Actually, it’s on my friend’s computer, so I’m not sure how it was contracted. Here are the symptoms I have noticed so far:
– Mysterious process, help.exe, running in task manager and taking most of the CPU. This process can be killed, and doesn’t always reappear on reboot.
– Norton Anti-virus (2004) cannot run. A dialog states computer must be restarted first, but it says the same thing after a fresh restart. I’m in the process of reinstalling Norton.
– regedit runs, but shuts itself down after a few seconds.
It’s an HP/Compaq laptop running Windows XP, and probably not up-to-date with the various security patches. Any suggestions on how to repair it would also appreciated. Thanks!
Don’t bother reinstalling Norton yet; you probably have a virus that targets Norton, and it won’t run until you clean off the virus. There are a variety of them that use files named help.exe, so it is kind of tough to narrow it down. Download Mcafee’s Stinger, a standalone virus scanner that targets the current top 40 viruses.
Better yet, go to http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall and run their online virus scanner, which targets all viruses.
Unfortunately, trendmicro.com is a domain that is blocked by many viruses. nai.com is also, but to a lesser extent than trendmicro.com, in my experience.
Thanks, that’s very helpful! I downloaded Stinger and I’ll make a note of that other website and see if we can reach it. The Norton installation failed as you predicted. However, I remembered one more symptom. If it’s not connected to the Internet, it prompts on bootup to connect in order to send info to www.hclub.go.ro. Ring any bells?
Try running those scans in “Safe Mode” and make sure you turn off System Restore if it is enabled prior to scanning. You might find some unpleasant .exe files in the Start Up Folder in msconfig and disable them. GoTo Run>msconfig< select the Startup Tab and see what is running when the machine booted.