speech to text services also.

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Roger Wilco" <[email protected]>


|
| It might be good to eliminate speech to text services also.
|

I didn't think about that one !

However, wouldn't that generate a pattern of varying chars. rather than a repeating
character ?

 

[Roger Wilco]

From: "Roger Wilco" <[email protected]>


|
| It might be good to eliminate speech to text services also.
|

I didn't think about that one !

However, wouldn't that generate a pattern of varying chars. rather than a repeating
character ?

I thought about that too, but I don't know enough about the program to
make any assumptions about what it will or will not do when active and
untrained. It is easier to eliminate than the keyboard though I think.
It's just the fact that input fields were affected this way reminded me
of that factor.