Malware Removal
Working the below steps will create three logs to be included in your post:
- SUPERAntiSpyware
- Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
- HijackThis
Save each log after each scan somewhere you can easily find them like the Desktop. Without the logs we will not know what malware is still there or how to remove it.
(———————————————- Before you start the steps ———————————————-)
Remember
- Important: Work the steps in order.
- If you don't understand a step stop and ask!
- Keep all questions/replies in the same thread.
- Continue to respond until given the all clear.
- Be patient: Malware removal can be just as time consuming and stressful for us as it is for you.
- Remember: Just
because the symptoms may be gone does not promise that all of the
malware is. It is strongly suggested to continue in posting all
requested logs until given the all clear. You will then receive final
cleanup steps specific to your PC, links to programs and advice to help
you prevent infections in the future.
- Copy & Paste all logs unless otherwise requested.
If for some reason you cannot perform one of the
steps, move on to the next step and make note of what happened when
posting your logs.
Antivirus
- Make sure your antivirus is fully up to date with the latest virus signatures before continuing.
- Run a full scan and remove anything found.
- If you say yes to any of the following:
- You do not have an antivirus installed.
- You have an antivirus program or Security Suite that is expired.
- You just don't like your current antivirus program and want something better.
- If the answer to any of the above is yes:
- Download one free antivirus program.
- Important: Uninstall any old or outdated antivirus program(s), including Security Suites before upgrading or replacing with a new one.
- Install the new antivirus and make sure it is updated.
- Do a full system scan and remove or quarantine everything found.
AVG users only: If you
still use AVG 7.5 or AVG 8.5 you should update to the new AVG 9.0 now
before continuing. AVG 7.5 and AVG 8.5 are no longer supported by
Grisoft so your PC is at risk!
Important: You should only have one antivirus and one firewall
installed at any time. If you have two or more of either installed then
uninstall all but one now before continuing.
Internet connection problems
If you are having trouble connecting to the Internet try running this WinSockFix utility to repair your connection.
Note: You may want to download WinSockFix now in case the removal process interferes with your Internet connection.
If you can connect to the Internet but
are having problems accessing certain sites you may have a hijacker that
has manipulated your Hosts file.
To correct this download HostsXpert
- Unzip the HostsXpert file and double click on HostsXpert.exe
- Press Restore Original Hosts and press OK
- Exit HostsXpert.
Note: If you were using a custom Hosts file you will need to replace any of those entries yourself.
If you do not know what a Hosts file is, you are most likely not using a custom one.
(———————————————- Malware removal steps ———————————————-)
Step One
Malware in Add or Remove programs
- Click on the Windows Start button and go to the Control Panel
- In the Control Panel, double-click the Add or Remove Programs icon.
- Vista users see here for Add/Remove Programs location.
- When the Add or Remove Programs window has fully populated.
- Check for any unknown or suspicious looking programs.
- Do not uninstall anything you may be unsure of.
- Post details of unknown or suspicious programs in your post and we will advise on which to uninstall.
For a list of Malware applications that can be found in Add or Remove Programs follow this link: Uninstall Malware via Add or Remove Programs
Step Two
House cleaning
Download CCleaner Slim and save it to your Desktop.- Alternate download link
When the file has been saved, go to your Desktop and double-click on ccsetupxxx_slim.exe
Follow the prompts to install the program.
- Double-click the CCleaner shortcut on the desktop to start the program.
- Click on the Options block on the left, then choose Cookies.
- Under Cookies to Delete, highlight any cookies you would like to retain permanently
- Click the right arrow > to move them to the Cookies to Keep window.
- Go into Options > Advanced uncheck Only delete files in Windows Temp folders older than 48 hours
- Click Cleaner on the left then Run Cleaner on the right to run the program.
- Important: Make sure that ALL browser windows are closed before selecting Run Cleaner
- Caution: Only use the Registry feature if you are very familiar with the registry.
- Always back up your registry before making any changes.
- Exit CCleaner after it has completed it's process.
Step Three
SUPERAntiSpyware FREE (SAS)
If you already have SUPERAntiSpyware be sure to check for updates before scanning!
Download SUPERAntiSpyware.exe
Alternate download link 1
Alternate download link 2
- Double-click the icon on your desktop to run the installer.
- When asked to Update the program definitions, click Yes
- If you encounter any problems while downloading the updates, manually download and unzip them from here
- Next click the Preferences button.
- Under Start-Up Options uncheck the following:
- Start SUPERAntiSpyware when Windows starts
- Show SUPERAntiSpyware icon in system tray
- Show splash screen on startup
- Click the Scanning Control tab.
- Under Scanner Options make sure only the following are checked:
- Close browsers before scanning
- Scan for tracking cookies
- Terminate memory threats before quarantining
- Scan Alternate Data Streams
- Please leave the others unchecked.
- Click the Close button to leave the Control Center screen.
- On the main screen click Scan your computer
- On the left check the box for the drive you are scanning.
- On the right choose Perform Complete Scan
- Click Next to start the scan. Please be patient while it scans your computer.
