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Need help with infested laptop...

by Kim Standerline
17 replies
My 13 year old niece has just handed me her laptop to see if Aunty Kim can sort it out for her, and to be honest I hardly know where to start with it.

It's 9 months old, running basic vista and apparently when my sister bought it for her she didn't bother with antivirus, firewall etc because she thought as it was on wireless it was protected by her main computer (duh)

It's running painfully (and I mean painfully) slow, I'm going to try and delete all the crap programs she's downloaded onto it, but I can manage to get on the internet with it I need a decent program to get rid of all the festering stuff on there (preferably free)

Any suggestions

Cheers
Kim
#infested #laptop
  • Profile picture of the author Adam Jackson
    Hi Kim,

    Try ccleaner dot com - quick, easy, free

    Adam
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  • Profile picture of the author Kim Standerline
    Thanks Adam, will do

    Kim
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  • Profile picture of the author JayXtreme
    Avira (FREE)

    AVG (FREE)

    Adaware from Lavasoft (FREE)

    Hit these on there..... this should sort it out...

    THEN, if you're feeling like an extra special Auntie..

    Go to

    Memory upgrades, flash media, and usb storage at Crucial.com

    Scan the laptop on that site, to find a suitable upgrade of RAM, order it from Crucial, then install... the RAM is well priced, easy to install(just remove old RAM and insert new... and this will boost the laptop to it's best speed.

    Peace

    Jay
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    Bare Murkage.........

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  • Profile picture of the author Janet Sawyer
    Kim,

    Try and download hijackthis onto it and then post the log file to their forum for the experts there to advise you what you can safely unistall and what you should just leave alone.

    One of the problems with vista is that the machine sellers haven't realised how hungry for memory it is. So if the machine has only 1GB it's going to be slow because vista will be eating over 68% of that just setting itself up.

    If the lappy only came with 528 mb then it won't have "A" cat in **ls chance of running anything other than the operating system.

    To be honest vista is OK as long as you've got 2GB of RAM as the basic memory system, less than that and you've just got a new machine that's got dementia.
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  • Profile picture of the author ebiz96
    Hello Kim

    Here's what i have on my PC for full protection.

    AVG Anti Virus (Free Version)

    Zone Alarm Firewall (Free Version)

    Spybot Search & Destroy (Free Version)

    Adware (Free Version)

    CCleaner (Free Version)


    First may suggest that you uninstall the "Norton" protection program if you have one, and then install all above programs for full protection.


    Once you have installed the programs run them in sequence has follows.

    1) Spybot (This will search & destroy almost any pest and malware), do this once week just to keep ahead.


    2) Run the CCleaner (This will clear any clutter on the laptop) same again use it frequently.


    3) Run the AVG program for the first time and this will pick up any prone virus, same again run it at least once a week.


    4) Adware...Same again run it for the first time and then at least every fortnight.


    5) The Zone Alarm will protect you against internet browsing.


    I have done this with all my computers at home & office and so far they have been free from rubbish.


    I know many people may disagree using FREE programs but the above programs have worked for me well and you get updates frequently so you are always one step head.


    Hope this helps...Well it did for me, specially when my kids are using interent.



    All the best

    Ash
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    • Profile picture of the author Nato Guajardo
      Originally Posted by ebiz96 View Post

      Hello Kim

      Here's what i have on my PC for full protection.

      AVG Anti Virus (Free Version)

      Zone Alarm Firewall (Free Version)

      Spybot Search & Destroy (Free Version)

      Adware (Free Version)

      CCleaner (Free Version)


      First may suggest that you uninstall the "Norton" protection program if you have one, and then install all above programs for full protection.


      Once you have installed the programs run them in sequence has follows.

      1) Spybot (This will search & destroy almost any pest and malware), do this once week just to keep ahead.

      2) Run the CCleaner (This will clear any clutter on the laptop) same again use it frequentl.

      3) Run the AVG program for the first time and this pick up any prone virus, same again run it at least once a week.

      4) Adware...Same again run it for the first time and then at least every fortnight.

      5) The Zone Alarm will protect you against internet browsing.


      I have done this with all my computers at home & office and so far they have been free from rubbish.


