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I have SpyHunter 3 as well as an older version of Norton that is just a free version now. I can scan my computer and come up clean and still end up getting stuff from “Personal AntiVirus” how do I get rid of this?

Personal Antivirus

As you know, Personal Antivirus is one of those rogue antivirus programs that is really malware. It usually arrives through a worm and then generates fake security alerts in an attempt at tricking you into purchasing the Personal Antivirus product.

Inadequate Virus Protection

Right off the bat, since you are still seeing Personal Antivirus messages or alerts, your computer may be under protected with its old version of Norton and SpyHunter3. While Norton products are good, I wonder if your older, free version of Norton is receiving updates with the latest protections against viruses and spyware. I looked up SpyHunter3 and apparently it is a legitimate antispyware product developed by a company called Enigma Software. However, since these two products in conjunction are not ridding your computer of the fake, Personal Antivirus program, it’s time for a new approach.

Before moving forward, check Norton and SpyHunter3 to see that they are updated with the latest updates from their developers. If not, update each program and run full system scans. If you have Windows XP or Vista, download Microsoft Windows Defender (it’s preinstalled on Windows Vista), update it, and run a full scan with this tool.  

Online Malware Removal Tools

A number of online removal tools are available from leading computer security developers such as Microsoft, Trend Micro, McAfee, and Norton. Let’s see if any of these free tools will work for you.

• Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool
• BitDefender Scan Online
• Trend Micro House Call
• McAfee Free Scan

Why Multiple Antivirus and Antispyware Tools are Necessary

I know it seems like overkill to run multiple anti-malware tools. Since each company develops its own products and discovers new threats independently, it makes sense that if one product doesn’t find a virus, another one (from a company that has already detected the threat and developed a fix) will.

I suspect that at least one of these free online tools will do the trick for you. If not, consider investing in a more modern antivirus product such as one of Norton’s latest PC security products or an Internet protection suite from one of the major computer security developers. If you are looking for a good antivirus/antimalware program, we reviewed numerous products earlier this year. All are reputable and several offered excellent protection for personal use at no charge. You can read the antivirus reviews at your leisure and decide which one makes the most sense for your system.

Earlier free AVG found numerous viruses and Trojans. Is it possible there are fragments left on laptop? The online scan at ESET showed about then variants of the Trojan “Viruits.” My home page has been replaced with a URL for Guarddog 2009 which is listed under AVG’s vault as dl.guarddog.generic13.ASQV.bm8 tem. In addition, my USB keyboard no longer works properly and my cursor acts up. Would you advise me to install a fresh copy of Windows or do full restore to factory setting to solve these problems? Is it safe to delete User Data found under Documents & Settings in C:/? Is it too late to use the Windows recovery disc?

Looks like you still have quite a few problems on your laptop, including remaining malware. Perhaps I should caution you to back up any data that you want to keep on the computer. Since it appears as if not all of the virus and malware infections have been removed from your computer, you will need to make sure that all of these malware entities have been removed before you reinstall, repair, or reformat the computer. If you don’t get rid of these infections first, then they will remain on the laptop, continuing to mess it up. After you get rid of all of the bad stuff, then you can take care of your Windows operating system. However, drastic measures such as reinstalling the operating system may not be needed once you remove these infections.

Scanning for Malware

One of the biggest problems with malware is that some of it slips by one anti-virus/anti-spyware application. This is why running two separate applications to remove the infections is a good idea. 

1. First, print these directions so you will have them to refer to. Then, close out all applications before running your anti-spyware/anti-virus applications. Hit the CTRL + ALT + DEL keys together to bring up the Windows Task Manager. It will show you if anything is still running on your computer. Simply select “Applications” in the upper left and close any programs that remain running.
2. Run AVG again and see what it comes up with on the laptop. It is important to note that this application doesn’t always catch things like tracking cookies which are also know to disrupt mice, keyboards, web browsing, etc.
3. Run a second application such as Anti-Virus PLUS, Ad-Aware, or PCTools to remove any remaining remnants of Trojans, spyware, or viruses. Anti-Virus PLUS offers a free scan and you can use this to see what type of infections remain on the computer. In particular, I’ve come across a lot of people who suggest that Malwarebytes does a good job of removing the KRYPTIK Trojan which you had listed in your original question. This should also remove guarddog2009.
4. Reboot and run your anti-spyware/anti-virus applications again to ensure that all malware has been removed.

