Spyware/Virus problem

[danai]

Hello, i have a laptop, just over 1.5 years old. i have had all sorts of problems with it. i recently formatted the hard drive and re-installed evreything from scratch. I have norton anti-virus, spybot, ad-aware, microsoft firewall, but i still seem to get stuff. my comp willnot let me download service patches (it takes a long time and everntually reacts to them).

I think i have a problem now with something called Unpak32.exe (or something like that). when i logged onto the internet after some point internet explorer would not open or do anyting and it refused to open the task manager. it is worse now, running very slow even if not connected to the internet. i just managed to turn it on today and i am running another virus scan butit is very slow and unresponsive to anything else. half way throiugh the virus scan, everything disappeared from my screen (start menu, desktop icons), so all i have running is the norton virus scan. a friend has service pack 2 on CD but i am afraid it will mess it up even more. Also, in my task manager, i have a lot of random exe stuff running under user or local service/network service. I would appreciate any help i could get.

thanks a million!!!!!
danai

 

[Nodsu]

No security software can protect you from yourself..

Keep your antivirus and adware scanners up to date and actually use them occasionally. Do not use Internet Explorer for anything but Windows Updates. Do not download any software advertised to you in popup windows and banners. Do not download and install "cute" software offering you smilies/screensavers/whatever. Do not download any .exe files from any murky places like p2p or warez sites.

Since you reformatted recently then it won't hurt you much to do it again. Apply SP2 right away. Do not connect your computer to the network before that! Do not install or download anything before you have set up and updated your antivirus and firewall.

 

[danai]

thank you for the fast reply,

i was running all four (norton antivirus, adaware, microsoft antispyware and spybot) at least once a day. had just upgraded them when the whole thing happened. i had tried downloading service pack 2 but my comp is just so unresponsive and stops in the middle. i had had to format it once in hte past also following an attempt to download windows updates. i have kept my comp really clean this time round, not downloaded anything really... dunno what went wrong.

thank you for the re-formatting advice, it is just that i am in the middle of exams and i was trying to work a way around it but if nothing can be done.. i guess i will re-format. Btw, which firewall were u referring to? is it in the service pack?

thank you!!!!

 

[RealBlackStuff]

When you reinstall, immediately after XP, borrow your friend's SP2 CD and install it. Those CDs are freely available from M$ and have no CD-key or anything.

To save time, you should slipstream SP2 into XP and burn a fresh XP/SP2 CD.
Use the free Autostreamer program for this:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/System-Tweak/Autostreamer.shtml

Also, get the latest AVG from http://free.grisoft.com and a free Sygate Personal Firewall from http://soho.sygate.com
Download both of these programs before you reinstall and copy them onto a USB key or burn on a CD.

When all of the above have been installed, only then should you connect your PC to the internet and get all M$-updates.
In XP, make sure to switch automatic Windoze-updates OFF.