Help, I\'ve been hacked

[bshegog]

Hello:

I am unable to access html files. I have tried the following:
removed unknown user in the accounts
tried to change the properties of files/folders from "Read Only" to no avail by right clicking and un-checking read only, changing the permissions, giving full control to my login account, taking ownership of the folders, and using the attrib command to remove read only and system attributes.

Nothing works. I still cannot open the webpages. I cannot open them using Notepad or any browser (IE or Firefox).

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Barbara

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/Windows-XP/new-subject.htm

 

[Saga Lout]

Have you checked in Control Panel>Folder Options>File Types that html filename extensions are set to be opened by a particular programme? Have you run any malware scanners to see if there are threats in the system?

 

[Paul12]

Hi bshegog,

Your computer may infected with malware.

Try following this removal guide: http://realsecurity.web.officelive.com/removemalware.aspx

 

[bshegog]

Have you checked in Control Panel>Folder Options>File Types that html filename extensions are set to be opened by a particular programme? Have you run any malware scanners to see if there are threats in the system?

Hello:

Thanks for offering your help. I did check in Control Panel for the file associations. My .htm and .html files are associated with Mozilla, however, there is a third listing of the Mozilla with no files associated with it. Should I delete this one?

Here are the other things that I have tried:


Scanned drives using Super antispyware.
Changing attributes, changing folder properties (and sub-folders), copying and trying to rename folders and files (ACCESS DENIED), opening the .html files in Dreamweaver, and others. I cannot even view the source code of the .html files using Notepad. I get "Access Denied." Also, I cannot open a .pdf file (Adobe Reader X is installed) unless I open Adobe Reader X first and then open the .pdf file within the program. I cannot simply double-click on the .pdf to open it after saving it online. Could the two problems be associated?

When I tried to open the .pdf from the browser, I get the error message:
“Adobe Reader cannot open in Protected Mode due to a problem with your system configuration. Would you like to open Adobe Reader with Protected Mode disabled?” When I checked: Open with Protected Mode disabled or Always Open with Protected Mode disabled, I get another error message:
“Acrobat failed to load its Core DLL”

Please help!!!

 

[bshegog]

Hi bshegog,

Your computer may infected with malware.

Try following this removal guide: http://realsecurity.web.officelive.com/removemalware.aspx

Hello:

I appreciate your suggestion. I'll give it a try!

Thanks.

 

[Saga Lout]

Go to http://www.dougknox.com and click on XP Fixes then on File Associaiton Fixes in the left hand column. Download and run that fix to see if that helps.

 

[soundguruman]

You can try a repair install, which is more reliable and safer than any free download. It will not erase the personal files. The directions are posted in this forum sixth post from the top. But maybe

The thing is so corrupted by now that you are better off
taking out the hard drive...
installing the damaged drive as a second drive on a working computer.
Using that, you can usually back up your personal files, scan the damaged drive.
But I doubt that scanning, or any other fix it program will solve it.

After you have backed up your files, reformat the entire drive and load a fresh OS.

In the future you may want to use a professional all in one antivirus. I'm not talking about a free download. If you would have had that to start with, you would not be going through this now.
It is usually faster to recover the personal files as above and reload the OS from scratch.
"Fix it" downloads are not remarkably reliable or successful in the long run.
Or have a computer store do it for you.

 

[Saga Lout]

Oh dear, Soundguruman - disagreeing with you in public is becoming a habit. I fix PCs for a living and can assure you the majority of those that come here with massive infestations also have expensive Norton or McAfee installed. In fairness it has to be noted that the current crop of Scamware and fake AVs are usually unwittingly invited in and no defence would prevent them.

The links given by Paul12 are mainly sound (although he might be advertising) and being free is not an indication of inefficiency. Merign never charged for HijackThis and Subs doesn't charge for ComboFix and neither does Doug Knox Old Timer for their invaluable contributions. MBAM is free but you can pay for lifetime use and get a little higher level of service.

A Windows repair install leaves behind it a lot of work still to be done and files installed into Documents and Settings/All Users/Application Data where many threats hide are still in the box, albeit not the running system.

 

[Paul12]

Hi saga lout,

No, I am not advertising, although it may look like it. I am just sharing a useful resource. My hope is that this free guide will help people remove malware infections. Thank you for your comments.

 

[hubbardt]

Have you tried System Restore to say a week ago ?
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306084

If you are infected by a virus you will also need to try and remove it first as it can reinfect you

 

[bshegog]

Have you tried System Restore to say a week ago ?
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306084

If you are infected by a virus you will also need to try and remove it first as it can reinfect you

Hello:

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried to Restore to a previous date, but there are no Restore points available.

 

[bshegog]

Hi saga lout,

No, I am not advertising, although it may look like it. I am just sharing a useful resource. My hope is that this free guide will help people remove malware infections. Thank you for your comments.

Hello:

Thanks for the tips!

 

[bshegog]

Oh dear, Soundguruman - disagreeing with you in public is becoming a habit. I fix PCs for a living and can assure you the majority of those that come here with massive infestations also have expensive Norton or McAfee installed. In fairness it has to be noted that the current crop of Scamware and fake AVs are usually unwittingly invited in and no defence would prevent them.

The links given by Paul12 are mainly sound (although he might be advertising) and being free is not an indication of inefficiency. Merign never charged for HijackThis and Subs doesn't charge for ComboFix and neither does Doug Knox Old Timer for their invaluable contributions. MBAM is free but you can pay for lifetime use and get a little higher level of service.

A Windows repair install leaves behind it a lot of work still to be done and files installed into Documents and Settings/All Users/Application Data where many threats hide are still in the box, albeit not the running system.

Hello:

Great suggestions! Thanks for the info on free software.