Windows XP issues

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weeman

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I'm running Windows XP Professional, and I recently ran the system restore to remove a virus.

The virus was typical malware that appears to be a legitimate anti-virus program and asks you to purchase it to begin a system cleaning.

After system restore I don't see any signs of the virus, however I'm having a few settings issues. My sound will work temporarily, then it seems as if suddenly it goes out, as if my audio drivers are no longer installed. I can still hear the normal XP system sounds, but if I try to watch a video online there is no audio. Also, my taskbar will look fine one minute, then suddenly go to the very basic Windows look (not the XP skin).

I know that system restore can sometimes play with the settings. Does anyone know if this sounds like a virus or settings issue?

I would try re-installing my audio drivers, but I bought this computer for $300 from a friend and don't have all the software that would normally come with the purchase.
 
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JeffreyNYA

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Sure system restore can cause issues. Have not seen the sound issues you describe. Also system restore will not always get ride of a virus or malware. There may be parts of it around that are causing issues. If you know exactly which ant-virus imitation it was you may be able to find fixes for it?

Try Malwarebytes to scan. Also www.Majorgeeks.com is a great resource to find fixes for many of these types of issues. If it’s a rootkit type malware then it will be trickier. But getting the exact name of the malware is important.
 
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abq_farside

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ComboFix is a good tool for rootkit type viruses. It has gotten rid of just about everything. Then I use malwarebytes to finish any clean up issues. Unfortunately, malwarebytes does not always get rid of the fake anti-virus traps the first time.
 
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weeman

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Thanks for the info. I've also run Spybot S&D a couple times. The one that appeared in the tray that I know was giving me some troubles was Fraud SysGuard. I may still have some infected files and will try your ideas.
 
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yevaud

Guest
Well, if it comes to replacing the drivers, this is not difficult. Obtain the device specifications (in this case, the audio card), then Google for drivers and that info. In almost every case, I've been able to locate them quite easily.
 
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a_lost_packet_

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weeman":8xkrd952 said:
I'm running Windows XP Professional, and I recently ran the system restore to remove a virus.

Make sure you do that in safe mode and be sure to disable System Restore. This will prevent a lot of malware from restoring itself when you reboot. (Clarification: ie: Make sure to go through necessary steps to remove the virus in Safe Mode as well as regular mode. Safe Mode will help prevent some viruse's resident operations from blocking you from deleting virus files and preventing the same operations from restoring them.)

Simply restoring to a previously uninfected Restore Point will NOT get rid of most viruses.

Find out what your virus is and follow the instructions to remove it. Generally, you can look them up on any reputable Anti-Virus sight. I recommend starting with Symantec if your browser isn't hijacked or the virus has not hostfiled/spoofed it. MalwareBytes has been getting an increasingly good reputation at removing the latest bought of fake "anti-virus" hijack/hostage-ware malware that is out there. So, check with them too.

If you can get an ID on your virus and need help, post whatever your AV program tells you it is. Barring that, you could try posting your log from "HijackThis" if you'd like. Though, I'd recommend you do that at Malwarebytes forum, Geekstogo, majorgeeks, etc...

Edit ADD - (Only do this AFTER you have removed the virus.) - On drivers - WinXP Online Update should be able to identify most of your drivers. Manually navigate to the Windows Update page by choosing /start/windows update. There, on the right, once your verification is run, you will see a category for drivers. Click on that and let it examine your system. If it can find out what you have, it should locate many of the latest drivers for you. If it can't find out what you have, for some reason (not fully XP compatible) then try to find out the make/model of your computer or, if that is not known or is home-built, use the Start/Control Panel/ System/Harware/Device manager list to see if you can tell anything. Lastly, you can crack the case and take a look.

Edit-Add-2 - When the latest avalanche of Russian "Hostageware" hit the google adservers, a lot of people were infected. Here's a thread on SDC's own experience with it and it has plenty of links that could be helpful for you.

Bogus AV warnings
 
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bdewoody

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I just encountered a new scam. I got a call on my cell phone supposedly claiming that their company had detected a virus that I had supposedly downloaded onto my computer and that they could sell me some software to remove it. I told the person that he didn't know what he was talking about and not to call me again. Btw my computer is still virus free.
 
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