Really need computer help

[Thermodyne]

Xrati said:
I'm starting to think that my buddies idea is one of the best things to do. Get yourself a cheap computer, basic CD/DVD burner, install basic OS and your ISP software. NO PERSONEL info at all... Make a copy of it on CD/DVD and your ready to go. It's now your firewall. You can later add any programs you need for on-line ventures. Your other computers AV software and spyware can protect itself from info burned to it or you can risk networking it (not recommended).

If you have an old PC, you can make it into a nice firewall appliance. High end would be to load ISA server on it. But you can also do it for free with nix and one of the free nix firewall apps. Just add a second nic card and load the software, instant firewall. And old 500MHz PIII would work fine.

[Fyron]

500 MHz is even overkill for that.

[Thermodyne]

Ya, but with slower systems, you'll need high end nic's to get high bandwith.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Dunno if spybot's been sugested, but try that.

[AdmiralMartin]

Norton always works for me. And if you don't like it (like me) you can just let it do it's work and uninstall it when you are done

[Fyron]

You can't uninstall Norton. It leaves a lot of junk all over your system. There are specialized utilities out there to disinfect your PC from Norton...

[Randallw]

Thanks for all the help though I can't appear to fix the problem. I installed the MS antispyware program and it found a few things, also it blocks the same stuff as Venus spytrap. Anyway I'm afraid I don't understand how to stop messenger. When I installed MS antispyware there was some sort of messenger service that I stopped (not MSmessenger)and until I can work out that bit I'm not sure if it will be worthwhile replacing the hosts file as something seems to keep trying to change it which I can't find. As for my AntiVirus, I use Pccillin by Trend micro which updates a few times a day. I trust it but on this occasion what happened was that someone, who should have known better (not me), downloaded and opened something without thinking that it was malicious

Edit: incidentally, if it's any help I know exactly exactly what time it happened as I was walking past and shouted "What the hell did you do". I can search for files created at that time but don't know what to do with them.

[Fyron]

Post a Hijack This log report and info on what you have tried on DSL Reports and get advice from the experts there.

[Randallw]

I searched for files made that time and there are a few titled wiwm. I googled this and found it is an ad site.

Edit: ok i'll ask the experts

[Arkcon]

Here's a link to a page describing Window's services, which one's you ought to disable, and how to do it. {web page} You'll find the Messenger Service is one on that list. Usually, Windows XP Service Packs disable the Messanger Service, but you might want to poke around anyway.