Warnings Everywhere!

[Melody]

I'm about to throw my computer out the window.  Earlier in the week, Windows ran an automatic update.  Fine, no problems.  But today I turn on my computer, and it says I have all this spyware on it.  Well, I run Norton, Lavasoft Ad-Aware, and Error Nuker.  It cleans up some stuff but apparently not enough. 

So this is my delima.  When I click on the little flashing shield icon it doesn't show me what the threats are, it takes me to a site to BUY a $50 protection plan!  I already HAVE stuff for that and I don't want to NOR can afford to chuck out $50 for yet another spy/ad/virus pkg.  But it won't go away, it just keeps telling me it's there.  How do I find the problem without buying this stupid AntiViGear or Golden AntiSpy? 

Oh yeah, let me add that I checked my add/remove programs list and there were a few things I don't remember ever installing, one being URGE- I don't know what that is.  And the other being this AntiViGear, except I got the warning I needed to download it when if it was on my computer, it should have already fixed the problem right? not try and get me to buy it.  I have never seen anything from these 2 programs ever.  And I'm on my computer every day almost for GP  :grin:

How can I fix this?

[Melody]

well, it doesn't look like anyone seen this but I got it figured out.  I had a trojan and a spy I guess.  But I found a site that had lots of people saying they downloaded new programs only for them not to work either, and ones with spyware/virus programs said theirs didn't work.  So I was able to NOT run off and buy yet another program.  However, it did take me a while following the directions to manually remove it in safe modes and such.  Bleh.

[LarryTheCucumber]

hey MY!!!
sorry, just noticed this thread....

in case you didn't find it yet, URGE is an online music store system, kind of like iTunes--it likes to install itself as an addin for Windows Media Player.

in general, if you get a warning that you might have a virus, and the warning doesn't come from your regular virus scanner, you can ignore it.

there are several unscrupulous antivirus/antimalware companies out there that like to trick you into thinking that your computer is infected in order to lure you to buy their program.

I'd suggest that you install AVG, Avira, or one of the other good free virus scanners, and only worry about the warnings that they give you.

hope that helps!

[Tsalagi]

I might also find a better registry cleaner than Error Nuker, it's basically junk.   

This place is ok for info on different types of spyware and how to prevent:

http://forums.spywareinfo.com/index.php?s=9ba04f1821fa5ffab926f1333b1d4667&

Try Spywarrior also.

[Melody]

thanks guys! 

[JakeLeonard]

I've had some experience with this with some people I work on computers for.

AVG and some of those programs may be fine, but you need to end up with a more secure virus scan and destroy program by having Norton, McAfee or Windows OneCare.

I never use any program that isn't any one of the three above.

[CDAGeek]

Generally speaking, if you get malware you can't get rid of, download HijackThis! and post the log it generates on a tech forum - they can usually tell you what to do from that.

[Babs]

best overall program out there for all this is sypbot search and destroy, it will take care of most anything you get

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/index.html

its totally free, and has frequent updates.

[Kyle]

I use Adware 2007 and Spybot S&D also...and even though this may go against the grain, I use the Corporate Edition of Symantec Anti-Virus ( I use it cause my dad was able to get it off a network buddy with everything I need to run it) and I've never had a problem with it at all.  I won't use McAfee, cause it always ruins anything that it touches at work.

Also a good place to go for a good list of both Free software and Free Trial software is http://www.snapfiles.com.

They have everything from computer monitoring software, to anti-virus/spyware to the networking security tools I run.

[BroTrey]

I've had some experience with this with some people I work on computers for.

AVG and some of those programs may be fine, but you need to end up with a more secure virus scan and destroy program by having Norton, McAfee or Windows OneCare.

I never use any program that isn't any one of the three above.

Rather than norton (their 2007-08 products are a joke, unless you have corporate edition) I would say ESET's NOD32, i've been using it since it came out as a retail product (before that it was opensource) and its much better than any norton product I have had before, and even the McAfee that I have used in times past.

Also to the point of the original topic. the little fake program trying to jack you computer and make you buy "protection" is a deviant form of the spysheriff which can be cleaned up with the smitfix  (can be found online by googling either "remove spy sheriff" or "smitfix.exe" and following the dirrections listed there... I would suggest looking for the results on the website "beepingcomputer.com" This method fixed my general managers computer after all of our techs couldnt figure out how to fix it without reloading the os...