Chkdsk/Defrag/RAW Issues/Frustrations 1

[hockswender]

I have been trying to removes traces of a some Trojan virus from my XP desktop. I have 2 'corrupt' files I cannot delete but chkdsk never runs on boot to fix them.
Booting from the recovery console does not actually start the recovery console though the boot.ini looks OK.
I just get a blank screen that does reboot. The folder is installed as it should be.
Defrag won't run as it says checkdsk is scheduled to run.

Can't update anti-virus software due to the Trojan.
Can run HiJackThis but don't see anything unusual in log.

Advice appreciated.
Tom.

 

[wolluf]

Time to bite the bullet - backup your data and do a clean install. Will be quicker in the long run (trust me!) and you'll have a new clean installation.

 

[G0AOZ]

Wolluf's suggestion is probably your best option. However, if you really insist on trying to repair this installation, then attach the hard drive to another XP system as a secondary drive. Boot up and run a cleanup to get rid of the trojan, and then run CHKDSK from a command prompt using the appropriate drive letter.

ROGER - G0AOZ.

 

[wahnula]

...backup your data and do a clean install...

That is, assuming the Trojan is not amongst the data files. Have you tried running all the various free online scanners? Surely it can't know about ALL of them...but if it does, Google "XXX Trojan removal tool" and run it on your PC, then backup and do a clean install.

If the infected PC won't allow you to go to these sites, then use another PC to download the removal tool onto a USB flash drive or burn to a CD (boot CD if necessary). Run it and delete that sucker.

BTW: what's the Trojan called? There are ways to delete "undeleteable" files, just Google "cannot delete file" and there will be a number of ways. I had one file that was not a virus/Trojan but still could not be deleted by all the ordinary means, I did the above and found a free tool that did the job.

Make sure your System Restore is OFF and you empty the Recycle Bin!!!

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[hockswender]

Thanks for the advice.
I would like to battle this one as my Dell didn't come with a CD to do a new install.
It has a "restore to Day 1" type of option but I'l press on.
The microsoft defender could work [I got to the site once!] but it needs to have Mcaffee anti-spam removed. It wont uninsatll on its own; the microsoft defender tries to uninstall and nothing happens; MCPR starts up [I can see it in the Task Manager]but it does nothing.
???
Tom.

 

[wahnula]

Boot into Safe Mode (Press F8 after POST) and start up in "Safe Mode with Networking" as Administrator. Try running the scans in that mode.

Some of the online tests:

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/solutions/activescan/

http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/WelcomePage.asp

These are all free and run online, so they require little or no installation. A really good free program, if installation is allowed, is MBAM:

http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[wolluf]

My advice was based on many recent clean-up jobs which have resulted in a clean install (or restore to day1) after hours of other work has come to no good end. I don't know what malware you had/have, but I do know that there are a lot out there which can corrupt installations past reasonable repair.

And Tony, I took it as read that any data backup would be scanned before being restored. This is easy - its the damage to windows settings that isn't.