BleepingComputer.com: virus or trojan

I have a question..I'm helping a friend work on their laptop pc. It appears that there is some type of virus or other mal-ware has infected this pc. I have installed Aviria..it found several issues..but the pc still acts the same. Windows update will not update,The Internet browser gets hijacked and takes you to all different sites no matter what you type in.The Hard Drive will not even defrag. I have tried to download and Install several other programs such as Anti-Malware..and spybot but they wont even Install. Honestly I think he might be better just reformatting...I did see a program on here that I have not seen before (superantivirus) or something like...should I try this one?? Has anyone ever seen or heard of a problem like this?? I'm fairly computer savvy and can fix most if not all problems..but this one has got me scratching my head so far. BTW the OS is Vista home basic

Edit: Moved topic from AntiVirus, Firewall and Privacy Products and Protection Methods to the more appropriate forum, even for discussion of how to proceed. ~ Animal

electriclott, on Nov 16 2009, 10:24 PM, said:

Quick update...I tried to go to the (superantispyware) to download it...and my browser kicks me off right away...almost like it knows what I'm doing...It will not let me download it.......

I think you were on the right track... Let's try this sequence of scans...

Please download TFC by Old Timer and save it to your desktop.
alternate download link

• Save any unsaved work. TFC will close ALL open programs including your browser!
  
• Double-click on TFC.exe to run it. If you are using Vista, right-click on the file and choose Run As Administrator.
  
• Click the Start button to begin the cleaning process and let it run uninterrupted to completion.
  
• Important! If TFC prompts you to reboot, please do so immediately. If not prompted, manually reboot the machine anyway to ensure a complete clean.

Please download RKill by Grinler

• Before we begin, you should disable your anti-malware softwares you have installed so they do not interfere RKill running as some anti-malware softwares detect RKill as malicious. Please refer to this page if you are not sure how.
  
• Download Link #1.
  
• Save it to your Desktop.
  
• Double click the RKill desktop icon.
  If you are using Vista please right click and run as Admin!
  
• A black screen will briefly flash indicating a successful run.
  
• If this does not occur please delete that application and download Link #2.
  
• Continue process until the tool runs.
  
• If the tool does not run from any of the links tell me about it.

Please download and scan with SUPERAntiSpyware Free

• Double-click SUPERAntiSypware.exe and use the default settings for installation.
  
• An icon will be created on your desktop. Double-click that icon to launch the program.
  
• If it will not start, go to Start > All Prgrams > SUPERAntiSpyware and click on Alternate Start.
  
• If asked to update the program definitions, click "Yes". If not, update the definitions before scanning by selecting "Check for Updates". (If you encounter any problems while downloading the updates, manually download them from here. Double-click on the hyperlink for Download Installer and save SASDEFINITIONS.EXE to your desktop. Then double-click on SASDEFINITIONS.EXE to install the definitions.)
  
• In the Main Menu, click the Preferences... button.
  
• Click the "General and Startup" tab, and under Start-up Options, make sure "Start SUPERAntiSpyware when Windows starts" box is unchecked.
  
• Click the "Scanning Control" tab, and under Scanner Options, make sure the following are checked (leave all others unchecked):
  • Close browsers before scanning.
    
  • Scan for tracking cookies.
    
  • Terminate memory threats before quarantining.
  
  
• Click the "Close" button to leave the control center screen and exit the program.
  
• Do not run a scan just yet.

Reboot your computer in "Safe Mode" using the F8 method. To do this, restart your computer and after hearing your computer beep once during startup (but before the Windows icon appears) press the F8 key repeatedly. A menu will appear with several options. Use the arrow keys to navigate and select the option to run Windows in "Safe Mode".

Scan with SUPERAntiSpyware as follows:

• Launch the program and back on the main screen, under "Scan for Harmful Software" click Scan your computer.
  
• On the left, make sure you check C:\Fixed Drive.
  
• On the right, under "Complete Scan", choose Perform Complete Scan and click "Next".
  
• After the scan is complete, a Scan Summary box will appear with potentially harmful items that were detected. Click "OK".
  
• Make sure everything has a checkmark next to it and click "Next".
  
• A notification will appear that "Quarantine and Removal is Complete". Click "OK" and then click the "Finish" button to return to the main menu.
  
• If asked if you want to reboot, click "Yes" and reboot normally.
  
• To retrieve the removal information after reboot, launch SUPERAntispyware again.
  • Click Preferences, then click the Statistics/Logs tab.
    
  • Under Scanner Logs, double-click SUPERAntiSpyware Scan Log.
    
  • If there are several logs, click the current dated log and press View log. A text file will open in your default text editor.
    
  • Please copy and paste the Scan Log results in your next reply.
  
  
• Click Close to exit the program.

Please reboot between SAS and MBAM

Please download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and save it to your desktop.
alternate download link 1
alternate download link 2

• Make sure you are connected to the Internet.
  
