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Unkown Virus or Malware or SOMETHING???

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descriptionUnkown Virus or Malware or SOMETHING??? - Page 3 EmptyRe: Unkown Virus or Malware or SOMETHING???

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Hi

Please do the following to backup your computer: Vista Complete PC Backup (using Vista backup utility is the alternative).

Then, please reinstall (in-place upgrade) Windows Vista. Follow this article, and read this section only: "To reinstall Windows Vista."

All of your data is usually fine when doing a reinstall. However, I gave you backup instructions first to ensure your would not lose any data. Failure to backup your data will result in a possible loss of any documents, pictures, videos, special files, or any other important thing you need to save.

Please tell me whether or not you have completed this task or are able to. Thank you!

descriptionUnkown Virus or Malware or SOMETHING??? - Page 3 EmptyRe: Unkown Virus or Malware or SOMETHING???

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Hey,

I re installed windows vista, i tried to back up my stuff and when I finished with the back up it said it completed successfully. When I reinstalled windows vista all of my stuff is gone including numerous drivers and utilities. I also tried to get my stuff from my back up and my back up disk is blank so I lost all of my stuff. No big deal really because I didn't have to much for pictures, music, etc. I just don't have any of my drivers. Other than that I believe everything else works. I am now in normal mode and everything works like before. I can install and download online.

descriptionUnkown Virus or Malware or SOMETHING??? - Page 3 EmptyRe: Unkown Virus or Malware or SOMETHING???

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Hi

I am sorry that happened. That is usually rare, but Vista does have reliability issues. At least you attempted the backup. 😉

Please read the following information that I have provided, which will help you prevent malicious software in the future. Please keep in mind, malware is a continuous danger on the Internet. It is highly important to stay safe while browsing, to prevent re-infection.

Software recommendations

Firewall

  • Tallemu Online Armor: the free version is just as good as the premium. I have linked you to the free version.
  • Comodo Firewall: the free version is just as good as the premium. I have linked you to the free version. The optional security suite enhances the firewall by 40% increase. If you would like to install the suite that includes antivirus, then remove your old antivirus first.
  • PC Tools Firewall Plus: free and excellent firewall.


AntiSpyware

  • SpywareBlaster
    SpywareBlaster is a program that prevents spyware from installing on your computer. A tutorial on using SpywareBlaster may be found here.
  • Spybot - Search & Destroy.
    Spybot - Search & Destroy is a spyware and adware removal program. It also has realtime protection, TeaTimer to help safeguard your computer against spyware. (The link for Spybot - Search & Destroy contains a tutorial that will help you download, install, and begin using Spybot).


NOTE: Please keep ALL of these programs up-to-date and run them whenever you suspect a problem to prevent malware problems.

Resident Protection help
A number of programs have resident protection and it is a good idea to run the resident protection of one of each type of program to maintain protection. However, it is important to run only one resident program of each type since they can conflict and become less effective. That means only one antivirus, firewall, and scanning anti-spyware program at a time. Passive protectors such as SpywareBlaster can be run with any of them.

Rogue programs help
There are a lot of rogue programs out there that want to scare you into giving them your money and some malware actually claims to be security programs. If you get a popup for a security program that you did not install yourself, do NOT click on it and ask for help immediately. It is very important to run an antivirus and firewall, but you can't always rely on reviews and ads for information. Ask in a security forum that you trust if you are not sure. If you are unsure and looking for anti-spyware programs, you can find out if it is a rogue here:
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

Securing your computer

  • Windows Updates - It is very important to make sure that both Internet Explorer and Windows are kept current with the latest critical security patches from Microsoft. To do this just start Internet Explorer and select Tools > Windows Update, and follow the online instructions from there.
  • hpHosts file replaces your current HOSTS file with one containing well known ad sites and other bad sites. This prevents your computer from connecting to those sites by redirecting them to 127.0.0.1, which is your local computer's loopback address, meaning it will be difficult to infect your computer in the future.


Please consider using an alternate browser
Mozilla's Firefox browser is a very good alternative. In addition to being generally more secure than Internet Explorer, it has a very good built-in popup blocker and add-ons, like NoScript, can make it even more secure. Opera is another good option.

If you are interested:

  • Firefox may be downloaded from here: http://www.getfirefox.com
  • Opera is available here: http://www.opera.com/download/


Thank you for choosing GeekPolice. Please see this page if you would like to leave feedback or contribute to our site. Do you have any more questions?

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