HALP! Computer Virus

So, yesterday I received a mail in my gmail account from Friendster. I haven't been on Friendster in ages, but like an idiot, I clicked the link to view the message and something started running on my computer. I shut it down, but it got about 1/2 way through.

Now my computer won't boot - it keeps cycling through booting in safe mode, windows splash screen, dell splash screen and then starting over again.

I need some REAL advice, which does NOT include:

- why my virus protection didn't work (I don't know why)
- to get a Mac because they don't get viruses.


Seriously. HALP!

(p.s. am on my other computer typing this)

i hope you have your iimportant data backed up.

try using the google on your good computer to see if you can figure out which virus you might have. i'm sure you aren't the only one affected and somewhere someone probably wrote about it in a forum.

maybe there is a fix you can download, put on a usb drive, and then boot the infected computer off of that.

not sure if that would work but it's something I would try.

thanks, vidro.....

i did a major backup to a passport external drive about 2 weeks ago, so it won't be catostrophic...

i also sent out an sos to one of my super techy friends who has a ton of patience

your idea sounds like a good one...

if you're brave enough maybe go back into the offending email and see if by hovering over the link you can get the address or file name or something like that.

i am too afraid to mess up my remaining good laptop

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7586_102-0.html?threadID=258802

6th comment down, unless your techie friend know of something better

I agree with vidro- see if you can just look at the email and then try to google your way into finding what virus it is. Usually theres TONS of information on these things fairly quickly and AVG almost always releases a decent fix.

Vidro - which one? that darik nuke thing?

Carmen - I did a search and can't find anything when googling "friendster virus". The email seems to be gone from my mailbox

hmm...i did an f12 at bootup and got error 2000-0146, which seems to be hard drive related. Googling my heart out to see if I can fix this.

I think this is relevant:

http://my.opera.com/chaitanyak/blog/index.dml/tag/2000-0146 error

this is going to suck. am calling dell

The good news is that 2000-0146 apparently only means that the Drive Self Test log contains previous errors with no record of them being corrected, so it's not continuing. It doesn't necessarily mean there's anything physically wrong with the drive, which if it were true would have been on odd coincidence, not a result of a virus.

I'd be willing to bet that whatever was running was halfway through installing a rootkit, and some driver or something was corrupted in the middle of that.

Here's some information on Dell's DST:
http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/document?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&docid=126A722713F6D0D0E0401E0A55174AE6&journalid=6BAA71A4DD0AC5A0E040AE0AB8E11990&Query=&SystemID=&ServiceTag=&contenttype=&os=&component=&lang=&doclang=&toggle=&dl=

yes.....i am online with dell now....they are sending me a new hard drive (thankfully,it's under warranty).

they think i may be able to recover data by making drive a slave to desktop or getting one of these (anybody have one???)

https://chat2.us.dell.com/netagent/scripts/srvgate.dll?Action=1070&WID=28016136

That link only opens a chat session with Dell support.

But yeah, if the old drive is set up as a slave DST won't run on it (it's running automatically on boot now) so whatever is on it should be accessible.

oh, sorry....

this is correct link:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812232002&Tpk=N82E16812232002 ]

Yep, that'd make it easier. Don't know anyone who has one, though.

i may have one somewhere...i had a problem once before and needed an enclosure....any chance that if this is a virus it will kill the new HD too?

making progress with a really good dell rep (after being sent to 3 people who couldn't help)...laptop is up and running and we are backing up my data.

fingers crossed

Any virus that may be on that drive shouldn't be a problem as long as you don't boot on it. And most viruses now don't cause any real damage anyway -- they're more likely aiming to get the machine into a botnet.

Assuming you end up being able to boot the replacement drive and get the original up as a slave or through that USB adaptor, be sure to run a virus scan on it before you transfer anything.

Are your backups images so you can do disaster recovery?

don't think so....how do i do that?

dell agent just said image backup not available on xp, just vista

i've been at this for HOURS now

what a way to waste a beautiful day 8^(

no kidding

Flexichick wrote: dell agent just said image backup not available on xp, just vista

i've been at this for HOURS now

Maybe not as part of the OS but the software that came with My Iomega external drive does it as do Acronis and many others.

An image allows you to install a new hard drive, boot to the recovery CD which will install your external HD and restore an exact image of your old drive to the new drive. That is instead of spending 1 day in fron tof the computer reinstalling everything and reconfiguring it

ah....well, am doing the backup and it's taking FOREVER (i'm talking 2 hours and I only have 4gb backed up)........at least i'll have my data off....

Are you using Windoz backup?

Check to see if there is backup and imaging software that came with your external HD

2 hours for 4 gb is way too slow

it's a passport...I think there has to be an easier way!

ok, i canceled and am trying to use western digital sync program

How's (or did) the backup go?

backup is done...I think I've got everything - my docs (includng music and pictures) and all of my outlook email, calendar and contacts.

infected (or broken hard drive) laptop is up and working, but extremely slowly. I ran anti virus overnight and it found one "malware", but then didn't seem to be able to remove it.

I'm going to rescan the passport before loading the stuff on my new HD.

what sucks is that I don't have my Office 2007 disks, but i have a valid license, so maybe i can d/l it again and enter the product key.

i wasted the entire day yesterday...I will say that the Dell rep who I finally got to was fabulous and spent over 5 hours talking with me....gave me his direct phone number and will work with me again on Wed. to reinstall my HD and software. the trick is that this laptop is still covered under a work warranty, which entitles me to support from a North American rep. If I talked to India for 5 hours I would have killed something by then.

Glad you're back in action

Get yourself a copy of Acronis so you can do an image. Then do an image backup. When your HD crashes put hte new one in, boot to the Acronis emergency disk, and restore the image. No reinstall no reconfiguration and you're back to the state ofyour last backup in a couple of hours.