Trouble shoot computer issues.

[ahem.]

My laptop is kind of sick. There aren't any really terrible symptoms as of yet, but I am concerned they may soon show up.

Observations:

1) My computer randomly crashed yesterday
2) When I restarted, windows security (which I think I have previously disabled because it annoys the crap out of me) has been popping up every two minutes to warn me about several DIRE consequences of not 'registering' (I assume this means buying) their product and using it to correct the 33 critical viruses/trojans/worms/whatever that that say my computer has become infected with. While I can find the preferences to disable these constant pop-up alerts, I am apparently not allowed to opt out. (Like, there are checkboxes where I should be able to deselect things, but they are grayed out so I can't.)
3) I have tried several times to run a scan with AVG, but the program won't launch at all.
4) I have tried to uninstall AVG in order to reinstall it, but nothing happens when I attempt this.
5) I have tried to run Windows in safemode (to see if I can run AVG that way), but it failed and brings me back to the boot menu. The only way I can get Windows to boot is in normal mode. (This may be because I am running some voodoo version of XP that an old neighbor installed the last time my laptop had catastrophic problems.)

My current plan is to just back up my files and possibly get my dad to reinstall windows next week sometime. (Side note: is it possible to infect my USB drive and/or an external hard drive? If so, how do I avoid this?)

Does anybody have suggestions other than that?

[Rifka]

Sad about your computer!

I'm not an expert, but it sounds like you could be having fake pop-ups from a hacker purporting to be Windows. Windows does not just randomly pop up messages saying you have to download an anti-virus program-- those kinds of pop-ups are usually hackers masquerading as anti-virus programs. If so, do NOT click on the pop-up to download an antivirus program and especially do NOT pay anything for an anti-virus program suggested by a pop-up. If you do, you'll be giving your credit card number to scammers who may make fradulent charges on it. My parents had a problem with one of those bugs a few months ago (it was pretty nasty-- in addition to bringing up those pop-ups every time the computer restarted, it also constantly opened the internet up to pornographic websites) and I had to take care of it. It turned out just running antivirus wasn't enough. I had to download Malwarebytes and then restart the computer in safe mode to run malwarebytes. Then, I had to edit the registry (because the virus actually changes registry values and that's something an antivirus/anti-malware program won't get). If you are not familiar with editing the registry, do NOT try it on your own-- it could seriously mess up your system if you do. Get a friend who can fix the registry or take it in to a computer shop. Re-installing your operating system could work too, but you might want to check with someone computer savvy before you do.

Also, USB drives and external drives CAN get infected. When I worked in the BYU library, we had a pretty nasty USB virus going around for a while. The best way to keep USBs and external drives from getting infected is not to plug them in to your infected computer. If you already did, I'd recommend scanning them with an antivirus program and an antimalware program (such as Malwarebytes) and then removing them as soon as you're done with the scan. Don't plug them in again until you're sure your computer is free of infection.

Finally, once your computer is clean, I'd recommend regularly running an antivirus program and also regularly running an anti-malware program, like Malwarebytes or Ad-aware. Those should help you keep from getting another virus. Also, you might want to think back to any sketchy websites you've visited recently or sketchy emails you may have opened and make a mental note to avoid them. Viruses like this are often transmitted through unsafe websites and emails.

I hope that helps. I'm not as much of a computer expert as some of the others on the Board-- hopefully they'll chime in. In the meantime, here's a website with some possible solutions to get rid of your virus problem: http://www.malwarehelp.org/fake-windows ... -2009.html. Good luck fixing your computer!

[Dragon Lady]

Does anybody have suggestions other than that?

Get a Mac.

Hey! Katya expects me to say stuff like this now! You don't want me to disappoint Katya now, do you?!

[Marduk]

That's actually pretty much the gist of it, Rifka. The simplest option (assuming only one of these kinds of viruses exists; it is likely that the computer's security could have been compromised more than once) is simply to google the name of the particular pop up that is coming up, and there will be specific steps in one of the options, usually the first, to get rid of it. This will list the specific programs and processes that the virus uses, as well as any registry files it may have edited. The other option is simply to pop in your start up disc and reinstall your operating system, just make sure to back up files before doing this.

