Solved Virus Removal

[SevSaint]

Just bought a laptop pretty decently priced even with the virus problem.

I am just having problems getting rid of this one.
It has content explorer which sets up proxy so after disabling it i can not get on net to install removal sofware.
It has wb.exe, pc health, a password viewer, scorpion saver etc..
With no virus protection on the computer how do i go about getting rid of this thing.

Also note i am considering a full wipe but the dvd drive is not working, either result of virus or just basic problems.
If i hook up the drive on my desktop can i wipe it and then re install windows from my desktop. Just in case the dvd is broke i can't boot from dvd.
I hooked it up and ran virus removal on my desktop and it has 270 virus and i removed them. But when i put the drive back in the laptop it still had all the infections.

Anyone help me with this problem, including on checking the dvd drive.

 

[DMHolt57]

Start in Safe Mode with Networking using Shift+F8 and download the free version of Malwarebytes from www.malwarebytes.org, install and run while in safe mode...

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi a fresh install is probably the most straight forward option
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/219487-clean-reinstall-factory-oem-windows-7-a.html
Cheers.

 

[SevSaint]

If i take the hard drive outa the laptop and hook it up in my desktop how do i reformat and install windows on it

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
No you download windows to a removable flash drive and load it onto the lappy,
Unless your wanting to replace the harddrive in the lappy there's no reason to remove it,
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2432-usb-windows-7-installation-key-drive-create.html

 

[SevSaint]

There is no way to install an os on a 2nd drive

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
On an already infected machine ? not advised
It's better to download the os to a removable media device on a good machine then boot to that media after scrubbing the infected machines hdd,
Then boot to that removable media and transfer it to the cleaned hdd
Instead of downloading to a partition point the download to the device,

All installs are tied to the mother board which you'd use the same activation key of the infected machine has to activate windows during the re-install,

I suppose you could do it like you say it's just more manual labor to remove the hdd from the laptop,
If your willing to do that replace it with a ssd
No more old corruption or defects transferring

 

[SevSaint]

Okay i managed to finally get past the proxy of the content explorer and access malwarebytes and scan. When i did it uncovered 2600+ virus threats. And even after running that scan i had to rerun and rerun scans and its still finding some of the same results.

Any suggestions?

 

[Slartybart]

2600 threats!
- wipe the drive and reinstall

You can boot into recovery and select command prompt to wipe the drive while in the lap top.

The Thumb drive install media or the DVD should be recognized by BIOS

Read the tutorial all the way though and ask any questions - it's fairly straight forward though.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/219487-clean-reinstall-factory-oem-windows-7-a.html

Pay attention to the colored boxes (info, tip, warn ...) they're there for a reason (too many people miss some stuff)
Some steps are linked to other tutorials - follow the links and get a good feeling for what you need to do. Ask questions if needed.

 

[SevSaint]

Small update on the issue. I have went through several online tutorials and gotten rid of the virus. Its running fine now and going to see how it is in a few days. Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[Gator]

Small update on the issue. I have went through several online tutorials and gotten rid of the virus. Its running fine now and going to see how it is in a few days. Thanks for the help everyone.

The reason people are suggesting a format/install is because there could be (most likely are) leftovers from the infections on your PC. This is a problem if you ever plan on doing anything like banking or stuff like that. Your passwords probably aren't safe either.

I really hope you found a very comprehensive tutorial because if you aren't thorough, you may seem like its not infected anymore, but I see professionals who remove malware/viruses that leave some traces behind.

Can you provide the link you used to remove the threats?

 

[SevSaint]

Content Explorer
Remove Content Explorer virus (Adware Removal Guide)

Scorpion Saver
Scorpion Saver Removal Guide

The other 2600 are misc errors and registry fixes.

 

[Slartybart]

Content Explorer
Remove Content Explorer virus (Adware Removal Guide)

Scorpion Saver
Scorpion Saver Removal Guide

The other 2600 are misc errors and registry fixes.

Both Malwaretips and Bleeping computer have good guides.

The other 2600 - that's a concern. If it were my machine, I'd wipe the drive to be sure.

If you don't have any data on it (you recently bought it ) there shouldn't be any hesitation to install clean.
Two Sf tutorials make it a simple process (they tell you where to get the official ISO and how to create install media) - well worth your time.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1649-clean-install-windows-7-a.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/219487-clean-reinstall-factory-oem-windows-7-a.html

It is, of course, your choice.

Bill
.

 

[andrew129260]

You should definitely Completely wipe the drive.