(Contra Virus) Anyone have the cure??

[Silver R/T]

everything loads up faster on Mozilla, I was sceptical using it but when I tried I like it over IE.

[70charger_boy]

everything loads up faster on Mozilla, I was sceptical using it but when I tried I like it over IE.

I just downloaded it an hour ago and feel like a loser for using IE for all these years

[Troy]

Some of the newer "drive by" installers do work in Firefox so it isn't bulletproof either. You need scripting and/or Java enabled for any of these installers to work though (and they're much simpler to turn off in Firefox if you think you'll be surfing an "untrustworthy" site). The new IE (version 7) isn't too bad but I'm so used to Firefox now that it's difficult to switch back. My sister had a similar virus/adware and I was amazed at how many places it managed to wiggle into. It took probably 4-5 hours to clean it out and then she got it again a week later. I found a removal tool from somewhere and fixed it in a few minutes.

Troy

You didn't happen to hold onto that fix, did ya??

I said she had something "similar" so, even though I still have it, it won't work for you. You need a fix for the specific piece of malware that you are infected with. AdAware and Spybot are both usually very good at detecting and removing these things so try them first. When I get back later today I'll see if I can find something else. Did you try any of the things listed above?

Troy

[Steve P.]

Hey Troy, yeah, I tried Spybot SD, SD12, Spyware blaster, and a few others. I downloaded McAfee and PCDoctor spyware also. One of them has it contained. Since they were run it has not popped up, but,,,, both of them show 2 viruses and loads of other spyware.  The crappy thing is I don't know which will get rid of it and both are PAY FOR tools. I have not been able to find one thing that says it will destroy this BS. (Other than the one the MF that made the virus sells)... That is just the same as ransom to me.. My computer is being held hostage...

I would love to find the MFr that puts this crap out there. I have a vise and a sledge hammer with his name on it...... 

[Troy]

Do NOT install the one that is recommended by the virus. If they attacked your computer in the first place then why would you pay them money and install the junk for them?

The way these things work is that they keep one part in memory so that you can't delete it (Windows won't allow you to delete items that are in use). They also add entries to your start up process to download new versions and/or repair themselves every time you restart. Usually there are multiple programs (including virus/adware/spyware scanner disablers, keyloggers, etc.) and they all work together to keep all of them updated and running. You need to remove/disable all of them, delete the start-up entries, fix any browser settings that were changed, repair all of your affected utilities and then restart. Run a virus scan and an adware scan on boot up before Windows loads because once Windows is running it all starts over again. It's a royal pain and sometimes requires a few tries to get it right.

The only programs I recommend are the ones I listed along with AVG (there are some other good anti-virus programs of course but I don't use them all). It would not hurt to have a software firewall like ZoneAlarm to catch these things when they try to connect to the internet to get their initial payload. Then they can never install. Obviously you need to know what's happening for this to work though and most people just click the "allow" button and get infected any way. As long as there are smart people making these things there will be another group of smart people trying to figure out how to combat them. You just need to find the right group and you'll be all set.

By the way, I shouldn't have to tell you this but DO NOT log into your email or online banking until you get this fixed. When you do get it fixed then change all of your passwords ASAP.

Troy

[Steve P.]

Wow, what an incredible pain in the ass....  I am a total stooge when it comes to the computer. Maybe I need a pro to do this..

Everything I read about this damn thing is that the best way to remove it is manually removing every single file on the list. That is hundreds of files...   Where is that gun to the head icon??

[Troy]

Congrats! Your thread made it into the top 25 on Google when searching for "Contra Virus Removal". I guess that's one way to get more attention to the site...

This looks promising (but a lot of "work"):
http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=130763
I bet it fixes a lot of other things though. They have an entire board dedicated to removing this junk. They say to "do this first":
http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=35407

Lots of good info here (and maybe something "easier" to try first):
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070616184558AALnI5f

My sister had "WinAntiSpam" which is also a major pain.

Something I noticed today - Contra-virus.com is owned by ESTDOMAINS INC which is responsible for over 1,000 spam domains that I've had to block from the server. We are under attack daily from servers belonging to these morons.

Troy

[The70RT]

Wow, what an incredible pain in the ass....  I am a total stooge when it comes to the computer. Maybe I need a pro to do this..

Everything I read about this damn thing is that the best way to remove it is manually removing every single file on the list. That is hundreds of files...   Where is that gun to the head icon??

I hear ya. If is wasn't for my kids  ............but then I know a I.T person where I work at and where my wife works. A little  and I am back in bizz.

[Steve P.]

2 things to report.

1). I hope the attention it brings is NOT bad..

2). I have one of those IT buddy's also. I just got off the phone with him and he is coming over Monday night. I just hate to bother him with this crap all the time. Although it has been a long time... 

I am on my way to Staples for more RAM so that I can keep an anti-virus running at all times without putting a kink in the computer hose. I have 512 mb now. How's 1000 sound??

I am going to stop using IE all together and do everything  through Firefox.

Lastly I am going to have to move to Virginia if this ever happens again as my buddy is leaving town soon.. DAMN IT....

[Steve P.]

UPDATE: for those interested.. I purchased (Kaspersky internet security with virus killer). Dumped everything that I had previously tried and installed it. All my troubles are gone. Well, on the computer anyway... I also added 1 meg of ram to help speed things up a bit. Now I use the Kaspersky all the time and listen for it to eat unwanted guests...

Thanks to all for your help.   

[70charger_boy]

Congrats, I never heard of the Kaspersky program.  I was afraid that you would have to dump your hard drive.  That must suck.  Hopefully, you won't have this problem again

[Steve P.]

Yup, it's taking some getting used to, but I feel better about the system now.. I may be a false feeling, but it's better than KNOWING you HAVE something...