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Looking for virus help!!!
- Thread starter sunspore
- Start date
There is plenty of anti-virus software that you can "boot to"....but if you didn't already have it, it's not much good to you now, huh? If you can still boot to the OS, run on-line virus scans. Let them do their job. Don't trust just one. Use several different sites for scans. Most of them suck. Then download a free A/V such as AVG and update it....then scan using it. Then consider paying for one or keeping AVG. NEVER TRUST NORTON or SYMANTEC. They are the FIRST targeted for shutdown by EVERY virus.
And please tell us how you got this virus since protecting a PC is pretty standard now and since there's no reason to get one anymore we love telling horror stories.
...Mac
Humpty Dumpty was pushed!!
And please tell us how you got this virus since protecting a PC is pretty standard now and since there's no reason to get one anymore we love telling horror stories.
...Mac
Humpty Dumpty was pushed!!
- Thread starter
- #4
Actually, Mac, it's not my system. I keep my system updated with the latest virus signatures. The system belongs to a friend of mine. He hasn't updated his virus program for 2 and 1/2 yrs. I'm not even sure it's a virus, but the symptoms suggest it. The reason I want to boot to an AV program is obviously not to protect the system against viruses (too late for that), but to try to repair/delete the infected files and see if the system stabalizes. Know what I mean? As for your suggestions, one of the symptoms is that he can't browse the internet. He only has email and IM functionality, so I can't run AV software from the internet. Hence, the "bootable AV" idea. What do you think?
Drew
Drew
Drew
Drew
McAffee had a DOS-based AV program available for download at one time.. Suggest you check their site out.. If it is still there, download it to a floppy and run it on your friends system..
BTW, after 2.5 years of no virii protection, even that may not help.. suggest a TOTAL format and re-install and have your friend chalk it up to a lesson learned the hard way !!
Murray
BTW, after 2.5 years of no virii protection, even that may not help.. suggest a TOTAL format and re-install and have your friend chalk it up to a lesson learned the hard way !!
Murray
Most antivirus installation cd's are also bootable and can be used to scan. Just set the cd rom to be the first boot device. The only problem might be how recent the virus definitions on the cd are.
I agree with SESaskDFC - it might be easiest to format and start all over. I believe he was referring to Stinger which can be found here:
I agree with SESaskDFC - it might be easiest to format and start all over. I believe he was referring to Stinger which can be found here:
You could always pull it off his machine and slave it to yours for the duration of cleanup. Might salvage data.
After 2 1/2 years it might also be time to cull some stuff from the registry.
Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.
After 2 1/2 years it might also be time to cull some stuff from the registry.
Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.
- Thread starter
- #10
Thanks for all your thoughtful insights, fellas. I just got back from my friend's house. It turns out that the machine was disfunctional in too many ways to try to troubleshoot anything specifically, so I did in fact format the HD and reinstall Windows. It was probably a virus or 3 or 4. The video driver was corrupt, along with many other discreet files, and we couldn't browse the internet at all - error messages out the wazoo. I runs like a dream now, though. Again, thanks.
Drew
Drew
For further information,
You can run Norton Antivirus in dos mode from a clean boot and use definitions stored in a second location, like on a cd-rom.
1.Find a known clean Windows 98/ME system and use the create start-up disk utility in the add/remove programs applet in control panel so you can have a boot disk with cd support.
2.Make a Norton AntiVirus Rescue disk. Don't worry about the configuration settings not matching the infected computer because you won't be using them.
3. Go to the Symantec Website and follow the directions at
to extract the latest definitions and then copy them to a cd. The page on this link also has directions for modifying the command line to use the definitions on the cd or any other location of your choice.
4. Boot with the disk you made in step 1 with cd-rom support (the norton disk will not provide this functionality on its own.)Put your cd with the current definitions in the drive and verify the drive letter being used (you can cycle through dir <drive letter>:\ commands till you hit the right one)Insert the NAV program disk in drive a: and launch NAV with the appropriate command line switches from the above link, and get a snack. Scanning from dos is slow, but it works.
This will not work on WinNT, 2k, or XP machines
You can run Norton Antivirus in dos mode from a clean boot and use definitions stored in a second location, like on a cd-rom.
1.Find a known clean Windows 98/ME system and use the create start-up disk utility in the add/remove programs applet in control panel so you can have a boot disk with cd support.
2.Make a Norton AntiVirus Rescue disk. Don't worry about the configuration settings not matching the infected computer because you won't be using them.
3. Go to the Symantec Website and follow the directions at
to extract the latest definitions and then copy them to a cd. The page on this link also has directions for modifying the command line to use the definitions on the cd or any other location of your choice.
4. Boot with the disk you made in step 1 with cd-rom support (the norton disk will not provide this functionality on its own.)Put your cd with the current definitions in the drive and verify the drive letter being used (you can cycle through dir <drive letter>:\ commands till you hit the right one)Insert the NAV program disk in drive a: and launch NAV with the appropriate command line switches from the above link, and get a snack. Scanning from dos is slow, but it works.
This will not work on WinNT, 2k, or XP machines
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