Yes, I’ve read the thread about computer questions.
I’m running Windows XP. I never use Internet Explorer (I have OPERA), so no popups. Web based email, so no attachments are opened. And I have a dial-up connection, not broadband.
Yet, I have lately developed a virus problem.
How is this happening? When I run Spybot and AdAware I find data miner programs and other stuff, and they always seem to return after I eradicate them. How are they getting in, and what else can I do about it that I haven’t already done?
What do you mean by ‘virus problem’? If you mean emails supposedly telling you that you sent one with a virus, they’re spam. Other than that, I notice you don’t mention that you’re using a firewall…or whether you’ve got all Windows updates installed…most recent outbreaks of worms & viruses have exploited weaknesses within XP itself, so using Opera on an insecure machine is no defence.
I can’t say how you first got it, but a lot of spyware programs come with trojans to reinstall themselves when you attempt to remove them. They also mutate filenames when you reboot to avoid detection.
I’m speaking from experience here. I had picked up a nasty scumware once (the type that played with browser settings, added links and bookmarks, etc) that resisted every effort of mine to get rid of it with Adaware, Spybot, etc. I finally sought help on a friendly volunteer forum and got step-by-step instructions on how to be rid of it which involved a lot more than I ever would have guessed on my own.
Wait a sec. You are running Windows XP? Have you installed “Service Pack 2”. The security in Windows XP is crap. You wouldn’t believe it, but random viruses are being constantly thrown at your IP Address. If you don’t have Service Pack 2 installed, those viruses will effortlessly infect your poor little computer.
You dont have to click on a thing. You dont have to open anything or download anything. You simply need to sign on to the internet. Once you are connected, you are a sitting DUCK. Before I installed SP2, it took less than a minute of being logged on for a virus to infect my computer. And they would come NON-STOP. SP2 has a decent firewall that has worked well for me. What it doesn’t stop, McAfee picks up and destroys right away.
The best thing to do is reformat, reinstall XP and then SP2 and THEN connect to the internet. Don’t connect to the internet until you have SP2 and even a decent ant-virus installed.
Go to Microsoft’s website for more info on Service Pack 2.
WOW! The way you talk I should have had least a 100 viruses!
The facts… I have never installed SP2, been running XP and IE for over three years… **never **had a virus! I don’t use Outlook Express for I use Netscape mail.
I do run Norton Anti-Virus and update it every day. Also run free ZoneAlarm for I’m on cable.
The OP stated that he runs OPERA. (SP2 is mainly for security problems in IE and Outlook Express)
The OP didn’t state if he run any Virus Protection.
If he doesn’t, I would suggest he should purchase and install a good anti-virus program or the free AVG.
You’re not really specific here, but I find that a lot of the items marked as “data miners” are really cookies sometimes. If that’s what you’re referring to, those will return when you surf certain sites unless you have cookies blocked. Cookies aren’t the evil they’re cracked up to be, in most cases.
Zone Alarm is a firewall, correct? That’s the major need with Windows XP from what I’ve seen. There’s no firewall to stop these critters from infecting your computer. SP2 provides a firewall. If you have one from somewhere else, then you don’t need it.
I’m no expert at all, but it also has to do with whether any person is sending random viruses to your IP address. Assholes will just send these things to a large array of IPs, hoping that some will not be protected.
My IP address must be on the top of some dickhead’s list somewhere. Because it never took longer than 3 minutes for a virus/trojan/worm/etc to magically “appear” on my computer. I had no idea what the problem was. I thought the viruses were being generated by some main virus that was on my system but I couldn’t detect it or get rid of it. I started a thread here and learned that these bugs were coming in through my unprotected net access. Windows XP needs a firewall. Without, you’re a sitting duck.
Before I learned about SP2, I had a couple different virus scanners, so I could detect the viruses and clean them out, but they just KEPT coming!! And I had no idea why. I thought I completely rid the computer of the problem, and then the virus would magically reappear.
This sounds exactly like what the OP is describing. He knows how to get rid of a virus. He thinks it’s gone (and it actually is) but then it comes back. It’s coming back through the pipeline.
That was my experience, anyway.
Here’s the link from my recent Windows XP experience.
My Windows XP (over 3 years old) came with a built in firewall. I though all versions of XP had a firewall?
I have the XP firewall disabled. The XP firewall only protects in one direction.
I guess I’m just old fashion, most people have installed SP2 with no problems but I’ve read where people had big problems after installing SP2. Also I’ve already did some of what SP2 does… Like disabling a whole bunch of Services that are not needed. XP Default has 41 Services in auto… I now have 20, XP Default has 39 in manual… I now have 11, XP Default has 1 disabled… I now have 50 disabled Services. From what I read SP2 makes a lot of those changes.
I’ve had some email viruses but Norton has always blocked them.
By “virus problem”, I mean the usual symptoms. Slow running computer, internet connectivity interference, and of course the results from my Adaware and Spybot scans.
I have an older version of XP that I haven’t been updating, and it does not have Service Pack 2.
But what’s odd is that the virus problem NEVER happened until last week. So what I want to know is: why now? I haven’t changed anything on the system, so what gives?
Also, last I recall reading a dial-up connection isn’t prone to the same issues as broadband. Is that still true, or am I out of date?
By “virus problem”, I mean the usual symptoms. Slow running computer, internet connectivity interference, and of course the results from my Adaware and Spybot scans.
I have an older version of XP that I haven’t been updating, and it does not have Service Pack 2.
But what’s odd is that the virus problem NEVER happened until last week. So what I want to know is: why now? I haven’t changed anything on the system, so what gives?
Also, last I recall reading a dial-up connection isn’t prone to the same issues as broadband. Is that still true, or am I out of date?
What kind of Anti Virus protection do you run?
Adaware and Spybot are great but not for virus protection.
Yes, you are correct, dial-up is as prone to the same issues as broadband.
I think you are confusing viruses with adware. Although to the end user they may appear to have similar functions, they are not the same; anti-virus programs don’t scan for adware and adware scanners do not check for viruses. At least not yet.
Every time you visit many web pages, even reputable ones (although that may be a subjective definition) you will get some cookies unless you turn off that browser feature. And if you turn it off, you will be turning off many good features as well. Most cookies are harmless, anyway. Just resign yourself to getting some and wiping them out periodically with AdAware & Spybot. No biggie; your privacy wasn’t compromised for very long.
