Hi.
Congratulations your computer now appears to be malware free!
Disclaimer: Given the nature of the infections that were present on the machine, I give no guarantees about the security of this computer and have to the best of my abilities tried to both identify and eradicate all malware.
Next:Now I have some tasks for your good self to carry out as part of a clean up process and some advice about online safety.
Importance of Regular System Maintenance:I advice you read both of the below listed topics as this will go a long way to keeping your Computer performing well.
Help! My computer is slow!Also so is this:
What to do if your Computer is running slowlyUninstall ComboFix:- Click on Start >> Run...
- Now type in ComboFix /Uninstall into the and click OK.
- Note the space between the X and the /Uninstall, it needs to be there.
Clean up with OTM:- Double-click OTM to start the program.
- Close all other programs apart from OTM as this step will require a reboot
- On the OTM main screen, press the CleanUp! button
- Say Yes to the prompt and then allow the program to reboot your computer.
The above process should clean up and remove the vast majority of scanners used and logs created etc.
Any left over merely delete yourself and empty the Recycle Bin.
Now some advice for on-line safety:Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware:This is a excellent application and I advise you keep this installed. Check for updates and run a scan once a week.
Other installed security software:
Your presently installed security application,
AVG automatically checks for updates and downloads/installs them with every system reboot and or periodically if the machine is left running providing a internet connection is active.
I advise you also run a complete scan with this also once per week.
Erunt:Emergency Recovery Utility NT, I advice you keep this installed as a means to keep a complete backup of your registry and restore it when needed.
Myself I would actually create a new back up once per week as this along with System Restore may prove to be invaluable if something unforeseen occurs!
Keep your system updated:Microsoft releases patches for Windows and other products regularly:
Avoid Peer to Peer software:P2P may be a great way to get lots of seemingly freeware, but it is a great way to get infected as well. There's no way to tell if the file being shared is infected. Worse still, some worms spread via P2P networks, infecting you as well. My advice avoid these types of software applications.
Hosts File:A Hosts file is like a phone book. You look up someone's name in the phone book before calling him/her. Similarly, your computer will look up the website's IP address before you can view the website.
Hosts file will replace your current Hosts file with another one containing well-known advertisement sites, spyware sites and other bad sites. This new Hosts file will protect you by re-directing these bad sites to 127.0.0.1.
Here are some Hosts files:
Only use one of the above.
Optional update:There is a new service pack for XP, namely SP3. I advise you download/install this as it will increase the security side of your system.
Download can be found
here or the CD ordered for your country
here <--scroll down to and click on 'How to obtain Windows XP Service Pack 3 on a CD'
Please read this Microsoft
article before actually installing the aforementioned service pack.
Advised Optional Installation:There is no sign of a software firewall installed on your system. Regardless if using a hardware type and or using the inbuilt Windows Service Pack 2(Or 3 if you upgrade) firewall this is a necessary application as it will also provide outbound protection where as the aforementioned do not.
I highly advise you download
ONE of the following firewalls and install it. Restart the computer for changes to take effect.
This article is a excellent resource regarding the aforementioned firewalls:
Understanding and Using FirewallsFinally a educational source:To learn more about how to protect yourself while on the internet read this article by Tony Klein:
So how did I get infected in the first place?Some consider this article outdated, personally I still think it bares relevance and the author is well respected in the Anti-Malware community and by myself also!
Any questions? Feel free to ask. if not stay safe!
