Cleansed computer has broken links to files

Zenobia said:
I can certainly understand your feeling frustrated.You've done a lot to get your computer in working order again,and most of it was not easy fixes.

Just to be on the safe side:Are you having any signs of the original infection?You shouldn`t,after formatting drive C:,unless some of it was accidently restored from backup.

If you are still getting the same error message,perhaps the backup you restored of the program was from a time when the program was already damaged.Would it be possible for you to ask your audiologist about the best way to proceed?I was thinking perhaps a fresh install of the program would be better than restoring from backup.Your audiologist,or your audiologist`s IT person would probably know if that is advisable,being familiar with the program.

How has your computer been overall?Has it been working well,other than the error message from the software to adjust your hearing aid? :)
Click to expand...

My computer seems to be working fine. Thanks to you, all the application programs are working well.

I've uninstalled and reinstalled the hearing aid program three times now, and the error message still appears. Could the viruses that attacked my computer have damage that portion of my hard disk where the hearing aid program resides? Perhaps a remnant of the viruse is still in my machine, hidden from Spybot, Malwarebyte and Security Essentials. Not sure what to think.
 
gnowgnow said:
My computer seems to be working fine. Thanks to you, all the application programs are working well.

I've uninstalled and reinstalled the hearing aid program three times now, and the error message still appears. Could the viruses that attacked my computer have damage that portion of my hard disk where the hearing aid program resides? Perhaps a remnant of the viruse is still in my machine, hidden from Spybot, Malwarebyte and Security Essentials. Not sure what to think.
Click to expand...

I think I know what is happening. After I unistalled the program, a data file is still left behind in my computer. I just realized this because after I reinstalled the program, I didn't need to reinput a set of personal data into the program. After I wiped clean my hard disk and restored all the files, that file that caused the malfunction of the program was placed back onto the hard disk.

Is there a way to wipe out all the pieces connected to this hearing aid program when I use the uninstall function in Windows 7?
 
Yes,if there are pieces of the program left behind after you uninstall,you could probably remove those manually after uninstalling the program.However,I suggest talking to your audiologist,to see what he thinks of that idea,first. :)
 
Zenobia said:
Yes,if there are pieces of the program left behind after you uninstall,you could probably remove those manually after uninstalling the program.However,I suggest talking to your audiologist,to see what he thinks of that idea,first. :)
Click to expand...

There lies the problem. Locating those file(s) causing the trouble. The program ran fine when I installed it in a friend's laptop, but I couldn't find the difference in the number of files/folder between those shown in my friend's machine and mine. All the file names are also the same. Very baffling!

Went to Best Buy to see if the experts there could recommend a software to completely uninstall the program. I was told that I need to reformat the hard disk. I told them I already done that and descrbed what I did. They said it sounded correct but suggested that I let their experts take a look for a $85 fee. Not sure I want to pay that until I exhausted all my attempts.
 
After you uninstall the program,you could look in Program Files,(probably located at C:\Program Files),and see if there was a folder left behind by the program.If so,delete it.
Then,show hidden files once again:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Show-hidden-files
Then go to Program Data(probably located at C:\ProgramData),and if a folder was left behind by the program,you can delete it.
I suggest leaving both folders in the recycle bin (if found) for a little while,in case they're needed later.
I still suggest talking to your audiologist first,just to be on the safe side. :)
 
Zenobia said:
After you uninstall the program,you could look in Program Files,(probably located at C:\Program Files),and see if there was a folder left behind by the program.If so,delete it.
Then,show hidden files once again:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Show-hidden-files
Then go to Program Data(probably located at C:\ProgramData),and if a folder was left behind by the program,you can delete it.
I suggest leaving both folders in the recycle bin (if found) for a little while,in case they're needed later.
I still suggest talking to your audiologist first,just to be on the safe side. :)
Click to expand...

Are you good or what!!! Following your set of instructions, I opened ProgramData and found a folder with the name of my hearing aid program but no files in it . I turned the unhide function on and, there it was, a file in the folder. I immediately deleted the file, reinstalled the program and started it. It asked for input of my personal data and then it ran without being blocked by the offending message. Thank you, thank you.

