Can anyone recommend a useful free anti-virus program?

[danny_galaga]

My freebie XP laptop is in dire straights. This morning I booted it up. First thing I noticed was a dialog box for the wireless connection was open. Then Avast said it had updated its data base. I went to click on something, and it didn't open, but remained highlighted. Strange, so I clicked on something else and now they BOTH remained highlighted. Then a third thing. Clicking something else unhighlighted them again. I hit CTRL ALT DELETE to see what was happening. When it opened, the help dialog opened. I clicked that closed, and it started multiplying. Soon all sort of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- were opening up and multiplying!

The guy I got this off had a friend freshen it up before he gave it to me. He told him that there was a virus he had trouble getting rid of. I guess he never did!

It's a damn hard problem to google. You can imagine that if I google 'virus multiplying help', i get lots of hits for West Nile Virus etc

Also, for a little while anything I typed was in some other text (like wing dings or something). I've just removed MSN explorer and Outlook Express, which I'd been meaning to do, since they are useless and I recall are useful exploits for some virii. I want to get to system restore as well right now, it won't help the virus of course, but I just want to put a short cut on the desk top. But now another problem is that things won't stay open long enough in menus to select them!

Any chance anyone knows what virus this is?

More importantly, can anyone recommend any useful free anti virus software? I managed to scan the whole machine with Avast just now, which doesn't see a problem, so obviously don't recommend THAT to me  I used to use AVG, but I don't recall if it was actually any good. If no one has a better idea, that's what I'll go with though...

[Samstag]

Take off and nuke the laptop from orbit.

It's the only way to be sure.

[Howard_Casto]

Ok something we need to clarify. 

There's anti-virus programs, there's resident shields, there's anti-malware programs, and there's mal-ware removal tools. 

For your initial problem you probably just need to wipe the drive unless you have a lot setup on it. 

What you want is a program that has a really strong resident shield and antivirus.  The resident shield will catch stuff before it's ever loaded onto your computer.  The antis virus will find any dormant files that the alert didn't catch.  This is what AVG is good for... it's quite good at catching stuff before you launch it or before a webpage run an active-x or java exploit.  However once a virus gets launched, it'll probably install malware, which is NOT the same as the virus itself.  None of your major anti-virus programs are very good at catching malware once it's been ran.  So basically once you are infected, you have to manually use more hardware mallware/rootkit removal tools.  They are often a pain in the butt, thus why I suggest just wiping the hdd for an inital fresh start. 

So yeah, I still prefer avg if the machine can handle it.  Microsoft's free tools/shields would be your next best bet.  Avast is pretty crappy imho, but your mileage will vary. 

[Gray_Area]

Treat any non-indigenous drive as contaminated. Wipe it, and install. Next, read and re-read Howard's thread. Look round at CNET and stuff on different programs.

[Dervacumen]

Don't recognize those symptoms so I can't help with ID.
Try setting Avast to scan upon system startup then reboot.   I've had success with it finding things is didn't otherwise detect.

Otherwise:

I would run hijack this! first and remove anything that was obvious.  If you aren't comfortable using hijack this!, skip it and run spybot search and destroy.  Then follow it up with a full scan using AVG, Avast, or better yet go to www.kaspersky.com and download a 30 day free trial and use that.

I used to use AVG and liked it a lot.  Then some more recent versions bombarded me with nag screens so I switched to Avast.  I've been using Avast on all my machines for about three years now.  I've been happy with it.

[willybeamish]

If your hung on not restoring.. Look into running Rkill and then malwarebytes and superantispyware. Or see if you can do the same in safe mode. Also running a live Cd might be good too... Can't think off the top of my head who offers a good one thou.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

[ark_ader]

Well my suggestion is to go out and buy a product off the shelf like mcafee.  Stay away from norton as it can slow your machine down.

Buy cheap or free and you will get what you pay for with some unnecessary risk thrown in at to boot (  ).

[SNAAKE]

+1 for avg

been protecting my a$s for years

[Howard_Casto]

Also, I'm not trying to start a which anti-virus is better war or anything, but back when I used to do house calls for pcs, I'd say 80% of the time if they had a horrible virus/malware the machine had McAffe on it.  The other 20% of the time it's Norton.  Of course norton was always turned off because it takes up so many resources, so there you go. 

AVG's excellent resident shield makes up for things that it make lack in other departments.  Also it's free, so if you don't like it you've lost nothing. 

