Free anti-spyware/malware/virus programs

[Mahdi]

Hey everybody,

I've got something on my computer that is majorly screwing me up and, using spybot, adaware, avg, and a couple others I cannot find or kill it.  I am getting a real antivirus program BUT my dvd player is still fucked so I can't isntall the new software and that problem won't be fixed for at least a week. I don't know how much longer my computer can hold out and I cannot even reformat it because I have to burn a boot disc first and I can't do that with a broken DVD player.

Any suggestions of any free downloadable programs that might help kill my bugs?

[Andrew]

dude...

I presume you read Software Guide

Try superantispyware you tried one other time?

If you have not tried malwarebytes DO IT NOW NOW NOW. It's somewhat new program (compared to others) so malware hasn't gotten to blocking it as of last time I used it to disinfect computers.

You're actually going to buy antivirus stuff? There is non norton/mcafee programs that people pay for that is good. I forget, but maybe it was ESET.

Also what is the malware/virus doing? Popups? redirects in web browser? You're computer just seem slow with CPU being used lots? One laptop I fixed just had a corrupt program running in background all the time. I killed it and removed it and battery/CPU problem solved.

[Mahdi]

A few months ago I got somethin that at random intervals would hijack mozilla and bring me to antoher website.  I couldn't kill it but did not worry overgly much.  Then last week I was atually streaming from the CBC website (Dragons Den while I was doing some workin Excel) and that fake windows aviVirus Plus suddenly attacked. Then my entire computer shut down and windows would not load.  I got it running with last known good config, got some anti-syware programs to run immediatly upon start up (they couldn't kill it because it started up wtih windows) and restarted and killed it that way.  However, a whole bunch of other crap had gotten into my system.  Lots of different browser hijackers,s earch programs, etc.  I killed everything (or so I thought).  Then yesterday problems started up again - I did the scans, got rid of what they found, uninstalled and re-installed mozilla and IE and chrome and thought I'd cured everything.  But no, that first hijacking thing is still there, now I keep getting a spooling error and cannot use my printer, and 6 times windows wouldn't even load.

Work is paying for the anti-virus since I work from home.

[Andrew]

Once you get dvd drive working (or burn on something else, cd-rw recommended)

FREE Bootable AntiVirus Rescue CDs Download List

They should be able to attack the virus/malware without needing to load windows.

I also like dragons den.

[topos84]

Once you get DVD drive working (or burn on something else, cd-rw recommended)

FREE Bootable AntiVirus Rescue CDs Download List

They should be able to attack the virus/malware without needing to load windows.

I also like dragons den.

Also there are some 'Live CD's' in the web (.iso's) which can be written to a flash disk for booting your PC from a flash drive (you'll need to change BIOS boot settings for this), so your DVD drive will not required for this.

[gryphon]

maybe this is the time you can stop watching all that p0rn in your spare time..?

To be honest if Spybot can't find it and you have tried a number of other programs (considering those are not the mall-ware) and it's your work laptop you are talking about I'd say reinstall the thing. You are patching an broken system that's mend to be trustworthy.

[Andrew]

Yah, I'd keep work and play seperate.

Or at very least dual boot OS. Ubuntu for your porn/possible malware sites, and windows for excel/whatever ubuntu can't run

Encryption might even be helpful if it is important enough data (if it gets stolen they can't see any important data). I'm showing a friend encryption soon as some important stuff got stolen.

[Mahdi]

Ok, how did this thread turn into "Mahdi is a porn addict whose constant staring at depraved sex acts ruined his work computer"?  I was streaming Dragons Den from the CBC website.

The plan is still to re-format the entire harddrive, but I can't do that until the DVD drive is fixed, which is still many days off.

BTW, I had no seperate work computer.  I start working from this company as an independent contractor last May and bought that laptop because I didn't have any other one.  I only received a computer from work a month and a half ago and it is a 3 year old sony vaio with an 11" screen and no number pad - a bit of a problem when you work in finance.  I use it as a back up (it is what I am using now).

[Andrew]

Dragons den did have some porno type people on it before (magician had taken over strip club etc). Use firefox + adlbock+ and noscript to prevent ads that contain viruses and bad scripts from running.

You can buy USB number pad for $20. I highly recommend it if you are doing finance stuff. It is a necessity when it comes to number inputting with laptop as I have seen with a Chartered Accountant.

futureshop search

staples search

bestbuy search

newegg search

Please save your soul and get a keypad :(

[Mahdi]

I know Andrew.  I've been working in this field for 2 years now.  My soul has already been saved.  A month ago I purchased a dongel-less wireless keyboard/mouse combo to use with the tiny, crappy computer (mouse can also be used by itself with any laptop).  Still, I prefer the actual, built in keyboard and num pad of my main laptop.  It's one of the reasons I bought that laptop.  That, and the 16x9 screen which is awesome for spreadsheets.  Kinda ruins the portability have to carry around a second keyboard whenever you want to leave your desk. 

[Andrew]

numpad isn't that big. Although you state your work laptop has real numpad, so I guess not really needed (only for older laptop).

EDIT:

http://free.antivirus.com/hijackthis/

Can usually detect what processes are running, might help figure out what is going on (read FAQ).

[Gruntlord6]

Here is what I would reccomend. Get a 1gb usb flash drive and download a Ubuntu live cd. Use unetbootin to make it bootable, Launch linux on the machine and delete the windows folders. Then burn a windows 7 dvd rtm beta on a disc and use it to format windows. Once you have windows running you can use a torrent application such as vuze to download a disc for whatever OS you were running before. A good av to use is Avast, it can run boot scans of the computer, and preforms integrity checks. The paid version also provides a whole lot of features other then AV.