On another subject. Yesterday I received a malicious email, with Subject: Help, which tried to solicit money from me for a purported relative of mine in financial trouble while visiting a foreign country. Unfortunately I opened the email and it took over a minute of continuous hitting the delete button to remove the email. Then I had trouble closing my email box and took over two to three minutes of clicking on the "Sign Off" button to get it shut down. I rebooted my machine and it took a long time for it to come back on. I immediately ran MS Security Essentials, Malwarebytes and Spybot sequentially after each has finished checking my system. I encountered no problem updating MS Security Essentials and Malwarebytes before starting their scam functions. Updating Spybot took a little more time as initially I got the message that the server was down. After unloading and loading Spybot
several times, I got it to update. The first two software said my system was clean. Spybot flagged out four malwares which I immediately removed. However, my system was still running very slowly. I rebooted, but again it took longer than usual to come back on and the response was very slow. I ran McAfee Stinger from a thumb drive and it flagged out two very destructive viruses -- FalseAlert and TrojanC. These are the two viruses that started all my problems several weeks ago. After removing these two viruses, my system seems to be running smoothly.

This sequence of events is creating concerns in me and a sense of insecurity. Why didn't the three antivirus software that I initially used found the destructive viruses? FlaseAlert and Trojan have been around for awhile so their signatures should already been in the database of those software programs.
 
Good,glad your program is working. :)

The reasons the first three programs might not have picked up on what Stinger found vary.It could have been a false positive on Stinger's part,or perhaps Stinger did pick up on infections which the others missed.If it did detect and remove FakeAlert and a trojan,that's good.It's a good tool to check for the problems it's designed to remove,when things have gone pear-shaped.(You can see what viruses/malware it will search for by pressing the "List Viruses" button.)Just remember,it's not a replacement for full antivirus software,as is stated here on this page:
http://www.mcafee.com/us/downloads/free-tools/stinger.aspx

If you don't mind,I'd like to have a peek at what Spybot removed.Go into Spybot > Mode > Advanced mode > Tools > View Reports > View Previous reports.Look for the Checks.yymmdd-hhmm or Fixes.yymmdd-hhmm file from the scan you did yesterday.Doubleclick the file,and it should open up in the Spybot window.Rightclick somewhere in that window,and select "Select All".Then rightclick again,select Copy,then Paste the logfile here in a reply.
 
Zenobia said:
Good,glad your program is working. :)

The reasons the first three programs might not have picked up on what Stinger found vary.It could have been a false positive on Stinger's part,or perhaps Stinger did pick up on infections which the others missed.If it did detect and remove FakeAlert and a trojan,that's good.It's a good tool to check for the problems it's designed to remove,when things have gone pear-shaped.(You can see what viruses/malware it will search for by pressing the "List Viruses" button.)Just remember,it's not a replacement for full antivirus software,as is stated here on this page:
http://www.mcafee.com/us/downloads/free-tools/stinger.aspx

If you don't mind,I'd like to have a peek at what Spybot removed.Go into Spybot > Mode > Advanced mode > Tools > View Reports > View Previous reports.Look for the Checks.yymmdd-hhmm or Fixes.yymmdd-hhmm file from the scan you did yesterday.Doubleclick the file,and it should open up in the Spybot window.Rightclick somewhere in that window,and select "Select All".Then rightclick again,select Copy,then Paste the logfile here in a reply.
Click to expand...

I'm having problems with my WiFi. I'm sending this message on my iPad. Once get my WiFi up, I'll send the information.
 
Zenobia said:
Ok,thanks. :)
Click to expand...

Here is the information:

--- Report generated: 2012-03-08 23:06 ---

DoubleClick: Tracking cookie (Internet Explorer: GnowGnow) (Cookie, fixed)


Right Media: Tracking cookie (Internet Explorer: GnowGnow) (Cookie, fixed)


Statcounter: Tracking cookie (Internet Explorer: GnowGnow) (Cookie, fixed)



