Computer Virus Removal

[MIbasser]

Buzz, just wondering but how much disk space do you have available?

My computer

Rt. click on C:
Properties.

If you have most of it used up, your computer will run slow. Music & pictures can slow it down.

[MrPhotographer06]

dont try wipeing anything unless you know what your doing.. trust me...

vista is crap in my opinion.. but thats just me.. XP is what i run and we run at school and most everyone i know runs it..

[Buzz Wing]

MIBasser,

I have 23.2 GB of Used Space, and 61.8 GB of Free Space. What does this mean?

-Buzz

[MrPhotographer06]

your total Hard Drive space is 85 and you have used 23.2 with 61.8 left...


you want to catch 85 lbs of bass.. youve caught 23.2 and 61.8 to go before you fill what you want...

except you dont want to fill your HD

[MIbasser]

You have a lot of stuff on your computer and a decent sized hard drive. I have 19 GB used and 129 free. Mine runs pretty quick.....

[BassBandit]

Sometimes it slows down if your system has a few memory left. Like MrP06 said uninstall some of the programs that you hardly use or don't use anymore. It will free up the space and speed up a bit.

If you have a few memory availabe to use you can order a memory stick and install it in your PC yourself. That's if you have slot available in your PC. That, will speed up much better, too.

I had XP and liked it alot. Now the kids are using it and Vista is on my new PC. So far I like it. Took a while getting used to. It was SLOW at first until I removed a couple programs at the start up that were installed from factory. No problem on my end, so far.

If there still a problem occur on your system you can find help at www.bleepingcomputer.com The folks over there are expert in this field and would be more than happy to walk you through it. You will notice a big difference after you do what they instruct you to do. I had them 2 years ago and my old computer is running like new. Give them a shout.

[MrPhotographer06]

i've got to get a personal computer soon so i can do college apps and keep all my new personal info on it [i'm 16/Jr in hs]

but my house computer runs pretty good with a 35 gb h/d... 22 free

my old computer was slower than this one with an 80 gb hd but i'm not sure on what kinda ram i've got on either..

[BassBandit]

225 GB free
63.5 GB used

Personal computer. Cable helps too

[flfireman]

Limewire is supposed to be bad for viruses.

[doc]

Buzz. My advice would be to check for virus and adware first. It's probably the problem, that or memory. If you have virus protection run it first. IF not go to download.com and search for avg free download and install it, then run a virus scan.

Then go back to download.com and get ad-aware by lavasoft. It is a decent free adware removal also completely free and easy on the resources.

VERY IMPORTANT do not install more than 1 virus protection on your computer.

If its still running slow, then well look at your memory and such. It is probably just a trojan or some adware.

I too work in the IT field for a financial institution. Security is our main focus. These applications are what I use on my home computer. They are free and use very little cp resources, work fairly well, and are easy to use.

[1/4 stick]

Originally Posted by bamabassman

i have a gateway, running vista gang.

I'm on a gateway with Vista. I like it myself. One thing for sure, if you don't have dualcore and 2gigs of ram, you don't want vista.

[BassBandit]

Originally Posted by doc

Buzz. My advice would be to check for virus and adware first. It's probably the problem, that or memory. If you have virus protection run it first. IF not go to download.com and search for avg free download and install it, then run a virus scan.

Just a head up, I had AVG for 5 years up and liked it til recent problem with the update manager. Every time I fixed it, within a min or two it came back. Annoyed the heck outta me. Uninstalled then reinstalled, same result. Did the research, others had the same problem with the AVG "update manager" new version. http://www.google.com/search?q=problem+with+avg+update+manager&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a Might use it again after they correct the error. For now I'm using avast! it a good program too.

[Joel]

Everyone should have full time virus protection installed, active, and auto update running. a min of one firewall (I have two since my router has one), a ad-ware, and spyware programs as well. Spybot is great and it's free. I also use CCleaner for my registry cleaner and it's free as well.

One problem with installing a virus protection program if you already have a nasty virus, is that it may not let the program install fully, or it won't detect that virus.

[BigBassin144]

Originally Posted by MrPhotographer06

your total Hard Drive space is 85 and you have used 23.2 with 61.8 left...


you want to catch 85 lbs of bass.. youve caught 23.2 and 61.8 to go before you fill what you want...

except you dont want to fill your HD

I don't know about older computers, but on mine, it said 153 free of 222GB. We've got a 250GB HD, so I'm assuming they don't include the close to 30GBs in things that came on the computer.

Originally Posted by Buzz Wing

You like Vista, Bama? I've hear some bad things about it.

-Buzz

Got vista on the new computer. I don't notice much of a difference, but then again, I know next to nothing about computers.

Originally Posted by MississippiBoy

Ok, enough from the peanut gallery...let the adults talk for a minute, lowrider...

