Spyware etc

[Brumblue]

Since I got my laptop a few years ago, I've basically ignored the issue of protection for it and now it's running slow and has messages saying it's infected with trojans and vulnerable etc.

Is there any software I can get for free to fix it please? Most are saying I need to pay.

Thanks, BB

 

[mcfc_ms]

Start off with "spybot", then download "CCleaner" which gets rid of all the other shite off ur pc, such as cookies and old files.

Then see how it goes after that

 

[Anonymous]

Ad-aware is another good one to run on your computer , an' try the free AVG too.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php</a>

<a class="postlink" href="http://free.avg.com/download?prd=afe" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://free.avg.com/download?prd=afe</a>

i know some of the better ones are a bit costly but look closely at their sites .... sometimes they'll offer a full working version of their product on a monthly trial basis (a try before you buy!) ..... just download it , use it until the trial expires , then get rid of it ..... unless , of course , you like it that much that you fancy payin' for it.

Think Trojanhunter , for one , offer such a trial ....

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.misec.net/products/TrojanHunterSetup.exe" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.misec.net/products/TrojanHunterSetup.exe</a>

If it's really in a right old state ...... download 'hijack this' , run it , and post the log it presents you with onto one of those computer geeks sites ..... they'll be able to tell you what's wrong with it!

 

[Brumblue]

I've got a Trojan called delself, which apparently the equivalent of computer AIDS. It can be fixed but sounds really complicated. I'm going to have a look at it this weekend.

Those midget porn sites really are a bastard.

 

[Anonymous]

Yep , apparently delself is a really bad one to get ...... takes a lot of shifting.

If i was you i'd download 'Hijack this' , run it an' post a log on one of those computer experts sites(geeks to go or somethin' like that) ..... you're probably gonna need expert help to help you shift it ..... they'll tell you what's wrong within your log , an' give you advice on how to get shut of it..

Apparently this delfself can even give kasperskys the slip ..... an' that takes some doing!

Once your computer is in good health again see if you can take a 'ghost image' of it ...... then if anything like this ever happens again you can simply restore the ghost image back onto the computer over the top of the virus , and it's back in working order again!

 

[Brumblue]

Cheers for the advice fellas. As it's an 3-4 year old computer, I'm going to try and get all the data off and bin it.

Got my work laptop anyway, but they aint too keen on fanny sites.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah , you've got to watch those porn sites , they'll send your eyes funny .... at least they have done to mine!

It's always worth investin' in a good anti-virus though ..... then the minute you open sites such as those , an' allow things like viruses onto your computer , they'll warn you straightaway ......... or they should do!

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Since I got my laptop a few years ago, I've basically ignored the issue of protection for it and now it's running slow and has messages saying it's infected with trojans and vulnerable etc. Is there any software I can get for free to fix it please? Most are saying I need to pay.Thanks, BB

Not being funny mate but would you leave your front door open all night or leave your car unlocked with your wallet, ipod and phone on the back seat? Do you have any idea of how many times your laptop will have been probed when you're on-line? Go to <a class="postlink" href="http://www.grc.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">www.grc.com</a> and do the Shields Up and Leak tests to see how vulnerable you are without adequate protection.

There are free tools but they'll only usually do a one off scan or don't get updated regularly. As a minimum you need a good anti-virus program (AVG, Kaspersky, McAfee or F-secure) that is regularly up-dated and always running. Most are around £30 a year. The full internet security suite costs about £10 more but there are decent free firewalls (Zone Alarm, Comodo) and you can supplement it with free tools like Ad Aware and Spybot. You should only have one firewall and virus checker but can have loads of the trojan, adware, etc programs.

You don't need to bin the computer altogether but you've probably got so infected that you need to wipe it completely by formatting the hard-disk and starting again from scratch. And don't forget the viruses may be in some of the stuff you back-up.

So the first thing to get on after the operating system is a firewall, then an anti-virus program. Only then should you put anything else on.

 

[Brumblue]

Going to get a new one as mine has only got a 40gb hard drive.

Can get a Fujitsu laptop with 3gb ram and 120gb hard drive for £299.

This may be a daft question, but if I were to transfer all my music files by putting them on to a flash drive and copying them to the new computer, could they be infected?

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Going to get a new one as mine has only got a 40gb hard drive.

Can get a Fujitsu laptop with 3gb ram and 120gb hard drive for £299.

This may be a daft question, but if I were to transfer all my music files by putting them on to a flash drive and copying them to the new computer, could they be infected?

It depends where you got them from. If it's your own cd's or a reputable site then you should be OK but if you've got stuff from limewire or other free download sites then they could be. Like I said, it's worth paying £30 for a decent virus checker.

Have you thought about putting a new hard drive in the old laptop? Usually pretty straight forward. I did that with mine (plus more RAM) and it now 5 or 6 years old and still works fine. If you do that, you should be able to get an OEM copy of Windows for about £50 and install it from scratch. Virus check all your files and you're away.