Maco70 Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Spyware protect 2009 has somehow found its way onto my computer. it's spyware. I've found some removal tools... http://www.2-spyware.com/remove-spyware-protect-2009.html http://www.removeonline.com/remove-spyware-protect-2009-spywareprotect2009-removal-instructions/ Trust worthy? Any other suggestions? Prompt answers are appreciated, before I tear out all of my hair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmr Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Both of those sites seem to link to generic anti-spyware software, not specific 'removal tools' for that particular program. One of them links to Spyware Doctor, which apparently doesn't actually remove the threat unless you pay for the program. The slightly-less crippled 'Starter Edition' is available as a part of Google Pack. I've never used it before myself, but if Google thinks it's alright... I've used Spybot - Search and Destroy in the past. Despite it's ever-so-cheesy name, it seems to work well. I can't guarantee that it'll solve your particular problem, but it's worth a shot. (shouldn't this be in help & newbies?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maco70 Posted January 31, 2009 Author Share Posted January 31, 2009 (shouldn't this be in help & newbies?) Yes, but it would sit there for days without response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IbanezNinja Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 format c: do it don't be a pussy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fusion2004 Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 If all else fails, I would recommend using a wonderful malware remover called ComboFix. It's probably the best out there, and is also EXTREMELY powerful. As in, 10%+ chance of permanently destroying your operating system when you use it. I've had to use it a few times on machines on my home network, and it completely destroys malware, no traces left behind. I would read up on it on some of the computer security forums out there to find out the pros and cons to using it, to help you decide whether or not to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Wolf Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 If it's bad enoough, reformat. Otherwise, try a combination of AdAware SE (There is a free edition, you might have to look around their site a bit anymore) Spybot, and a good virus scanner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 I've heard good about Adware, and Spybot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maco70 Posted January 31, 2009 Author Share Posted January 31, 2009 What burns me up is that I bought Mcafee. Someone was asleep at the wheel. Oh, and my bank account is missing over 400 dollars today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Wolf Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 At this point you unplug your computer completely, remove the hard drive, and beat it with a hammer. Start over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrototypeRaptor Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 What burns me up is that I bought Mcafee. Someone was asleep at the wheel.Oh, and my bank account is missing over 400 dollars today. Mcafee sucks. I use a combo of AVAST, spybot, and a funnily named, less than legit looking piece of software called SUPERantispyware It seems like it would do more harm than good, but it actually has detected and removed some malware that nothing else would. It saved me from a reformat, so take it for what you will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halt Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 You might want to contact your bank asap. And After this, pick up Kapersky or AVG, or something. That really sucks man ;[ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maco70 Posted January 31, 2009 Author Share Posted January 31, 2009 I was able to manually remove most components, and remove the registry values. What remained was picked up by spybot. Thank you everyone for the suggestions. Now... to call the bank, and send an angry letter to mcafee... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Power Smoothie Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Don't forget to create a system restore point if you can get your system working properly again. I had a tonne of trouble before because I hadn't set any of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otakatt Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 The other day I had a lot of spyware related problems, but as someone brought up, SUPERAntiSpyware isn't bad at all. I picked that up on someone's recommendation and it cleaned out my computer when the rest of my software wasn't up to the task. McAfee, I can't advocate at all. I had it a while, and it totally failed me. Far too expensive for what it does, which isn't even half of what free software out there does. Good luck getting everything sorted out. :\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maco70 Posted February 4, 2009 Author Share Posted February 4, 2009 Alright, seems that things have sorted out. I say that because the spyware has outright disappeared suddenly. I was running scans/cleans back to back and eventually it was just gone. Lucky me. Now to Mcafee. It failed me, and I won't be purchasing it again. Suggestions for an antivirus software? