command com flashing on screen after reboot

[macgig]

I used spybot and malwarebytes to remove a lot of adware/spyware... tons of is on this old HP pavilion.

it said all is removed/fixed. on restart, I got command.com flashing on the screen a several minutes before the windows desktop loaded. I'm assuming something is wrong? what can I do to fix it?

its winXP sp3. after all the command.com windows left, all seems to work ok. rebooting again the command.com windows were not flashing. so is everything OK?

any ideas? anything else I can do to make sure the spyware is gone?

thanks.

 

[matts6887]

Well; i would do a scan again because sometimes during the scanning process; the scan "misses" things on occasion. So doing that would be a good idea.

 

[macgig]

ok thanks. I'll try that.

 

[macgig]

norton security suite finds nothing on a quick scan. doing a full scan now. funny how norton finds nothing but spybot found 175 pups, and malwarebytes found over 1000 problems.

doing this for a friend, since it's windows xp, i'm going to advise he ditch it since come April updates will no longer be available.

 

[macgig]

lots of fun goodies. lol

 

[Slartybart]

norton security suite finds nothing on a quick scan. doing a full scan now. funny how norton finds nothing but spybot found 175 pups, and malwarebytes found over 1000 problems.

doing this for a friend, since it's windows xp, i'm going to advise he ditch it since come April updates will no longer be available.

1006 objects reported by Malwarebytes!

Do you have the XP install disc?

So I have to ask, how much time do your want to spend on this?

Quick fix: get the user data , wipe the drive, re-install XP if you're donating the machine

Not-so-quick fix: Run a full regiment of Malware scans (12 or more at 1.5 hours each = possibly 18 hrs runtime), then run some more until your confidence is high. There is never a gaurantee of a clean system and given the sheer number of threats on the machine ... well.....

You're decision.

Bill
.

 

[macgig]

doing this for a friend, I think their going to get a new machine, since XP support ends in April... personally im not sure id trust this machine again without doing your quick fix. thanks for the info

 

[Slartybart]

I would not use that machine until it is disinfected. There are too many threats reported and who knows what they do.

In other words... pick a fix (a clean install is what I'd do if it were my machine) or
do NOT use that machine, especially for any sensitve transactions.

When the issue is resolved or even before (new machine, re-install, trudging through a lenghty wash, rinse, repeat malware scan regiment), all passwords should be changed everywhere [on a clean machine of course]. I don't know what 1006 malware threats can do and I'm not going to research that many.

I thought I lost this thread - when I found it, I really wanted to stress that the machine is unusable in the current state.

Bill
.

 

[macgig]

I agree. I did it for a friend. I think he's going to ditch it and get a new pc since I told him that XP will no longer be updated or patched come April.

 

[Slartybart]

Ok, great and thanks for the update.

I'm out.

Bill
.

 

[macgig]

thanks for the help.