Genealogy Chat

Hi Ebeneza, Often when you have had something like this it is still on your PC in a system restore checkpoint. The usual advice when ridding yourself of any nasty beastie is to turn off your system restore, make a fresh checkpoint then turn it back on. If you use Outlook Express it is dead easy to back up your address book - it will easily fit onto a floppy disk as will your Favourites. You can also print your Outlook Express Address Book out. Just highlight the entries you want to print (Hold down the Control Key to highlight multiple entries) and then print. Cheers, Horatia

Hi Horatia Thanks for the advice. If I had used an IT guy with any common, he might have done that for me. I try not to think that I could access it all in safe mode, so it was once retrievable. I'll know better next time.

Oh wow Brenda, that must have been awful. Ive deleted mine and then done another scan with avg7 with the system restore off. I guess it makes sense. If you have system restore you are still holding on to the bits containing the virus unless you clear that too. Nice to see you home.

I am at a loss to know how I got the virus in the first place. I have not downloaded any music. I have never used Internet Explorer as I don't know what it does. I always use 'Google' as a search engine.The main sites would be Ancestry (uk only) Genes, 1837,Family History,CWGC,1901 census, Amazon (uk only) Ebay (A lot). A friend once told me that if you get a 'Pop up' saying so and so is trying to access your computer,immediately shut down. I always do this it has happened to me about 3 times in the last year. My wife does play with 'Smiley's' on her Emails - some of which are animated and play tunes. We were warned by an 'expert' not to have anything to do with something called 'Hotbar' but we did notice AVG flagged up a couple with the name Hotbar in also 'Smiley's. Does this count as downloading music ? The Trojan virus hda.exe was in the middle of the uninstall section of C drive. I know this because when I ran the Norton Scan as soon as the 'infection' showed I stopped the scan to look at the list of files currently being scanned. Maurice

Maurice, Smileys!!! A certain smiley programme that I know of installs spyware on your PC! Which programme are you using to surf the net with if not Internet Explorer (it's name is very descriptive!) MSN, Firefox, Mozilla or Opera? It sounds to me as though you have some spyware on your PC. I'll be back later and post some links for you to download some good anti spyware programmes, but at the moment I am sitting waiting to make a last minute bid on e-bay - I'll be back soon (promise)! As to how you got the virus or whatever it was - it could have been picked up from a website or came as an e-mail attachment. Cheers, Horatia

If you look at the scan results of the avg7 it will tell you exactly which files were infected - just go to the scan centre and click on the report there. Mine were from teenage son downloading music. Those smilies are awful, they install such a lot of spyware that I got rid of them.

Maurice, Right to save me posting links for programmes that may be unsuitable for you - what Windows Operating System do you have? XP Service pack 1? XP Service Pack 2? 2000? Me? 98 SE? Cheers, Horatia

I think I am due for a smack! Looking at the top of the screen it says 'INTERNET EXPLORER!' so I must be using that , sorry, If you want me again, I am in the duffer's corner now, Maurice

Maurice, You still haven't said what Operating System you are using. Cheers, Horatia

just putting my name on here i will need to read this thread coz i have a virus, i will sort it tomorrow, as i have to go offline...MOE!

Has anyone had a BACKDOOR virus? I have a feeling that it is scam?

Horatia I have XP Service Pack 2 ( in reply to yours earlier.) Maurice

Adding to this thread incase i need it Ann

Yes you can get a back door virus. Again, go to grisoft and run the free avg7. avg7 is free even if you keep it. You dont need to buy the upgraded professional version.

my nortons free trial ran out today, so i am in the process of downloading avg7, is there anything else i will need to add on my computer? My old computer came with all the protection including cyberpatrol and mcfee but this one had nothing, i also have a teenager making her own site with smileys, and downloading lots of music, so i expect to be bombarded with trojan (i have one already that nortons couldn't shift) although she thinks that free stuff (like avg7)is more harmful to computers and i am just as bad as her by downloading stuff for nothing... is she right???she plays on the fact i am a novice..Please advise..MOE!

Hello, I suggest you take a look and have a good read of this page below: http://www(.)preater(.)com/hbfaq/index-4.html#ss4.5 AVG should be OK as an anti virus programme. These free programmes are on offer to avoid the net being completely over run with viruses knowing that not everyone can afford expensive anti virus packages and the paid for versions are often more complicated for newbies. It is one certain smiley programme that I know of that contains spyware. (Smiley Central). It doestn't matter how many anti this and anti that programmes you have on your PC, unless you update them religiously, you may as well not bother having them! PCs are like cars - they do require some maintenance. Cheers, Horatia

Moe, its the standard reply from the kids. They play on thinking you will believe them. She probably doesnt want protection on the puter because it will stop a lot of the downloads she does. My little s** turns off the firewall if Im not around because he cant download the iffy music sites with it on. Ignore her, tell her you have spoken to a puter expert on the internet and he said to get all these things! I have the microsoft anti-spyware program from microsoft site - free, zone alarm firewall - free - avg7 - free, adaware - free. Just google any of the names. When you save and run avg7 make sure you do the update option on there. Click on the internet option as you will then have it update itself every day and sometimes more than once a day if a new alert comes up. When/if you add zonealarm, do go through the little set up telling it what sites you will allow otherwise you will find it blocking stuff you dont want blocked. With zonealarm for a while you will keep getting little boxes coming up saying your puter is trying to access such and such a page, if its one you want, just click remember this is ok. I take off zonealarms email checker because avg7 does that and better I think. Also there is a nice program, free, called CCleaner - google again - it clears off all the bits of programs and files you dont use and makes the puter run much faster. Again, make sure you tell it what sites you want to keep. Good luck.

Some advice I was given at the weekend it you have windows firewall automatic installed in xp then using another type of firewall use only one or it will not work proper.

if I have Zone alarm firewall and microsoft XP hould I delete the zone alarm one or is it okay to run both I dont understand about Firewalls at all

The XP Firewall only protects you one way. It is probably best to keep the Zone Alarm one. Cheers, Horatia