I have a malware issue and cannot get updates
I got a malware infection from what looked like a link from a friend. WRONG. Now I keep getting pop ups that look like it is Windows telling me I have an infection but I am sure it's just a link to some company selling something. I just continue to close it down. The issue now is that I cannot update any virus protection from Windowns update or AVG. I keep getting "HTTP Error 400. The request is badly formed." no matter what site or link I try to go to to update.What else can I do? This is my wife's computer - my old computer finally crashed a while back and I am awaiting replacement on that one. Thanks in advanceMark1 person needs an answerI do too
March 4th, 2010 3:17am

You have to clean up your wife's computer. Your system is infected with a rogue security program. It is called "rogue" because it pretends to be A Good Guy but is really Evil. Do not pay them! Look for removal steps here Bleeping Computer removal how-to's - http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/forum55.html or here - Malwarebytes malware removal guides - http://tinyurl.com/5xrpft Malwarebytes' Anti-malware (MBAM) or SuperAntiSpyware will often do the job. Both have free versions and you do not need to purchase these programs. These may work for you and all may be well. However, in many cases the computer will also be infected with other trojans and protected by a rootkit. These machines are extremely difficult to clean. If your machine is one of these cases, either get guided help at one of the specialty forums listed at the link below OR take your machine to a local computer professional OR back up your data and do a clean install of Windows. It is your choice. I don't recommend using BigComputerStore/GeekSquad types of places. http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#HJT-links MS-MVP - Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
March 4th, 2010 3:53pm

It looks like taking it to a professional is my only option. I cannot get on anything related to fixes. I get messages like this: Cannot find http://www.malwarebytes.org/forums/index.php?s=a01db07f3f4d6fa77edd9c4ffd41b268&showforum=39 DNS Error - Server cannot be found Cannot find http://www.malwarebytes.org/forums/index.php?s=a01db07f3f4d6fa77edd9c4ffd41b268&showforum=39 Cannot find http://www.malwarebytes.org/forums/index.php?s=a01db07f3f4d6fa77edd9c4ffd41b268&showforum=39 DNS Error - Server cannot be found DNS Error - Server cannot be foundThen it lists a bunch of similar sites but I can't reach any of them either. Am I out of luck here?
March 4th, 2010 5:50pm

Yes. The most sensible thing will be to back up your wife's data to an external hard drive and do a clean install of Windows. As a very rough estimate, I would say that 8 out of 10 machines which come into my shop as badly infected as your wife's need a clean install. http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html - Clean Install How-To http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Reinstalling_Windows - What you will need on-hand MS-MVP - Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
March 4th, 2010 7:37pm

This topic is archived. No further replies will be accepted.

Other recent topics Other recent topics