Getting a trojain off with files still on. *Problem Solved*

[yankeefan05]

R both free to keep or is/both a free trail?

[Leviathan]

Off-topic : Zone Labs® ZoneAlarm® Products' Prices may vary according to the version you would wish to obtain, moncal', and in case you would want to download a free one, then you should go for ZoneAlarm Free, while knowing that all other Editions of this Specialized Software own features which are way more advanced than those shipping with the above one. (Moreover, in case you decided to get this Product, I would highly advise you to download a third-party Program called "Visualize Software© VisualZone", since it brings interesting Options to ZoneAlarm Designs)
However, if you were ready to replace both your current Antivirus Solution and possible Firewall, then you should order ESET® NOD32 Antivirus and Agnitum® Outpost Firewall PRO, which are among the most efficient Protections ever conceived for Home Users...

[[RDH]Zerted]

I would not recommend getting ZoneAlarm. It embeds itself into Windows. Attempting to uninstall it damages Windows. I forget the versions, but it also calls home even when you tell it not too.

I've never heard of those other two products Leviathan speaks of so I can't say anything about them.

If you are looking for free software: Kerio Personal Firewall and AVG or Avast for anti-virus work well enough if don't visit porn and hacking sites all day.

Checkout http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46 ... lities.htm and do some research into what everything does before you decide.

[guru]

Zone alarm does call home once to make sure its not pirated. Besides valid users have nothing to worry about in license or update checks. The version your talking about that was a plaque to windows is 2 years old. At that time it did mess up windows if you shut it off but thats years corrected. For the button mashy kids on this site who dont want to learn real firewalls and 99.99% have a.d.d. zonealarm is a drag and drop way to secure your pc from trojans. I agree if your have brains get a better firewall but if you want to just install something and forget about it ZA pwns the lot.

[yankeefan05]

Well i dont want something that "Calls home". Anyway, I got a new hard drive earlier today, but i am at my country house with my family for the weekend. Ill be back at my home in NYC on Sunday and hopefully my PC will work. No more wandering off or clicking links .

I guess i should just turn my firewall and intenet security level 1 bar up.

[Leviathan]

Off-topic : [RDH]Zerted, the fact both the two Specialized Softwares I have mentioned inside my above message are far from being that known and recognized as highly-effective Protection Utilities, even from Lead Industries and other sort of similar Companies, is eventually a pity, since I have been able to notice that they could combine ease to use, very few required System Resources and especially an impressive efficiency against any sort of threats, no matter whether those ones could trouble the Task of major Antivirus or Firewall Programs widespread in the whole World, and trying out these Tools should probably persuade you in keeping them for a significant time...

[yankeefan05]

I just got a new hard drive installed yesterday. I am currently at my country house with my family so i will install everything i had on it (games, iTunes, etc.) when get back on Sunday. Thanks for all your help though guys.

[Leviathan]

Off-topic : I am glad to see that DELL® may show up a certain Professionalism and an amazing efficiency with some of their customers, no matter whether most of them have ordered Products having cost a significant price toward the concerned Company.
Also, to return to the main Subject of the current thread, I would have perhaps advised you to purchase an additional Hard-Drive intended to serve as second and independent Storage Device for your Computer, since this sort of Hard-Drive are not affected by possible re-formatting of the Logical Unit Microsoft® Windows is installed on, which is rather helpful so as to host Datas, Programs or other kind of files you would not want to lose because of a Viral Infection, for sample...

[yankeefan05]

It probably help because i had a 4 year warranty, so it was free.

[Leviathan]

Off-topic : I do not call your above Statement into question, moncal', but I assume the replacement of the Hard-Drive having been visibly affected by an external threat mustn't have been that "free" for DELL® Technicians having been in charge of the maintenance of the Personal Computer you entrusted to them, since a lot of GameToast members around this thread must know the heavy Restrictions this sort of Employees are exposed to, and I guess guru will not contradict me on that point...

[yankeefan05]

I didnt really understand what u said. Free because i had a warranty. They install it and i get a new 1 for free. Thats what i mean.

[Leviathan]

Off-topic : In fact, moncal', I have basically said that the newly-ordered Hard-Drive mustn't have been really "free" of charges for the DELL® Workers having proceeded to the replacement of the original Storage Device, whereas you have not personally been forced to make a Money Transfer toward them, which must have slightly annoyed these persons, while knowing they must not exceed Cost Quotas valuable for the Retail Parts they may order when they are receiving PC's requiring a significant Maintenance...