• Double-click on mbam-setup.exe to install the application.
  
• When the installation begins, follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
  
• When installation has finished, make sure you leave both of these checked:
  • Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
    
  • Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
  
  
• Then click Finish.

MBAM will automatically start and you will be asked to update the program before performing a scan.

• If an update is found, the program will automatically update itself.
  
• Press the OK button to close that box and continue.
  
• If you encounter any problems while downloading the updates, manually download them from here and just double-click on mbam-rules.exe to install.

On the Scanner tab:

• Make sure the "Perform Quick Scan" option is selected.
  
• Then click on the Scan button.
  
• If asked to select the drives to scan, leave all the drives selected and click on the Start Scan button.
  
• The scan will begin and "Scan in progress" will show at the top. It may take some time to complete so please be patient.
  
• When the scan is finished, a message box will say "The scan completed successfully. Click 'Show Results' to display all objects found".
  
• Click OK to close the message box and continue with the removal process.

Back at the main Scanner screen:

• Click on the Show Results button to see a list of any malware that was found.
  
• Make sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected.
  
• When removal is completed, a log report will open in Notepad.
  
• The log is automatically saved and can be viewed by clicking the Logs tab in MBAM.
  
• Copy and paste the contents of that report in your next reply and exit MBAM.

Note:
-- If MBAM encounters a file that is difficult to remove, you may be asked to reboot your computer so it can proceed with the disinfection process. Regardless if prompted to restart the computer or not, please do so immediately. Failure to reboot normally (not into safe mode) will prevent MBAM from removing all the malware.

Note 2:
-- MBAM may make changes to your registry as part of its disinfection routine. If you're using other security programs that detect registry changes (like Spybot's Teatimer), they may interfere with the fix or alert you after scanning with MBAM. Please disable such programs until disinfection is complete or permit them to allow the changes. To disable these programs, please view this topic: How To Temporarily Disable Your Anti-virus, Firewall And Anti-malware Programs

I just saw your last post... try the above and then run Malwarebytes, but first rename the .exe file to xexon.com

rigel, on Nov 16 2009, 10:45 PM, said:

Im trying to do this...no luck yet..it is still kicking me out when I try to download the superspyware...when you say there will be a black screen flash...are you just talking about a small black screen or will the whole screen flash, I have a small window pop up and says its stoping all known malware is that right??

rigel, on Nov 16 2009, 10:45 PM, said:

One more thing...do I need to reboot after running the rkill?

No... run Malwarenbytes immediately afterward.

rigel, on Nov 16 2009, 10:45 PM, said:

It appears that the RKILL tool is running...but I am still unable to download superantispyware..the browser seems to work (IE7) until I try to download this program... I will keep trying.

Try running Malwarebytes after RKill has run. Post its log.

rigel, on Nov 17 2009, 12:04 AM, said:

OK here is the latest...I finally was able to get RKILL to work on the 4th Link or download..I then tried to run Malwarebytes with the same results...It would not run....I then changed the name of the exe file name to what you suggested on here and it worked. I was able to get rid of 20 different Items..and as soon as I rebooted the pc started windows update and starting updating...I was also able to download superantispyware...I have not Installed it yet, but I am making progress...Thanks so much for your help...as I will keep you posted when I finish up.

That is good news... It sounds like you have it from here. I would recommend posting a GMER log when you are finished...

Please download gmer.zip and save to your desktop.

• Extract (unzip) the file to its own folder such as C:\Gmer. (Click here for information on how to do this if not sure.)
  
• Disconnect from the Internet and close all running programs.
  
• Temporarily disable any real-time active protection so your security program drivers will not conflict with gmer's driver.
  
• Click on this link to see a list of programs that should be disabled.
  
• Double-click on gmer.exe to start the program.
  
• Allow the gmer.sys driver to load if asked.
  
• You may be prompted to scan immediately if GMER detects rootkit activity.
  
• If you are prompted to scan your system click "Yes" to begin the scan.
  
• If not prompted, click the "Rootkit/Malware" tab.
  
• On the right-side, all items to be scanned should be checked by default except for "Show All". Leave that box unchecked.
  
• Select all drives that are connected to your system to be scanned.
  
• Click the Scan button to begin. (Please be patient as it can take some time to complete)
  
• When the scan is finished, click Save to save the scan results to your Desktop.
  
• Save the file as gmer.log and copy/paste the contents in your next reply.
  
• Exit GMER and re-enable all active protection when done.

rigel, on Nov 17 2009, 06:53 PM, said:

OK I will try and do that...now that the computer is working I will have to try and pry it from my friends hands...he is very happy...and it was a great learning experience for me.In the past if a pc got this bad I would just reformat it..but as this was not an option this time..because the recovery disks were not available and on this toshiba laptop there is no recovery partition on the hard drive. So I actually learned something new.Thanks for your help..this is by far the best website of this type by far...I will try and post the gmer log asap.

Thank you for the compliments... post when ready