LYCOS hosts WinFixer / disables S&D
Don't open LYCOS !!! This search engine supports popup advertisers "AboutBLANK" and "UNDERTONE" and other marketers that now
load WinFixer onto your machine. Winfixer evades your attempts to
close the popups (of course) and it also disables Spybot Search &
Destroy. ("Cannot open file. File may be in use.")
WinFixer secretly opens Windows Internet Explorer (without your knowledge) and downloads 4 folders into your Windows Temporary Internet Files folder. It then makes multiple copies of "desktop.ini" that will reconfigure your computer each and every time you start up. It will hide these copies of desktop.ini in various places on your C:
drive and your D: drive if you have one.
I repeat, DON'T go to LYCOS! The malware will begin loading itself
onto your machine as soon as you connect to their search engine.
I tried using some of the WinFixer remedies HijackThis, Vundo, etc. but got an error that said my operating system (Win 98 SE) isn't supported and it will only run on 2000 / XP. So, I have formatted my C: drive and reloaded Windows. The setup disk that came with my motherboard asks for about 40 + files that it can't locate on my Windows 98 SE disk and so I will have to go onto the internet and search them out, download them, and unzip them so they can be installed. (Good for about 2 days of work)
It's a good thing I have this second machine to do the utility work for
main computer. I tend to think my electronics instructor was right.
He contends that the Virus Protection Merchandisers (such as Norton &
McAfee) are responsible for authoring the viruses, trojans, etc. to
sell their protection software.
I have found that most of the cure is as bad or worse than the
infection. Norton thought my operating system was a virus and disabled
it a few years ago. McAfee slowed my machine down to a crawl and
caused many "FATAL ERROR" messages while performing routine operations.
Few of the trojans have caused me as much trouble as these remedies.
