The Hindu Business Line : Malware trouble

And also a home page search `About-Blank'. I don't know where it came from. I have tried to remove these malwares by updated versions of AdawareSE & Spybot Search & Destroy. Though Spybot S&D catches these malwares and removes them, they appear again the next time I start the system. Please suggest a solution. C.K. Rajan

To get rid of this problem, please follow these steps one by one. Before running any anti-spyware tools, first delete unwanted files. Empty Recycle bin and Temp folder. (To access temp folder, please click Start - Run - type temp CoolWWWSearch and its variant malwares. Separate removal tools are freely available. One is Trend Micro's CWShredder (482 KB). This can be downloaded from http://www.trendmicro.com/ftp/products/online-tools/cwshredder.exe. Just double-click CWShredder and click Fix. Check if this solves your problem.

To remove about:blank home page hijacking, one freeware that is available is Remove about:blank Buddy(1.5MB). This lets you keep the about blank home page from changing by disabling home page hijackers and restoring original configuration. This can be downloaded from http://www.scosoft.com/remove-about-blank-buddy.htm

Next, please scan your system with Trend's Free Online Spyware Removal Utility (1.7MB) at the following URL: http://www.trendmicro.com/spyware-scan/ and click "Scan & Clean your PC" Button. On the next dialog box, click the save button to save tmas-web-scan.exe to your system. Once you double-click this file, it starts loading the definitions. Then click "Start Scan".

If you are unable to update anti-virus definition files, you may carry out free online virus scan. The Symantec Security Check is available at this URL: http://www.symantec.com/cgi-bin/securitycheck.cgi. This will solve your problem.

It is advisable to install any anti-spyware tool with real-time protection. Among the free tools available is Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (6.7MB). This can be downloaded from http://www.snapfiles.com/php/download.php?id=108774. It detects and removes adware and spyware from your computer. It also features real-time protection and includes a variety of security agents, automatic database updates, scheduled scans and more. Similarly, it is important to update your anti-virus definition files and Windows OS updates on a regular basis.

Please e-mail us at eworld@thehindu.co.in

if you have queries on computer usage or if you find an interesting way of using a computer.

Solution by M. Sampath

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page