The computer virus keeps coming back

careful taunting the cyber-gods there my friend.
I attribute my woes to running an OS of questionable origin coupled with an inability to get a service pack that fits. Aside from the desktop, I dont run into too many situations that I cannot get out of with my other systems. After a clean reformat and a hard drive scrubbing, I was doing ok. Oddly enough, when all was done, I started to get that error from my earlier post. I nailed it down to a sdram that crapped out. Good thing I had a few extras (albeit much slower) that worked. I did use the software recommended in the thread and I think I am a richer person for it. I learned of new tools for my arsenal.

You need to run SFF in safe mode and restart! If you don't restart with it, it wont get rid of the programs running in the background! :bash:

reply to post by ArMaP


I was stupid and used Internet explorer. After fighting vundo i will never go back to IE. Firefox all the way.

Yeah, IE is on my hit list. The daughter did it! Having someone share your computer is like having someone share your purse. It just doesn't work very well.

There has been alot of good advise and one person even looked at the list from Hijackthis and identified several "viruses".

It is really disheartening and I have more good ideas than I do ability to carry them out. I haven't even scanned in safe mode yet.

But there is some good news as well. Norton has caught a big bug and got rid of it and the Smitfixit also deleted alot of infected files.

I am not having any noticable problems except java script is gone and I occasionally have needed it for something to load up and sometimes the monitor gets pastel colored lines all over and the print gets real big and then it says something about a permdriver11 or something like that and I have to shut it off at the power button and restart. Then it says my system has recovered from a serious error.

This happens about once sometimes twice a day.

Here is a different kind of question.

Is it normal that you hear your speakers click when you click your mouse to change pages or something? Or when you have set idle reading and then you go to use the mouse you hear the click through the speakers.

I hear alot about keylogging and I wonder if this would be a symptom of it. Sometimes it is a double click sound.

reply to post by interestedalways


A keylogger is just a program to log all the keys pressed, even if it was a program to record mouse movements (which I doubt) I don't think that it would make any sounds.

But it is a strange thing to happen.

Yeah, it is strange. Any annoying!

The PC has never been all the way right since it got the viruses, but it works okay.

If it happens to anyone else, the clicking maybe it is some file I could find and remove.

Thanks, ArMap for the reply

[edit on 16-11-2007 by interestedalways]

I don't know what kind of clicking sound that may be, but you can find the clicking sound files here - c:\windows\media\start.wav and c:\windows\media\windows XP start.wav

Hope this helps.

Yes, that's normal in IE. Even if you aren't actively using the computer, an active-x component may be running at certain intervals and update the page and you'll here a click. www.foxsports.com is a good example of automatic updates.

You won't hear clicking in firefox. At least I don't.

lol That is the Windows Start Navigation sound. You can turn it off in Control Panel -> Sounds and Audio Devices. Sounds tab. Scroll down.

Thanks for the replies once again. I think I am becoming acutely aware of all the idiocycronies of this machine.

I think I will start using firefox, too. It just seems to be a better program overall.

I am unhooking things almost daily. Now the webcam is gone because it kept interfereing with my logging in and the light would stay on as if it was watching me all the time.

Kind of creepy!

reply to post by interestedalways


You could try Opera, it may not have all those plug-ins and add-ons that Firefox has, but I think Opera is the best browser when it comes to help the user, the fact that I may close Opera and have exactly the same pages opened with all their history as if I didn't closed the browser makes it worth it.

The MyATS page is never closed!

I donj't know if anyone has mentioned it, but when viruses (virii) come back it could be because it is respawning from,... now what was that called again? Oh yeah, 'system recovery'.
What you do is run your antivirus and adware programs to fix your computer, then delete your restore point and create a new restore point.

Antivirus and adware programs don't kill viruses in the system recovery.

Hmmm, OPERA? I will check it out.

One problem is that I have too many toolbars. How do I find them when they aren't set as a default so that I can eliminate them?

Toadmud, as far as system recovery goes if I fix the problems with the anti virus software and system restore (is restore same as recovery?) I would have to pick a restore point prior to the fix, right? Or is recovery different than restore?

It has helped alot, the suggestions posted in this thread and all who have posted that I didn't respond to individually just know that I appreciate each contribution to this ongoing problem. I may be an expert at this some day and help some other computer illiterate member!

Thee's a couple of ways to find tour toolbars. The easist is to right click in an empty place in the tool bar area and uncheck the one you don't want.

As far as system restore and system recovery, They are different. In your case, A "restore point" is created or recovered using MS system restore. If you removed a virus, then you want to turn system restore "OFF" it will give you a message that you will lose all restore points ( good) - this is what you want in case the virus has infected a restore point. Reboot and turn it back on.

Does this make sense.

[edit on 18-11-2007 by x-phile]

reply to post by x-phile


You know, that actually does make sense because if I don't turn it off it is constantly wanting to recreate or restore that which I am trying to get rid of. Good point to keep in mind, it means I will need to redo things again, but I guess it is worth it in the long run to keep hammering away.

A hammer, yes, I have thought of that!



LOL