15th July 2010, 8:36 PM
My computer really is infected with something, and has been for a few weeks now. Symantec antivirus didn't stop whatever it was from getting in. I've used various programs and have managed to get rid of everything bad that they could find, but I'm definitely still infected with something and they don't seem to be finding anything useful anymore, so I'm definitely starting to worry about how deep this infection is...
Most all of the remaining symptoms (there was some worse stuff, but it's been found and removed) are internet-related -- redirecting search results, popping up Google or Yahoo search boxes when you click on things (or sometimes other pages that I close before anything seems to load in them), making it so when you try to go to websites it "fails" the first time and I have to reload several times to get the page to work, blocking Windows Update, Windows Messenger, and some other things from seeing their servers (AIM is fine), etc... these problems were all worse earlier, before I removed some stuff that has been found, but they're still there. Yes, definitely still infected. (Note that all the problems relate to the internet; when not plugged in to the internet, or when not using the web, there are no signs of problems.)
Oh, I had none of these symptoms before the first or second week of June this year, so if I had this infection before then, there was no sign of it. I assume it somehow got through around then.
I got rid of Symantec because it obviously wasn't working (and the version was a few years old anyway, though I did keep it updated), but managed to get another antivirus program installed, and also (for something less likely to be compromised) also have used AVG's free rescue CD; that latter one has been quite helpful... but obviously not comprehensive in finding things.
Oh yeah, as a side note, my old WinME computer has never gotten a virus infection worth mentioning in all of the 9 1/2 years that I have owned it. I've been using that computer some recently, in fact, to get a non-messed-up internet connection (to download and burn the AVG rescue CD, for instance)... one more reason to like the machine. :)
Most all of the remaining symptoms (there was some worse stuff, but it's been found and removed) are internet-related -- redirecting search results, popping up Google or Yahoo search boxes when you click on things (or sometimes other pages that I close before anything seems to load in them), making it so when you try to go to websites it "fails" the first time and I have to reload several times to get the page to work, blocking Windows Update, Windows Messenger, and some other things from seeing their servers (AIM is fine), etc... these problems were all worse earlier, before I removed some stuff that has been found, but they're still there. Yes, definitely still infected. (Note that all the problems relate to the internet; when not plugged in to the internet, or when not using the web, there are no signs of problems.)
Oh, I had none of these symptoms before the first or second week of June this year, so if I had this infection before then, there was no sign of it. I assume it somehow got through around then.
I got rid of Symantec because it obviously wasn't working (and the version was a few years old anyway, though I did keep it updated), but managed to get another antivirus program installed, and also (for something less likely to be compromised) also have used AVG's free rescue CD; that latter one has been quite helpful... but obviously not comprehensive in finding things.
Oh yeah, as a side note, my old WinME computer has never gotten a virus infection worth mentioning in all of the 9 1/2 years that I have owned it. I've been using that computer some recently, in fact, to get a non-messed-up internet connection (to download and burn the AVG rescue CD, for instance)... one more reason to like the machine. :)
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