Some Computer issues...HELP PLEASE!!!!

[Teckboy OCS]

So I have an Inspron E1505 (used for school and gaming)...i know its not ideal, but it sort of works...

Recently I have been having a blue screen pop up with a simple (a problem has occurred and windows needs to shut down" message, but no matter what I do, I can't fix whatever problem it is.

I currently have just over 2 MB left of hard drive space and I assumed it was that, but I continue to delete things and the space remains the same.  Then I tried defraging, but I get halfway through and i get the blue screen again...?

I also have had a Trojan on this computer for about a year and a half now due to a pop-up virus that downloaded the Trojan from somewhere...

So basically, is there anything I can do about the blue screen issue, defrag issue, or even the Trojan (isolated on a separate user)?  Also, if anyone knows where to get a bigger harddrive for an e1505, that would also be appreciated.

Thanks everyone,

Teckboy

P.S.  I am knowledgeable about show technologies (lights and sound for concerts for example) so my computer skills have fallen away, unfortunately.

[Gunny OCS]

Wow Teck!  Sounds like you have a couple of different things going on. 

Blue screen ususally indicates that a driver issue.  Have you recently added any software or hardware?  If so, uninstall them and see if that fixes that problem.  Of course you first idea about your hard drive space is also correct.

As for the other issue read this thread: http://o-c-s.us/index.php/topic,793.0.html

If you can, down load these programs and then boot in the safe mode and run them.

Good luck

[Heff OCS]

Gunny is right in that it is usually due to a software, hardware, or driver error.  If you have recently installed a new program or update try uninstalling. 

You can also go into safe mode and do a system restore, if you have system restore enabled, and go back to a time before you had problems.  Having only 2 Mb of free space on your HD is why you cannot defrag, no room to move files around.

The full HD may be your problem in combination with the Trojan issue.  I have had a couple of computers at work that had very little by way of documents, not even a GB, but have a full HD.  All I could find was that something had changed all the files and folders into system 32 files.  I ended up reinstalling the OS on both computers.  Check your documents and program folders to see if they are system 32 files. If the names are in blue font then you have found your problem.

You can get a 250 GB drive from NewEgg for about $70, I just ordered one about an hour ago.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136123

[Elad OCS]

Save all you can then start anew (format)

I would however, split (partition) your HD so that C:drive is only 30-50gigs.

Then save all your docs, pics, music, downloads (etc) on another drive or partition.

In that way, if you have to format the c:drive again in the future, you will still have all your important stuff saved elsewhere.
Even some programs will still work - like DFBHD without being in the registery.

That's what I do, so if I have to format, no big deal. It will give you that option when installing XP (no idea about win7).
 Think I am up to 3*formatting already this year, but its dead now completely so my problems been an on-going issue for some time it appears (6yr old mobo appears to have giving up)

My pics, mp3, movies & downloads are on other partitions & drives and these HD's are on another computer right now - running. Even the C-drive with xp pro on it is running on this older computer from my dead one, but it required me to re-activate within 3 days from hardware changes

But like the others mention, can't fix, redo!
a-squared is rated #1 and along with that I use Online Armor firewall and Avair (Avira is light on resources- why I like em) as well (ALL FREE-manual updating though except Avair is auto).
They should be able to fix your problems, if you can get into safe mode with networking like gunny mention

I have SuperAntiSpywarePro version, but it along with Mailwarebytes, they didn't score very well. I removed Mailwarebytes as it was interfering with the others.
Neither scored in the top ten (or top 21 last Oct) as of Apr 2010


 Source: http://www.anti-malware-reviews.com/

http://www.emsisoft.com/en/ > (for A-Squared & OnlineArmor) (now rated #2, But its free )

UPDATE: May 12^th 2010




Malware in MRG October test
The famous Malware Research Group has again tested 21 antivirus products to protect your PC in October 2009. Tested virus scanners had to find the enormous amount of 554,891 malware samples, split into the following categories:

Trojans/Backdoors: 398,951
Windows Viruses: 8,864
Worms: 61,928
Adware/Spyware: 48,552
Rootkits/Exploits: 10,736
Other Malware: 25,860

That ensures a representative mix of current malware types that is similar to a ”in-the-wild” malware mix. Test enviroment was a Windows XP machine with service pack 3. Here are the original test results:

Programm Erkennungsrate (%)
a-squared 99.8%
Online Armor ++ 99.8%
G Data 99.6%
Avira 99.5%
Ikarus 99.4%
Panda 98.9%
Norton 98.8%
Avast 98.7%
McAfee 98.7%
BitDefender 98.6%
eScan 98.6%
F-Secure 98.5%
Nod32 98.3%
Kaspersky 98.2%
Comodo 98.1%
AVG 97.4%
F-Prot 95.7%
Twister 94.6%
Sophos 94.4%
Norman 93.2%
Spy Emergency 66.5%
 

[TheLastSparten OCS]

I personally just use a combo of Superantispyware and Malwarebytes. I have found that what one misses the other gets. 

