Need Internet Connection Help - Being Blocked

[macx]

Trying to help some friends get connected, for several months
they seem to have been blocked.

They're "way out" so are on dial up.

They used to be hooked up, but got inundated with malware.
I worked several weekends cleaning it up best I could, using
AVG full security suite, Spybot S&D, etc.

Then they switched to Earthlink. Now they can connect to
their local dial up number, which is verified, but then can't
open anything.

Have tried a couple different "home pages" besides Earthlink.

So, I took it to my place and tried to hook thru hi speed cable.

I went into Control Panel and tried several different home pages,
switched off dial up, switched on auto detect cable, still nothing.

when the machine starts, there are several suspicious (at least to me)
things that are trying to get out past the ZA firewall.

lexpps.exe, svcchost,exe, internet answering machine, TaskPanl.exe

Is this still some malware lurking inside?

Then when I type in any home page and hit enter, it give me
"can't find alldnserrors.com"

I'd sure appreciate some help.

It may be easier to transfer any non-Windows files/data/bookmarks
to the other physical drive on the machine and reformat and reload
WinXP?

Sure appreciate any help - been working with this about every 3rd
weekend or so for several months, always end up at a dead end
like above.

 

[howard_hopkinso]

lexpps.exe and TaskPanl.exe are both legit files. However, providing you`ve got the name correct, svcchost,exe is a backdoor trojan and is extremely nasty and dangerous.

Very Important: Before deciding whether you should clean or reformat your system, go and read this thread HERE and decide what it is you want to do.

If after reading the above, you wish to clean your system, do the following.

Go and read the Viruses/Spyware/Malware, preliminary removal instructions. Follow all the instructions exactly.

Post fresh HJT, AVG Antispyware and Combofix logs as attachments into this thread, only after doing the above.

Also, let me know the results of the AVG Antirootkit scan.

Regards Howard

This thread is for the use of macx only. Please don`t post your own virus/spyware problems in this thread. Instead, open a new thread in our security and the web forum.

 

[macx]

I'm working my way down that (unbelievably long & complicated!) set
of instructions and have gotten as far as the trend micro housecall.

Although I have allowed scripts for that site, it won't do anything -
after I click "check my PC" or whatever, it goes to a screen with a
menu along the left side but it stays gray, doesn't give me anything
to select - ?? (Firefox latest version)

Oh, while I'm asking, what/where is this "combofix" thing,
and where do I start the AVG Antirootkit scan from?

Thanks!

 

[howard_hopkinso]

As the instructions say. NOTE: If you have any problems with the online scanner, skip it and continue with the rest of the instructions below. You`re supposed to use IE for the online scanner. Instructions ammended.

Instructions for Combofix are further down the list.

The instructions are neither overly long, nor complicated, if you follow them step by step.

Regards Howard

This thread is for the use of macx only. Please don`t post your own virus/spyware problems in this thread. Instead, open a new thread in our security and the web forum.

 

[macx]

My apologies, was getting frustrated!

I've found that a number of my security apps were out of date,
too, so am going thru them first.

Then I'll have to load them on a flash drive and use them to scan
the computer I started to work on before.

Definition of a hacker's convention?

Heck of a place for a bomb!

Well, next problem.

have everything allowed as far as I can tell.

can't download tools 3 & 4 .

????


(Later)

Finally found I had to close AVG and my firewall
before they'd download.

At least none of the tools have found anything,
I did scan with the new AVG a day ago and found
a few things that were deleted.

So, I'll keep trucking on.

Just FWIW, at home we've always had MACs.
I had to go PC cuz I do some of my work stuff on it.

In over 8 years with Mac's, and 3 of them for lots
of that time, we have not had problem ONE with
viruses, spyware, adware, and all the other crap
I have lost 2 or 3 PC hard drives to, and spent
countless hours and far too many dollars fighting.

My wife and daughter have G5 iMacs they just love,
and both of them work with PCs at work and wouldn't
think of having one in place of their G5's at home.

Where does it say this can't be easier!? :-(

 

[howard_hopkinso]

Please post as many of the requested logfiles as you can.

Regards Howard

This thread is for the use of macx only. Please don`t post your own virus/spyware problems in this thread. Instead, open a new thread in our security and the web forum.

 

[macx]

HELP!! What have we done?

Well, after a full day + of going thru all the steps on my
computer (can't open anything on the internet on the one I
started out to try to fix, so went thru all the steps on mine
first and downloaded all the tools, security apps, etc,
(incl a number of which I didn't have on mine but
do now) onto a flash drive as I worked thru everything
so I can move that to the computer I started out to
work on in the first place and run thru all the stuff),

Now after the final AVG scan (not a thing showed up on any of the
things I ran after the first AVG scan where there were just a few,
so apparently mine should now be clean as a whistle) a number of things
don't show up after I rebooted into normal mode.

I had quite a number of folders on the desktop, at least several of which
were on a physically different drive altogether, now only 3 shop up??
Not even "My Computer" - only Recycle Bin and shortcuts to 2 news apps
I added while going thru all the steps.

And, horror of horrors, all my several hundred bookmarks have disappeared
from Firefox.

Everything looks like I just did a clean install.

When I boot, now I do not get a login screen where I used to for Windows -
always had to log in - before I just logged in on the Administrator screen,
but one of the instructions said to log in as a user NOT as the Administrator
so created a separate account - now it goes directly to Windows with no
login screen at all. After I created the new account and was booting in and
out, I would get both the Admin and my new account to choose from.

Could that be the problem? If so, how do I get back to my previous
Administrator login on bootup? That's probly - HOPEFULLY -
where everything is hiding!?

I went into Control Panel, User and now just my new account
I created becuz of the instructions and a guest account appear.
Nothing on the original "Administrator" account with no name
attached to it. That's probly the problem. How do I get back
to that?

I did go in and hide the Hidden files like I was supposed to if that makes
any difference.

When I get this figured out and get my computer back to the
pre-"cleaning" state, then I'll go in and worth thru the list again with
the other computer.

Thanks for unraveling this latest PC mystery for me!

 

[macx]

Well, in response to a Help post in the OS section,
a kind gentleman came to my rescue and solved my
problem.

Now, on to the computer I started out to fix in the
first place! Probly be a couple days before I get
any logs to post.

When I went thru the whole process on mine, both to
check it out and update my own security programs,
as well as to download those new programs onto a
flash drive for the jammed up machine cuz it can't
open anything online, it took from 10:00am Sat thru
4:00pm Sun afternoon to go thru the whole thing -
took 9 hours to go thru it with AVG in Safe Mode -
course I ended up scanning somewhat over 600,000
files (!) but cheez! anyway It seems I spend as much
time fighting malware as I do using the computer.