Had tons of problems...
I have had the computer I am using right now for over five years without getting even one spyware/malware/trojan. The reason is because I would use Nortan Firewall and have all browser fuctions, scripts, active x, etc... on prompt status. In your IE settings or whatever browser you use set active scripting to prompt, and never allow scripts on a site you do not trust. Active scripting is what allows those spyware/maleware/trojans/worms to be installed on your system when visiting a malicious website. These will mostly be hacking, and porno websites.
I recently got DSL after using slow 56k forever and decided I did not want to leave active scripting on prompt because it was slowing loading times down, and getting annoying to click all the time. After I few days I forgot all about it, visited a free porn site, and had this malware installed onto my computer. It does not fully install or run until you restart, and during the same day I ran windows update. After restarting and seeing the two new icon's on the desktop, and then seeing the popup window stating my security was compromised. I decided it must be one of the updates that were installed.
After searching the new process names that I found, I realized it was malware. I was updating to SP2 at the time though, and it was going very slow... I think this malware might actually start to slow down your computer. I decided to exit the SP2 installation while it was installing, run the "SmitfraudFix" program, and then restarted the SP2 install. That was a bad idea, and when I restarted the computer it just constantly restarted over, and over. I found that the OS was completely currupt, and no special boot options could get into the OS.
Not having a Windows XP cd at the time, I had no way of fixing the computer. A week or so later I bought my new computer, which came with a XP cd. After running the "repair" mode on XP install the computer got into windows explorer but was unable to load the desktop, or display any GUI's at all except for Windows Task Manager. You will get the error ' File: "RTL8139.sys" on RTL8139/810X Family Fast Ethernet NIC Driver Disk is needed. ' or something very similar about Ethernet while running the repair mode (when it is installing drivers) and also when windows loads.
After windows not properly loading the first time, I restarted and ran the repair mode agian. The second time around fixed the problem, and windows loaded properly. After you get into windows it will load drivers depending on what is connected to the computer. For instance your mouse will not work at first, and you will see a dialogue box saying drivers are being installed (if it is a USB mouse). After that windows will automatically restart, and your almost ready. Now you have to reinstall the Ethernet NIC Driver.
To do this put in the windows XP cd, and go to Start/Search, search on the cd for the ".sys" file the error says you need. Once it finds the file, right click on it, copy the file, and paste it in the "C:\windows\system32\Drivers" folder. Now go to My computer, Properties, Hardware Device Manager, Network Adapters, Update Driver. Click "No. Not at this time." for the Automatic Update search, click "Install from a list or specific location", and then "Do not search. I will choose file to install".
In the Network adapter box select the name of your Adapter. Mine had two listed, the "RTL8139 Family Fast Ethernet" and another that was the same but had "RTL8139/810X". The 810X was for SP2, which obviously completely messed up, and isnt even enabled on my computer. There must still be a lot of its files though, but for now windows is working properly.
After doing that your computer will be fixed. To avoid all this though dont exit SP2 while it is installing
. None of the problems listed above were due to the "SmitfraudFix" program, and the program did remove the malware
. It took me almost two weeks to see if it worked though.
. So if your stuck with a computer that just constantly restarts this post should help you fix it I guess. Sorry it is so long, and thanks to these forums for helping me remove the malware. Also, big thanks to the programmer of the "SmitfraudFix".
evil
