AVG: Computer Killer? I dont know if this goes here but...

[kevlar557 0]

Well, I am formating the hard drive as I type, and I am probally going to go out and get linux for my older machine. Thanks for everyone's advise.

[pedro1405241472 0]

Yesterday, I downloaded AVG anti-virus free edition, and it found about 4 trojans. They were all ad-ware, but they were still viruses. Anyway, I healed all of the files, and now I can't get my dial-up to send or recieve any information. It is almost like one of the trojans I healed, was a internet protocol. Most of my friends, and myself are completely baffled on what is wrong, and what to do about it. My final resort is to back up any information I can, and format the hard drive. If anyone has any ideas on what I can do, that would be appreciated.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

An antivirus that calls f itself installs f-prot and they solve the problem to you

[MajesticTreeFrog 0]

Well, for those running linux, try ubuntu. They are dedicated to an easy to use linux desktop.

[kevlar557 0]

I formated the hard drive last night, and it is running great. Thanks to everybody for their help.

[Solus 0]

Kevlar, to save you from having this problem in the future, you should take some precautions. The best way to stop spyware/trojans is to not let them on your computer in the first place

 

But if they do, there are several programs that can help.

 

Adaware - Effective spyware remover.

 

RegCleaner - By using this, you can safely check what programs are in your startup list. Most trojans/spyware place themselves in your startup list making it sometimes difficult to remove them. It creates a backup of any registry changes you make incase something goes wrong.

 

The best way to check if something on the startup list is a legit program or a nasty trojan is to type the name into google and see what the sites say about it.

 

Oh, I should also add that using Internet Explorer is a good way to get infected. A great browser you can use (If you already aren't) is Firefox. It has some great features but is also a very secure browser.

 

Also, sometimes Adaware doesn't pick up all spyware/adware but used in conjunction with Spybot Search and Destroy will help keep your computer safe.

 

This might seem tedious, but what I do is run maintenance on my computer every week. Although this does take up time, it does not take up my time. Simply defragment, scan your computer for virus's and check for spyware/adware every week or two. There is plenty of time to if you think about it. When you are on the couch watching TV, eating dinner or out doing some sport, just start up some of these things and go out and do what you normally do

 

Hope this helps

[meself88 0]

Yes. Adaware and Spybot are wonderful programs. I use them both and have only had one serious spyware outbreak (it was more of a worm than spyware). Firefox is far more secure and far more advanced than IE. I would also like to point out that the learning curve for Linux is a tad steep for many people, especially with older machines where drivers and hardware can get touchy. I recently installed RedHat Fedora Core 3 on an older machine and had no problems whatsoever. Fortunately, there is plenty of help out there for Fedora Core 3 specifically. Anyways, about the dial-up, I don't think it is too uncommon for this to happen. One of my friends has a laptop and one day the dial-up just stopped working. On Dial-up, do you use internet explorer or AOL or some other ISP-based browser? One thing you could try is going to the control panel, going to Internet Options, and going to the connections panel. Remove any connections that refer to AOL, Dial-up, or anything of that nature (should have a picture of a little phone by it). Then click on Setup near the top, and let windows guide you through. once that is done, make sure the radio button "Dial whenever a network connection is unavailable" is selected. Reboot. If that doesn't work, sounds like your Winsock drivers may have been hijacked or something. Good luck.

[kevlar557 0]

It is running great, and thanks Solus, that ids good advice for everyone who uses windows. The first thing i did when i got this computer is to download all of those programs.

[seven1405241476 0]

It is running great, and thanks Solus, that ids good advice for everyone who uses windows. The first thing i did when i got this computer is to download all of those programs.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I used AVG previously as well but id did not detect Java viruses in my system.

 

You can try Avast antivirus Home edition. User friendlier.

 

Spybot Search and Destroy is a must if you continue using IE.

 

Your previous problem could have been corruption of the winsock dll's after AVG cleaned up.

 

winsock is needed for SLIP or PPP connections under WINDOWS. Hence ur dial-up problems.

 

support.microsoft.com has a few articles that can help to recover winsock issues.

 

Peace.

[abhishek 0]

Using system restore to restore your computer to an earlier date will definately solve the problem