[Rifka]

Thanks, Marduk. I appreciate your confidence. I spent a whole day getting one of those nasty bugs off my parents' computer, and that's how I figured it out-- googling the message given by the pop-up. Isn't it great what you can do with Google?

[ahem.]

I am not completely new to the internet. I am of course suspicious of the pop up alerts, but these are not just your regular run-of the mill internet pop up ads claiming to be antivirus software. They feel legit, and they are very integrated into my system.

(I'm going to try to include some images. Hopefully they will work even though I am trying to take a short cut with them.)

There are little bubble alerts,


and automatic scans,


and when I turn on my wireless, there are other new alerts



And it keeps warning me when I open Firefox or IE and then if I want to get past the warning, I have to agree that I am doing DANGEROUS!THINGS!AGAINST!THEIR!RECOMMENDATION

Anyway. I do not have disks, because my laptop has a very strange version of XP that my old neighbor got from who knows where. (It is officially XP, but integrates parts of Vista and Windows 7. Odd.) If I reinstall, it will be when I am visiting home next week. So not an instant fix exactly, but probably what I will end up doing.

Anyway, I'm kind leaning towards believing Windows Security is detecting legit issues. My main frustration, though, is that AVG, my usual anti-virus whatever, is refusing to run. And while WS is apparently trying to be super helpful, I do not possess the any sort of code to register the product, and thus I would have to pay for it. Which I will not be doing.

[Marduk]

Yeah, those screen shots make me even more confident that this is a virus, and not part of your actual operating system. One of the sites that I trust well for this sort of thing, bleeping computer, even has its own guide.

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-r ... yware-2012

[ahem.]

Super useful link. I'll check back when I have gone through some things.

[Architect]

I had to help fix one of these once; it was a nasty bugger. It wouldn't even let you start Task Manager or run normal windows commands that would have gotten rid of it. I had to reboot the computer and run task manager before it could get going, and then kill the process. Then I was able to weed it out.

If you are able to run things, try killing it Task Manager; also try running msconfig (windows+R, type msconfig in the box) and uncheck every last box on the 'startup' tab. Some malwares of this type can even get around this though...

[ahem.]

Okay. Sweet. Thanks for the tip, Marduk. My computer is now being scanned. And it will now let me launch any program that I want. And get on the internet whenever I want. And really, that is all I ask of my computer.

[Katya]

Does anybody have suggestions other than that?

Get a Mac.

Hey! Katya expects me to say stuff like this now! You don't want me to disappoint Katya now, do you?!

[Architect]

Does anybody have suggestions other than that?

Get a Mac.

Hey! Katya expects me to say stuff like this now! You don't want me to disappoint Katya now, do you?!

If I had unlimited money to spend, I would get a Mac

[Digit]

It's no surprise that Apple has more cash than the US Treasury.

[Marduk]

Not to further this thread in a derailed topic, but since the original topic has been resolved, I feel justified.

The main reason macs have fewer issues is a lack of compatibility with as many programs as PCs. When you only have a handful of programs, it isn't as hard to make sure that they all always work properly. When you have hundreds as many times of programs made by as many different people and groups, all that can work on one system, it is gonna brake down more often.

[Dragon Lady]

it is gonna brake down more often.

It might even break down.

[Architect]

Not to further this thread in a derailed topic, but since the original topic has been resolved, I feel justified.

The main reason macs have fewer issues is a lack of compatibility with as many programs as PCs. When you only have a handful of programs, it isn't as hard to make sure that they all always work properly. When you have hundreds as many times of programs made by as many different people and groups, all that can work on one system, it is gonna brake down more often.

I 100% agree. This is by design. Microsoft has long had an explicit goal of being as compatible with everything as possible, as well as being backward-compatible with some really old stuff. Of course this is going to have some weird side-effects. It was even worse in the days of Windows 95 and 98, when Windows was still compatible with some ancient DOS programs...you had them trying to allow programs to run that tried to do insane things like allocate all the memory on your whole system, without actually allowing the program to do so.

edit: meaning that a lot of crashes in older Windows versions were from allowing programs to run that did things you weren't actually supposed to be able to do.