      I know many people may disagree using FREE programs but the above programs have worked for me well and you get updates frequently so you are always one step head.


      Hope this helps...Well it did for me, specially when my kids are using interent.



      All the best

      Ash
      This is really good advice. I am an IT consultant and deal with SLOW computers that are infected with spyware on a daily basis.

      I would like to make some minor changes to what was mentioned above. I would start off with a program called Malwarebytes from malwarebytes.org. This will remove any malware on your computer.

      My second suggestion is to use Superantispyware instead of Spybot or Adaware. It is better than both of them combined.

      Best of all everything that has been mentioned is totally free.
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  • Profile picture of the author Easy Cash
    Don't waste your time - reformat it.

    Then you know it is 100% clean.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kim Standerline
      Originally Posted by Easy Cash View Post

      Don't waste your time - reformat it.

      Then you know it is 100% clean.
      I might just do that yet, just started running the malawarebytes prog, I'll see how it all finishes

      Thanks for the help guys

      Kim
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    • Profile picture of the author nair
      Wouldn't adding programs just make it slower than it already is, making the process even more of a hassle?

      Originally Posted by Easy Cash View Post

      Don't waste your time - reformat it.

      Then you know it is 100% clean.
      Agreed. Just reformat, or BIOS and boot with cd.

      It's much safer, and it'll make the laptop work like it was just bought (sort of).
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      • Profile picture of the author Glenn Grundberg
        Originally Posted by nair View Post

        Wouldn't adding programs just make it slower than it already is, making the process even more of a hassle?



        Agreed. Just reformat, or BIOS and boot with cd.

        It's much safer, and it'll make the laptop work like it was just bought (sort of).
        Yup- this is what every IT pro I consult with does: back-up and restore. You can screw around trying to fix something like this FOREVER.

        Take a look and see if there is anything critical they need to keep, any doc files, etc. Then Blitz the HD and start over with a fresh install.

        Try and teach them about the importance of keeping a decent firewall and AV program up-to-date at all times and also about backing up their important folders too, especially if there is a kid using the box and surfing all the crapware infested file sharing sites, etc.

        Can you tell I've been through this before with MY little darlings?

        Peace,

        Gman
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        I'm Baaaaaack...
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  • Profile picture of the author Adam Jackson
    If you do reformat it, be sure to ask your sis and the neice if there is anything they need off of it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nato Guajardo
    Try those steps first. If it doesn't help them reformat.
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  • Profile picture of the author e-mail2u
    Kim,

    I have vista home basic i use avast for anti virus and firewall plus from pc tools both are free. Also use search and destroy and ad-Aware.

    As for vista using up the ram home basic uses the least it's the home premium and above that are the ram drainers.

    If you go for the reformat/installation vista will allow you to save all your files,doc and pictures to a old folder. This option is given when you do a system re-install. Had to do it to my wife's laptop when see messed it up...
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  • Profile picture of the author Eric Transue
    I too would go with the reformat option. Find out what your Niece needs backed up first. Once rebuilt, go ahead and install some of the recommended software above. I personally work in the IT field and use AVG. It's better to be safe and have a clean machine, then to have to worry that one of the programs suggested above can't remove/detect something that has already been installed.
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  • Profile picture of the author Easy Cash
    If you have files that you keep - they can be infected as well.

    Be careful - as if you save the files you want to save on another harddrive or disk and then do a reformat and then copy back your saved filles - you can get reinfected again.

    Avast is a great free program to scan your saved files. It will do a boot scan for you as well.

    Some virus programs won't and they won't even start up if you have a nasty virus.

    Make sure you do this before putting them back on your reformatted machine if you go this way otherwise you will be back where you started.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kim Standerline
    I don't think there is anything on there that needs saving (unless you count a million messages in msn lol

    Looks like I'll be going down the reformat route unfortunately, I can't get anything to run properly

    Thanks for the help guys

    Kim
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  • Profile picture of the author Tim Dixon
    Just to chime in and add my vote for a reformat and then install AVG.

    I've used it for years on all my home and kids computers and nowadays it's even better than ever.

    For my business use I have bought the paid version, but for the home computers they're still protected by AVG free and it works just fine.

    Tim
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