[Andrew]

Here is what I would reccomend. Get a 1gb usb flash drive and download a Ubuntu live cd. Use unetbootin to make it bootable, Launch linux on the machine and delete the windows folders. Then burn a windows 7 dvd rtm beta on a disc and use it to format windows. Once you have windows running you can use a torrent application such as vuze to download a disc for whatever OS you were running before. A good av to use is Avast, it can run boot scans of the computer, and preforms integrity checks. The paid version also provides a whole lot of features other then AV.

I don't think that is going to happen. I was with you up until "delete windows folder". Went downhill from there.

win7 beta/rc time is going to run out soon.

And I don't think he should use pirated software for business purposes as it could come with malware and in order to get specific OS he'd need to be on private tracker anyways. And having to deal with activation/serial is always a real PITA. Besides he already has the OS needed.

Mahdi, are you sure there isn't a partition on hard drive that contains the original OS? Most computers do have that. Usually go into programs->manufacturer->system recovery program

Although burning it to dvd first is always wise.

[gryphon]

Then burn a windows 7 dvd rtm beta on a disc and use it to format windows.

If you are considering to use that as your main OS, I thinks it's time-limited for a few more monts and then it's over.

Mahdi, for the future. My own computer is a virtual image that I can more around and keep clean. I have 3 VM images. one for my personal computer, one for work and the other one for my own work. Worst case I use a backup of one of the images. The host OS can easy be reformatted if needed.

[Mahdi]

Virtual image?

[gryphon]

A virtual machine.

Personally I prefer VMware, then Microsoft Virtual PC and Virtual Box are both free and technically an even match.

[Andrew]

I've used virtualbox on ubuntu for winxp. Fun for diagnosing viruses and some other windows apps. It's available for windows as well. Some people on ubuntu have virtualbox setup to start on it's own in it's own workspace, so they pretty much have two OS running at once to do different stuff.

There are programs that once you get windows up and running the way you need it (from a fresh format/install), you can create an image from that, and then if you get infected, just wipe and start over from image (not necessarily inside a virtual machine AFAIK).

I forget which program it is exactly, but I hear lots of people using that method to clean computers. Grandma gets a virus and BAM, delete it and put in original image so it's like new within minutes. No need to reinstall all your apps etc. It would be like windows restore, but fully restoring the entire OS/apps/data to a previous state. I think norton ghost was one, but I'm pretty sure there are freeware options.

I've used nlite for winxp, but I think that is different as it just creates custom installer.

[Mahdi]

That sounds handy.  Do you just store the image on your external drive?

[Andrew]

If talking about virtual images, you can store them on hard drive (probably anywhere).

So take virtualbox for example (only one I used). you'd have your regular windows install to hard drive, and install virtualbox program.

Here's some info for ubuntu, but should be similar for windows. Lots of pics that should explain basics:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/VirtualBox/FirstVM

Where it picks .iso image, you would use your DVD backup discs I think (not sure how it handles multiple disks).

With the last screenshot on that page, you would install your OS, get all your apps and stuff running, then "save state/session" and it would make basically a bookmark so that if in future you get virus you can go back to when you last saved it.

I'm not sure how well a laptop would handle running two OS at once. Probably not too bad as long as you don't got lots of stuff running at once. You're laptop has a dual core processor? Lots of ram (2gb minimum)?

If gryphon knows more about real images (non virtual), I'd go that route instead of having lots of virtualOS running on top of your currrent OS.

[Gruntlord6]

I don't think that is going to happen. I was with you up until "delete windows folder". Went downhill from there.

win7 beta/rc time is going to run out soon.

And I don't think he should use pirated software for business purposes as it could come with malware and in order to get specific OS he'd need to be on private tracker anyways. And having to deal with activation/serial is always a real PITA. Besides he already has the OS needed.

Mahdi, are you sure there isn't a partition on hard drive that contains the original OS? Most computers do have that. Usually go into programs->manufacturer->system recovery program

Although burning it to dvd first is always wise.

He legally owns a licence to use the copy of windows, he can just use his COA.

the RTM lasts another year, and its only temporary.

At this point you should assume his entire hard disc is infected as hes been going at this for a while, ther fore it would be wise to delete the files before they can infect ubuntu`s windows 7 iso.

[Andrew]

Via slashdot discussion on sysinternals

SelfImage

SelfImage is capable of making an image file of a hard disk or hard disk partition, and can restore an image back to any drive or partition that doesn't have open files.  Useful for making backups.  Unlike dd for Windows (or cygwin), SelfImage is capable of creating an image of a partition that is currently in use.

Could be used once you format and get things setup.

disk2vhd might be of use.

[D2k Sardaukar]

Yeah, just watch your "fancy" girls on virtual pc (get one of these free windows: http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=21eabb90-958f-4b64-b5f1-73d0a413c8ef&displaylang=en) and when things start to act weird, delete the whole virtual hdd and install it again fresh. Your main pc does not get infected or does not crash if something goes wrong in virtual pc.  :)

[Gruntlord6]

Yeah, just watch your "fancy" girls on virtual pc (get one of these free windows: http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=21eabb90-958f-4b64-b5f1-73d0a413c8ef&displaylang=en) and when things start to act weird, delete the whole virtual hdd and install it again fresh. Your main pc does not get infected or does not crash if something goes wrong in virtual pc.  :)

I love how we all assume he was watching porn.