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I keep getting these Firefox and IE pop-ups for a "free virus scan." Its driving me mad. They literally pop up every 2 or 3 minutes. Sometimes several at a time.
I've run Ad-Aware and AVG repeatedly but they still won't disappear. The most that happens is that I get an AVG warning about a trojan but even when I click "heal" or "move to virus vault," the problem doesn't get any better. Everything is updated so that's not yet.
What else can I try short of completely wiping my hard-drive and re-installing Windows. I have an external hard-drive but have never been able to get a successful backup. I gave up after dozens of failed attempts (though I followed multiple sets of instructions) and just copied important files over one by one. But I really don't want to lose my programs.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
If that doesn't work, browser-related annoyances are sometimes more easily dealt with by spyware/adware elimination software than with straight anti-virus software. You might try Lavasoft's Ad Aware and/or Spybot Search & Destroy ; both have free versions available.
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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Quick question...Does this message pop up in the lower right corner of the screen or is it a full blown pop up window?
Also, you are much more likely to remove Spyware/Viruses if you perform the scans in Safe Mode. To get to safe mode, reboot the computer and mash the F8 button until you get a prompt. Select Safe Mode (With Networking) (or something like that.) and hit Enter. When it finishes loading, run your scan again. More often than not, the main reason a virus can't be removed is because it is actively running as a process. Loading Windows in Safe Mode loads only what you need, so it will (usually) not load the virus.
Posts: 3003 | Registered: Oct 2004
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I would recommend downloading and installing Avast as an anti-virus service. The quick advantage that I can think of is that when you install the program it offers to do a scan, in safe mode, of your entire computer that will not only get rid of the virus you have but any others you are unaware of. It is the best anti-virus I have seen, and the good people of Hatrack recommended it to me.
Posts: 457 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
For additional future protection, install spybot's teatimer application (it comes with the normal spybot install). It blocks registry changes and brings up a prompt asking you to allow/deny the changes. It doesn't replace a normal virus scan, but it certainly provides another strong line of defense.
Posts: 2437 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Humean316: I would recommend downloading and installing Avast as an anti-virus service.
I've been using it for several months, and am very happy with it.
OTOH, I strongly recommend against Tea-Timer. It is extremely paranoid, and substantially slows down most systems.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Boris: Quick question...Does this message pop up in the lower right corner of the screen or is it a full blown pop up window?
Also, you are much more likely to remove Spyware/Viruses if you perform the scans in Safe Mode. To get to safe mode, reboot the computer and mash the F8 button until you get a prompt. Select Safe Mode (With Networking) (or something like that.) and hit Enter. When it finishes loading, run your scan again. More often than not, the main reason a virus can't be removed is because it is actively running as a process. Loading Windows in Safe Mode loads only what you need, so it will (usually) not load the virus.
Do this.
You may want to try disabling third party browser extensions in IE and FF.
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