I got a weird virus and I didn't do anything...

Hello. This is my first post on Bleeping Computer, and I hope I can get help for this problem.

I didn't download anything, I didn't go to any unknown sites, I didn't open any weird links, I did absolutely nothing. I turn on my laptop when I wake up and I find my background has been changed. I am posting from another computer because the virus won't let me go an any other sites other than google.

Your system has ben infected! A blue screen with a black box that says "your system has been infected" and it says other things but I don't remember and I'm scared to turn my other laptop back on. It won't let me open any files, and I can't download anything, run any programs, go to sites, blocks task manager, and I can't open system restore either. When I try to do system restore, it says it has been turned off due to group policy. I went to group policy and turned it on again, but it still won't work. It also makes my computer look like an older version of windows. I am running Windows XP 2005 media center edition. In the task bar at the bottom right of the screen, theres a little red circle with a white X in it that keeps randomly popping a message that says to download the latest anti spyware software. I refrain from clicking it. I literally cant do anything on my computer. I have an Alienware laptop.

I was browsing the forums a little, and I noticed all these weird programs. I don't have HiJack this, or MBAM, or AVG, or AVAST, or any other anti virus software or scanning software. I never thought I'd need any of it. I guess I do.

Please help me! Admins, feel free to email me or just post in this topic, I will try to check it as frequently as possible. I have a gut feeling I should just re install my OS, but I dont want to lose my music and my game data and all that.

thanks in advance.

-Ralph

If you can access Task Manager, open the Applications window
End all running tasks. Then start a new task and typeexplorer.exe

If you have no way to download anything, all I can suggest is to try one of these rescue disks
It might be enough to get you back to where you have something to work with


Vipre rescue disk
http://live.sunbeltsoftware.com/

If you cannot bootup normally, cannot transfer required tools to the infected machine and cannot download anything while in safe mode, then your options are limited to what security tools you have on your computer. If those tools do not work, then your options become even more limited.

Have you tried using System Restore from a command prompt in Safe Mode to return to a previous state before your problems began?

If that doesn't work. these are links to Anti-virus vendors that offer free LiveCD or Rescue CD utilities that are used to boot from for repair of unbootable and damaged systems, rescue data, scan the system for virus infections. Burn it as an image to a disk to get a bootable CD. All (except Avira) are in the ISO Image file format. Avira uses an EXE that has built-in CD burning capability.

• Avira AntiVir Rescue System - Tutorial for Avira Rescue CD.
  If you encounter problems running the Rescue Disk, you can get further assistance at the Avira Support Forum.
• Dr Web LiveCD. Be sure to print out and follow the instructions provided in the User Manual.
• F-Secure Rescue CD - Current version download & Rescue CD User’s Guide.
  Video: How to Remove Malware with F-Secure Rescue CD
  If you encounter problems running the Rescue CD, you can get further assistance at the F-Secure Support Forum.
• BitDefender LiveCD - Index of /rescue_cd
  If you encounter problems running the Rescue CD, you can get further assistance at the BitDefender Support Forum.
• Kaspersky RescueDisk - Index of /devbuilds/RescueDisk/
  If you encounter problems running the RescueDisk, you can get further assistance at the Kaspersky Support Forum.
• Users of Panda products can also try Panda SafeCD. The download consists of an ISO that you can either burn into a CD/DVD or create a more convenient Boot USB stick.
  If you encounter problems running SafeCD, you can get further assistance at the Panda Support Forum.

If you are not sure how to burn an image, please read How to write a CD/DVD image or ISO. If you need a FREE utility to burn the ISO image, download and use ImgBurn.

Note: In order to use a rescue disk, the boot order must be set to start from the CD-ROM drive. If the CD is not first in the boot order, the computer will attempt to start normally by booting from the hard drive. The boot order is a setting found in the computer’s BIOS which runs when it is first powered on. This setting controls the order that the BIOS uses to look for a boot device from which to load the operating system. The default will normally be A:, C:, CD-ROM. Different computers have different ways to enter the BIOS. If you're not sure how to do this, refer to:

• Changing Your Computers Boot Order
• How to Change the Boot Order in BIOS