Re: Attack From Registry Cleaner

Delete everything in the Temp directories.

Start | Run | Paste this in the box and click OK...

%windir%\temp

Delete everything that you can in the right hand pane.

Start | Run | Type this in the box and click OK...

%tmp%
Delete everything that you can in the right hand pane.

Clean out your Temporary Internet Files folder.

To delete *all* Temporary Internet Files...

1) Start | Run | Type: inetcpl.cpl | Click OK
Or right click the Internet Explorer icon on your Desktop
Or Start | Settings | Control Panel | Internet Options
Best to do this with all instances of Internet Explorer closed. Especially
if there are a large number of files.
2) On the General Tab, in the middle of the screen, click on Delete Files
3) Check the box ? Delete all offline content {This cleans >>
%homepath%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files
AND
%homepath%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5
and \Content.MSO (Created by an MS Office program)}
4) Click on OK and wait for the hourglass icon to stop after it deletes the
temporary internet files
5) You can now click on Delete Cookies and click OK to delete cookies that
websites have placed on your hard drive.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:93E70CAA-ABA0-43CC-BC97-12DFD8E274A7@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
Sarah <Sarah@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> hunted and pecked:
> Hello, I read most of your information - my problem is this... I cannot
> close or get rid of the Norton Utilities "Alert" window that says my
> computer has a virus. It shows the files affected and that the file is
> deleted... etc. Everytime I click on the OK to close the window, it
> moves to another file (all in the Temp directory). How do I get rid of
> the alert window???? Thanks
>
> "Shenan Stanley" wrote:
>
>> flamestar wrote:
>>> I am under constant attack from Registry Cleaner ads. I keep getting
>>> pop ups with ads for it and like programs. I ran Norton, Adawar,
>>> Spybot, and the TDS professional. Noting seems to be able to stop
>>> this virus. The last it attacked I had to rebuild my computer. What
>>> is strange is they seem to be allowed to infect people computers and
>>> then shake them down. If people are giving money to them why aren't
>>> they arrested as they are attacking computers with viruses and
>>> blackmail people into paying them off?
>>
>> I don't think you have proerly cleaned nor immunized your system against
>> these types of attacks. Look at tip (10) and then go through the rest to
>> really harden that system like any system should be.. See if that helps.
>>
>> Microsoft has these suggestions for Protecting your computer from the
>> various things that could happen to you/it:
>>
>> Protect your PC
>> http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/
>>
>>
>> Although those tips are fantastic, there are many things you should
>> know above and beyond what is there. Below I have detailed
>> out many steps that can not only help you clean-up a problem PC but
>> keep it clean ,secure and running at its top performance mark.
>>
>> I know this text can seem intimidating - it is quite long and a lot
>> to take in for a novice - but I assure you that one trip through this
>> list and you will understand your computer and the options available
>> to you for protecting your data much better - and that the next time
>> you review these steps, the time it takes will be greatly reduced.
>>
>> Let's take the cleanup of your computer step-by-step. Yes, it will take
>> up some of your time - but consider what you use your computer
>> for and how much you would dislike it if all of your stuff on your
>> computer went away because you did not "feel like" performing some
>> simple maintenance tasks - think of it like taking out your garbage,
>> collecting and sorting your postal mail, paying your bills on time,
>> etc.
>>
>> I'll mainly work around Windows XP, as that is what the bulk of this
>> document is about; however, here is a place for you poor souls still
>> stuck in Windows 98/ME where you can get information on maintaining
>> your system:
>>
>> Windows 98 and 'Maintaining Your Computer':
>> http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/usingwindows/maintaining/
>>
>> Windows ME Computer Health:
>> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsME/using/computerhealth/articles/
>>
>> Pay close attention to the sections:
>> (in order)
>> - Clean up your hard disk
>> - Check for errors by running ScanDisk
>> - Defragment your hard disk
>> - Roll back the clock with System Restore
>>
>>
>> Also - now is a good time to point you to one of the easiest ways to find
>> information on problems you may be having and solutions others have
>> found:
>>
>> Search using Google!
>> http://www.google.com/
>> (How-to: http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html )
>>
>>
>> Now, let's go through some maintenance first that should only have to be
>> done once (mostly):
>>
>> Tip (1):
>> Locate all of the software you have installed on your computer.
>> (the installation media - CDs, downloaded files, etc)