1. A firewall protects your computer from a variety of attacks from the internet. It's a wall that keeps malicious software from getting to your computer. Without one, it'll take about as much time as you'll spend reading this post for your computer to be infected with something.
2. De-fragging the hard drive just means you tell your computer to organize related bits of information close to each other so it spends less time searching for pieces of the puzzle. Kinda like putting all your chartreuse spinnerbaits in one box, white ones in another, cranks in another, etc. You don't have to go through all your boxes to find a specific lure, you already know pretty much where it is.

Damn me if I can't remember where to find the de-frag tool, though...I'll post again when I find it...

Ok, here it is...Under the "Start" menu, go to programs, then accessories, then system tools. You should see "Disk Defragmenter" in there. Close all your programs, and run it. It'll take a good long while, a couple hours more than likely.

Again, I don't know about the older ones, but on mine, the de-frag is set to run automatically every wednesday at 1 AM. I'm just never on at 1AM on wednesday to see it.

Also, buzzy, the one JB told me about is malwarebytes. It's worked good for me, caught over 2 dozen things. I run it every couple of days on the quick scan, and then the full scan every couple weeks.

BB

[Joel]

There is actually a few ways to find the defrag program. You generally don't need to defrag much if you don't add/delete programs, download music, or pictures. XP seems much more organized in it's approach to bit placement and file storage then previous OS's.

Also, many virus programs are now full security suites that include spyware, and email scans. I've found that their spyware programs are only average at best, so get a free separate one mentioned in this thread. Also make sure that you have a virus program that actually scans emails and attachments before you can preview them. All Microsoft email programs have a preview pane, and if your layout includes it, you're vunerable to any kind of Maleware/Spyware. Just don't use the preview pane layout. I use Mozilla Thunderbird so I don't have those worries and I still use a email scanner in my virus prtection suite.

[weezymagic]

what are your system specs. hd space will have little to do with speed. although it is a factor, its not as big as ram and proc speed. for example, my desktop has 8 gb ram, 1074 gb (2x 500 gb, 1x 74 gb hd), 2.8ghz quad core. if my pc goes slow wile playing games, im looking at my 2 vid cards and cpu. if my 2 3870x2's are fine, im gunna look at my cpu. the cpu is the brain, if its too busy with tasks, itll slow everything down. dont run too much at once. RAM is like temp memory that is used like the cpu, too many things going through will cause a clog and everything will slow down. viruses wont usually cause pc slow downs. unless its a RAT or something. most 'good' viruses wont be detected. and you wont get viruses as long as your doing nothing illegal. i dont use firewalls or antivirus mainly because they do more harm than good (and i like to play with viruses too much). if you are truely worried, get avg free and comodo firewall. both are free and effective

[Joel]

AVG will try to push AVG 8 or whatever it's called that isn't free.

You're playing with fire if you go on the net and don't use a virus program and a firewall, especially if you're on cable or other broadband connections that stay on 24/7. My system has taken 1,000s of hits. True, most are bots, but the point is that they couldn't get through.

Exactly what do you mean by saying that they do more harm then good? Once a virus attacks your BIOS, you're in big trouble. It could cost you a new motherboard.

[weezymagic]

you can always pirate avg 8 if you get that bugged by it, lol

i like messing with a lot of things that antivirus and firewalls dont exactly agree with. they like to auto delete my viruses when i want them.

[Joel]

Originally Posted by weezymagic

you can always pirate avg 8 if you get that bugged by it, lol

i like messing with a lot of things that antivirus and firewalls dont exactly agree with. they like to auto delete my viruses when i want them.

I preferred not to have gone that route when I used AVG Free. Instead I took the suite of security programs from my cable company, and use Spybot, CCleaner, and now Revo as well.

I still don't follow your logic. If you get a virus as an example, and have no realistic way to find it and or get rid of it, why would you want to mess with it in the 1st place? You could always set your virus program to quarantine the infected files instead of deleting them. Again, if it does infect your BIOS, you can't repair it, nor download updated drivers to correct the damaged files, as most viruses would block any attempt to remove them at that point. At best, they would control your computer and you would just be along for the ride.

[weezymagic]

i mess with viruses that i create or find. i have had very few viruses and i have found them because i notice increased ram usage and files. u actually can fix your BIOS, well...parts of it. most people wont get really bad viruses so you dont have much to worry about. im sorry but im in a ranting mood and im sorry if i offend anyone.

[Joel]

Originally Posted by weezymagic

i mess with viruses that i create or find. i have had very few viruses and i have found them because i notice increased ram usage and files. u actually can fix your BIOS, well...parts of it. most people wont get really bad viruses so you dont have much to worry about. im sorry but im in a ranting mood and im sorry if i offend anyone.

You didn't offend me. It's just that I find your reply rather strange to say the least. 99% of the guys on this list, and others that I frequent are fishermen and casual computer users. We only understand what we really need to know to get around the net and do the things we want, and need to do. I'm not, and most here aren't computer geeks who would know how to or even understand the inner software workings of their computers. We use those protection programs for just that. To protect our software from all sorts of devious attacks designed for no other purpose then to either steal our personal data or just to do damage for the hell of it.

