Can't handle infected PC. Please Help!

Can't handle infected PC. Please Help!
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Subject Author Date
Can't handle infected PC. Please Help! Slun4eva 04-15-2006
Posted by =?Utf-8?B?U2x1bjRldmE=?= on April 15, 2006, 6:32 am
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Hi,
I'd be very grateful of s.o. could offer a solution to my problem. Yesterday
I got a message that my Mozilla firefox had installed an update and asked for
restart, which I unsuspectingly did. Then the problems began. My PC sort of
blocked and did not want to close any applications, nor call the Task manager
bar, but finally, today I managed to shut down and restart. I tried to check
for viruses with my Adware and eTrust EZ antivirus, but they were blocked
and as a consequence all the icons of all my programs turned inactive ( as
if windows does not recognise them). If I try to start e.g. e-explorer, the
following box appears:

Windows cannot open this file:
To open this file windows needs to know what program created it...... etc.

I can't open anything except for some PPT, word, mp3, etc. documents. ANy
links to internet explorer, as well as the explorer itself, are inactive. I
can't even burn my data on a CD, because the Nero burnng rom is also inactive
and can't open. I managed to transfer only part of the data on USB stick.
Only the Mozilla Firefox works currently.
I can't download any malware programs, because they appear unrecognised by
the system. Could any of you please give me advice on what may be the malware
that I caught and how to proceed on. I am, as you've probably read between
the lines, not very good at computers and computer language, so a more
detailed explanation, from whoever has the time, would be helpful. Thanx in
advance for taking the time!

Posted by Malke on April 15, 2006, 9:41 am
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Slun4eva wrote:

> Hi,
> I'd be very grateful of s.o. could offer a solution to my problem.
> Yesterday I got a message that my Mozilla firefox had installed an
> update and asked for restart, which I unsuspectingly did. Then the
> problems began. My PC sort of blocked and did not want to close any
> applications, nor call the Task manager bar, but finally, today I
> managed to shut down and restart. I tried to check for viruses with my
> Adware and eTrust EZ antivirus, but they were blocked and as a
> consequence all the icons of all my programs turned inactive ( as if
> windows does not recognise them). If I try to start e.g. e-explorer,
> the following box appears:
>
> Windows cannot open this file:
> To open this file windows needs to know what program created it......
> etc.
>
> I can't open anything except for some PPT, word, mp3, etc. documents.
> ANy links to internet explorer, as well as the explorer itself, are
> inactive. I can't even burn my data on a CD, because the Nero burnng
> rom is also inactive and can't open. I managed to transfer only part
> of the data on USB stick. Only the Mozilla Firefox works currently.
> I can't download any malware programs, because they appear
> unrecognised by the system. Could any of you please give me advice on
> what may be the malware that I caught and how to proceed on. I am, as
> you've probably read between the lines, not very good at computers and
> computer language, so a more detailed explanation, from whoever has
> the time, would be helpful. Thanx in advance for taking the time!

I have no idea what you installed or what happened. Things to try:

1. Probably you'll have the same troubles in Safe Mode, but you should
try anyway. Do this by repeatedly tapping the F8 key as the computer is
starting up. This will get you to the right menu. Navigate using your
Up arrow key; the mouse will not work here.

2. If you can get into Safe Mode, try doing a System Restore to before
the problem started. If you can't run anything in Safe Mode, try
booting into Safe Mode Command Prompt. Then at the command prompt, do:

c:\Windows\System32\restore\rstrui.exe [enter]

to start System Restore. If you can run System Restore from the command
line but the issues aren't fixed, you can run antivirus/antimalware
programs that way. Whether you are comfortable working without a
graphical user interface (command line only) is a determination that
only you can make.

3. If that doesn't work, you can try booting into Last Known Good
Configuration (same way you got to Safe Mode).

4. If that doesn't work, I'd suggest taking the computer to a
professional computer repair shop. It is completely possible to
retrieve your data and perhaps even fix the computer, but that will
need to be done outside of Windows using a rescue system such as
Knoppix, a Bart's PE, or ERD Commander (expensive). Since you say you
aren't computer-savvy (and it is wise to know your skill level), I
don't believe you'll be able to do this yourself.

Malke
--
MS-MVP Windows User/Shell
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic"

Posted by =?Utf-8?B?U2x1bjRldmE=?= on April 15, 2006, 1:45 pm
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Thank you very much for your detailed answer. I will try as far as the second
step, because I am not sure I can handle further.
I appologise for posting improperly. It was an ignorant mistake.
"Malke" wrote:

