Re: new install needed?

kallaloch wrote:
i have been hit with a 'falcon spyware" they want $19 to send a removal program. i tried to delete .dll file associated with it and in the process, i now get an error message i have reinstalled xp pro too many times and need to get an auth. number. is there a way to get to the c:/ drive to copy some files so i can do a clean install? i can't boot to safe mode to try and get the files. thanks




Formatting the hard drive to solve a virus or spyware problem is rather like using an axe to trim one's fingernails. Sure, it'll probably get the job done, but it's rather messy...., and almost always unnecessary.

To deal with issues caused by any sort of "adware" and/or "spyware," such as Gator, Comet Cursors, Smiley Central, Xupiter, Bonzai Buddy, or KaZaA, and their remnants, that you've deliberately (but without understanding the consequences) installed, two products that are quite effective (at finding and removing this type of scumware) are Ad-Aware from www.lavasoft.de and SpyBot Search & Destroy from www.safer-networking.org/. Both have free versions. It's even possible to use SpyBot Search & Destroy to "immunize" your system against most future intrusions. I use both and generally perform manual scans every week or so to clean out cookies, etc.

Additionally, manual removal instructions for the most common varieties of scumware are available here:

PC Hell Spyware and Adware Removal Help
http://www.pchell.com/support/spyware.shtml

More information and assistance is available at these sites:

Blocking Ads, Parasites, and Hijackers with a Hosts File
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

The Parasite Fight
http://www.aumha.org/a/parasite.htm

There are several essential components to computer security: a
knowledgeable and pro-active user, a properly configured firewall,
reliable and up-to-date antivirus software, and the prompt repair (via
patches, hotfixes, or service packs) of any known vulnerabilities.

The weakest link in this "equation" is, of course, the computer
user. No software manufacturer can -- nor should they be expected
to -- protect the computer user from him/herself. All too many people
have bought into the various PC/software manufacturers marketing
claims of easy computing. They believe that their computer should be
no harder to use than a toaster oven; they have neither the
inclination or desire to learn how to safely use their computer. All
too few people keep their antivirus software current, install patches
in a timely manner, or stop to really think about that cutesy link
they're about to click.

Firewalls and anti-virus applications, which should always be used
and should always be running, are important components of "safe hex,"
but they cannot, and should not be expected to, protect the computer
user from him/herself. Ultimately, it is incumbent upon each and
every computer user to learn how to secure his/her own computer.

To learn more about practicing "safe hex," start with these links:

Protect Your PC
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/default.asp

Home Computer Security
http://www.cert.org/homeusers/HomeComputerSecurity/

List of Antivirus Software Vendors
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;49500

Home PC Firewall Guide
http://www.firewallguide.com/

Scumware.com
http://www.scumware.com/


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? .... I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death! -Patrick Henry
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Yor computer is infected
    ... When visiting either Best Buy or Circuit City, listen very carefully to what the sales clerks advise. ... reliable and up-to-date antivirus software, ... to -- protect the computer user from him/herself. ... They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.security_admin)
  • Re: firewall??
    ... I don't mean to sound unnecessarily harsh, but given today's widely-publicized and well-known hostile Internet environment, only a fool or a masochist would go on-line without both a firewall and antivirus protection. ... No software manufacturer can -- nor should they be expected to -- protect the computer user from him/herself. ... All too few people keep their antivirus software current, install patches in a timely manner, or stop to really think about that cutesy link they're about to click. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: Reply to Shenan Stanley on my original post
    ... > and your antivirus software is running happily in the background at the ... > Windows is not the only product you likely have on your PC. ... > better protect your Windows system: ... You should at least turn on the built in firewall. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.security_admin)
  • Re: adaware
    ... reliable and up-to-date antivirus software, ... to -- protect the computer user from him/herself. ... Home PC Firewall Guide ... They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: Reply to Shenan Stanley on my original post
    ... and your antivirus software is running happily in the background at the time ... Windows Update ... Protect your PC ... You should at least turn on the built in firewall. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.security_admin)
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