Start menu and desktop items gone after a Trojan. How to fix?

[jonsidneyb]

I got a trojan earlier today that resulted in everything on my desktop vanishing and I have empty folders in the start menu.

I can only get to the control panel by doing a search for it and I can't get to the part related to icons.

I understand there is a program that might un-hide them but I read that it also makes visible things that should remain hidden.

Any ideas how I can fix this? The things that where on my desktop are work related so I am in kind of bad shape without them.

 

[marsmimar]

How did you know there was a trojan and how did you remove it? It's possible it left behind other malware. I'd recommend using Malwarebytes free, updating it, and running a full scan. Or another free tool the Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper.

Malwarebytes : Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a free download that removes viruses and malware from your computer

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/166445-microsoft-standalone-system-sweeper.html

Once you're reasonably sure there's no malware left, you could try rebuilding your icon cache.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/49819-icon-cache-rebuild.html

If still no joy you could try using a restore point to go back to a date/time prior to when the trojan first infected your machine. If you can go back to a previous restore point I'd once again run a full scan with either or both Malwarebytes and System Sweeper.

Once a machine is infected there's no guarantee any malware removal tool (or tools) will be 100% effective in removing all traces. Only a reformat and reinstall of the operating system and all programs can do that. Or restoring from a known clean system image.

 

[jonsidneyb]

I did run malware bytes and several other things before it.

I did raun malware bytes a could of times and it is showing nothing at all now.

How I knew I had a trojan was it killed security essentials but I did get a message about it. The first things I did was run rkill then downloaded Avast and ran it in regular mode than in safe mode. I then started downloading everything I could think of and ran them.

 

[jonsidneyb]

How did you know there was a trojan and how did you remove it? It's possible it left behind other malware. I'd recommend using Malwarebytes free, updating it, and running a full scan. Or another free tool the Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper.

Malwarebytes : Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a free download that removes viruses and malware from your computer

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/166445-microsoft-standalone-system-sweeper.html

Once you're reasonably sure there's no malware left, you could try rebuilding your icon cache.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/49819-icon-cache-rebuild.html

If still no joy you could try using a restore point to go back to a date/time prior to when the trojan first infected your machine. If you can go back to a previous restore point I'd once again run a full scan with either or both Malwarebytes and System Sweeper.

Once a machine is infected there's no guarantee any malware removal tool (or tools) will be 100% effective in removing all traces. Only a reformat and reinstall of the operating system and all programs can do that. Or restoring from a known clean system image.

None of my desktop items returned. The only things on the desk top are those things that where put there after the trojan hit. I also need to see how to get items back into the start menu.

 

[marsmimar]

None of my desktop items returned. The only things on the desk top are those things that where put there after the trojan hit. I also need to see how to get items back into the start menu.

Do you have a restore point?

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/700-system-restore.html

 

[jonsidneyb]

None of my desktop items returned. The only things on the desk top are those things that where put there after the trojan hit. I also need to see how to get items back into the start menu.

Do you have a restore point?

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/700-system-restore.html

I am going to try and see if I can find way to get there. I have nothing in the start menu

 

[jonsidneyb]

I was able to get to system restore but all is still not good. The start menu is repopulated but half of the folders I had on the desktop are gone. At least I got some of them back. Not sure what happened to those items.

 

[jonsidneyb]

I am not able to get to the control panel and had it show hidden files and I see them now kind of...faded out. How can I make them into non-hidden files?

 

[Unrealmaster287]

Dear jonsidneyb,
First of all I would like to remind you and other people to CONSTANTLY back up your system (if you did disregard this point)

Second here is a suggestion to get your folders back, go to C: /users/ (your user), go to desktop properties and go to previous versions, this should show you (if system protection is on) a history of the folders/icons/files in your desktop, pick a date and time before the malware struck and click OPEN and then just drag the items you need

Finally as for the hidden files, go to their properties and in the general tab there should be a checkbox that says hidden, uncheck it

Hope this helps

 

[jonsidneyb]

Dear jonsidneyb,
First of all I would like to remind you and other people to CONSTANTLY back up your system (if you did disregard this point)

Second here is a suggestion to get your folders back, go to C: /users/ (your user), go to desktop properties and go to previous versions, this should show you (if system protection is on) a history of the folders/icons/files in your desktop, pick a date and time before the malware struck and click OPEN and then just drag the items you need

Finally as for the hidden files, go to their properties and in the general tab there should be a checkbox that says hidden, uncheck it

Hope this helps

I have a backup of the data on an external drive. I was trying to avoid reloading windows and all the applications. I have them all back on the desktop. I never noticed this on properties before. Getting them unhidden again.

How odd, it thinks these files came from another computer.