It's a real crap shoot to say that the vast majority of viruses aren't that bad, they are. And there is no way of knowing that you won't get a "killer" one. That's like saying you don't need to wear a seat belt because you've never been in a accident where you needed one. Then some nut runs a light and rear ends you. Have a fun time in the hospital if you make it that far.

While I've never had a virus that did major damage to my computer, I've known people (including my son) who like you lived without the basic protection programs on his computer as it was just a pain in the butt to maintain those programs. He got viruses, spyware, adware, and general malware all the time. Of course he lived at sites like Limewire, Kaaza, Bearshare, etc. Eventually a virus did attack his Bios. The remains of that computer are still down in the basement storage room. Once a virus changes your Bios, you have very little options of downloading new drivers to repair those problems, as they usually prevent those drivers from ever fully loading.

How many times I've had people post on boards that their computer home pages were highjacked. Not deadly, but a real pain to fix. I read the Mozilla boards and News.Molliza.org regularly, and honestly I don't understand 1/2 of what they're talking about. Now these are computer literate people and they don't have all the answers.

My advice to you is to use reliable computer protection. If you like playing with malware, just use quarantine. You can do with them as you like. Just keep them on your computer. We'd all appreciate that.

[doc]

Originally Posted by weezymagic

i mess with viruses that i create or find. i have had very few viruses and i have found them because i notice increased ram usage and files. u actually can fix your BIOS, well...parts of it. most people wont get really bad viruses so you dont have much to worry about. im sorry but im in a ranting mood and im sorry if i offend anyone.

What about sleepers, and botnets?

I dont care how smart you are on computers, telling someone they don't need virus protection is a ignorant statement. Everyone should have virus protection and some form of ad-ware removal on their pc. Back in the day when we all had dial-up it wasn't a real issue, but with todays ALLWAYS ON broadband connections virus protection is a must.

It is asking for trouble, viruses not only effect the performance of your machine but they can cause you financial trouble as well. The fastest growing form of ID theft is on the internet. Keyloggers use very little resources and can even be set to not transmit data untill your off your pc.

BUZZ, how did it go?

[doc]

Originally Posted by weezymagic

what are your system specs. hd space will have little to do with speed. although it is a factor, its not as big as ram and proc speed. for example, my desktop has 8 gb ram, 1074 gb (2x 500 gb, 1x 74 gb hd), 2.8ghz quad core. if my pc goes slow wile playing games, im looking at my 2 vid cards and cpu. if my 2 3870x2's are fine, im gunna look at my cpu. the cpu is the brain, if its too busy with tasks, itll slow everything down. dont run too much at once. RAM is like temp memory that is used like the cpu, too many things going through will cause a clog and everything will slow down. viruses wont usually cause pc slow downs. unless its a RAT or something. most 'good' viruses wont be detected. and you wont get viruses as long as your doing nothing illegal. i dont use firewalls or antivirus mainly because they do more harm than good (and i like to play with viruses too much). if you are truely worried, get avg free and comodo firewall. both are free and effective

I have to ask, what OS you have. Also there are very few good virus/spyware on the net, most of them are made by people in moms basement, or chinease looking for your gaming/ internet banking passwords. Viruses can be obtained by simply opening an infected e-mail (thats not illegal) visiting someones infected "my space" page, or any infected site that uses active x (and might I note that with the latest windows vulnerabilities any site can be infected with the code to launch an active x attack without users permission). Those are just a few of the Legal ways to get a virus.

[weezymagic]

i am currently running windows vista ultimate, home premium, xp pro sp3, and working with backtrack3.

honestly, if someone wants onto your computer, they will get on. any protection wont help much because there are so many ways to make things fully undetectable. im currently working on binding a keylogger to a jpeg (click on the picture, install keylogger). im not using it in any malicious way. nor am i randomly giving it to people. most "viruses" are just to mess with people you know or people that should be messed with.

and about quarantining, it just annoys me to keep hitting allow and i only give my viruses to friends. lol, no worries.

[Joel]

Originally Posted by weezymagic

i am currently running windows vista ultimate, home premium, xp pro sp3, and working with backtrack3.

honestly, if someone wants onto your computer, they will get on. any protection wont help much because there are so many ways to make things fully undetectable. im currently working on binding a keylogger to a jpeg (click on the picture, install keylogger). im not using it in any malicious way. nor am i randomly giving it to people. most "viruses" are just to mess with people you know or people that should be messed with.

and about quarantining, it just annoys me to keep hitting allow and i only give my viruses to friends. lol, no worries.

Sure sounds like you know your way around the "Dark Side". My computer has had 12 attacks in the last 60 days that were blocked. Naturally, I have no way of knowing if any others got through or not.