--- Spybot - Search & Destroy version: 1.6.2 (build: 20090126) ---

2009-01-26 blindman.exe (1.0.0.8)
2009-01-26 SDFiles.exe (1.6.1.7)
2009-01-26 SDMain.exe (1.0.0.6)
2009-01-26 SDShred.exe (1.0.2.5)
2009-01-26 SDUpdate.exe (1.6.0.12)
2009-01-26 SDWinSec.exe (1.0.0.12)
2009-01-26 SpybotSD.exe (1.6.2.46)
2009-03-05 TeaTimer.exe (1.6.6.32)
2012-01-08 unins000.exe (51.49.0.0)
2009-01-26 Update.exe (1.6.0.7)
2009-11-04 advcheck.dll (1.6.5.20)
2007-04-02 aports.dll (2.1.0.0)
2008-06-14 DelZip179.dll (1.79.11.1)
2009-01-26 SDHelper.dll (1.6.2.14)
2008-06-19 sqlite3.dll
2009-01-26 Tools.dll (2.1.6.10)
2009-01-16 UninsSrv.dll (1.0.0.0)
2012-01-16 Includes\Adware.sbi (*)
2012-02-28 Includes\AdwareC.sbi (*)
2010-08-13 Includes\Cookies.sbi (*)
2010-12-14 Includes\Dialer.sbi (*)
2011-11-29 Includes\DialerC.sbi (*)
2012-01-31 Includes\HeavyDuty.sbi (*)
2011-03-29 Includes\Hijackers.sbi (*)
2011-10-04 Includes\HijackersC.sbi (*)
2010-09-15 Includes\iPhone.sbi (*)
2010-12-14 Includes\Keyloggers.sbi (*)
2012-01-24 Includes\KeyloggersC.sbi (*)
2004-11-29 Includes\LSP.sbi (*)
2012-01-10 Includes\Malware.sbi (*)
2012-03-06 Includes\MalwareC.sbi (*)
2011-02-24 Includes\PUPS.sbi (*)
2012-02-28 Includes\PUPSC.sbi (*)
2010-01-25 Includes\Revision.sbi (*)
2011-02-24 Includes\Security.sbi (*)
2011-12-13 Includes\SecurityC.sbi (*)
2008-06-03 Includes\Spybots.sbi (*)
2008-06-03 Includes\SpybotsC.sbi (*)
2012-01-17 Includes\Spyware.sbi (*)
2012-02-28 Includes\SpywareC.sbi (*)
2010-03-08 Includes\Tracks.uti
2011-09-27 Includes\Trojans.sbi (*)
2012-03-06 Includes\TrojansC-02.sbi (*)
2012-02-29 Includes\TrojansC-03.sbi (*)
2012-02-24 Includes\TrojansC-04.sbi (*)
2012-03-05 Includes\TrojansC-05.sbi (*)
2012-03-06 Includes\TrojansC.sbi (*)
2008-03-04 Plugins\Chai.dll
2008-03-05 Plugins\Fennel.dll
2008-02-26 Plugins\Mate.dll
2007-12-24 Plugins\TCPIPAddress.dll
 
Thanks for posting your report. :)
Those were tracking cookies which were removed.
Is everything working okay with your computer now?No problems?
 
Zenobia said:
Ok,thanks. :)
Click to expand...

Here's the information:

--- Report generated: 2012-03-08 23:06 ---

DoubleClick: Tracking cookie (Internet Explorer: gnowgnow) (Cookie, fixed)


Right Media: Tracking cookie (Internet Explorer: gnowgnow) (Cookie, fixed)


Statcounter: Tracking cookie (Internet Explorer: gnowgnow) (Cookie, fixed)