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HalcyonSpirit Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Erm, I wouldn't count out the spyware just yet. Some can hide themselves quite well from scanners. You need to be careful. I assume you got things sorted out with the bank? Keep an eye on all your accounts if you didn't switch accounts completely. As for antivirus software, I'm going to assume that you'll want a decent firewall as well. As far as free software goes, the free version of AVG tends to be the best all-around antivirus software. There's a few other good ones as well that have their ups and downs, like AVAST and (I think) NOD32. For a free firewall, the best by far is Comodo's firewall included with their Internet Security Suite. It includes an antivirus, but it, quite frankly, sucks, so don't install that or the Defense+ with the firewall. Paid antivirus/firewall software tends to be a whole lot better than free versions, but whether the cost is worth it to you is your decision. Anyway, Norton's antivirus software is one of the best. Its firewall is good but not great. For a great paid firewall, you'll need to go with ZoneAlarm's paid firewall software. It can come with antivirus, but it's only good, not great (also, the free version of ZoneAlarm's firewall isn't good at all compared to others, so don't bother with it). So, if that's tl;dr for you, here's the rundown of the best combos (in my opinion and experience): Free Software: AVG for antivirus and Comodo for firewall. Paid Software: Norton for antivirus and ZoneAlarm for firewall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maco70 Posted February 4, 2009 Author Share Posted February 4, 2009 Yeah, I am definetly not counting out the spyware. I plan to format anyway, I am just glad my system wasn't completely trashed. Norton eh? I had bad experiences with them in the past... or was that symantec? My school offers something called Soho, ever heard of it? I don't mind paying for a software (emphasis on ONE) as long as it does everything. I'd prefer to use one program instead of many. I'll look into Norton. Another that cause my eye is called CA. It had good reviews on both Tiger direct and new egg. I have until Saturday to decide. I am very angry with Mcafee, and it's a shame that my license lasts until August without my using it anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 norton is what i use. it's very powerful, and it actually prevents malicious programs from being run by prescanning problematic programs, rather than letting them do something and then cleaning it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Native Jovian Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 That sounds really resource intensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HalcyonSpirit Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Norton is a part of Symantec. And yeah, I've had bad experiences in the past with them as well, but they've gotten better in the past two years from what I can tell. The latest of their antivirus software is very powerful, like prophet said. However, do note that you'll pay for that power in both the price of the product and the fact that it's definitely resource-hungry. It's less-so in the latest versions, so if your computer isn't really old it probably won't be too much of an issue. Just know that if you're a real power-user or something, you should be aware that it could impact performance a bit. SoHo is actually a part of AVIRA. It's a decent paid program and one of the better free programs. SoHo is an office edition for AVIRA, so if it's offered through the school it'll probably be tied to them somehow. In either case, if you have to pay more than $20 to use it, it'd be better to just pay the extra money for Norton. If you get it for less or free, you can go for it; it's not the best, but it is good. I've never heard of CA before, but a glance at the internet says "DANGER WILL ROBINSON! DANGER!" It looks like you get a lot less bang for your buck with it, so I'd avoid it. I found this article just now that briefly describes some of the most prominent paid antivirus/firewall software. It echos a lot of what I have experienced, including some programs I didn't mention before that are worth a look, including TrendMicro and BitDefender (TrendMicro, actually, is just one step down from Norton, so if Norton left a bad taste in your mouth the last time you used it, TrendMicro is the next best thing). I recommend you look at it if you're going to go with some paid software. If you're only wanting to pay for one program but want before firewall and antivirus, then you have two options. The first is to get a Security Suite from the article I mentioned before and deal with the ups and downs of each. The other option is to buy the antivirus or firewall separately and then supplement it with a free version of the other. For the first option, I'd still go with Norton, and then TrendMicro as a second-best. For the second option, I'd go with paying for Norton's antivirus and getting Comodo's free firewall; Comodo's free firewall is just about as good as the best paid firewall out there (from ZoneAlarm), so you'll be getting a good deal out of it and have the best of both worlds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 it's definitely a hog on memory - mine generally uses about 100 megs all the time. i've got 4 gigs of ram, so it isn't an issue for me, but it might be for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maco70 Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 it's definitely a hog on memory - mine generally uses about 100 megs all the time. i've got 4 gigs of ram, so it isn't an issue for me, but it might be for you. I have just over a gig of ram. But a great portion of that is dedicated to on board video. It might be easier just to stick with Mcafee... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katsurugi Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 It might be easier just to stick with Mcafee... It might be easier just to stick with McVaffe. Fix'd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HalcyonSpirit Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 It might be easier just to stick with Mcafee... Oh hell no. If you're concerned Norton will eat up too much resources, then go with a lighter antivirus. Here, let me say this: I, too, have only a gig of RAM. I'm running AVG antivirus and Comodo firewall. I have no issues with resources being used up whatsoever. Go with whatever antivirus software you think will suit your needs the best, but for the love of the Internet Gods, don't keep McAfee! McAfee sucks. Now, McVaffe on the other hand, he's awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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