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General => Technical Help => Topic started by: Silas on Monday 04 June 07 18:24 BST (UK)
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I am not very experienced with the computer, but have had 2 occurences of Trojan Horse recently and this has been causing my pc to switch off before even the monitor is lit up. I have done an AVG virus scan and got rid of it again, but can anyone advise me how to stop this recurring. It seems to happen when my grandson has been on it - got to blame someone !!
Silas
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Click 'History' on your Browsers menu and you'll see where the little chap has been .... either block the sites or block him using the PC !
What Firewall and AV is active ?
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Hi Newfy - will do that. I know he was on Ebay most of the afternoon - he is 15 yrs old and was bidding for a mobile phone. I have a Windows Firewall and AVG. I will look at the History though. I know he plays games on here and I have been really horrid and deleted them all from the pc - he has a pc at home anyway. Thank you.
Silas
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Newfy - he was just on Ebay. I never use it, so how do I block it please?
Silas
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It's OK Newfy, I have sorted Ebay, but you'll never guess - even though I have got rid of the Trojan, my pc is still refusing to stay on and it has taken me ages to get it on tonight. I did put up a query about this a week or so ago on here when it first started and thought I'd solved it because it righted itself, but now it's at it again - aaargh.
Silas
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Hmmmm - bit worried how the Trojan got in - I have the same defences as you ....
Ref the recurrence of the other problem - suggest you reactivate the original thread and ask for help - I think the Windows Event Log will help, but I'm not too familiar with it ...
Good luck with it !
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Thank you for trying to help Newfy, will do as you say. Cheers.
Silas
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Hy Silas,
Sounds as though you need a programme designed soley for ridding and preventing Trojans arriving on your machine...
This is the best there is for this purpose.....and it's totally free and fail safe...
http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/
Cheers, Michael 72.
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Hi sylas
If you haven't already it would pay also to have more than one spy ware programme. AVG anti spyware, Spybot search and destroy and adware spy ware are all good and free. What one doesn't pick up in spyware the other will. If you look up freeware spyware in your google bar you'll find the sites.
Great tip from Michael 72.
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There is no way of preventing a trojam from being downloaded on to your PC. A trojan is usually a fake anti-spyware program that attaches itself to another item that is being downloaded. Someone visits a website and they then download something that looks tempting. They are then asked to press a button called ACCEPT before the download actually begins. What they do not know is that they are giving permission for the trojan to be installed.
Your anti-virus program will probably go berserk telling you that you installed a virus/trojan but it cannot actually remove it because the trojan is a live process. Live processes cannot be terminated by anti-virus programs. Additionally the trojan will put add an entry to your list of start-up processes which it makes it very difficult to get rid of. Normally you have to bring the PC up in Safe Mode and delete the main trojan executable file that way.
You may need to get several software programs to get rid of every trace of a trojan. Even if you manage to terminate the main process it will still leave tens of entries in your registry.
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Thank you Michael, Growler and Downside. I have got to the stage now where I dread switching the pc on in case it does what it is intermittently doing - switching itself off. I feel like just giving up using the pc altogether and cancelling my Broadband and never using a pc again - sorry, but I am getting very depressed by the whole problem. Thank you all for your advice.
Silas
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Can't do that silas
You won't be able to chat. I'm sure someone will have some suggestions for you to help you out.( step by step instructions) if your anything like me. Unfortunately my knowledge doesn't extend that far. As Downside said removing the trogan completely is difficult. I can imagine it's getting you down and probably has a lot to do with not knowing what to do about it. I get that way at times with my computer. Fortunately for me I have a computer geek friend ( and I mean that in the nicest way ) that helps me out.
Hang in there.
lil growler
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Thanks for those kind words Growler, but even after I quarantined the Trojan with AVG, the darned pc still played up, so the problem could be something else entirely - aaargh !
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I know what you mean.
The term- throw it out the window comes to mind at times.
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Don't tempt me Growler !! Thank you for your help.
Silas
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Get to know what processes run on your PC by using Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete and click on the Applications tab. Ignore the ons that have SYSTEM NETWORK or LOCAL SERVICE next to them but do a Google search on the others to see what they do. You'll get to know what should be running on your PC and what should not be there.
Additionally, check what gets loaded at startup by doing the following:
Start->Run and type: msconfig in the box and press OK.
Click on the Startup tab and scroll through the list of entries. Again if there is something that you do not understand then do a Google search on the filename.exe name to see what it does.
To get rid of a startup process uncheck the name. Most of those things listed probably do need to startup at boot time except your security items like anti-virus and anti-spyware. If you uncheck something and your PC does not work properly then you can always go back and put a check mark next to the program to put it back to how it was.
