Larian Studios Forums General Chat Chat (Anything) The PC "Help" Thread

But it sure is fun to blame them <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/silly.gif" alt="" />!

Übereil

connection back sluggish

hmm try running this line;
Start > Run > chkntfs /x <drive> [drive] [drive]


For example, if you want to disable Chkdsk from running on drive C: chkntfs /x c:

Chkntfs works by modifying the BootExcecute value in the Registry.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\
CONTROL\Session Manager
The default value is BootExecute:REG_MULTI_SZ:autocheck autochk *

Chkdsk /f /r is unaffected by chkntfs and can be run to check volumes manually on the next system reboot.

http://www.dependencywalker.com/

Nyxem.e is currently invading Germany : There are *lots* of headlines about it, whereas there is almost none in English language. I can only guess it hasn't spread that much outside Germany yet.
More detailed info here : http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/analyses/w32nyxemd.html

Also info here (plus removal tool) : http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.blackmal@mm.removal.tool.html

Thanks Al, heard it on the TV here today erm yesterday (wednesday) so appreciate the link thanks again!
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />

Yip.... nexum is also here in SA.... causing havoc with clients' computers <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> - about that i am not complaining... i am profiting from it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin1.gif" alt="" />

there is something else that got into a few of the computers i maintain...... not a virus... but as LETHAL to a computer as any bad virus....

People get a message from a Yahoo address, stating that the email they are about to receive is a safety encrypted email, and supplying them with a username and password to retrieve the email. When you click on "read message" a small java applet runs, that launches an exe (without you knowing that it downloaded it) the program asks for the username and password.... when you click READ.... it executes whatever code it is that kills your computer....

the symptoms are that your taskbar freezes, you cant run new programs (only from task manager - for those who knows how).... most people will restart their compters at this point..... (which will result in irrepairably damaging your programs and windows) if you havnt restarted yet, you can remove the virus by killing all services and tasks, then kill it out of your startup list, then delete a list of newly created files on your computer (all in the C:\windows\system32 directory) if you dont do this before you restart... you can kiss your installation bye bye..... even my computer died with this virus..... Hubby managed to save his (he hadnt restarted at that point)....

and btw.... no virus program that i tested, picked it up..... not norton, mccaffee, trend mico, avast, avg, f-secure.... none of them.... so i sent the virus-email link to all those companies to check out.... we will see what happens....

Interesting. I'll send your report to a website I know.

P.S. I just read on a web site about computrer security, that the WMF exploit was developed by russian hackers and sold to a more sophisticated hacker for 4000 $ . He used it for specific attacks. The exploit had been around this way quite a time before it became public.

OK, it just turn itself off. For no apparent reason. The problem is that my brother is supposed to write an exam for his university on it, so we kind of have to fix it. Just that we have no clue whatsoever what's wrong. My brother suspects it might have something to do with the harddrive being overheated, but that's just a guess (what is a "good" temperature for a hard drive by the way? Or rather, when does it start to malfuncture due to too much heat?).

Übereil

Edit: Seems like the problem shows up every time my brother restarts the computer... Oops <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shame.gif" alt="" />. As I was TRYING to say, it restarts when he checks for spyware in Search and Destroy. So we probablly have some kind of spyware. Any clue of what kind?

In spybot's settings, you can schedule a scan for the next time you boot up (before it logs into windows)... this should bypass anything (since its not loaded yet) that tries to kill spybot and results in a restart.

sorry for the short answer. bed time

I can't update PC-Cillin, keeps getting "ActiveUpdate internal error 28". And apparentlly the PC-cillin site sucks, since I can't search for it and find something... If anyone can help me get some sence out of the site, I'd appreshiate it.

Übereil

Lady Rain is the dogs b#llocks on PC-Cillin, PM her all the details . <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" />

Sounds to me as if the virus - if it is onne - had tried to kill everything that could detect it ... yes, modern viruses with that behaviour exist ...

There should be web-based virus-scanning out there, you could try that, too. Or visit the web site oc PC Cillin. That at least. And download yourself other scanners, if possivle, like AVG, for example.

Alrik, MY computer doesn't have problems. It's the one downstairs that do. My only problem is that I can't update PC-cillin. And that their homepage sux so I can't figure out why either.

Übereil

I see.

Holes in Internet Explorer & Windows xp.

Some more security-related things (Sorry, everything in German, but there are a few key-words which might inform you a bit):

Severe risk in Firefox 1.5 - Update to 1.5.1 necessary !

Unpatched risk in Firefox - currently there doesn't exist a patch for it.

New hole in Internet Explorer - it is affected while Flash tries to call a VBA script, if I've understood it correctly.

Spyware uses leak in Winamp - specially prepared playlists can force Winamp to execute code. No antivirus program knows this, so far.
More about it, has English-language links, too.

@ Ubs
THe easy way to update pc cillin manually, is to download the new virus pattern file from....

Here
then unzip it into the c:\program files\trend micro\pccilling\ directory (you will see similarly named files there

After you have done that, you should be able to update normally again.

Maybe am I completely lost in the field, but don't we head for some troubles when we want to run more than one antivirus?

Trying to run the real time portion of more than one anti-virus program at the same time is asking for trouble, but there should not be any problems having more than one installed. To avoid conflicts, you would probably have to disable the real time scanner (if you use one) before running an on demand scan from a different program.

Having multiple anti-virus programs offers better protection, since for any particular virus, different programs may be updated faster or handle cleanup better. Also, since some viruses try to disable anti-virus programs, having multiple programs gives you a better chance of at least one remaining operational (either because it was updated to counter the virus, or because the virus only targeted the most popular anti-virus programs).

Well, it seems like the problem solved itself. I just downloaded the latest update to PC-cillin <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />. Computers are great since the problems you get with them sometimes solve themselves. Think it was Raze who said that...

Übereil

Aaah, thanks Raze. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />