host errors, HJT errors

I think that fixed it!! Does that mean everything's fixed now?!

What am I missing without the add-ons on IE? Anything important?

I just need to enable Norton again and I'm good to go? Is there an Anti-Virus program that you recommend more than the others? Is there anything additional I should do to prevent this from happening again?

I truly cannot thank you enough, Blade81. You have been extremely helpful! You are amazing. I'll definitely be giving an additional donation to Spybot now.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! :)
 
Hi,

That tells one of your addons is the causer. In order to be able to run Internet Explorer normally you have to debug out the trouble addon. In Internet Explorer, click tools->manage addons and disable those one by one to find out what is the trouble maker :)
 
You're welcome :)

Let's see the final steps.


THESE STEPS ARE VERY IMPORTANT

Let's reset system restore
Reset and Re-enable your System Restore to remove infected files that have been backed up by Windows. The files in System Restore are protected to prevent any programs changing those files. This is the only way to clean these files: You will lose all previous restore points which are likely to be infected. Please note you need Administrator Access to do clean the restore points.

A To disable the System Restore feature:

1. Click on the Start button.
2. Hover over the Computer option, right click on it and then click Properties.
3. On the left hand side, click Advanced Settings.
4. If asked to permit the action, click on Allow.
5. Click on the System Protection tab.
6. Uncheck any checkboxes listed for your hard drives.
7. Press OK.


B. Reboot.

C Turn ON System Restore.
Follow the steps like you did when disabling system restore but on step 6. check any checkboxes listed for your hard drives.



Now lets uninstall ComboFix:
  • Click START then RUN
  • Now copy-paste Combofix /uninstall in the runbox and click OK


Please download OTC and save it to desktop.
  • Double-click OTC.exe.
  • Click the CleanUp! button.
  • Select Yes when the
    Begin cleanup Process?
    prompt appears.
  • If you are prompted to Reboot during the cleanup, select Yes.
  • The tool will delete itself once it finishes, if not delete it by yourself.

Note: If you receive a warning from your firewall or other security programs regarding OTC attempting to contact the internet, please allow it to do so.


UPDATING WINDOWS AND INTERNET EXPLORER

IMPORTANT: You Need to Update Windows and Internet Explorer to protect your computer from the malware that is around on the Internet.

Make your Internet Explorer more secure

This can be done by following these simple instructions:
From within Internet Explorer click on the Tools menu and then click on Options.
Click once on the Security tab
Click once on the Internet icon so it becomes highlighted.
Click once on the Custom Level button.
Change the Download signed ActiveX controls to Prompt
Change the Download unsigned ActiveX controls to Disable
Change the Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe to Disable
Change the Installation of desktop items to Prompt
Change the Launching programs and files in an IFRAME to Prompt
Change the Navigate sub-frames across different domains to Prompt
When all these settings have been made, click on the OK button.
If it prompts you as to whether or not you want to save the settings, press the Yes button.
Next press the Apply button and then the OK to exit the Internet Properties page.



The following are recommended third party programs that are designed to keep your computer clean. A link as well as a brief description is included with each item.

  • hosts file:
    • Every version of windows has a hosts file as part of them.
    • In a very basic sense, they are used to locate webpages.
    • We can customize a hosts file so that it blocks certain webpages.
    • However, it can slow down certain computers.
    • This is why using a hosts file is optional!!
    Download it here. Make sure you read the instructions on how to install the hosts file. There is a good tutorial here
    If you decide to download the hosts file, the slowdown problems can usually be avoided by following these steps:
    1. [*]Click the start button (at the lower left hand corner of your screen) [*]Click run [*]In the dialog box, type services.msc [*]hit enter, then locate dns client [*]Highlight it, then double-click it. [*]On the dropdown box, change the setting from automatic to manual. [*]Click ok
  • Run Secunia vulnerability check here and fix its findings.


Just a final reminder for you. I am trying to stress these two points.
UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!!! Make sure you do this about every 1-2 weeks.
Make sure all of your security programs and operating system are up to date.

Once again, please post and tell me how things are going with your system... problems etc.

Have a great day,
Blade :cool:
 
Hello,

I opened the "System Protection" tab, but I don't see any checkboxes. I see a heading that says "Protection Settings" and then under that, it lists:

TI103426W0D (C:) (System) (It says Protection On)
System (It says Protection Off)

If I click on either, nothing happens.

Did I misunderstand the instructions?
Thanks!
 
Hi,

No, you didn't misunderstand, I explained it a bit wrong.

Make TI103426W0D selected and click "Configure..." in that window select "Turn off system protection" and then click ok. Reboot the system and then re-enable system protection by selecting "Restore system settings and previous versions of files" option and then click ok.
 
Hi Blade,

Thanks! I followed all of your steps. I reset system restore, I uninstalled ComboFix, I downloaded and ran OTC, I updated IE, I downloaded hosts file, and I ran Secunia.

All seems to be good, but I just have a few questions:

1) Should I be making Firefox more secure somehow as well (like I did with the security settings in IE)?
2) On the bottom of my IE window, it says "Internet | Protected Mode: Off" - is that okay?
3) When I ran Secunia, it shows 1 insecure version: Adobe Reader 9. It says, "The detected version installed on your system is 9.3.0.148, however, the latest patched version released by the vendor, fixing one or more vulnerabilities, is 9.3.1.203." When I go to the Adobe download site, however, I can't find anything newer than the version I already have. Is this something I should be worried about?

Okay, so now that I've done this, I just need to reinstall Norton and I am good to go?

Thanks for all of your help!
 
Hi,

1) Should I be making Firefox more secure somehow as well (like I did with the security settings in IE)?
recommended Firefox addons

Adblock Plus, WOT and NoScript

2) On the bottom of my IE window, it says "Internet | Protected Mode: Off" - is that okay?
Do you have UAC disabled? Protected mode is off if you have UAC disabled or start IE by right clicking its icon and select 'run as administrator'.

3) When I ran Secunia, it shows 1 insecure version: Adobe Reader 9. It says, "The detected version installed on your system is 9.3.0.148, however, the latest patched version released by the vendor, fixing one or more vulnerabilities, is 9.3.1.203." When I go to the Adobe download site, however, I can't find anything newer than the version I already have. Is this something I should be worried about?
It's here.
 
Since this issue appears to be resolved ... this Topic has been closed. Glad I could help. :)

Note:If it has been four days or more since your last post, and the helper assisting you posted a response to that post to which you did not reply, your topic will not be reopened. At that point, if you still require help, please start a new topic and include a fresh HijackThis log and a link to your previous thread.

If it has been less than four days since your last response and you need the thread re-opened, please send me or MOD a private message (pm). A valid, working link to the closed topic is required.
 
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