My Computer is possesed, Help

Hello. It sounds like you have some sort of malware or annoying virus. Visit this URL to download a program called Malware Bytes:
[ame=http://download.cnet.com/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware/3000-8022_4-10804572.html]Malwarebytes Anti-Malware - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com[/ame]

Click "Download Now", save it to your computer, and then install it, once the download is finished. After it is installed, run it. It will then ask if you want to download a database update. Click "Yes" or "Update", whichever it says. Then click "Scan Computer". After it's finished scanning (Could take 15 min to an hour), click "Quarantine". That should fix your problem. Hope it helps.

 

I've noticed where sometimes I'll click on my Priuschat bookmark and it sends me to some other page (always the same one). If I hit back and hit the bookmark again, I'm good to go.

If Priuschat is the ONLY thing you're getting weird, it's them. If other things are weird, it's you and you got an adware virus.

 

I am a computer tech. And here is my 2 cents worth.

1. lose McAFee. Unless your subscription runs for a while. It tends to be a resource hog.
2. install a free version of AVG or Avast for your anti-virus
3. For Spyware scans, try the free download of Lavasoft
4. can also try spybot.com

If you dont wnat to install anything. Try bitdefender.com and click on the free online scanner link.

This is what I use, and will usually do the job. If it doesnt. Then I usually resort to a fresh install.

 

Has anyone suggested switching to a Mac yet? :madgrin:

 

Can we get fries and a drink to go with that? :rockon:

 

Also lose McAfee because it wouldn't recognize a virus if the virus walked up to McAfee wearing a large name tag saying "Hello, my name is Virus".

I'm a fan of Avira, personally.

 

However, McAfee is well known in enterprise circles these days for incorrectly detecting system files as viruses and crashing computers company wide, causing millions in lost work.

 

It's strange that so many HUGE companies (like the one I'm at) use McAfee. They must REALLY get it for cheep.

 

You have maleware that has hijacked your browser. The above suggestions are good, and with luck AVG may be able to remove your problem. Unfortunately, once you get one of these nasties on your machine they can prove difficult to remove, since many of them put up an active defense, using cloaking techniques to hide themselves from the antivirus programs.

There are some other options, but since you state up front that you are not technically inclined from a computer standpoint, I suspect the more advanced techniques will cause you more trouble than good. Try AVG or even Hijackthis. If that doesn't work, seek professional help.

Tom

 

housecall.trendmicro.com is not bad, I am a fan of Spybot search and destroy before you have issues, it blocks sites that can infect you.

 

Once you get straightened out, go to my main index. Do you see
a big red warning at the top? If so, you've still got some work
to do with regard to the most likely infection vectors.
.
_H*

 

Lots of folks here are recommending AVG. While AVG is good, Avira is better.

 

I have just finished getting rid of what you describe. It is a "redirect virus". I tried all of the the free software packages (anti-malware,spybot,and a few others plus windows live one care) and in the end, found that the virus was actually on my router. So if none of the aforementioned software remedies work, try a factory reset on your router and that will take care of it.

 

You had a virus on your router?!? What make and model are you using? Was your router also serving as a DNS server?

For most routers a factory reset does not reload the router code. All it does is reset the configurable settings. Typically you have to run some sort of flash bootloader on a computer attached to the router in order to change the router firmware. It is much more likely that your router settings had been altered without any sort of virus code being installed on the router.

Tom

 

Linksys WRT310N, and I can't be absolutely positive that it had a virus on it. All I know is that once I went through a factory reset and updated all of the software/drivers for it, I have no more redirect virus. This was not the case with any other remedies I tried. I was reading some anti-virus forums focused on the redirect virus and found someone who fixed their system the same way.

 

Okay, now we get the rest of the information. You did a factory reset, *and* reloaded the firmware. That I can believe. I can also believe that you might have had maleware on a WRT router, as they are common and well understood. There are several good open source firmware packages for the WRT, any of which would make a nice starting point for someone trying to mess up your router.

Tom

 

Huh, I have the same router but have never had an issue. I also frequently check at Linksys/Cisco for updated firmware and keep the router current

 

I am happy that your problem is solved. I recommend installing & running Crap Cleaner (C Cleaner) which will quite frankly clean crap out of your registry and hard drive. You can't get into trouble by letting it do whatever it wants but you don't have to let it do everything. You can bypass whatever you don't want or don't understand.