Repairing Windows

Before making the decision that you need to completely repair of restore the computer’s operating system, why not try cleaning the registry and checking the hard disk to repair important files? You can use a registry cleaner such as RegCure and the chkdsk utility that comes with Windows.

To use chkdsk, click Start→ click Run→ Type cmd→ press Enter. Type in chkdsk volume:/r in order to locate bad sectors, repair errors, and recover readable information.

Of course, you can always use the installation disks to complete a recovery. If you follow these directions, your documents and files will be saved, but you will have to reinstall any programs and modify your personal settings:

1. Insert the installation disk into the CD drive while the laptop is on.
2. Turn the laptop off.
3. Wait a minute and turn the power on. The laptop should be able to boot up. If it doesn’t, press a keyboard key to get it to work/ follow prompts that appear/ try pressing “ESC” and “F1.”
4. Don’t press the “R” option for the “Recovery Console.” Press the “R” to “Repair” your system when the prompt appears.
5. Follow remaining prompts as they appear until finished.

Deleting User Data

User Data is created by Windows. It defines your User Profile and should not be tampered with unless you can identify it as data unnecessary for maintaining the profile.

I cannot access Microsoft website or make Google.com my home page and I feel as though someone has sent a virus to my computer.

It does sound as though you have a virus and/or spyware on your computer. I’ll take you through the symptoms of viruses along with ideas for what you can do to get rid of them.

Virus Symptoms

One of the many virus signs that an infected computer will show is a change in performance. The computer tends to work more slowly, exhibiting unusual behavior. It also refuses to perform tasks that it used to perform. Additionally, when searching on the Internet, your searches might not appear as expected.

In general, you will see one or more of the following symptoms if your computer is infected with a virus: system slowdowns, rebooting, freezing, crashes, locking up, audio problems, missing data, file corruption, and other glitches. Viruses often exhibit other strange symptoms such as: missing files, weird messages, strange text changes, or strange sounds. Hardware and software symptoms and virus infections are often similar, making ruling out virus infections one of the first troubleshooting steps for most any type of computer problem.   

Virus Blocking Websites

In general, the inability to search a specific website would not be a hardware issue, but would indicate the presence of some form of malware or virus. If a virus blocks a web site, it often redirects you to a different one that is often filled with other forms of malware. In particular, you can generally tell that you have an infection because your searches are conducted more slowly and often take you to websites that you didn’t request. Virus makers now actively block computer security websites, including Microsoft, to make it more difficult for users to download detection and removal tools.

The signs of a virus infection should immediately prompt you into taking action to run a thorough virus scan to remove the infection. Once the infection is removed, your computer’s performance should go back to normal. If you already have an application that scans for and removes viruses, you should update and run it now. If you don’t have one, then I can recommend the following one: Anti-VirusPLUS. It will also remove any spyware infections that you have on the computer.

I am using both a desktop PC running Windows ME with applications that still work very well plus a laptop running Vista. On my desktop, I was using AVG Free 7.5 as my antivirus. As of April 30^th of 2009, AVG is no longer doing updates for 7.5 and the upgrade will not work with Windows ME. My fairly new laptop (running Windows Vista), was preloaded with McAfee Security (expires Aug. 09). I would like to get an inexpensive product that would be compatible with both the Windows ME and Vista so I can use either one to retrieve my email. Is this possible?

While it would be nice to use the same program on the two different machines, I’m not sure that’s going to be possible. Windows ME and Windows Vista are vastly different operating systems. Plus, developers are increasingly withdrawing support for Windows ME making it difficult to find a good solution for this older operating system let alone one that will work well for both computers. In fact, most antivirus products that support ME may support Windows XP but not Windows Vista.

Antivirus Recommendations for Windows ME

• ESET NOD32 Antivirus for Windows 95/98/ME - This product is for older operating systems from Windows 95 through the Millennium Edition (Windows ME). 
• Online Antivirus Scanners - You might try an online antivirus scanner such as Symantec’s Online Virus Scan. According to Symantec, it requires Internet Explorer 5.0 or above and ActiveX and scripting enabled. The downside of online scans is that they only run when you remember to go to the site and run them. 

