Help, my dad's pc has been hijacked

snowdog

snowdog

snowdog

Soldato
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The desktop keeps chaning into, your pc has been infected with spyware click here to buy blahblah.
Basicly I can't do anything now, ctrl alt del is disabled and when I try gpedit it says I dont have the rights so I have no idea how to terminate the evil process.


adaware scan: ''removed'' 2 things, but useless, same things show up the scan after.
Spybot: removed like 10 things, but they all come back next scan.

When taskman was still re-enabalable ( gpedit.msc still worked) and when I terminated everything but the 16 windows essentials, the problems were gone (untill next boot that is of course), but I don't know what the stupid process was that caused the problems. And somehow the adware was smart enough to detect I used GPedit to re-eanble the task manager and it ****ed that too.

Is there a better anti spyware app than spybot or adaware, perhaps something dos based, that can truly terminate the like 5 adware and spyware apps that keep coming back and can't be removed in windows?

An app that terminates processes ( so I don't have to find a way to use taskman) would be handy too.
And does anyone know how to get gpedit.msc back, it starts but it gives an error about the policy's being disabled or not allowed acces to or something (can't recall)?
 
Caged said:
Format and reinstall.
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No and no.I can't understand why people even say this, a format is the worst thing u can do. It took both me and my dad years to get windows working like we want it, eg. my dads windows now starts on anything, it boots on ages old via chipsets and on the newest nvidia and intel chipsets, it just boots on any via, uli, nvidia and intel chipset now ( not sis though), same as my windows has over 200 installed apps now I would not dare to reinstall all.

It took him ages to mess with the install to get it to work on pretty much all hardware configs and he hates any (fresh) install not booting on some hardware config, since he messes with his pc at least twice a month ( 4 mobo changes infact this month)...


Reinstall is, and will never ever be an option for me and prolly same for my dad. (unless no other way, eg. hdd's and backups of windows died)
Format the more not, I've never in my pc life formatted an hdd, I still have files form ''96 on my pc and I'd like to keep em ( and yep my file system is still fat32)...


hijackthis
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ta, will try it

A mate suggested hitman pro to me, has anyone heard of it and is it any gd ?
 
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since he messes with his pc at least twice a month ( 4 mobo changes infact this month)...
Click to expand...

4 Motherboards changes and not a single reinstall... and people wonder why there computer doesn't run correctly.
 
snowdog said:
No and no.I can't understand why people even say this, a format is the worst thing u can do. It took both me and my dad years to get windows working like we want it, eg. my dads windows now starts on anything, it boots on ages old via chipsets and on the newest nvidia and intel chipsets, it just boots on any via, uli, nvidia and intel chipset now ( not sis though), same as my windows has over 200 installed apps now I would not dare to reinstall all.

It took him ages to mess with the install to get it to work on pretty much all hardware configs and he hates any (fresh) install not booting on some hardware config, since he messes with his pc at least twice a month ( 4 mobo changes infact this month)...


Reinstall is, and will never ever be an option for me and prolly same for my dad. (unless no other way, eg. hdd's and backups of windows died)
Format the more not, I've never in my pc life formatted an hdd, I still have files form ''96 on my pc and I'd like to keep em ( and yep my file system is still fat32)...




ta, will try it

A mate suggested hitman pro to me, has anyone heard of it and is it any gd ?
Click to expand...

I'm not being annoying but a format is the best thing when it comes to Windows in general. Whatever's gotten in has screwed something up and more problems will arise. As for swapping motherboards in and out, not the best idea really. A re-install is always almost a must when messing around with motherboads (unless they are similar chipsets, you can get away with that).

Good luck sorting it out though, virus scans and spyware scans in safe mode are the best way to get the business done. I'd try at least 5 seperate spyware scanners as well just to be sure.
 
Caged said:
Because your PC is shafted. Like you said you have backups, so just reinstall and restore the files.
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No it's not shafted, there are just a few evil apps installed.
It aint just files...

Antihero said:
4 Motherboards changes and not a single reinstall... and people wonder why there computer doesn't run correctly.
Click to expand...

A myth told by people who believe just about anything without trying the opposide to see if it's true, experience has taught me otherwise, my xp install is fine, performs like it should and is nippy, while I've had at least 8 mobo's on this ( although mine only had nforce and intels always, never a via or other).

My dad's install must have had at least 30 different boards by now, if not more, it was originally installed on some pentium 3 via chipset system iirc.
(now it's an p35 system with an E8400)

Your stement makes no sence either, the pc has been fine for a week on the current config, and it has been for the years on the previous many configs, untill my dad decided to go to dodgy sites for free xxx while having no anti spyware or anti virus installed.

