Big Problem - Big Help :)

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Zulash

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Lets start by saying I have a friend who is not so PC literate. One day she got a virus... then another and another and a few adware/spyware/exploits and such so her PC began to crawl like a little piglet with no legs... (amagad :()

so she installed a bunch of free anti-spyware programs and norton which came with the PC... and then figured they are not working and installed bitDefender, AVG and some other Anti-Virus... as well as 4-5 more free anti-spyware things over a period of a month or so...

Anyways she came running to me asking me to fix her PC.. when I got there and saw the above (after waiting for the damn thing to boot for 6-7mins) I went like this -----> :eek: Yes... EEK INDEED!

Basically the PC is far too slow to do anything on it such as uninstalling all the cr@p on the computer or even open a new window for that matter... I managed to uninstall a few programs in safe mode, but as usual, anti-virus's cant be removed in safe mode and they are now conflicting like mad....

All her CAD work (Computer Aided Design for some Engineering Work) is stuck on the machine so a format of the PC is out of the question. I dont want to plug the Hardrive into my PC in fear of all the viruses bombaring my PC and anhilliating my data..

WHAT TO DO?!?! Help! thanks :D
 
1) Grin and bear through the pain of opening a window a minute to remove all malware.

2) Bite the bullet and plug her hard drive into yours

3) Plug her hard drive into an external, and use it under Linux to copy what you need across
 
ah but I can burn in safe mode!!

in safe mode i can open alot faster as all teh startup programs havent fired up
 
Firstly installing multiple AV programs + tons of spyware apps is a no no...But seen as though you are already up s**t creek without a paddle I guess that it wont matter anyway....The diagnosis is not good i am afraid, you only real solution here is to format, Back up her CAD stuff and Pr0n to a external drive / big flash disc etc and give it a good ol format. The only other thing I can suggest is to get a registry cleaner, but honestly by the sounds of it won’t help. Also check what is starting up on the pc, start -> run -> msconfig -> startup. Untick what is not needed, even un-tick everything and see if that helps, you can always later enable the start up goodies you need.
 
Grimspoon said:
Firstly installing multiple AV programs + tons of spyware apps is a no no...But seen as though you are already up s**t creek without a paddle I guess that it wont matter anyway....The diagnosis is not good i am afraid, you only real solution here is to format, Back up her CAD stuff and Pr0n to a external drive / big flash disc etc and give it a good ol format. The only other thing I can suggest is to get a registry cleaner, but honestly by the sounds of it won’t help. Also check what is starting up on the pc, start -> run -> msconfig -> startup. Untick what is not needed, even un-tick everything and see if that helps, you can always later enable the start up goodies you need.
Click to expand...

Yup... I went :eek: when i realized how many AV and spyware apps she had installed

I have checked her startup... but you cant disable the AV programs from msconfig, they just enable themselves again unfortunatley

I guess she will have to "bite the bullet" as mentioned before and just format
 
Zulash said:
Yup... I went :eek: when i realized how many AV and spyware apps she had installed

I have checked her startup... but you cant disable the AV programs from msconfig, they just enable themselves again unfortunatley

I guess she will have to "bite the bullet" as mentioned before and just format
Click to expand...

Yeah unfortunately trying to revive a windows system from something like this is like trying to drag a dead donkey through the Karoo on a vesper.
 
Have you been able to boot in safe-mode? You know the F8 when starting up trick? This disables most things and should give you a give enough window to squeeze that kangaroo and vespa through :D onto a external/spare HDD.
 
I would use Easy Recovery Commander or a Linux Distro to transfer the data or burn it
 
3x-a-d3-u5 said:
Have you been able to boot in safe-mode? You know the F8 when starting up trick? This disables most things and should give you a give enough window to squeeze that kangaroo and vespa through :D onto a external/spare HDD.
Click to expand...

I stated in my previous posts that I have been able to boot in safe mode.. and that that is what im planning to do :) thanks anyways
 
I had the same problem with a client's pc some time ago and this is what I did:

1. Start up in Recovery Console with the Windows disc.
2. Create a folder named backup in the Windows folder and copy the entire registry into that folder. 5 files total.
3. Now you can either replace the current registry with the default registry which is located under c:\windows\repair or you can replace the current registry with a previous version of say a month or two ago which will be under "c:\system volume information"
4. Boot up in normal mode. Install antivirus software and remove viruses.
5. When you're sure that all viruses are removed, you can replace the current registry with your backup and remove the additional software and fix the startup crap caused by the viruses.

This might take you a while and might not be the fastest and easiest solution but it should work.
 
to be honest, if you're asking help on this forum, you have no business fixing it. Sorry to be blunt about it ;)
 
Sigh, this is a typical problem that drive IT guys to drink sometimes. The end user hears all the hype, but it is never clearly explained to them what it's all about. So they go overboard, and install everything, hoping it will keep them safe.

Burn the data in Safe Mode, then format and start from scratch. After install, do Windows updates, and install one good AV, one firewall, and one spyware program. Tell her to keep those up to date, and to not install anything else. Tell her to scan the computer often, but ask for advice if the scanners find something wrong.

Sadly, some of this is also caused by users running Windows accounts as admin users. That's partly to blame because most software doesn't run properly otherwise.

If her CAD software could run under Linux/BSD, I would say make the switch, since it will stop something like this happening again. However, switching OS also has it's own issues.

Hope you get everything running again. :)
 
JohnnyQ - If you have no clue how to fix someone's pc, don't do it!. Simple as that. Give it to someone qualified and experienced to get the job done. I admire people for trying to save a buck or ten, but honestly, the reality of it ending up worse off...
 
To LabAnimal:
It is not always about the money, people want to do some stuff themselves, mostly for personal growth and some self recognition. I bet you there is a couple of computer fundis on this forum, that started out as novices with similar questions, and have there own businesses today.

Negativity won't help anybody, just stump their growth.
 
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