Someone sent me a file via MSN which was ‘apparantly’ a flash file. It looked pretty much like it then i went into my recieved files and opened it. Just as i opened it i realised it was an exe! Instantly my MSN signed out.
I restarted the comp and then i found out my net connection didn’t work, and for some reason i can’t scan my harddrive with norton antivirus.
What could it be???
I feel like an imbosil for opening that file, i usualy dont do sily things like that…
I tried running the PC in safe mode but it was no good, then i tried it in safe mode with networking and luckily the net worked!
I ran a virus scan at housecall.antivirus.com, bt it didn’t really find anything i was hoping for.
since it works in safe mode with networking, then its most likely a problem that activates when a program loads nomally yeah?
So what if i try to disable some of the startup items in MS config?
I try this out, but do any of yous have a idea what i could do?
i’d say… find a way to get your antivirus working. maybe customer support?
or as an alternative; what i normally do what i get a virus or find a virus i haven’t activated is search the file name on google. there’s usually someone else that has contracted the virus too, and someone usually makes a webpage that tells you how to manually remove it (where all the files are that you need to delete). but sometimes it is very complicated so if you aren’t very computer savvy, it might just be best to go with customer support on your antivirus software.
lol if i knew the name of the virus (if it is a virus) then i would probably be on my way to recovery. Oh well thanks for the suggestions. And customer support won’t do a thing, most of them just have a book to read through to help people.
i found out kazaa, winmx, and YIM (via trillian) works, but IE, MSN don’t so the connection isn’t all dead
The fact that you can’t run Norton isn’t really a good sign. Try to search for any file that was created since you ran that exe and see if there are some suspicious files installed (it would be helpful if you could find the name of the executable). If you’re running XP, you could also try a system restore and see if that helps. If the exe is present in the MS config startup list, you could disable it, but of course that doens’t mean it’s removed from your system.
I’m sorry I can’t give more specific instructions, but I’d have to know the name of the virus first. Like Megatheruium said, there’s always someone who encountered the same thing, so you’d definitely find some info about it.
You, sir, are a muppet. Did you not know that, regardless of the file type, you scan it with Norton Anti-virus EVERY TIME?
Anyway, that would be horses and stable doors. I think your best course of action is to re-install Norton, if you haven’t tried that already. Then scan. If you can’t re-install Norton, then your best bet is to go to symantec.com and run their free virus/worm/trojan scan, which is what I used for months before I got Norton’s software.
[quote=“Scott”]
i found out kazaa, winmx, and YIM (via trillian) works, but IE, MSN don’t so the connection isn’t all dead[/quote]
I had the exact same problem this morning (and I mean the exact same problem.) Try unplugging the connection, then plugging it back in. That’s what I did. Now everything works just fine.
you don’t remember what you clicked on? just that it was .exe?
you said you got it off of msn, do you remember who sent it? if you can remember any of it (screen name, name of file, whatever) you can google it and probably find something. i’m assuming you didn’t know the person who sent it?
[quote=“Arcie”] I think your best course of action is to re-install Norton, if you haven’t tried that already.
Good luck.[/quote]
Scott, as Arcie suggested, if you’re gonna re-install Norton, make sure you enable your Internet Connection Firewall before you download any updates as your PC will be vulnerable from attack.
I know a few people who, whilst downloading updates for Norton after a fresh install, got their PC’s infected with viruses which Norton didn’t recognise
To enable your Internet Connection Firewall (Windows XP):
Network Connections --> Find your connection icon, right-click it then click on properties --> Click the Advanced tab --> Tick the Internet Connection Firewall box to enable it
After you’ve downloaded updates for Norton, you can disable it.
Or install a better firewall like Zone Alarm - zonealarm.com
The version of Internet Connection Firewall that comes with XP only blocks incoming packets. So if a virus or some spyware is already on your PC then there is nothing to stop it from sending information back out onto the net… such as private information about your computer. I think service pack 1 improves on this though.
Having another firewall and Internet Connection Firewall running at the same time would be good for double protection.
I’m not sure that’s a good idea Solo. In case of ZoneAlarm and the XP firewall, ZoneAlarm even advises you to disable the XP firewall. I have seen them work both though, but it’s usually better to only have only one firewall and antivirus on your PC simultaneously. The XP firewall doesn’t do anything better than Zonealarm, so it doesn’t add any extra protection anyway.
ok thanks for the help so far people. I tried a variety of things, most of which is stated in peoples replies. I disabled all startup items, re conected my net connection, re installed norton, but no luck. I noticed that my tnl email and ftp both work, as well as my website cPanel.
i’ll try the virus scan at symantec.com now thanks… As a last resort i may partition my drive and format one half moving my files onto it, to avoid losing all my stuff…
EDIT: by the way the “flash” file was renamed a different name. I’ll try a searc for it anyways. I think it deleted itself after i opened it too
thats what i got, a trojan it made 2 files in my system32 folder and i can’t get rid of them. It killed norton, so i can rid it with that. Tried using the XP repair console… no god… ahsssdgg
Scott, check Task Manager to see if there’s a “prorat.exe” running, and kill it. That could be what is preventing Norton from functioning correctly. System restore won’t help here, in fact I think the trojan even places itself in every back-up.
Obviously, if it’s not letting you delete files, you’re in trouble. I’m thinking that it may not be letting you delete because the program is still active, so killing it in task manager should help. If you’ve already tried that, then… I dunno.
EDIT: Heh, great minds think alike.
EDIT (Again): D-Unit is right about system restore as well. You certainly want to disable it before trying to mess with the trojan, and you may even want to go so far as deleting all of your old System Restore backups.
If you’re looking for a free virus scan, AntiVir is also a good choice: http://www.free-av.com/. I searched for some information, and it seems prorat is difficult to remove. I guess you already tried the removal information posted at symantec. Watch out with placing your harddrive in your friends computer btw, could be dangerous if his hardrive is still in the computer too.
it made 2 files in my system32 folder and i can’t get rid of them. It killed norton, so i can rid it with that. Tried using the XP repair console… no god… ahsssdgg