[jmike]

I used to have AVG but it didn't catch certain things, plus ran slow when scanning.
I highly recommend Avast. You can even do a boot scan.
(Plus its free if you register)
 

[lilshawn]

i have to agree, nuke it. you need to start fresh, but you also have to realize that people are making all sorts of viruses all the time. blindly clicking things during installs and in websites is BAAAAAD. ALWAYS attempt to dismiss a dialog box using the "X" in the corner if one is provided...otherwise, ctrl+alt+del and kill the process. just because it says no or cancel doesn't mean it's not going to do it anyways.

you need to secure yourself with multiple programs and at multiple points to keep secure.

it really starts with a good firewall. when a virus gets on your computer the first thing it does is try to spread itself around. a good firewall (properly set up) will prevent it's spread.

another thing a virus or malware does is attempt to contact a central server to uplod info or download more malware or viruses...again a good firewall will prevent this.

the next thing you'll find is viruses and malware will change system files...this is where a resident shield comes in. it's going to monitor for changes to files and stop and alert you if things look fishy. (why is a program trying to overwrite the task manager?)

sounds like you have a combo malware and virus. the virus has gotten in, installed itself and overwritten the task manager so when you ctrl+alt+del, you load the malware.

kill the laptop with fire. reload.

update and scan ALL computer connected to your network.

hope for the best

[DaOld Man]

I would like to recommend "FPROT". Its not free, but it is the best I have come across. It uses very few resources and you can (legally) use it on up to 5 machines. For 29 shucks a year.
Ive been using it for over 7 years, and no major viruses. And I dont even know it is running, unlike a lot of the "free" antiviruses.
(NOTE: I "fix" a lot of machines for folks, and I have "fixed" a lot of machines that have a free anti-virus program, such as AVGFree.)

www.f-prot.com

Sub note: I have nothing to gain from suggesting F-Prot, but if you would like to send me money or real estate for pointing you in the right direction, then by all means, feel free to do so.

[Dawgz Rule]

Download malwarebytes and be sure to get the latest update.  There is a way to manually install the update if that proves to be problematic.  Also download and run ComboFix.  As was previously recommneded, RKill.  AVG is good and I also like Microsoft Security Essentials.  No reason to spend money on subscription based AV...plenty of good free stuff out there.

[hypernova]

Like others have said, if there's nothing on there that you need to keep, I'd format right away.  If you do have stuff you need to have access to, use the above suggestions, and do your best to back up what you need, and do it fast.

Then format it.  Yes.  Format it regardless of whether you get everything taken care of.  Because if it's one of those viruses/malware that just never seem to go away no matter what you throw at it, you certainly don't want to spend your time over and over again in the future on what could be the same ugly beast rearing its head.  Alot of the times, you can think you got everything, but you later find out it's just hiding, waiting for you to open other types of files.  Pretty much everything can be eradicated with enough diligence and research, but some of those infections are just not worth the time and effort because they are so cleverly and deviously written, and it could turn out that you actually do save time by just starting from scratch.

[Goz]

Microsoft Security Essentials works great for me but I surf porn and warez on my Nix and Mac machines.

[lilshawn]

cause macs are totally virus proof 

[danny_galaga]

i have to agree, nuke it. you need to start fresh, but you also have to realize that people are making all sorts of viruses all the time. blindly clicking things during installs and in websites is BAAAAAD. ALWAYS attempt to dismiss a dialog box using the "X" in the corner if one is provided...otherwise, ctrl+alt+del and kill the process. just because it says no or cancel doesn't mean it's not going to do it anyways.

you need to secure yourself with multiple programs and at multiple points to keep secure.

it really starts with a good firewall. when a virus gets on your computer the first thing it does is try to spread itself around. a good firewall (properly set up) will prevent it's spread.

another thing a virus or malware does is attempt to contact a central server to uplod info or download more malware or viruses...again a good firewall will prevent this.

the next thing you'll find is viruses and malware will change system files...this is where a resident shield comes in. it's going to monitor for changes to files and stop and alert you if things look fishy. (why is a program trying to overwrite the task manager?)

sounds like you have a combo malware and virus. the virus has gotten in, installed itself and overwritten the task manager so when you ctrl+alt+del, you load the malware.

kill the laptop with fire. reload.

update and scan ALL computer connected to your network.

hope for the best

A guy on a local forum has a nice copy of XP, so I'll be going to his place for a reformat soon (",)  This is what I used to do with my PC. I actually bought XP Pro and started from fresh with that. But when it comes to OS's with spurious credentials (ARRRRR!  ) I've never had much luck. My MAME cab was a real pig to try and get XP working on properly. I might have to see if I can't borrow my innernet friends disk for a day. Reformat is the best way, just that when I posted this, I didn't hold much hope of doing a proper re-install.

cause macs are totally virus proof 

Pretty much     My Mac is running fine, without a worry in the world.  But bloody useless when it comes to hobbies like this. Not to say it isn't possible for a Mac to get a virus (don't they regularly do that at hacker-con or summink?), but it's not relentless like with Windows. That ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- wears you down. I picked up this freebie laptop from a workmate, so I can run hobbyist files. Specifically, I used it to put files on a hard drive for my soft modded Wii. The guy got his friend to clean it up before he gave it to me. He mentioned in passing that he had trouble getting rid of a virus. Guess he never did 