If you haven't yet formatted, but can't yet get any of  the mentioned spyware programs downloaded there is a handy tool offered by Superanitspyware.

Get on another computer, go to their site, superantispyware.com, and download the portable scanner to a USB drive. Then take said usb drive with the portable scanner to the infected computer and either launch the scanner from the usb drive or move the scanner file to the desktop of the infected computer and launch from there. If the scanner does not launch then the virus has hacked your exe registry file. You will then need to proceed another way. On another computer, that is not the infected computer in question,  go to the website  http://www.technibble.com/rkill-repair-tool-of-the-week/ and download the four rkill files  found there. These must be run off of the desktop of the infected computer.  You should only need to run one instance of the program. There are only four incase the virus blocks one of the files it is saved as.
If rkill comes up empty, this will only disable the virus's running on your computer not get rid of them, then try again to launch the portable scanner from superantispyware. If it still does not launch boot into safemode and launch there. If it does not launch there try downloading and installing malwarebytes from malwarebytes.org. This program will run in safemode unless the virus has gotten deeper than even safe mode can protect from. If the program does not run, then you are more than likely out of options and will have to reformat.

**make sure when you run in safe mode, you run safe mode with networking so that you have an internet connection.**

I hope this helps and if not hopefully it helps someone else.

With Best Wishes,

TheLastSparten

[TheLastSparten OCS]

Oh! and if you have any questions just ask

[Teckboy OCS]

Thanks, everyone!

I am starting to try all the diferent options...Elas, is there a way to get a program off the whitelist on a-squared?

[Heff OCS]

There is one program that I have used with a lot of success when others have failed and that is Combofix.  You can download it at combofix.org.  It is usually the last thing I try on a severely infected computer before I reformat and reload.  I have removed a lot of stubborn Trojans with it.  The downside is I have had to reload a few after running Combofix as it has been known to toast an OS.  If you decide to go this route be sure and back all your data up.

I used it successfully on a Vista laptop today. Asquared would detect the Trojan but couldn't remove it. I was unable to update Malewarebytes or any other programs that I normally use and they were unable to detect it.

RKill is a decent program for killing processes but sometimes that isn't enough. These guys are getting better every day at designing and writing Trojans. It is like a chess game trying to removing them. What might work today wont work tomorrow.  I have a laptop in my office that still has a hijacker on it that I am unable to detect or remove.  I have run every program I can think of with no luck.  It blocks microsoft updates as well as updating the antivirus as if something is in the host files blocking the sites. Yes, I am reloading it tomorrow morning.

[Teckboy OCS]

Will I will defiantly keep that in mind Heff 

Fortunately, that might not be necessary, we found the same Trojan on my sister's computer and were able to remove it with an updated Kaspersky antivirus.  Hopefully that will work for me too...just have to do the scan which will take about 12 more hours unfortunately.

[Heff OCS]

I am somewhat surprised that an antivirus was able to remove  your Trojans.  I haven't had any luck using antivurus  on Trojans, I have had it detect them and say they were deleted only to find them back after a re-boot.  Hopefully  you have gotten rid of the little demons, 

[TheLastSparten OCS]

Your kidding Heff. You have got to be doing something wrong then.

Teckboy, even if kaspersky does find and delete your trojans, I still highly recommend downloading and installing, even temporarily, both Malwarebytes and Superantispyware.

And Combofix, as far as I know, only works on xp, with the offchance of working on vista. I do know though that it does not support windows 7. I personally would only  run combofix on a xp machine that doesn't currently have any antivirus or antispyware programs installed.

[Teckboy OCS]

Thanks guys.

Spartan, are those programs free?  I am getting ready for college and would prefer to save money...but if they are cheap, I will definitely look into them.

[TheLastSparten OCS]

Hey now hey now, I don't mean to be getting people mad or insulting their intelligence. I have just never had an occurance where I have run, successfully, an antispyware or virus program and the trojan/virus/spyware it has said it has taken off comes back. That is  all.

Sorry if it sounded as it seems to have. I am not here to insult people.

Once again sorry.

TheLastSparten

[Teckboy OCS]

Thank you both.

I did forget to mention that I have upgraded to vista...got my laptop right before it came out and upgraded right away.

Yes heff, I did think you ate grass all day...MOOOOOO!!!!...lol

I will install those prograns asap.  Hope to see you in game soon!

P.S.  Has anyone had trouble loading COD4 recently, I have been having trouble...it keeps becomming unresponsive

[TheLastSparten OCS]

Just to forewarn, having too many virus and spyware protection programs on your computer  will cause it to slow down considerably.

choose wisely

[Heff OCS]

Sorry Sparten, All.  I deleted my post.  Been going through a lot at home and work not to mention little to no sleep for the last 3 or 4 days.  I was being overly sensitive and childish, for that I apologize.

Heff

[TheLastSparten OCS]

Naw, its completly understandable. After reading it again I can tell how it could have been easily taken the wrong way.

It being my post

Best Wishes

TheLastSparten


P.S. When there's something strange in the neighborhood, who you gonna call?