windows update fakery

I clicked an icon , called "update",on the toolbar at the bottom of the
screen ran a full scan and "cleaning" of my computer. Could it have been a
fake? At the end it said to restart, which I did, but Windows would not
reboot, saying there was a file that was missing. The desktop is rearranged
and much data and pictures are gone. It was as if the computer was just out
of the box. I need to recover, but when I try to Restore to an earlier date,
the program won't show an earlier date than the present! Help, please.

 

Please state your full Windows version (e.g., WinXP SP3; Vista x64 SP2) when
posting to this newsgroup.

You are seeing the effects of a hijackware infection!

NB: If you had no anti-virus application installed or the subscription had
expired *when the machine first got infected* and/or your subscription has
since expired and/or the machine's not been kept fully-patched at Windows
Update, don't waste your time with any of the below: Format & reinstall
Windows. A Repair Install will NOT help!

1. See if you can download/run the MSRT manually:


NB: Run the FULL scan, not the QUICK scan! You may need to download the
MSRT on a non-infected machine, then transfer MRT.EXE to the infected
machine and rename it to SCAN.EXE before running it.

2. [WinXP ONLY!! =>] Run the Windows Live Safety Center's 'Protection' scan
(only!) in Safe Mode with Networking, if need be:


3. Run a /thorough/ check for hijackware, including posting requested logs
in an appropriate forum, not here.

Checking for/Help with Hijackware:
•

•
•
•
•

**Chances are you will need to seek expert assistance in
,
,
,
,
or other appropriate forums.**

If these procedures look too complex - and there is no shame in admitting
this isn't your cup of tea - take the machine to a local, reputable and
independent (i.e., not BigBoxStoreUSA) computer repair shop.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002



seabreeze wrote:<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> I clicked an icon , called "update",on the toolbar at the bottom of the
> screen ran a full scan and "cleaning" of my computer. Could it have been
> a
> fake? At the end it said to restart, which I did, but Windows would not
> reboot, saying there was a file that was missing. The desktop is
> rearranged
> and much data and pictures are gone. It was as if the computer was just
> out
> of the box. I need to recover, but when I try to Restore to an earlier
> date, the program won't show an earlier date than the present! Help,
> please. <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->