--- Spybot - Search & Destroy version: 1.6.2 (build: 20090126) ---

2009-01-26 blindman.exe (1.0.0.8)
2009-01-26 SDFiles.exe (1.6.1.7)
2009-01-26 SDMain.exe (1.0.0.6)
2009-01-26 SDShred.exe (1.0.2.5)
2009-01-26 SDUpdate.exe (1.6.0.12)
2009-01-26 SDWinSec.exe (1.0.0.12)
2009-01-26 SpybotSD.exe (1.6.2.46)
2009-03-05 TeaTimer.exe (1.6.6.32)
2012-01-08 unins000.exe (51.49.0.0)
2009-01-26 Update.exe (1.6.0.7)
2009-11-04 advcheck.dll (1.6.5.20)
2007-04-02 aports.dll (2.1.0.0)
2008-06-14 DelZip179.dll (1.79.11.1)
2009-01-26 SDHelper.dll (1.6.2.14)
2008-06-19 sqlite3.dll
2009-01-26 Tools.dll (2.1.6.10)
2009-01-16 UninsSrv.dll (1.0.0.0)
2012-01-16 Includes\Adware.sbi (*)
2012-02-28 Includes\AdwareC.sbi (*)
2010-08-13 Includes\Cookies.sbi (*)
2010-12-14 Includes\Dialer.sbi (*)
2011-11-29 Includes\DialerC.sbi (*)
2012-01-31 Includes\HeavyDuty.sbi (*)
2011-03-29 Includes\Hijackers.sbi (*)
2011-10-04 Includes\HijackersC.sbi (*)
2010-09-15 Includes\iPhone.sbi (*)
2010-12-14 Includes\Keyloggers.sbi (*)
2012-01-24 Includes\KeyloggersC.sbi (*)
2004-11-29 Includes\LSP.sbi (*)
2012-01-10 Includes\Malware.sbi (*)
2012-03-06 Includes\MalwareC.sbi (*)
2011-02-24 Includes\PUPS.sbi (*)
2012-02-28 Includes\PUPSC.sbi (*)
2010-01-25 Includes\Revision.sbi (*)
2011-02-24 Includes\Security.sbi (*)
2011-12-13 Includes\SecurityC.sbi (*)
2008-06-03 Includes\Spybots.sbi (*)
2008-06-03 Includes\SpybotsC.sbi (*)
2012-01-17 Includes\Spyware.sbi (*)
2012-02-28 Includes\SpywareC.sbi (*)
2010-03-08 Includes\Tracks.uti
2011-09-27 Includes\Trojans.sbi (*)
2012-03-06 Includes\TrojansC-02.sbi (*)
2012-02-29 Includes\TrojansC-03.sbi (*)
2012-02-24 Includes\TrojansC-04.sbi (*)
2012-03-05 Includes\TrojansC-05.sbi (*)
2012-03-06 Includes\TrojansC.sbi (*)
2008-03-04 Plugins\Chai.dll
2008-03-05 Plugins\Fennel.dll
2008-02-26 Plugins\Mate.dll
2007-12-24 Plugins\TCPIPAddress.dll
 
Zenobia said:
Thanks for posting your report. :)
Those were tracking cookies which were removed.
Is everything working okay with your computer now?No problems?
Click to expand...

So far everything seems to be working fine, but I still feel uneasy that the cause of the slowdown wasn't detected by the antivirus programs installed on my computer.

I really want to thank you for your help.
 
You're welcome. :)

Did you open any attachments or anything when you opened the email?
http://ask-leo.com/can_just_opening_an_email_download_both_viruses_and_spyware.html

gnowgnow said:
So far everything seems to be working fine, but I still feel uneasy that the cause of the slowdown wasn't detected by the antivirus programs installed on my computer.
Click to expand...
There's a article here that covers why sometimes an antivirus or antimalware program will miss an infection,etc.:
http://ask-leo.com/why_dont_antimalware_tools_work_better.html

Also,Microsoft Security Essentials is an antivirus program,but Malwarebytes and Spybot are not,they fall more into the spyware detecting/removing category.I want to explain the difference,to avoid any confusion. :)

This article has some tips that may help to avoid being infected by using prevention:
http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=279
 
Zenobia said:
You're welcome. :)

Did you open any attachments or anything when you opened the email?
http://ask-leo.com/can_just_opening_an_email_download_both_viruses_and_spyware.html


There's a article here that covers why sometimes an antivirus or antimalware program will miss an infection,etc.:
http://ask-leo.com/why_dont_antimalware_tools_work_better.html

Also,Microsoft Security Essentials is an antivirus program,but Malwarebytes and Spybot are not,they fall more into the spyware detecting/removing category.I want to explain the difference,to avoid any confusion. :)

This article has some tips that may help to avoid being infected by using prevention:
http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=279
Click to expand...

No, I didn't open any attachments. After I opened the email and realized it was one of those scams, I quickly tried to close and delete it, but it just froze for a minute while I hit the delete button. After I deleted that email my system slowed down drastically.

Thanks for those very informative links. They're very helpful.
 
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