>> Collect these CDs and files together in a central and safe
>> place along with their CD keys and such. Make backups of these
>> installation media sets using your favorite copying method (CD/DVD Burner
>> and application, Disk copier, etc.) You'll be glad to know that if you
>> have a CD/DVD burner, you may be able to use a free application to make a
>> duplicate copy of your CDs. One such application is ISORecorder:
>>
>> ISORecorder page (with general instructions on use):
>> http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/beta.htm
>>
>> Yes - it is BETA software - but very useful and well tested.
>>
>> More full function applications (free) for CD/DVD burning would be:
>>
>> DeepBurner Free
>> http://www.deepburner.com/
>>
>> CDBurnerXP Pro
>> http://www.cdburnerxp.se/
>>
>> Another Option would be to search the web with Pricewatch.com or
>> Dealsites.net and find deals on Products like Ahead Nero and/or Roxio.
>>
>>
>> Tip (2):
>> Empty your Temporary Internet Files and shrink the size it stores to a
>> size between 128MB and 512MB..
>>
>> - Open ONE copy of Internet Explorer.
>> - Select TOOLS -> Internet Options.
>> - Under the General tab in the "Temporary Internet Files" section, do the
>> following:
>> - Click on "Delete Cookies" (click OK)
>> - Click on "Settings" and change the "Amount of disk space to use:" to
>> something between 128MB and 512MB. (Betting it is MUCH larger right
>> now.)
>> - Click OK.
>> - Click on "Delete Files" and select to "Delete all offline contents"
>> (the checkbox) and click OK. (If you had a LOT, this could take 2-10
>> minutes or more.)
>> - Once it is done, click OK, close Internet Explorer, re-open Internet
>> Explorer.
>>
>>
>> Tip (3):
>> If things are running a bit sluggish and/or you have an older system
>> (1.5GHz or less and 256MB RAM or less) then you may want to look into
>> tweaking the performance by turning off some of the 'resource hogging'
>> Windows XP "prettifications". The fastest method is:
>>
>> Control Panel --> System --> Advanced tab --> Performance section,
>> Settings button. Then choose "adjust for best performance" and you
>> now have a Windows 2000/98 look which turned off most of the annoying
>> "prettifications" in one swift action. You can play with the last
>> three checkboxes to get more of an XP look without many of the
>> other annoyances. You could also grab and install/use one
>> (or more) of the Microsoft Powertoys - TweakUI in particular:
>>
>> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
>>
>>
>> Tip (4):
>> Understanding what a good password might be is vital to your
>> personal and system security. You may think you do not need to password
>> your home computer, as you may have it in a locked area (your home) where
>> no one else has access to it. Remember, however, you aren't always
>> "in that locked area" when using your computer online - meaning you
>> likely have usernames and passwords associated with web sites and the
>> likes that you would prefer other people do not discover/use. This is
>> why you should understand and utilize good passwords.
>>
>> Good passwords are those that meet these general rules
>> (mileage may vary):
>>
>> Passwords should contain at least six characters, and the character
>> string should contain at least three of these four character types:
>> - uppercase letters
>> - lowercase letters
>> - numerals
>> - nonalphanumeric characters (e.g., *, %, &, !, :)
>>
>> Passwords should not contain your name/username.
>> Passwords should be unique to you and easy to remember.
>>
>> One method many people are using today is to make up a phrase that
>> describes a point in their life and then turning that phrase into their
>> password by using only certain letters out of each word in that phrase.
>> It's much better than using your birthday month/year or your anniversary
>> in a pure sense. For example, let's say my phrase is:
>> 'Moved to new home in 2004'
>> I could come up with this password from that:
>> 'Mv2n3whmN04'
>>
>> The password tip is in the one time section, but I highly
>> recommend you periodically change your passwords. The suggested time
>> varies, but I will throw out a 'once in every 3 to 6 months for
>> every account you have.'
>>
>>
>> Tip (5):
>> This tip is also 'questionable' in the one time section; however -
>> if properly setup - this one can be pretty well ignored for most people
>> after the initial 'fiddle-with' time.
>>
>> Why you should use a computer firewall..
>> http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/viruses/fwbenefits.mspx
>>
>> You should, in some way, use a firewall. Hardware (like a nice
>> Cable Modem/DSL router) or software is up to you. Many use both of
>> these. The simplest one to use is the hardware one, as most people
>> don't do anything that they will need to configure their NAT device
>> for and those who do certainly will not mind fiddling with the equipment
>> to make things work for them. Next in the line of simplicity would
>> have to be the built-in Windows Firewall of Windows XP. In SP2 it
>> is turned on by default. It is not difficult to turn on in any
>> case, however:
