Browser Redirecting all the time

[soar3]

Sorry for the delayed reply, but its hard using my phone to talk like this.

No, I did not turn off system restore and I did try to delete the NVIDIA software that u suggested, but it still shows up in the add/remove program listing and seems to never finish uninstalling.

[shinybeast]

Hello soar3,

I'm sorry that the computer is in such a bad state. Did you try to uninstall while in diagnostic startup? You would need to do that after changing back to Selective or Normal startup.

I wish those restore points were there. Once System Restore is turned off, all restore points are deleted.

If, at this point, reinstalling the motherboard's drivers like you did originally (in selective or normal startup mode) does not work, my best advice is to reformat and reinstall Windows. You had a rootkit infection and it could have made changes that jeopardize the computer's security going forward even if you were to solve the current issue.

You said you could get into BIOS setup, correct?

[soar3]

Yes, I can get into my BIOS without any problem. Why do you ask? Is there something I should look for or change?

[shinybeast]

I asked because if you can get into BIOS setup, you can reformat and reinstall Windows. That's probably the best option at this point. The only other thing to do is diagnose the blue screen and find out what is causing it, which I cannot do.


If you are against reformatting and re-installing Windows, I suggest you try one of these sites and post in the appropriate forum.
Registration is free and so is the help.

BleepingComputer.com
What The Tech
Techguy.org
The Elder Geek on Windows


You said you built the computer yourself, so you should have experience installing Windows.
A tutorial on re-formatting and re-installing Windows can be found at http://forums.whatthetech.com/How_Re...em_t91962.html



Implementing the following suggestions will greatly reduce your chances of malware problems in the future.


Update Windows

It is important to keep Windows and Microsoft programs updated to close vulnerabilities as they are discovered.

I suggest that you occasionally visit Microsoft Update and install all important updates. Please visit Microsoft Update as soon as possible as described below.

Close all windows and temporarily disable your anti-virus (usually through a tray icon)

Use Internet Explorer to visit this site: http://update.microsoft.com/microsof....aspx?ln=en-US

Once the page loads follow instructions to install all critical updates. You may need to repeat this process until fully updated.


Keep installed programs up to date

Anti-virus
Most important is keeping your anti-virus software up to date. An out of date anti-virus is not much better than no anti-virus. If your anti-virus is not set to update automatically (preferred), it is imperative that you occasionally update it manually. You usually can accomplish this through a tray icon.

Update Other Vulnerable Software
Malware writers are increasingly targeting vulnerabilities in commonly used applications. There are several online sites which will scan your computer for outdated software. I've listed two below. I recommend occasionally visiting and scanning your computer to detect vulnerable software that should be updated.
Secunia Online Software Inspector
F-Secure Health Check

Mozilla Firefox Plug-in Check
If using Firefox, Click here to visit Mozilla, check your plug-ins and update them as necessary.


Best Practices for Email and Downloaded Files.

• Do not read emails from unknown sources.
• Make it a habit to never open email attachments from anyone, including people you know, unless you absolutely have to. If you need to open an attachment, scan it with your anti-virus before you open it.
• Do not use Peer to Peer software to "share" media and software. You will get more than you expected and the "bonus" will not be something you want and will bring you back seeking help.
• Do not use keygens or hacked software. First, it is stealing. Second, it is almost always infected with something. If you cannot afford to buy something, there is likely a free alternative that will be a good substitute. Search around and seek out advice from a trusted forum. Most will be glad to tell you of their favorite free program that performs the job you want done.

Additional Protection Programs

The programs listed below are excellent for improving your computer's security.

WinPatrol by Bill Pytlovany - "WinPatrol is a multi-purpose utility designed to increase performance and protect against unwanted changes." Information on it's many features can be found here

MVPS Hosts file - A replacement HOSTS file that redirects known malicious and ad serving sites to the localhost, thus preventing connection to them.
Note: MVPS Hosts file can sometimes slow down the computer so read the information on the site to mitigate this effect.

I encourage you to check out miekiemoes' article "How to prevent Malware:"

If you have any questions about these suggestions, I would be happy to answer them.

Regards,
shinybeast

[soar3]

Thank you for help and your suggestions. I have been doing some research on my BSOD and still have some other things I would like to do before I result to a reinstallation. I have downloaded the latest drivers for my motherboard from work and will try to install them when I get home. I still believe that my computer can hopefully be fixed without doing a clean wipe since everything else on my computer is running primo except for my internet connectivity. I'm still just not ready to give up even though I may be able to do a reinstall on my C: partition and still salvage my other two partitions that I had dedicated to holding my programs and my data. We'll see what happens. I may just decide to upgrade to Windows 7 or either go back to running Linux.

[shinybeast]

OK.
You should definitely be able to salvage your data and program installers if you choose to format/reinstall on C:. The programs installed to D:\Program Files 2\, F:, and G: will probably have to be re-installed, however. I advise you to avoid P2P use in the future.

You can delete TDSSKiller.zip, TDSSKiller.exe, OTL and the randomly named GMER file if you haven't.

Best of luck with those newer drivers!

[soar3]

i just picked up Service Pack 3 for XP from my network admin at work and will give that a shot since I was only running SP2. Thx again for being patient with me and I'll definitely reply with my results if they turn out to be favorable.

[shinybeast]

Hello soar3,

Any luck?

[soar3]

Luck? Yeah......nothing but BAD luck! I don't know if that was one nasty Trojan that I caught(but I doubt it) but now I can't even turn my computer ON!! I did a defrag of my C: drive and rebooted and was up and running and then tried the internet and it crapped out on me after about 15 minutes and rebooted. Next, I got a screen saying "windows system32 config system error" and to try and boot from the CD to repair. NOT!!!!! It won't let me boot from the CD or even boot from the floppy drive after I made some XP boot disk. Then, after researching some more and wanting to try another XP boot disk, I went to go turn my computer on and then nothing happened. My power supply is glowing, so I know I have power, and my USB flash stick lights when I push the power button put no action from my fans or hard drive. I think you may have been right and I think let alone from catching a Trojan that my dear motherboard might have died on me. Very weird as to the timing of it all, but I am at a lost for explanation. They say timing is everything. I'm looking into another motherboard right now and maybe even just getting a new PC. My computer is only 3 and a half years old, but that may be old to some.

[shinybeast]

That's rough.

So you cannot get into BIOS setup?

If you cannot, I would dig out the manual for the motherboard. Reset the CMOS and see what happens. It appears that the motherboard may have a 2 digit LED readout on it that may help in diagnosis.