"NT Authority/System" Shutdown

Hello, I've been having a problem with my Windows XP computer, similar to the one described on this thread: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/lof...hp/t239409.html

I get a pop-up that says: "System is shutting down, initiated by NT AUTHORITY/SYSTEM." It comes up regardless of whether or not I'm on the Internet. And it gives me a countdown of 60 seconds and then forces the shut down and restart of my computer. There are no buttons/options to click, and I can't close the popup.

I followed the instructions on the thread above. I used ATF Cleaner and downloaded and installed Super Anti Spyware Free. I couldn't reboot the computer in Safe Mode (got a blue screen), and I can't even finish scanning the computer with Super Anti Spyware Free, because the popup always comes up at some point in the scan and shuts everything down. I also tried to do the Windows File Checker as suggested in the above thread, but again, the popup always comes up and shuts everything down before it finishes. Plus, I don't have any recovery discs or anything with me.

After the computer restarts, I get a message that says, "Data Execution Prevention: To help protect your computer, Windows has closed this program: Generic Host Process for Win32 Services"

I have McAfee Antivirus through my school, which I ran earlier today and nothing came up. I also ran Malwarebytes and nothing come up either.

Edited by arabesque, 20 January 2010 - 09:29 PM.

When you get a message that the system is shutting down, follow these steps to stop the cycle:

• Press the Windows Key + R keys on your keyboard or go to > Run..., and in the Open dialog box, type: cmd
• Press Ok.
• At the command prompt C:\>, type: shutdown -a
• Press Enter.

-- Vista users can refer to these instructions:How to Enable Run Command in Vista - How to Run a command prompt as an Administrator

Please download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (v1.44) and save it to your desktop.alternate download link 1
alternate download link 2
MBAM may "make changes to your registry" as part of its disinfection routine. If using other security programs that detect registry changes (ie Spybot's Teatimer), they may interfere or alert you. Temporarily disable such programs or permit them to allow the changes.

• 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 definition 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. Be sure to post the complete log to include the top portion which shows MBAM's database version and your operating system.
• Exit MBAM when done.

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

• If Malwarebytes Anti-Malware results in any error messages, check the Help file's list of error codes within its program folder first. If you do not find any information, please refer to Common Issues, Questions, and their Solutions, Frequently Asked Questions. If the error you are receiving is not in the list, please report it here so the research team can investigate.

• Some types of malware will disable Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and other security tools to keep them from running properly. If that's the case, please refer to the suggestions provided in For those having trouble running Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.

I did as you asked. I downloaded Malwarebytes and ran it, but nothing came up. What should I do now? I want to reinstall Windows XP and start fresh, but even that is difficult, as I can't figure out how! My computer only seems to have "System Restore" (which I tried, unsuccessfully).

I'm also having a problem with Google, where it redirects me to spam pages when I search. Is this related to the NT Authority System Shutdown problem?

Your decision as to what action to take should be made by reading and asking yourself the questions presented in these articles:

• When should I re-format? How should I reinstall?
• Help: I Got Hacked. Now What Do I Do?
• Where to draw the line? When to recommend a format and reinstall?

In some instances an infection may have caused so much damage to your system that it cannot be completely cleaned, repaired or trusted especially if you are dealing with rootkit components that can hook into the Windows 32-bit kernel, and patch several APIs to hide new registry keys and files they install. The malware may leave so many remnants behind that security tools cannot find them and a Repair Install will NOT help!. Reinstalling Windows without first wiping the entire hard drive with a repartition/reformat will not remove the infection. The reinstall will only overwrite the Windows files. Any malware on the system will still be there afterwards. Starting over by wiping your drive, reformatting, and performing a clean install of the OS or doing a factory restore with a vendor-specific Recovery Disk or Recovery Partition removes everything and is the safest action but I cannot make that decision for you.

Should you decide to reformat, we can provice instructions. Should you decide not to reformat, we will do our best to help clean the computer of any infections but we cannot guarantee it to be trustworthy or that the removal will be successful. If you wish to proceed, disinfection will probably require the use of more powerful tools than we recommend in this forum. Before that can be done you will need you to create and post a DDS/HijackThis log. Let me know how you wish to proceed.

Please read the pinned topic titled "Preparation Guide For Use Before Posting A Hijackthis Log". If you cannot complete a step, then skip it and continue with the next. In Step 6 there are instructions for downloading and running DDS which will create a Pseudo HJT Report as part of its log.

When you have done that, post your log in the HijackThis Logs and Malware Removal forum, NOT here, for assistance by the HJT Team Experts. A member of the Team will walk you through, step by step, on how to clean your computer. If you post your log back in this thread, the response from the HJT Team will be delayed because your post will have to be moved. This means it will fall in line behind any others posted that same day.

Start a new topic, give it a relevant title and post your log along with a brief description of your problem, a summary of any anti-malware tools you have used and a summary of any steps that you have performed on your own. An expert will analyze your log and reply with instructions advising you what to fix. After doing this, we would appreciate if you post a link to your log back here so we know that your getting help from the HJT Team.

Please be patient. It may take a while to get a response because the HJT Team members are very 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 "bump" your post or make another reply until it has been responded to by a member of the HJT 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 HJT Team member is already assisting you and not open the thread to respond.