System related errors and user errors on installation?

[Masked Thespian]

Hey all.

My girlfriend's mother has had a bit of a scare on her computer so I recommended installing Spybot. This is good and all but she's installed it and it's come back to her saying that there are "system errors & user related errors". When she clicks on "fix errors" it wants her to pay for subscription.

Any idea what's going on here?

The worst part is that I'm 13 time zones away from her, so I can't give her advice on it in person, and I've never come across this kind of error myself.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me out here.

Regards,
MT.

[tashi]

Hello Masked Thespian,

This is good and all but she's installed it and it's come back to her saying that there are "system errors & user related errors". When she clicks on "fix errors" it wants her to pay for subscription.

Any idea what's going on here?

I am sorry but she may have been cheated. Spybot-Search & Destroy is freeware for personal use, and does not need to be purchased (although we appreciate any donation).
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/home/index.html.

Your friend should ask her credit card company to cancel any payment.

If you know where the download was from please let us know.

Best regards.

[Masked Thespian]

If she got it from where I told her to then it should have been from the first download link here: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

She has not paid for anything as far as I am aware as she was following my instructions over the internet. Which is why I was so confused over this error message she received.

[tashi]

Hello Masked Thespian,

If she got it from where I told her to

Could you contact her please and find out exactly where she downloaded.

Best regards.

[Masked Thespian]

Well, this is an interesting puzzle. I gave her the following two links:

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

I gave her instructions to download Spybot and Spyware Blaster from the respective links. However, she's just told me that she downloaded programs called "Registry Booster" and "Spyware Doctor". Both were recommended for her system (whatever that means).

Edit: She says that she went to the appropriate websites, and clicked the right things, but those two programs were the ones recommended for her system and those are the names of the programs.

Is it possible she's got something on her computer that redirected those urls to something malicious?

[tashi]

Hi Masked Thespian,

However, she's just told me that she downloaded programs called "Registry Booster" and "Spyware Doctor". Both were recommended for her system (whatever that means).

We do not refer users to either product.

Is it possible she's got something on her computer that redirected those urls

Possibly.

In your original post you said,

My girlfriend's mother has had a bit of a scare on her computer

Please give details, also list security programs installed and the operating system.

Best regards.

[Masked Thespian]

Hi Masked Thespian,

We do not refer users to either product.

Yeah, that's what I figured.

Please give details, also list security programs installed and the operating system.

Best regards.

Okay, here's the long and the short of it. Her family runs Facebook off of a single computer. Three accounts use that computer; hers, her brother's and her niece's. Yesterday, she said that her brother had had to repeatedly log in to Facebook for no apparent reason whilst using the Facebook game Farmville. At the end of the night they signed off of the computer and deleted browsing history and "everything else" (though I do not know to what extent "everything else" entails).

The next morning they found the brother's account logged onto Facebook, despite the fact that they'd logged him off the previous night. The brother's account had also apparently posted links to another website on some of their friends' Facebook walls (including that of my girlfriend, which is how I found out about it initially) during the middle of the night, whilst they were asleep. They scanned their computer with Norton (don't know which version) and it found some kind of virus which it took care of. However, they noted that the virus was detected at the same time that they'd noticed that the brother's account was still logged in to Facebook.

So, with all of this in mind, I directed her to go to those two urls, to download both Spybot and the other program (seeing as I've used both in the past to great success) before resetting the passwords on all three accounts (in case of key loggers) but then all of this happened.

I don't know the security programs exactly, nor the OS but I'll get those for you ASAP, now.

[Masked Thespian]

Sorry for the double post, but apparently I can't modify my messages after a certain period of time (sorry; I'm just used to other forums where you can).

Here's some details on the security programs involved, including the two suspect ones:

Uniblue Registry Booster Setup
Company- Uniblue Systems Ltd.
File version 4.7.2.12
Size 4.88MB

Spyware Doctor With AntiVirus
Company- PC Tools
File Version 7.0.0545
Size 34.9 MB

Norton 360 Internet Security
symantic Corporation


Her OS is as follows:

Windows
2000, XP, Vista
version 11.0.0
HP Deskjet F4200 series

By the way, it just occurred to me to do a search on the internet for these programs, and it seems that Spyware Doctor does seem to be a legit program (albeit, not Spybot) whilst Uniblue seems to be scareware. It's 5am here and I've been up for the past 3 hours trying to get this sorted, so I apologise for having not thought of this before now.

Still, it does seem odd that the two links I sent her redirected her to those two programs instead of the ones I wanted her to go to.


Hope all of this helps. Thank you for anyone and everyone who has read this, and especially the people taking the time out to help me.

[tashi]

Hello Masked Thespian,

Spyware Doctor With AntiVirus
Company- PC Tools
File Version 7.0.0545
Size 34.9 MB

Norton 360 Internet Security
symantic Corporation

Rule of thumb is one firewall/one anti virus program resident to avoid conflicts, loss of program efficiency and system lock up.

Her OS is as follows:

Windows
2000, XP, Vista

That's three operating systems.

[Masked Thespian]

That kinda confused me too. I has assumed it was 2000 that got upgraded to XP that got upgraded to Vista, but it's possible she copied and pasted the wrong section of the box. She's not too computer savvy, and I sadly have no experience with Vista so I can't give her direct instructions.

What I have done, however, is to email her the installation program for Spybot, as well as tell her to get rid of the other two programs, so hopefully she can sort this out on her own.


Thank you, Tashi, for helping me out here. I'm in a rather sleep deprived state so I've not been thinking clearly and I appreciate the help that has been sent my way.