> Slun4eva wrote:
>
> > Hi,
> > I'd be very grateful of s.o. could offer a solution to my problem.
> > Yesterday I got a message that my Mozilla firefox had installed an
> > update and asked for restart, which I unsuspectingly did. Then the
> > problems began. My PC sort of blocked and did not want to close any
> > applications, nor call the Task manager bar, but finally, today I
> > managed to shut down and restart. I tried to check for viruses with my
> > Adware and eTrust EZ antivirus, but they were blocked and as a
> > consequence all the icons of all my programs turned inactive ( as if
> > windows does not recognise them). If I try to start e.g. e-explorer,
> > the following box appears:
> >
> > Windows cannot open this file:
> > To open this file windows needs to know what program created it......
> > etc.
> >
> > I can't open anything except for some PPT, word, mp3, etc. documents.
> > ANy links to internet explorer, as well as the explorer itself, are
> > inactive. I can't even burn my data on a CD, because the Nero burnng
> > rom is also inactive and can't open. I managed to transfer only part
> > of the data on USB stick. Only the Mozilla Firefox works currently.
> > I can't download any malware programs, because they appear
> > unrecognised by the system. Could any of you please give me advice on
> > what may be the malware that I caught and how to proceed on. I am, as
> > you've probably read between the lines, not very good at computers and
> > computer language, so a more detailed explanation, from whoever has
> > the time, would be helpful. Thanx in advance for taking the time!
>
> I have no idea what you installed or what happened. Things to try:
>
> 1. Probably you'll have the same troubles in Safe Mode, but you should
> try anyway. Do this by repeatedly tapping the F8 key as the computer is
> starting up. This will get you to the right menu. Navigate using your
> Up arrow key; the mouse will not work here.
>
> 2. If you can get into Safe Mode, try doing a System Restore to before
> the problem started. If you can't run anything in Safe Mode, try
> booting into Safe Mode Command Prompt. Then at the command prompt, do:
>
> c:\Windows\System32\restore\rstrui.exe [enter]
>
> to start System Restore. If you can run System Restore from the command
> line but the issues aren't fixed, you can run antivirus/antimalware
> programs that way. Whether you are comfortable working without a
> graphical user interface (command line only) is a determination that
> only you can make.
>
> 3. If that doesn't work, you can try booting into Last Known Good
> Configuration (same way you got to Safe Mode).
>
> 4. If that doesn't work, I'd suggest taking the computer to a
> professional computer repair shop. It is completely possible to
> retrieve your data and perhaps even fix the computer, but that will
> need to be done outside of Windows using a rescue system such as
> Knoppix, a Bart's PE, or ERD Commander (expensive). Since you say you
> aren't computer-savvy (and it is wise to know your skill level), I
> don't believe you'll be able to do this yourself.
>
> Malke
> --
> MS-MVP Windows User/Shell
> Elephant Boy Computers
> www.elephantboycomputers.com
> "Don't Panic"
>

Posted by Patrick Dickey on April 15, 2006, 9:21 pm
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
Slun4eva wrote:
> Thank you very much for your detailed answer. I will try as far as the second
> step, because I am not sure I can handle further.
> I appologise for posting improperly. It was an ignorant mistake.
> "Malke" wrote:
>
>> Slun4eva wrote:
>>
>>> Hi,
>>> I'd be very grateful of s.o. could offer a solution to my problem.
>>> Yesterday I got a message that my Mozilla firefox had installed an
>>> update and asked for restart, which I unsuspectingly did. Then the
>>> problems began. My PC sort of blocked and did not want to close any
>>> applications, nor call the Task manager bar, but finally, today I
>>> managed to shut down and restart. I tried to check for viruses with my
>>> Adware and eTrust EZ antivirus, but they were blocked and as a
>>> consequence all the icons of all my programs turned inactive ( as if
>>> windows does not recognise them). If I try to start e.g. e-explorer,
>>> the following box appears:
>>>
>>> Windows cannot open this file:
>>> To open this file windows needs to know what program created it......
>>> etc.
>>>
>>> I can't open anything except for some PPT, word, mp3, etc. documents.
>>> ANy links to internet explorer, as well as the explorer itself, are
>>> inactive. I can't even burn my data on a CD, because the Nero burnng
>>> rom is also inactive and can't open. I managed to transfer only part
>>> of the data on USB stick. Only the Mozilla Firefox works currently.
>>> I can't download any malware programs, because they appear
>>> unrecognised by the system. Could any of you please give me advice on
>>> what may be the malware that I caught and how to proceed on. I am, as
>>> you've probably read between the lines, not very good at computers and
>>> computer language, so a more detailed explanation, from whoever has
>>> the time, would be helpful. Thanx in advance for taking the time!
>> I have no idea what you installed or what happened. Things to try:
>>
>> 1. Probably you'll have the same troubles in Safe Mode, but you should
>> try anyway. Do this by repeatedly tapping the F8 key as the computer is
>> starting up. This will get you to the right menu. Navigate using your
>> Up arrow key; the mouse will not work here.
>>
>> 2. If you can get into Safe Mode, try doing a System Restore to before
>> the problem started. If you can't run anything in Safe Mode, try
>> booting into Safe Mode Command Prompt. Then at the command prompt, do:
>>
>> c:\Windows\System32\restore\rstrui.exe [enter]
>>
>> to start System Restore. If you can run System Restore from the command
>> line but the issues aren't fixed, you can run antivirus/antimalware
>> programs that way. Whether you are comfortable working without a
>> graphical user interface (command line only) is a determination that
>> only you can make.
>>
>> 3. If that doesn't work, you can try booting into Last Known Good
>> Configuration (same way you got to Safe Mode).
>>
>> 4. If that doesn't work, I'd suggest taking the computer to a
>> professional computer repair shop. It is completely possible to
>> retrieve your data and perhaps even fix the computer, but that will
>> need to be done outside of Windows using a rescue system such as
>> Knoppix, a Bart's PE, or ERD Commander (expensive). Since you say you
>> aren't computer-savvy (and it is wise to know your skill level), I
>> don't believe you'll be able to do this yourself.
>>
>> Malke
>> --
>> MS-MVP Windows User/Shell
>> Elephant Boy Computers
>> www.elephantboycomputers.com
>> "Don't Panic"
>>

