ransomware and black screen upon start-up

No program is a silver bullet. Including malwarebytes.

I find that malwarebytes like most programs uses definitions and signatures, so it needs to be constantly updated. I would make sure malwarebytes settings are set to update in realtime every 30 minutes.

Here are (my) security recommendations:

I know this is a very long wall of text, But following the below will greatly reduce your chances of becoming infected again.

I advise you to install and use the following Free security programs/solutions so you do not get infected again:

-Panda antivirus -You can only have 1 antivirus installed at a time, I recommend using this one and uninstalling what you are using now.

-Malwarebytes

-Superantispyware

-Should I remove it

-Web of Trust

-Set up open dns

Run them/scan around once every 2 weeks. Unfortunately no program out there is a silver bullet-one program to protect you entirely. So due to this, it is necessary to have a couple of products to help keep you safe on all fronts.

Panda Cloud Antivirus: Panda cloud AV is a great free program that uses the cloud (the internet) to scan your pc for threats. This antivirus works very well at detecting the newest threats, as well as some unknown ones that have not yet been discovered. For information on how to use it, the manual is located here.


Malwarebytes: This is a great program to use to scan your pc for malware that your antivirus might possibly miss or not look for. A guide on how to use it can be found here.

Superantispyware: This is a great second opinion scanner which will scan for spyware and other types of PUPS. (Potentially unwanted programs.)


Should I remove it: This is not a malware scanner. What it does is it looks at all of the installed programs on your PC and gives you a percentage % of how many people uninstall the software. If the percentage % is high, I would remove it as it is most likely not a good program. It also gives a ton of information about what the program does and how it behaves.

WOT: (web of trust) is a very helpful browser addon that works with all web browsers and helps you to avoid nasty sites that have been known to host malware and the like. It uses a rating system by users as well as there own internal site investigations to place websites into categories and mark whether or not they are safe. It is a good tool to help you avoid clicking on a bad link in the first place.

Open DNS: is a service that helps you block known malware sites before they even reach your PC entirely. It also can be configured to block adult sites, and filter out other web sites based on categories. All for free. Not only does it protect your computers, but other devices as well.

For more information, see here:

https://support.opendns.com/entries/...g-and-Security

If it looks to advanced for you, it actually isn't very hard to set up. See the very first link above (set up open dns) which will take you to the setup page. You do not need to create an account if you wish not to. There is a link in the bottom right hand corner to avoid making an account if you do not want it. They have directions on how to apply it to your computer, or your router so that every device on your network can be protected.


Making windows security better for you and anyone using your PC:


I also suggest using a standard user account in windows, and only using an admin account when you need to install software. If you have family members sharing your pc, create standard user accounts for them. See this link below on how to do so:

User Account - Create

When using a standard account and you make a change or install a program that affects the whole system, UAC will prompt you to continue. Make sure the setting or program you are tying to install is listed, then click yes to continue. If you are just browsing the web and the prompt appears with a program you have not heard of, or do not know what it is, it is much safer to click no then yes. No will block the action, and if you were trying to do something, you can always start it again and choose yes.

UAC makes this easy, see here:

What is user account control (UAC)?

I also suggest choosing always notify for UAC:

What are User Account Control settings?

I also recommend that you use bleeping computers suggestions which can be found here:

How to keep your computer safe online

So how Did I get Infected?


Those are my recommendations to you, and I Highly suggest you follow them.

I wonder what kind of performance hit running your AV (MSE?), MBAM and SAS real time all at once. I've had several users who get chronically infected install MBAM REal Time and they never got infected again. But I dont' think I would have gone the extra mile by buying SAS real time, but just use its scanner occasionally.

Don't forget to monitor your browser Add-Ons and Search to keep out everything except Flash, reader, Silverlight and Google in the stable search box where most won't let them spy.

gregrocker said:

I wonder what kind of performance hit running your AV (MSE?), MBAM and SAS real time all at once. I've had several users who get chronically infected install MBAM REal Time and they never got infected again. But I dont' think I would have gone the extra mile with SAS, but just used its scanner occasionally.

Don't forget to monitor your browser Add-Ons and Search to keep out everything except Flash, reader, Silverlight and Google in the stable search box where most won't let them spy.

Well, my combo is actually quite light.

But I do not have superantispyware paid edition. Only free. I don't think that the paid superantispyware would take much resources though. Maybe about 20-30mb.

Nowadays ram really is not much of a issue. So having these real time programs running should not effect anything, as long as you only have those starting up with your pc.

If you have 200 things at bootup plus all the security stuff, then ya.