- After the scan is complete a summary box will appear. Click OK
- Make sure everything in the white box has a check next to it, then click Next
- It will quarantine what it found and if it asks if you want to reboot, click Yes
- To retrieve the removal information please do the following:
- After reboot, double-click the SUPERAntiSpyware icon on your desktop.
- Click Preferences. Click the Statistics/Logs tab.
- Under Scanner Logs, double-click SUPERAntiSpyware Scan Log.
- It will open in your default text editor (preferably Notepad).
- Save the notepad file to your desktop by clicking (in notepad) File > Save As…
- Save the log somewhere you can easily find it. (normally the desktop)
- Click close and close again to exit the program.
- Copy and Paste the log in your post.
SUPERAntiSpyware is FREEWARE, however
you may want to upgrade to the Pro version which features highly
advanced real-time protection, scheduled scans, automatic
updating and much more. Compare SUPERAntiSpyware Free vs Professional
Step Four
Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware (MBAM)
If you already have Malwarebytes be sure to check for updates before scanning!
Download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.exe and save it to your desktop.
Alternate download link (.exe)
- Double-click mbam-setup.exe and follow the prompts to install the program.
- Be sure a checkmark is placed next to:
- Click Finish.
- If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
- Once the program has loaded, select Perform Quick Scan, then click Scan.
- When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
- Be sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected.
- When completed, a log will open in Notepad. Save it to a convenient location like the Desktop.
- The log is also automatically saved and can be viewed later by clicking the Logs tab in MBAM.
Note: If MBAM encounters a file
that is difficult to remove, you will be presented with 1 of 2 prompts.
Click OK to either and let MBAM proceed with the disinfection process.
If asked to restart the computer, please do so immediately. Failure to
reboot will prevent MBAM from removing all the malware.
Step Five
Updating Java
Old versions of Java have vulnerabilities that malware can use to infect your system.
Get the new version
Note: UNCHECK any pre-checked
toolbar and/or software offered with the Java update. The pre-checked
toolbars/software are not part of the Java update.
Remove old versions
- Download JavaRa and unzip the file to your Desktop.
- Open JavaRa.exe and choose Remove Older Versions
- Once complete exit JavaRa and delete the program.
- Run CCleaner.
Additional Note: The Java Quick Starter (JQS.exe)
adds a service to improve the initial startup time of Java applets and
applications. To disable the JQS service if you don't want to use it, go
to Start > Control Panel > Java > Advanced > Miscellaneous and uncheck the box for Java Quick Starter. Click OK and reboot your computer.
Step Six
Restart
The above steps will have improved performance on the majority of computers and may have actually cleaned all of the malware.
- Restart your system to see how it's working.
- If you're still having problems then continue to steps Seven and Eight now.
- Posting the logs is still suggested even if you think the PC is clean.
- Just because the symptoms may be gone does not
promise that all of the malware is. It is strongly suggested to
continue in posting all requested logs until given the all clear.
If you don't plan to post the logs then be sure to check out Keeping Yourself Safe On The Web for tips and free tools to prevent future malware attacks.
Also see Slow Computer? It May Not Be Malware for free cleaning/maintenance tools to help keep your computer running smooth.
Step Seven
HijackThis (HJT)
Use HijackThis only after completing the above scans.
Download and rename TrendMicro HijackThis.msi (HJT)
- Double-click on the HijackThis.msi to begin.
- Click on the Install button.
- It will automatically place HJT in C:\Program Files\TrendMicro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe
- Upon install, HijackThis should open for you.
- Close HijackThis and rename it.
- Go to C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis.exe
- Right click on HijackThis.exe and select Rename
- Type in juice.exe and press Enter
- Right-click on juice.exe and select Send To > Desktop (create shortcut)
- From the desktop open HijackThis.
- Important! If using Windows Vista, Right-click and Run As Administrator
- Click on Do a system scan and save a log file
- HijackThis will scan and then a log will open in notepad.
- Copy & Paste the entire contents of the log in your post.
- Do not have HijackThis fix anything yet. Most of what it finds will be harmless or even required.
Note: Although we have renamed HijackThis to juice, we will still refer to it as HijackThis or HJT.
Step Eight
Posting the logs
- You are now ready to post the logs.
- Just posting the logs in some instances is not enough information for us.
- Give details including malware names and locations if available.
- Let us know what you've already done to fix the malware (if anything).
- Copy & Paste the logs directly into the thread unless specifically requested to attach them.
- Keep all questions/replies in the same thread.
Logs needed
- SUPERAntiSpyware log
- Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware log
- HijackThis log
Post the logs in the Virus, Spyware & Security Forum
Important!
Illegal software
Computer
Juice does not support illegal activity. We do not support the use of
any pirated or otherwise illegal software including Windows itself. If
you install the cracked software, you are running executable files from
unknown sources. You are in effect giving unknown sources access to
information on your hard disk and potentially giving complete control
over the operation of your computer.
- We will NOT help
anyone pirate anything or help to make the system work with pirated
software. But if you mess up your computer in the process, we will help
you fix it.
- Uninstall any cracked applications before posting for help.
- You may be asked to uninstall any P2P or File Sharing programs
during the removal process if they are believed to be the source of the
problem.
- We will discontinue help if you refuse to remove any cracked (illegal) program.