>>
>> Enable/Disable the Internet Connection Firewall (Pre-SP2):
>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/283673
>>
>> More information on the Internet Connection Firewall (Pre-SP2):
>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/320855
>>
>> Post-SP2 Windows Firewall Information/guidance:
>> http://snipurl.com/atal
>>
>> The trouble with the Windows Firewall is that it only keeps things
>> out. For most people who maintain their system in other ways, this is
>> MORE than sufficient. However, you may feel otherwise. If you want to
>> know when one of your applications is trying to obtain access to the
>> outside world so you can stop it, then you will have to install a
>> third-party application and configure/maintain it. I have compiled a
>> list with links of some of the better known/free firewalls you can choose
>> from:
>>
>> BlackICE PC Protection (~$39.95 and up)
>> http://blackice.iss.net/
>>
>> Jetico Personal Firewall (Free)
>> http://www.jetico.com/index.htm#/jpfirewall.htm
>>
>> Kerio Personal Firewall (KPF) (Free and up)
>> http://www.kerio.com/kpf_download.html
>>
>> Outpost Firewall from Agnitum (Free and up)
>> http://www.agnitum.com/download/
>>
>> Sygate Personal Firewall (Free and up)
>> http://smb.sygate.com/buy/download_buy.htm
>>
>> Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall (~$25 and up)
>> http://www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/npf/
>>
>> ZoneAlarm (Free and up)
>> http://snipurl.com/6ohg
>>
>> You should find the right firewall for your situation in that
>> list and set it up.
>>
>> Every firewall WILL require some maintenance. Essentially checking for
>> patches or upgrades (this goes for hardware and software solutions) is
>> the extent of this maintenance - you may also have to configure your
>> firewall to allow some traffic depending on your needs.
>>
>> ** Don't stack the software firewalls! Running more than one software
>> firewall will not make you safer - it would possibly negate some
>> protection you gleamed from one or the other firewall you run.
>>
>>
>> Now that you have some of the more basic things down..
>> Let's go through some of the steps you should take periodically to
>> maintain a healthy and stable windows computer. If you have not
>> done some of these things in the past, they may seem tedious - however,
>> they will become routine and some can even be automatically scheduled.
>>
>>
>> Tip (6):
>> The system restore feature is a new one - first appearing in Windows
>> ME and then sticking around for Windows XP. It is a useful feature
>> if you keep it maintained and use it to your advantage. Remember that
>> the system restore pretty much tells you in the name what it protects
>> which is 'system' files. Your documents, your pictures, your stuff is
>> NOT system files - so you should also look into some backup solution.
>>
>> Whenever you think about it (after doing a once-over on your machine
>> once a month or so would be optimal) - clear out your System Restore
>> and create a manual restoration point.
>>
>> 'Why?'
>>
>> Too many times have I seen the system restore files go corrupt or get
>> a virus in them, meaning you could not or did not want to restore from
>> them. By clearing it out periodically you help prevent any corruption
>> from happening and you make sure you have at least one good "snapshot".
>> (*This, of course, will erase any previous restore point you have.*)
>>
>> - Turn off System Restore.
>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310405
>> - Reboot the Computer.
>> - Review the first bullet to turn on System Restore
>> - Make a Manual Restoration Point.
>> http://snipurl.com/68nx
>>
>> That covers your system files, but doesn't do anything for the files
>> that you are REALLY worried about - yours! For that you need to look
>> into backups. You can either manually copy your important files,
>> folders, documents, spreadsheets, emails, contacts, pictures, drawings
>> and so on to an external location (CD/DVD - any disk of some sort, etc)
>> or you can use the backup tool that comes with Windows XP:
>>
>> How To Use Backup to Back Up Files and Folders on Your Computer
>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308422
>>
>> Yes - you still need some sort of external media to store the results
>> on, but you could schedule the backup to occur when you are not around,
>> then burn the resultant data onto CD or DVD or something when you are
>> (while you do other things!)
>>
>> A lot of people have wondered about how to completely backup their system
>> so that they would not have to go through the trouble of a reinstall..
>> I'm going to voice my opinion here and say that it would be worthless to
>> do for MOST people. Unless you plan on periodically updating the image
>> backup of your system (remaking it) - then by the time you use it
>> (something goes wrong) - it will be so outdated as to be more trouble
>> than performing a full install of the operating system and all
>> applications.
>>
>> Having said my part against it, you can clone/backup your hard drive

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