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padres858

Suspended due to non-functional email address

14. July 2005 @ 01:55

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Hi group, I know this a Nero forum but I was hoping I could get help an off-topic issue. My personal computer is running great but my dad has a Dell Dimension 4500S and it has been infected by spyware for quite some time. He just now told me about this and I checked out his computer and it's absolutely a mess with spyware, adware, trojans, keyloggers you name it. To worsen the situation, he has Norton AntiVirus but has had his firewall turned off for a long time(my dad is not exactly computer-literate, obviously.) Anyway I'm really trying to help him out. I have defragged his hard drive, deleted all cookies and temporary internet files, set his firewall to on along with automatic windows updates, and run SpyDoctor on his computer to try and eliminate all this spyware mess(the initial scan of his computer showed 2555 infected files!) The computer is still running very very slow, however. Is there anything you guys recommend that I could do to get his computer back up to running to the way it used to be? Or is there no longer any hope? Any info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

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matt72

Senior Member

14. July 2005 @ 02:45

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hi padres858 welcome to AD. First remember to read the forum rules as you should post in the appropriate section (i.e. pc hardware section specifically for your question). Wow @ 2555 infected files. Does your dad have any files that need to be backed up? If so the easiest way to fix it is to do a fresh install. That would mean putting the system disks in and reinstalling the operating system. Some viruses, malware, spyware, keyloggers attach themselves to valid essential files and would cause more harm than good if you tried to remove them. Usually they attach in your windows folder and are a bugger to remove safely. Do keep in mind anything that your dad is trying to save could possibly be infected so be sure to do a scan on them. Norton is not the best antivirus but he should have received a popup(s) with a message stating a virus has been detected. Before doing the fresh reinstall turn his pc off, insert the system disks and boot it up. A notice will open asking if you want to repair or reinstall over existing operating system (this being dependent on pc maker). Choose reinstall (full) which will wipe the hard drive clean and install from the system restore disks that came with the dell. This will revert the pc back to how it was when your dad first opened it and used it for the first time. This was a short explanation in a nutshell of the safest way to get the pc back to its original state.

The slow moving pc is probably caused by adware such as bargain buddy, and search bars which attach themselves to internet explorer. I suggest FireFox as it will not allow attachments and blocks 99% of popups that carry trojans and keyloggers embedded in them. Also be aware if your dad saved any pics from the internet there are viruses that can attach to jpegs, bitmaps (picture formats) so scan them if that is the case. Hope this helps as I am no pc expert but have had this problem in the past. Have a good day.

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