My computer virus protection keeps popping up windows saying that it stopped and deleted a virus. I does it several times a day, even when not surfing. I suspect I have one and its picking up the virus trying to replicate or something.
I went browsing through “my computer” and noticed a text document (“as.txt”) in my C directory. In looking at it, it’s just a HUGE list of email addresses. As far as I can tell, its a list of addresses from emails that both my wife and I have read (and possibly sent) out of our separate accounts. Sound familiar to anyone?
Sounds like someone has slipped a Trojan (or some other piece of malware) into your system that is trying to use your box as a mail relay for spam or to spread itself.
It sounds like your virus software is deleting it, or thinks it is, but it keeps coming back. That means that at least part of it is not getting deleted, so it pops back up again.
Sometimes different virus software is more effective against a given threat, so you might try one of the online scanners. I use TrendMicro’s Housecall, which you can run from this link:
Also you may want to make sure your firewall is blocking outgoing SMTP except for your email client (if you use one).
You can also try HijackThis:
but it does take some knowledge to use.
Good luck!