Possible infections? Help appreciated...

Hello people,

My parents computer has been acting up recently, mainly browsing issues but overall it's much slower as well. They got problems with Security Suite last week, I removed that with the guide on here. However, a new problem appeared today, when you try to access any websites (through explorer or Opera) it either hangs around for an age before opening the page or more likely you get met by an error 'Could not locate remote server'.

Recently it seems like any number of threats are getting onto the computer, the computer runs XP home (fully updated afaik) and we use AVG free 9.0 - does AVG act as sufficient protection or is a dedicated firewall needed as well? I scanned with AVG and found no problems. Also scanned with Malwarebytes and Spy Bot search and destroy - which both found and deleted various threats. Also did an online scan with ESET- which again found and deleted a few threats. I also tried to delete any extra toolbars or add-ons I spotted. And although a lot of threats were removed, the problem remains.

I'm posting this from my laptop because of the PC issues, the laptop is wirelessly connected to the same router (BT home hub) as the PC and is suffering the same browsing problem but to a lesser degree. Does this suggest it's a problem with the router settings more than an infection? I tried to access the router settings on the PC but the program wouldn't launch. I unplugged, reset and checked all the router cables and phone lines, with no luck.

Sorry for the long winded post, just trying to give as much info as I can. Are there any logs I can show you guys which would help? Apologies if this doesn't belong in this section. Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Sam.

'Could not locate remote server'

Anybody?

Thanks.

Please click Start > Run, type inetcpl.cpl in the runbox and press enter.

I need to see a log or two as I have no idea what you are seeing.

Rerun MBAM (MalwareBytes) like this:

Open MBAM in normal/regular mode and click Update tab, select Check for Updates,when done
click Scanner tab,select Quick scan and scan (normal mode).
After scan click Remove Selected, Post new scan log and Reboot into normal mode.



Next run ATF and SAS: If you cannot access Safe Mode,run in normal ,but let me know.

Note: On Vista, "Windows Temp" is disabled. To empty "Windows Temp" ATF-Cleaner must be "Run as an Administrator".

From your regular user account..
Download Attribune's ATF Cleaner and then SUPERAntiSpyware , Free Home Version. Save both to desktop ..
DO NOT run yet.
Open SUPER from icon and install and Update it
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 yet.

Now reboot into Safe Mode: How to enter safe mode(XP)
Using the F8 Method
Restart your computer.
When the machine first starts again it will generally list some equipment that is installed in your machine, amount of memory, hard drives installed etc. At this point you should gently tap the F8 key repeatedly until you are presented with a Windows XP Advanced Options menu.
Select the option for Safe Mode using the arrow keys.
Then press enter on your keyboard to boot into Safe Mode.

Double-click ATF-Cleaner.exe to run the program.
Under Main "Select Files to Delete" choose: Select All.
Click the Empty Selected button.

If you use Firefox or Opera browser click that browser at the top and choose: Select All
Click the Empty Selected button.
If you would like to keep your saved passwords, please click No at the prompt.
Click Exit on the Main menu to close the program.

NOW Scan with SUPER
Open from the desktop icon or the program Files list
On the left, make sure you check C:\Fixed Drive.
Perform a Complete scan. After scan,Verify they are all checked.
Click OK on the summary screen to quarantine all found items.
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.

Thanks for the relpy boopme,

I ran all the scan programs I was using to clear things up again last night and thankfully the problem has now been sorted and everything seems to be ok so far. I would post the logs you requested to see just to be certain, but seeing as the problem seems to be solved - I won't take up anymore of your time.

Again, thanks for the reply.

Sam

Thanks for letting me know.

Now you should Create a New Restore Point to prevent possible reinfection from an old one. Some of the malware you picked up could have been backed up, renamed and saved in System Restore. Since this is a protected directory your tools cannot access to delete these files, they sometimes can reinfect your system if you accidentally use an old restore point. Setting a new restore point AFTER cleaning your system will help prevent this and enable your computer to "roll-back" to a clean working state.

The easiest and safest way to do this is:

• Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools and click "System Restore".
• Choose the radio button marked "Create a Restore Point" on the first screen then click "Next". Give the R.P. a name, then click "Create". The new point will be stamped with the current date and time. Keep a log of this so you can find it easily should you need to use System Restore.

• Then use Disk Cleanup to remove all but the most recently created Restore Point.
• Go to Start > Run and type: Cleanmgr
• Click "Ok". Disk Cleanup will scan your files for several minutes, then open.
• Click the "More Options" tab, then click the "Clean up" button under System Restore.
• Click Ok. You will be prompted with "Are you sure you want to delete all but the most recent restore point?"
• Click Yes, then click Ok.
• Click Yes again when prompted with "Are you sure you want to perform these actions?"
• Disk Cleanup will remove the files and close automatically.

Vista and Windows 7 users can refer to these links: Create a New Restore Point in Vista or Windows 7 and Disk Cleanup in Vista.

Ok will do that asap.

Thanks once again!

Sam