virus stops virus scan at windows folder

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JarJar said:
that's true, are the ones you have to buy better?
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Not necessarily, and they do tend to slow down older PC's. The nice thing about the "suites" is that it's all in one place and easier to manage. I prefer the "roll my own" method but it involves installing different programs, keeping them updated and staying on top of things. It's more a matter of what you prefer. But Avira comes up near the top in most tests against some of the top AV's. Here is the rest of what I recommend if you want to come up with your own.

Use an AntiVirus Software - It is very important that your computer has an anti-virus software running on your machine. This alone can save you a lot of trouble with malware in the future. Here is a list of some free and evaluation versions to try:Use a Firewall - I can not stress how important it is that you use a Firewall on your computer. Without a firewall your computer is succeptible to being hacked and taken over. Simply using a Firewall in its default configuration can lower your risk greatly. Here are some free and evalutation versions that provide
better security than the Windows Firewall.For a tutorial on Firewalls and a listing of some other available ones see the link below:
Understanding and Using Firewalls

Install SpywareBlaster - SpywareBlaster will added a large list of programs and sites into your Internet Explorer settings that will protect you from running and downloading known malicious programs.
A tutorial on installing & using this product can be found here:
Using SpywareBlaster to protect your computer from Spyware and Malware

Install Winpatrol -
Use Winpatrol to take control of your PC and provide another layer of security.
Help file and tutorial can be found Here

Block unwanted parasites with a custom hosts file -
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

Visit Microsoft's Windows Update Site Frequently - It is important that you visit http://www.windowsupdate.com regularly or set your computer to receive automatic updates. This will ensure your computer has always the latest security updates available installed on your computer. If there are new updates to install, install them immediately, reboot your computer, and revisit the site until there are no more critical updates.

Update all of your Anti-Malware programs regularly - Make sure you update all the programs I have listed and the ones you are currently running regularly. Without regular updates you Will Not be protected when new malicious programs are released.

Keep your applications up to date -
Use Secunia Personal Software Inspector to help stay on top of application updates that could leave your PC vulnerable to attack.
 
security

We have always squeaked by just with Avast and sometimes spybot and similar programs because I never really known what all we needed to be doing. Helps a LOT to have your to do list, thanks.
 
Glad it helps.

Since things appear to be running pretty well at this time we should clean up the tools we've used.

Uninstall Combofix
  • Click START then RUN
  • Now type Combofix /Uninstall in the runbox and click OK. Note the space between the X and the /U, it needs to be there.
The above procedure will:
  • Delete the following: ComboFix and its associated files and folders.
  • Reset the clock settings.
  • Hide file extensions, if required.
  • Hide System/Hidden files, if required.
  • Reset System Restore.
For the remainder you can do the following:
  • Make sure you have an Internet Connection.
  • Download OTC to your desktop and run it
  • A list of tool components used in the Cleanup of malware will be downloaded.
  • If your Firewall or Real Time protection attempts to block OTC to reach the Internet, please allow the application to do so.
  • Click Yes to beging the Cleanup process and remove these components, including this application.
  • You will be asked to reboot the machine to finish the Cleanup process. If you are asked to reboot the machine choose Yes.
 
one more thing

Do you know anything about Outlook? I use outlook 2003 and for some reason it is having problems sending and receiving. I've been just logging onto my e-mail website, but I really dislike it and wish I could just use outlook. I've checked my settings and unchecked authenticate outgoing server and lengthened the server timeout but it just cancels my ingoing and outgoing server when I try to test the account. It says it has successfully established the network connection. The microsoft website doesn't really help with the error code so I will keep looking around to see if anybody knows what to do. thanks
 
Are you sure you have all the correct settings? Such as the right port numbers. Who is the email provider?
 
e-mail provider

embarq which is now centurylink. It had stopped working after the virus thing started but I figured it would work once everything was cleaned up but still nothing.
 
CenturyLink

it's our phone company/DSL provider - I tried "repair" on Outlook and it didn't help. I suppose something needs to be changed on my settings, but don't know how they got changed to something that doesn't work. ugh
 
I assume you a referring to an email account with your provider, not Yahoo or Google, or some other provider, right?

I would suggest you contact them and ask what the settings should be. You may also be able to find the settings on their website for setting up Outlook. They may use some unique port settings that you will need to set.
 
settings

my settings match the tutorial on the e-mail website. One thing I have seen on some websites when I did a search for my problem was that there is this idea that firewalls can block the connection to the server. I disabled online armor but that didn't help. Are there other programs from the list you gave me that I should investigate to see if they are doing something to outlook?

When I test the settings in outlook what happens is that it says test account settings was cancelled.
 
Well there are many things that could be going on. Rather than having me just point you to links and shotgunning this, I suggest you post for help in a forum area that specializes in this. One suggestion would be to go here. I do malware removal help over there and I know the techs there are outstanding too.

You can put a link into the topic here so they know what we've been doing.

Good luck,
Dave
 
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