svchost.exe error message 1

[stranger10]

I was having a problem where every time I booted up the PC I got this error message.
SVCHOST.EXE The instructions at 0x7c9108d3 referenced memory at 0zfffffff8. Memory could not be read. Also I could access the internet but I could only stay online for about a minute.

After trying several tips found on this site I realized that my problem was malware. The PC was so badly infected that I couldn't even boot from my windows XP CD.

The fix was to download software called Malwarebytes to my USB drive on a different PC and run it from the USB drive. It scanned and removed some 50 viruses on the PC and when I restarted no more problems.

 

[linney]

Yes, Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware is a well respected and often recommended program by fellow Forum Members.

I worry that you however may be surfing the Internet with an Administrative user rather than a Limited user? Is that correct, else how did you originally get so badly infected?

 

[goombawaho]

Linney - almost everybody uses their administrative account for everything. I do too. People don't want to be bothered switching users or doing a RUN AS.

MalwareByte's is very old news to many on here. It's free, it works, what a deal.

 

[linney]

In Vista or Windows 7 you can perhaps make that argument but not in XP, and definitely not while surfing the Internet.

 

[Turkbear]

Hi,
Just to add my 2c..I have been surfing the web with XP as an administrator for as long as XP has been out and have hit 1 trojan that was missed by my protective software ( Spybot S&D, Spyware Blaster, Trend Micro Internet Security) and no viruses - And I surf odd sites all over the world.

The key is good protection ( updated regularly, along with Windows Updates also), not necessarily using a limited account.





To Paraphrase:"The Help you get is proportional to the Help you give.."

 

[linney]

Experienced users may find it an acceptable risk, but let's not encourage any of the less experienced people who browse this site to take unnecessary risks. The fact remains anything entering the machine via Administrative users can do more damage to Windows than something coming in via a Limited user.

All security software relies on being notified of the existence of malware infections before being able to protect against them. The use of heuristic scanning does give some protection against some unknown, but of a known pattern type, of malware, but it is hardly foolproof.

 

[goombawaho]

Same with me (using Admin account since 2000/XP came out). Never an infection. Good old CTRL ALT DEL has saved me a couple of times when stepping on a site trying to deal me some dirty stuff.

That's true for regular users (don't encourage them), but they aren't likely to have that knowledge, so it's like a viscous circle. I don't think I've seen 5 customers in the last 2 years that have NOT been running in ADMIN mode.

They don't even want to do it for their kids because the kids will whine that they can't install a game.

It's about usability and user friendliness as much or more than it's about safety for most people.

 

[linney]

It is that fact alone which has given us the pseudo Administrators in Vista and Windows 7 which only run as Standard (Limited) users until set as "Elevated" via a right-click or in response to a UAC prompt.

 

[goombawaho]

That's correct and most people don't even like the UAC bothering them to confirm.