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Hi,

Everytime I try to run Colin Mcrae Rally 04, AVG detects trojan horse Proxy.ABPU in the file Sintfnt.dll. This file is in the temp director. Deleting it or healing it via the anti virus doesn't work and it regenerates.

I've reinstalled the game and this doesn't fix it either.

Can anyone help?

Thanks

Boot into Safe Mode and run AVG from there. You might also just be able to navigate to the temp folder and clear it manually.

Tried that and the problem is still there. I am able to delete the file and AVG heals it. But when I re-run the game, AVG detects the trojan horse and the file is back in the temp directory.

Well, I would suggest that you go out and purchase the game rather than download a pirated copy.

I have brought the game, that is what I am trying to run from the cd.

Have you ever thought of the fact that it may not be anything to do with colin mcrae.... It may just be a coincidence

I have tried other games, they work fine - it only does it when I try to run the colin mcrae game.

Possibly not the game but its Securom protection. Someone's just reported to me that AVG 8 gives the problem with another CD and it certainly does for me. Plenty about sintfnt.dll on the web.

I'm waiting for feedback from Sony.

First thing I would do is contact the game manufacturer!!!!

Did you install it to the temp directory?

I agree, that it is most likely the Securom protection

SecurRom copy protected CD's have a DADC on the perimeter of the center hole.

Files in the installation or root directory :
SINTF16.DLL
SINTF32.DLL
and / or SINTFNT.DLL

I'm dealing with Sony because they protect our CD (not a game). The latest version is fine because the new version of Securom protection doesn't use the dll.

Good point.

Any idea what it uses then?

Afraid not. Sony take our .exe module and produce a rather larger secure version. Whatever it is, AVG doesn't object.

We can run our software from the hard drive provided the CD is in its drive at start time. So my current bypass is to use a copy of the latest .exe module with the old CD. Have asked AVG to not object to sintfnt.dll but don't know what reception that will get.

Our .exe module has hardly changed and works with the earlier CD. That may or may not be an approach others could use.

I should have added that the latest secure version of the .exe is compatible with the previous one because I asked for that to be the case when it was made. Presumably that affected the burned in identification on the CD. If the physical CDs don't have the same information one needs a new version of the latest .exe made compatible with the old CD.

Thanks for the info. The game was not installed in the temp directory. Up until a few days ago, it was working fine. However, now when I go to play the game, AVG detects the virus as described above. It does create the 3 files:
SINTF16.DLL
SINTF32.DLL
SINTFNT.DLL - this is the only one it detects with the virus.

Interestingly, if I double click the icon on my desktop without the disc in the drive, it still creates these 3 files in the temp directory. The game won't play either way. Normally I'd just move on, but I was enjoying this game so much before it started to do this.

Forgot to say that the 3 files are always created in the temp directory.

If you have a paid copy of AVG you could complain to them. You could also complain to the game manufacturer as suggested earlier. They have protected the game so it cannot be copied and now you are not able to use it.

Thanks for the advice. Can I confirm then that this isn't actually a virus that AVG is detecting?

From sundry internet postings it would appear the .dlls used to be part of Sony Security code. They added the code to the PC and a number of people objected to them doing so without the user knowing and to the technique used.

But I don't think there's any question of it being malicious.

AVG have come back asking for a copy of the offending file. However, AVG is no longer flagging it. So maybe Colin McRae is working again too.

Understand Sony were also going to AVG on the subject. Problem apparently resolved.

That is good news alans, and thanks for the updates!