This laptop isn't for surfing the net, or as little as possible anyway. I think virtually all I used it for was to download firefox, and then I installed http://wbfsmanager.codeplex.com, which needed an updated .NET Framework 3.5 SP1. It's why I couldn't use my MAME cab- it's not hooked up to the net, nor do I want it to be. An isolated MS system is a safe system 

In short, Mac not being able to do hobby stuff smoothly (or at all) wears me down. Windows always being attacked with a multitude of virii from a-holes wears me down. Having both systems (physically, or dual-boot) is the way to harmony (",)

[nexusmtz]

This problem sounds more like a bad keyboard/trakpad/mouse than a virus. Strange characters, and selecting multiple icons are both possible with a stuck CTRL key. Boot with a live linux CD and ensure that the hardware is good before going too crazy on the virus angle.

[danny_galaga]

This problem sounds more like a bad keyboard/trakpad/mouse than a virus. Strange characters, and selecting multiple icons are both possible with a stuck CTRL key. Boot with a live linux CD and ensure that the hardware is good before going too crazy on the virus angle.

Well I'll be! I wonder if that was it? I haven't touched it for a week. Just started it up and it seems fine. I am pretty sure the USB keyboard I am using is fine. If the laptop keyboard is sticking, can it be disabled somehow?

[lilshawn]

ever seen the 1969 movie "Andromeda Strain"?

Just a minute, Dr. Robertson.
You're saying Stone's $90 million facility, which you recommended,was knocked out by a sliver of paper?
You tell that to the taxpayers.!

These were highly-trained electronics men, Senator, looking for an electronic fault.
The trouble was purely mechanical of the simplest kind.
But for them, it was like trying to see an elephant through a microscope.
The sliver had peeled from the roll...
and wedged between the bell and striker, preventing the bell from ringing.

[danny_galaga]

ever seen the 1969 movie "Andromeda Strain"?

Just a minute, Dr. Robertson.
You're saying Stone's $90 million facility, which you recommended,was knocked out by a sliver of paper?
You tell that to the taxpayers.!

These were highly-trained electronics men, Senator, looking for an electronic fault.
The trouble was purely mechanical of the simplest kind.
But for them, it was like trying to see an elephant through a microscope.
The sliver had peeled from the roll...
and wedged between the bell and striker, preventing the bell from ringing.

[Player 3]

For anyone saying, "nuke it," just hold the zero key while booting it up to enact in a factory setting process. No need to bother with a disc.

In short, Mac not being able to do hobby stuff smoothly (or at all) wears me down. Windows always being attacked with a multitude of virii from a-holes wears me down. Having both systems (physically, or dual-boot) is the way to harmony (",)

Hm, both being rather expensive operating systems, one with closed and less support and the other with a "multitude of viruses." Sounds like a lose-lose situation to me. How about a third option, as much as I hate being that kind of guy?

[DaOld Man]

This problem sounds more like a bad keyboard/trakpad/mouse than a virus. Strange characters, and selecting multiple icons are both possible with a stuck CTRL key. Boot with a live linux CD and ensure that the hardware is good before going too crazy on the virus angle.

Well I'll be! I wonder if that was it? I haven't touched it for a week. Just started it up and it seems fine. I am pretty sure the USB keyboard I am using is fine. If the laptop keyboard is sticking, can it be disabled somehow?

You can most likely find a replacement keyboard on ebay, they are not very high, and search the net for a how-to video to learn how to change it out. Not really hard, on most lappies anyway.
And if you build arcade machines, you surely can replace a lappie keyboard. (Did I just call you surely?)

[danny_galaga]

This problem sounds more like a bad keyboard/trakpad/mouse than a virus. Strange characters, and selecting multiple icons are both possible with a stuck CTRL key. Boot with a live linux CD and ensure that the hardware is good before going too crazy on the virus angle.

Well I'll be! I wonder if that was it? I haven't touched it for a week. Just started it up and it seems fine. I am pretty sure the USB keyboard I am using is fine. If the laptop keyboard is sticking, can it be disabled somehow?

You can most likely find a replacement keyboard on ebay, they are not very high, and search the net for a how-to video to learn how to change it out. Not really hard, on most lappies anyway.
And if you build arcade machines, you surely can replace a lappie keyboard. (Did I just call you surely?)

Hmmm, that could be an option. I was happy just using a USB keyboard (laptop was given to me because the letter N doesn't work anymore), but for a few bux, it could be worth looking in to.

And yes, I can build an arcade machine, but that's just wood and steel. If you look at some of my past posts, you'll see all sorts of retarded questions being asked   I'm terrible at things that aren't physically tangible...

[danny_galaga]

Thanks for the tips guys. It continued to be weird periodically, so I looked on youtube to see how to remove the keyboard. Piece of cake. So I took it out, disconnected it, and put it back in to keep the air flowing the right way. Works perfectly now (",)