I won't add anything more to what Malke said, because she summed it up
perfectly. But, I do want to say that you didn't post anything
improperly. In fact, IMHO (In My Humble Opinion) you gave clearer and
more concise information then 85% of the posters here. You knew what
the last thing you installed was, and described the problems fairly well.

Patrick.

Posted by =?Utf-8?B?U2x1bjRldmE=?= on April 17, 2006, 3:12 am
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
Dear PAtrick,
Thank you for your empathic message, which is always welcome for strangers
to the computer world like me :)
But I did actually make a mistake by multiposting instead of cross-posting,
which Malke pointed to me in a very polite way.
Best wishes,
Slavyana

"Patrick Dickey" wrote:

> Slun4eva wrote:
> > Thank you very much for your detailed answer. I will try as far as the
second
> > step, because I am not sure I can handle further.
> > I appologise for posting improperly. It was an ignorant mistake.
> > "Malke" wrote:
> >
> >> Slun4eva wrote:
> >>
> >>> Hi,
> >>> I'd be very grateful of s.o. could offer a solution to my problem.
> >>> Yesterday I got a message that my Mozilla firefox had installed an
> >>> update and asked for restart, which I unsuspectingly did. Then the
> >>> problems began. My PC sort of blocked and did not want to close any
> >>> applications, nor call the Task manager bar, but finally, today I
> >>> managed to shut down and restart. I tried to check for viruses with my
> >>> Adware and eTrust EZ antivirus, but they were blocked and as a
> >>> consequence all the icons of all my programs turned inactive ( as if
> >>> windows does not recognise them). If I try to start e.g. e-explorer,
> >>> the following box appears:
> >>>
> >>> Windows cannot open this file:
> >>> To open this file windows needs to know what program created it......
> >>> etc.
> >>>
> >>> I can't open anything except for some PPT, word, mp3, etc. documents.
> >>> ANy links to internet explorer, as well as the explorer itself, are
> >>> inactive. I can't even burn my data on a CD, because the Nero burnng
> >>> rom is also inactive and can't open. I managed to transfer only part
> >>> of the data on USB stick. Only the Mozilla Firefox works currently.
> >>> I can't download any malware programs, because they appear
> >>> unrecognised by the system. Could any of you please give me advice on
> >>> what may be the malware that I caught and how to proceed on. I am, as
> >>> you've probably read between the lines, not very good at computers and
> >>> computer language, so a more detailed explanation, from whoever has
> >>> the time, would be helpful. Thanx in advance for taking the time!
> >> I have no idea what you installed or what happened. Things to try:
> >>
> >> 1. Probably you'll have the same troubles in Safe Mode, but you should
> >> try anyway. Do this by repeatedly tapping the F8 key as the computer is
> >> starting up. This will get you to the right menu. Navigate using your
> >> Up arrow key; the mouse will not work here.
> >>
> >> 2. If you can get into Safe Mode, try doing a System Restore to before
> >> the problem started. If you can't run anything in Safe Mode, try
> >> booting into Safe Mode Command Prompt. Then at the command prompt, do:
> >>
> >> c:\Windows\System32\restore\rstrui.exe [enter]
> >>
> >> to start System Restore. If you can run System Restore from the command
> >> line but the issues aren't fixed, you can run antivirus/antimalware
> >> programs that way. Whether you are comfortable working without a
> >> graphical user interface (command line only) is a determination that
> >> only you can make.
> >>
> >> 3. If that doesn't work, you can try booting into Last Known Good
> >> Configuration (same way you got to Safe Mode).
> >>
> >> 4. If that doesn't work, I'd suggest taking the computer to a
> >> professional computer repair shop. It is completely possible to
> >> retrieve your data and perhaps even fix the computer, but that will
> >> need to be done outside of Windows using a rescue system such as
> >> Knoppix, a Bart's PE, or ERD Commander (expensive). Since you say you
> >> aren't computer-savvy (and it is wise to know your skill level), I
> >> don't believe you'll be able to do this yourself.
> >>
> >> Malke
> >> --
> >> MS-MVP Windows User/Shell
> >> Elephant Boy Computers
> >> www.elephantboycomputers.com
> >> "Don't Panic"
> >>
>
> I won't add anything more to what Malke said, because she summed it up
> perfectly. But, I do want to say that you didn't post anything
> improperly. In fact, IMHO (In My Humble Opinion) you gave clearer and
> more concise information then 85% of the posters here. You knew what
> the last thing you installed was, and described the problems fairly well.
>
> Patrick.
>

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