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Thank you Downside. I cannot do it right now as have to go out, but as it seems very technical for me, a pc novice, I will get my son to do it. Thank you for your help.
Silas
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Downside - don't know if this helps, but the files that AVG showed up with Trojan were
AOO 56031 exe
AOO 56032 exe
AOO 56033 exe Being a pc novice, I do not understand what these files are.
Silas
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In addition to AVG antivirus and antispyware and possibly another of each, get ccleaner. I usually download it via filehippo:-
http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/
It will not sort the trojan but gets rid of loads of rubbish.
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Thanks Pjbuk. Expecting my son round later, so will let him read all the replies and let him sort it !! I don't trust my expertise (or lack of it). Thank you.
Silas
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Hi Silas
Just checking in. Did your son have a look at your PC for you.
Just an idea ( more for those who read this that know more about PCs ) If your computer was returned to an earlier date, before the trogan installed, would this fix the problem.
Anyway hope your sorting things out
lil growler
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Hi Growler. Sorry not to have got back sooner, but have only just managed to get the pc to come on for the first time since yesterday. Actually, fiddled around with some wires at the back, so, who knows, it may have been a loose connection, but not holding my breath !! No, son hasn't fathomed it, but lets hope I have. Would like an answer to your question about returning the pc to an earlier date, but somehow I don't think that works - think I read it somewhere. Hopefully someone else may know. Thank you.
Silas
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I am not sure that doing a system restore would deal with the trojan.
You need to note down what your virus checker says about the trojan and look on forums like webuser or computeractive to see what they say about it.
We had trojan in the past and it proved quite easy to eliminate them via AVG. Sometimes you need to use another piece of software see above.
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Hi Silas
I have used the following site to help me solve PC problems before, and the guys there are quite good. If you explain that you need simple step by step answers they can help you )hopefully) solve your problem.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/
dinie
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I am not sure that doing a system restore would deal with the trojan.
You need to note down what your virus checker says about the trojan and look on forums like webuser or computeractive to see what they say about it.
We had trojan in the past and it proved quite easy to eliminate them via AVG. Sometimes you need to use another piece of software see above.
Yeah! I was grasping at straws with that one wasn't I ( system restore )
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Hi silas
Lead you astray a bit with the system restore. Good suggestions given above. I'm sure you'll find some answers there. Thats of course when your PC decides to work. "Say nice things to it"- this was suggested to me when my car keep breaking down. I even gave it a name- still broke down.
lil growler
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Hi Silas
I have used the following site to help me solve PC problems before, and the guys there are quite good. If you explain that you need simple step by step answers they can help you )hopefully) solve your problem.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/
dinie
I checked this out and bookmarked it for future ref. Never know when one may need it. Great tip
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Thank you so much Dinie and Lil - will bookmark that site. Well, as you can see, it has turned on this morning, so hope it was just a silly loose connection - will let you know how it goes. Thanks for all your help.
Silas
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Silas,
I would think that the "loose connection" was the source of your problem re. PC shutting down.
I've never heard of a Trojan taking such control over a PC as to switch it off!
Trojans are pernicious little pests that can lurk undiscovered until a problem arises. You usually only discover them when you are looking for something else.
Aren't computers great?! - Just remember, Always take a back-up!
RonnieG
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It's a new breed. Pc users beware.
lil growler
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Ronnie - I hope you're right and it was just a loose connection - see, I've switched it on for the 2nd time today !! No, computers aren't great when they go wrong - aaargh !! I was about to chuck it out of the window. Lil - LOL !!
Silas
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Are you still with us silas or has she crashed and burned (pc)
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Hi Lil. Funny you should ask, as I have only just been able to get it to turn on !! I'm hoping my friend will come round and look at all the wiring. Am off on hols on Tuesday, so may have to wait until after then (2 weeks). Thanks for asking anyway.
Silas
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No worries Silas.
Enjoy your holiday's. At least we'll know your relaxing (we hope ) and it's not your computer being laid to rest.
Have fun
lil growler
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The very first step if you want to rid your computer of a trojan is disable system restore. If you do not disable system restore it will re-insert the trojan the next time you switch the computer on.
Try following the instructions on a site like Symantec.
http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2004-021914-2822-99&tabid=3
Cheers
Guy
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Thank you Guy and Lil too. I will look into that advice. Cheers.
Silas
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You also may have a problem with the power supply not being big enough to supply the needs of your computer properly, which can lead to random switching off.
John
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hi.
i had that problem and it was a fan that needed replacing.
lisa