Help removing virus located in winsxs folder

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  1. Posts : 223
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64
       #1

    Help removing virus located in winsxs folder


    Avast has informed me that I have a virus located primarily in my Winsxs folder. I would like to remove it. Here are the results of the scan. I tried to click repair, but as you can see it is telling me that access is denied. I haven't really noticed any differences in my system lately and I'm not sure when I accumulated this virus/viruses. Hopefully I can remove it. Let me know if you need any more information. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Help removing virus located in winsxs folder-avast-scan-results.png  
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 223
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64
    Thread Starter
       #2

    Okay, I re-scanned and now it says no virus found, but I still feel that I should check this out a bit.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 8,608
    Windows 7 Ultimate 32bit SP1
       #3

    Way too tiny to see, but I could see "Rootkit"
    My best advice would be to wipe and do a 'clean install'.

    You can never be sure that your OS will be stable again without a thorough cleaning.

    Please read about Rootkits and what they do: Rootkit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 25,847
    Windows 10 Pro. 64/ version 1709 Windows 7 Pro/64
       #4

    Jacee they are all rootkets. 3 exe. 2 system and the rest dll. What a mess.
    Jacee got the right idea. Take a look at this.
    Windows 7 Installation - Prepare PC to be Sold
    This will wipe and a clean install.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 223
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Hmm, well it seems like it's a pretty serious threat to me. I haven't noticed it, but I guess I'm not supposed to. Before I go any further I have some questions. I re-scanned with Avast and it said that there was no threat found. Do you think it's actually gone? If I do decide to re-install the operating system (which I would like to avoid if possible) what will I be able to recover. I have a lot of customized settings and what not. What do you think these rootkits might be doing to my system? Can they infect files I put on flash drives or other removable media? I understand there is an alternative to putting n a clean operating system, how might I do that? I know it's a lot of questions, sorry and thanks for your help guys.
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  6. Posts : 10,200
    MS Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64-bit
       #6

    Please see post #3 and #4 and read the referenced material.

    Your answers are there.
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  7. Posts : 223
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64
    Thread Starter
       #7

    Thanks, I have read both pages and they do not answer all my questions, that is why I posted my questions.
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  8. Posts : 7,781
    Win 7 32 Home Premium, Win 7 64 Pro, Win 8.1, Win 10
       #8

    You could try TDSSKiller, which might fix some of the problems.

    However, rootkits are deep infections which can either write a hidden boot sector or compromise OS files. And, rootkits tend to introduce other viruses to the system. Some rootkits are able to circumvent AV scans. The Sirefef virus does this by presenting a ligitimate file to the AV scanner. When an AV scan is run, the legitimate file is presented to the scanner and it comes back as clean. In reality, once the legitimate file is run, the OS switches to the rouge driver and the rootkit is active and running. The Microsoft site recommends a clean reinstall for most variants of rootkits.

    Being that your initial scan showed multiple infected files, the best/safest choice is a clean install.

    Also, note that your AV scanner was denied access to these files, hence, no action was taken to remove them. Also, don't you find it strange that despite the detection of multiple infected files to which no access was allowed by the AV, they disappeared during the second scan? This is typical of the latest virus strains adaptive behavior.

    Yes, viruses will jump to USB & removable media drives.

    You could have been infected in multiple ways, a compromised website, a false update, keygens, etc.

    Have a look at this tutorial on making a system image & once the machine is cleaned (Do NOT make one now), make & keep a couple of these around. Next time something like this happens, it can save you a lot of time.

    Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup
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  9. Posts : 223
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64
    Thread Starter
       #9

    Okay thanks, I did find it strange. I figured that it was probably still there. Anyway, is it safe to save/backup any of my files? I have some files that I would like to keep. Also, this is my laptop and I have moved countless files between this computer and my desktop. Do you think that the other computer might be infected as well?
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 30
    windows7 ultimate x64bit
       #10

    even if you remove the virus, always leave behind damages in files and many other things, the best option is FORMAT!
      My Computer


 
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