Antivirus Recommendations for Windows Vista

The choices for Vista are vast! If you plan on exchanging data with your unsecured Windows ME machine, you’ll want a heavy duty antivirus solution for your Vista machine, preferably one with real-time protection. A good starting place is our list of Antivirus 2009 Reviews. All reviewed products are reputable products with most supporting Windows Vista.

Working with Windows ME and Windows Vista

As ESET NOD32 for Windows 95/98/ME is one of the few well respected products left that still support Windows ME, I’d invest in that product and use it for as long as ESET supports it. If ESET stops supporting it, I’d consider keeping the ME machine offline and using the Vista machine for e-mail. Hopefully that won’t happen for some time and then when it does, you may be ready for a new computer.

Related Articles:

Antivirus Software for Windows 98

I am having trouble removing antivirus AVG.

AVG Antivirus

AVG Antivirus is a free application that can be used to detect and remove viruses from a computer. It is simple to install and should be simple to remove. However, there are times when removing AVG might prove to be difficult.

How to Uninstall AVG Antivirus: Strategy 1: Add/Remove Utility

The normal method for removing AVG from the computer is to use the Add/Remove Utility. Follow these directions (unless you have already done so. In that case, proceed to the next strategy:

1)      Navigate to Start in the lower left-hand corner and click.

2)      Select the “Control Panel” to open it.

3)      Select Add/Remove Programs. (If you have Windows Vista, choose Programs and Features).

4)      Search for the AVG application in the generated list of programs and select it for removal. Simply click on it and click Remove.

5)      Follow the prompts as they appear.

How to Uninstall AVG Antivirus: Strategy 2: Uninstalling through AVG

If the above strategy doesn’t work (and in many cases, it won’t work), try this next set of instructions. Unfortunately, this almost seems like the runaround because of the method that you have to use. The maker of AVG, Grisoft, does not offer a stand-alone uninstaller for it. Therefore, you need to follow these directions:

1)      Visit the website for AVG.

2)      Download the latest version of AVG from the website.

3)      Double click on the file so that it will run. Don’t worry; you are going to be able to remove AVG from the computer.

4)      Once you double click on the file, you will generate three separate options from which you can choose. These options are: Repair installation, Add/Remove Components, and Uninstall. The Repair installation allows you to make an attempt to repair missing or damaged components of AVG. If the components cannot be repaired, then they are replaced. The option for Add/Remove Components allows you to either add or remove one or more of the components for AVG or to reinstall it completely. The uninstall option allows you to completely remove AVG from the computer. This is the option that you want to select. CLICK ON UNINSTALL TO REMOVE AVG FROM YOUR COMPUTER.

5)      After the uninstall option runs and completes the process, reboot your computer in order for it to take effect. Please note that you should install another antivirus application in order to protect your computer from an infection or attack by viruses, Trojans, or spyware. If you need help choosing one, viewing our Filetonic Antivirus Reviews is a good first step.

I got a virus and had to reboot my computer. I lost my audio drivers, downloaded some, and have no sound. If I go to My Music one of the sample songs will play but if I try to watch a movie or listen to music elsewhere there is no sound. Can you help?

I think this is definitely due to the virus, particularly if you can play the samples, but not other sound on your system. You said that you rebooted the system - did you also run a virus scan and correct the virus issue that was causing the problem? If you need some help with antivirus programs, you can take a look at our review article here.

Uninstall then Reinstall

You said that you downloaded the audio drivers, but did you uninstall anything that was remaining on the system first? It’s possible that you had something partially installed before you did a new download, so try it again. Go to Audio Devices, delete the audio devices that are there and have the system detect and reinstall the drivers when you boot up the system. You can also go to the manufacturer’s website and do a manual download. If you find that it is a problem when you try to play DVDs, you can delete the DVD player in your computer and have that reinstall as well.

System Restore

You can also try a System Restore to see if you can roll your computer back to an earlier time when the sound was working well. Go to Start and then All Programs and Accessories. Click on System Tools and then System Restore. You will see a welcome screen for System Restore. Click on “Restore my computer to an earlier time”. Click Next and you will see a “Select a restore point” page. You will need to select a date just before the virus hit and you lost sound. Click Next and confirm the date. The computer will shut down and reboot - when you see the Restoration Complete message, click Ok.

If the System Restore is successful, you need to immediately update your antivirus product and run another full virus scan to eliminate anything that might be lurking on your system. It is a good idea to set another restore point when everything is working and you have just performed a scan so that you will have something to go back to in case this happens again.