What to do with a PC riddled with viruses?

[XDanger]

Cant go on the internet so anything would need to be installed from a CD/DVD without online activation or anything like that.

Re-install isn't really an option.

Any ideas? Ive never had a deeply infected PC so I wouldn't know what the best way to go about it.

[six_storm]

Download Anti-MalwareBytes, install it and run it. It will get you back online at least ;)

[J-Mag]

I have seen infections that are impossible to cure with standard applications. I'd back up and format now because you will just spin your wheels.

Is it a chick's PC or family?

[XDanger]

Woman at work ,She very recently paid a bundle for it to be "fixed" by a professional.
_______________________
Which ones do a boot sector scan?

I'm just going to compile a dvd for her and let her sort it out.

[J-Mag]

Woman at work

Is she hot? If so, the solution involves her bringing the PC back to your house. ;)


Which ones do a boot sector scan?


Most AV apps have this ability, but Six's suggestion to use malwarebytes is on point. It can fix most of the "fixable".

[Redeemed]

+1 for Malware Bytes.
The next option would be use the Ultimate BootCD to clean any infection.

[XDanger]

Is she hot?
Nope.

Most AV apps have this ability, but Six's suggestion to use malwarebytes is on point. It can fix most of the "fixable".
I'm trying that now myself (for fun) but I meant one that restarts and scans before windows loads fully, I thought stuff likes to hide there then jump somewhere else once windows has loaded so it wont be there (in the boot sector) once windows has loaded.
Is there any point in that?

[Quick420]

Bring the infected pc and the girl back to your house and format them both with fat32:captnkill:

[J-Mag]

I'm trying that now myself (for fun) but I meant one that restarts and scans before windows loads fully, I thought stuff likes to hide there then jump somewhere else once windows has loaded so it wont be there (in the boot sector) once windows has loaded.
Is there any point in that?

What I meant is most major AV devs at least have a subtool for bootable scanning, although it may not be in the main UI.

Anyway, I think polymorphic viruses are usually the culprit nowadays when they "keep coming back".

[Redeemed]

The Ultimate BootCD works just like a Linux LiveCD- it boots into a seperate Windows environment that is installed on the CD only... this way when you run any of the integrated scanners (AVG, Kaspersky, etc), you eliminate having to boot from the infected drive, and thus stand a greater chance of catching any bug within that infected drive.

It uses a RAM drive and supports wired networking, though for wireless it might require some tinkering.

Give that ago, odds are you clean the infection up enough using the UBCD first, then boot into the infected drive (safe mode) and run malware bytes with latest updates. Upon restart system *should* be good and clean. Though FYI, this will take some time. A lot at least half your day to this, well- it'll mostly just be the computer scanning within the UBCD's WindowsXP environment. All you have to do is launch the scanning app, set it to the most rigorous scan possible, and let it do its thing. Move onto the next scanning app, etc. When you've gone through all of them, that's when you restart the system and boot into windows safemode. Run malware bytes with latest updates, and after that when you restart more than likely her system will be cleaned of infection.

I do this mon-fri for a living... it's the best chance you have at cleaning her system, and more than often works. If not, odds are a fresh install is the only solution.

You could also try backing up all of her documents, creating a new account (admin), delete her old account and all files, then transfer the backup to the new admin account and see if that works.

[mailman2]

www.malwarebytes.org

one of the best products I have used and it's free. Cleaned up one PC that was so infected with all kinds of stuff I was amazed. I use it on all my PCs now.

[CaptNKILL]

www.malwarebytes.org

one of the best products I have used and it's free. Cleaned up one PC that was so infected with all kinds of stuff I was amazed. I use it on all my PCs now.

Sounds like a nice utility but no Vista x64 support = :(.

[Redeemed]

Is there a reason nobody has responded to my suggestions? I use that process all the time, and the vast majority of the time it cleanses the infected computer.

[bacon12]

Only way to be sure to get it all is to reformat.

[six_storm]

Is there a reason nobody has responded to my suggestions? I use that process all the time, and the vast majority of the time it cleanses the infected computer.

To the OP, I recommend doing what Redeemed has suggested or else you can just format.

[mailman2]

Sounds like a nice utility but no Vista x64 support = :(.

It works fine on Vista x64.

[Redeemed]

To the OP, I recommend doing what Redeemed has suggested or else you can just format.

lol- thanks six. :D :p

[XDanger]

Yeah I just gave her a dvd with s&d and malwarebytes and stuff

Told her to uninstall whatever antivirus she has and turn system restore off then install and run the stuff on the dvd.

Thanks for the helps ,Malwarebytes is a keeper

Ultimate Boot CD wasn't really an option for her due to dumb, Asking her to go into bios and change the boot device would be asking too much.

[ViN86]

found out what to do with your PC...

tHNy3tSp7MI

[XDanger]

Why are they talking funny backwards talk?