BleepingComputer.com: virus link damage

Hi there

I hope someone can help me.

My son will insist on streaming football from dodgy websites and I have to clean up the mess of unwanted malware.Thank heaven it was the last game of the season last night, but this time he has downloaded something more serious than the usual junk. i usually run malwarebytes and then superantispyware free. This time every program I tried to run put up an error message saying couldn't find associated file.However I swithed accounts from this user account to administrator account and everything runs fine. I ran the above programs and they found and removed a lot of stuff but when I go back to the user account its the same problem. system restore is disabled on the admin account but I dont know about the user account because it won't run.

I would be grateful for any advice on how to proceed. I could just use the administrator account but I think there could be something still lurking in there.

Hello Shedman,

The issue you have is a problem with the File Associations. This commonly happens after a fraudulent security tool is removed from a computer.
You will have to apply the following to the Registry, just download the file depending on your operating system (The Vista one will work on Windows 7) and then double click it to merge it to the registry, this should resolve the issue.

XP
Whole list of File Associations
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/file_assoc.htm

Direct link to .EXE XP Fix
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/fileassoc/xp_exe_fix.zip

Vista
Whole list
http://www.winhelponline.com/articles/105/1/File-association-fixes-for-Windows-Vista.html

.EXE Direct link
http://www.winhelponline.com/fileasso/exefix_vista.zip

Hope it helps.

Hi there

Even if/when your broken file associations are fixed, you may still have problems - disabled system restore points for one. Is automatic updates running ok? Any redirects esp from search engines that you've noticed? It might be worth posting up the logs from malwarebytes and SAS to see if one of the malware team or moderators can tell if there is anything likely to be lurking behind from the infection you got.

Hi

Thanks very much for your advice Kaluk and Jim Oh I'll do as you suggest

Hello,

Now that you have posted a log here: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic399263.html you should NOT make further changes to your computer (install/uninstall programs, use special fix tools, delete files, edit the registry, etc) unless advised by a MRT Team member, nor should you ask for help elsewhere. Doing so can result in system changes which may not show in the log you already posted. Further, any modifications you make on your own may cause confusion for the helper assisting you and could complicate the malware removal process which would extend the time it takes to clean your computer.

From this point on the MRT Team should be the only members that you take advice from, until they have verified your log as clean.

Please be patient. It may take a while to get a response because the MRT Team members are EXTREMELY busy working logs posted before yours. They are volunteers who will help you out as soon as possible. Once you have made your post and are waiting, please DO NOT make another reply until it has been responded to by a member of the MRT Team. Generally the staff checks the forum for postings that have 0 replies as this makes it easier for them to identify those who have not been helped. If you post another response there will be 1 reply. A team member, looking for a new log to work may assume another MRT Team member is already assisting you and not open the thread to respond.

Please be patient. It may take several days to get a response but your log will be reviewed and answered as soon as possible. I advise checking your topic once a day for responses as the e-mail notification system is unreliable.

To avoid confusion, I am closing this topic. Good luck with your log.

Orange Blossom