I'm not being annoying but a format is the best thing when it comes to Windows in general. Whatever's gotten in has screwed something up and more problems will arise. As for swapping motherboards in and out, not the best idea really. A re-install is always almost a must when messing around with motherboads (unless they are similar chipsets, you can get away with that).
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Nothing has got screwed, just some settings have been changed and some apps installed, if anti spyware apps did what they said it'd be fixed by now, and I'd have reset all the user account settings and task manager settings etc in less time than a windows install takes, never mind at least 40 hrs of reinstalling apps and transferring settings or settign everything up from scratch. A reinstall is not a must, if problems arise there are things you can edit in the hkey local machine registry part wich you can edit to fix stuff, but it's problem less most of the time on xp pro. Only vista is a pain but xp is the best OS ever as it works on every mobo after messed with.

Small chipset changes ( eg. 945-965) are so insignificant they are not even worth mentioning as a chipset change, just delete old drivers, reinstall new ones and done.

Good luck sorting it out though, virus scans and spyware scans in safe mode are the best way to get the business done. I'd try at least 5 seperate spyware scanners as well just to be sure.
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Thx, k. Will do.



I can understand why people would want a new windows install ( I never will though, I'll just do an upgrade install to vista when really essential and xp doesn't cut it anymo) , but a complete format : I just don't understand it.

romperstomper said:
I take it you have tried system restore ?
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Ah, thx I forgot bout that one.
 
I think thats what they mean... not nuke all your data. But reinstall windows.

Seriously, it sounds like your windows install has gone thru motherboard changes, and tons of other hardware changes. And is ancient. Its good to reinstall at least once a year anyways, espcially in major system changes.

Often, if it is so badly damaged with spyware, I have had cases where after "fixing" the spyware, the PC randomly crashes because of software issues (damaged windows files or whatever).

If possible, copy all the important docs to another partion, burn to a DVD and consider formatting the windows partion or drive, and transfer your stuff back.

Depending how messed up the system is, its sometimes quicker and simpler.
 
A myth told by people who believe just about anything without trying the opposide to see if it's true,
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I know it's shocking that some people believe anything their told, it's just so annoying.

But believe me it's not a myth, any major hardware change to the system i.e. changing the motherboard requires atleast a system repair.
 
snowdog said:
No and no.I can't understand why people even say this, a format is the worst thing u can do. It took both me and my dad years to get windows working like we want it, eg. my dads windows now starts on anything, it boots on ages old via chipsets and on the newest nvidia and intel chipsets, it just boots on any via, uli, nvidia and intel chipset now ( not sis though), same as my windows has over 200 installed apps now I would not dare to reinstall all.
Click to expand...
What on earth!? You mean he's got the most bloated Windows install in history, with every driver for every chipset known to man?

Whether you like it or not, nuking Windows from orbit and starting afresh now and then is almost a requirement. Managing to produce such a bloated mess is nothing to be proud of imho.
It took him ages to mess with the install to get it to work on pretty much all hardware configs and he hates any (fresh) install not booting on some hardware config, since he messes with his pc at least twice a month ( 4 mobo changes infact this month)...
Click to expand...
If he's such a computer expert, how did he end up with a machine so infested with spyware and/or trojans? And what on earth do MS's activtion department have to say about his endless activations every time the hardware changes?

Although Windows will survive a motherboard change, it'll never ever work as smoothly as it would have done with a clean install. Furthermore, there's no reason a fresh install shouldn't boot straight up on just about any hardware platform these days. XP has built-in drivers for all but the most recent kit.
Reinstall is, and will never ever be an option for me and prolly same for my dad. (unless no other way, eg. hdd's and backups of windows died)
Format the more not, I've never in my pc life formatted an hdd, I still have files form ''96 on my pc and I'd like to keep em ( and yep my file system is still fat32)...
Click to expand...
What has keeping old files got to do with reinstalling Windows!? Either just nuke the OS partition and leave other partitions intact or restore your precious data from backups. You do have backups, don't you?

No doubt I'll get a load of vitriol back now, lecturing me on how I don't know what I'm talking about and how reinstalling Windows isn't required, ever :rolleyes:
 
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You sound like one of those people who always get mentioned in conversations involving the line "but my son is good with computers, how could he be wrong?".
 
The only time I have ever not installed windows again with a motherboard change is on 1 persons PC, and thats because the PC was DOA when I got it to fix.

I changed MB and CPU, cleaned out the old drivers, and reinstalled everything. Not pretty, but it needed to be done in a hurry, and I didn't have time to backup her files and whatever. Luckily everything worked fine.

Seriously though, 30 motherboard replacements, for a P3 = KILL THE BLOODY THING FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.

Your Conroe probably has the speed of a celeron its so clogged up :P

There is no reason to not back up the files. Assuming you have more than 1 partion or hard drive (which, assuming you have a bigger hard drive than 80 GB, I would pretty much bet you have 2 partions... and since your original install of windows dates back from P3, I imagine you MUST have more than 1 drive) you can pretty safe;y transfer the files over.

In fact, the drive you have windows on is probably stupidly slow anyways. Better to format and use that drive for data only, and have a faster (sata if possible) drive for windows.
 
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