[yankeefan05]

Well i had to pay extra when i first got it but it was less then what i would have had to pay for the new hard drive. And the warranty has another 3 1/2 years (or something like that)

[Leviathan]

Off-topic : Alright, that is fine for me, moncal', but as I can't usually help requesting even more Informations and Details regarding a Situation another GameToast member may face and talk of on this Message-Board, I am wondering whether you would accept to provide me the exact Technical Specifications of the newly-installed Storage Device DELL® has accepted to replace on your Computer, since it might help me to determine whether this Company has equally chosen to apply its fast-growing "Economist Policy" toward Retail Components and Devices it may use as Replacement ones, only if you do not mind this Request, of course !...

[yankeefan05]

Im only 13. Im not able to get so technical because im not so "smart" in computer specifics. I will say though that the hard drive is like when u first get a new computer. Its basically like getting a new computer but not; just a new hard drive. U need to install everything u had yourself and get the settings back the way u want them and had them.

[Leviathan]

Off-topic : Say that is rather surprising to learn that a thirteen years-old GameToast member has succeeded in ordering a Personal Computer having cost about 3000 USD whereas he has admitted not to own that many Knowledges in the aimed Domains. Indeed, being able to determine what may be the origins of the different Technical Issues you might experience during the time you would exploit this PC could be rather helpful, especially if such troublings happen rather regularly, which could surely help you to chose the most appropriate Components and Devices fitting your Expectations, moncal'...

[yankeefan05]

U think i ordered the coputer myself? I didnt. My Dad asked the most computer knowlegable person in his office to customize a great, gaming, etc. computer with a budget of around $3000.

[ShadowHawk]

Well for future reference, these are instructions for an overlay install of XP. I followed this article and it did work. Restored my POS laptop when it had a major system crash (similar to yours) Tried the repair thingy and it did not work (Didn't really work in 2k though).

Windows XP Crashed? Here's Help

A salvage mission into the depths of Windows XP, explained by a non-geek
By Charlie White

PC users, you all know what it is: That dreaded Blue Screen of Death. That's right, the BSOD. You've installed a seemingly innocent application, restarted your computer, and suddenly you see this horror in front of your eyes: A big blue screen with some cryptic message on it. Try restarting again, same thing. You're dead. What will you do? What WILL you do?? Well, don't let it ruin your day. Remain calm. If you're using Windows XP, I can help you fix it. Come with me, down into the bowels of Windows XP, where only the high priests go. It'll be fun!

I'm going to show you how to bring your computer back to life, and restore it to the point where things went south. You might want to print this article and squirrel it away for that fateful day when this happens to you. Or if you don't want to print it (and who prints anything these days, anyway?), and you get a big ugly blue screen, just get on another computer somewhere and come back to this Web page for comfort and advice. I can get you out of this mess. I know, because I was in the same mess and I got myself out of it.

Here's what to do: First, get the Windows XP CD you used to install your operating system. By the way, this routine only works with Windows XP, either Professional or XP Home Edition. If you don't have a bootable XP CD, get one and have it with you at all times, because you never know when the dreaded BSOD might strike.

But before you do anything with that CD, try restarting your computer again. Sometimes, for some odd reason, this works. Usually not, though. If you've tried that and everything else you can think of, and you can't even boot into Safe Mode, this is the mission for you.

Put the XP CD in the drive, and restart. When it says "press any key to boot from CD," go ahead, press any key and you're on your way to recovery. The Recovery Console, that is. If it doesn't give you a choice to boot from your CD drive, go into your computer's BIOS and make the adjustment for it to boot from CD. PCs brands and motherboards are too diverse for me to give you specifics on this, so follow the prompts and you can make that CD boot happen without too much trouble. Look at your screen when it boots up, and it always says "hit DEL for BIOS settings" or something similar. If you can't get it to boot from CD, just give up and call for support or take your computer to the nearest computer store for professional help.

OK, troops, are you still with me? Good. It'll look like you're re-installing Windows XP, but don't worry, you're not. This is just a screen showing you that your computer is loading enough files from the CD to actually do something, anything but that awful blue screen. Now when you see the screen that asks you if you want to install Windows, don't! Just hit R for recover, and you'll see the ominous Recovery Console. Don't let that intimidate you; the Recovery Console is your ugly, black-suited friend. It will have a dark, bleak screen, with the following stuff:


Microsoft Windows(R) Recovery Console

The Recovery Console provides system repair and recovery functionality.
Type EXIT to quit the Recovery Console and restart the computer.

1: C:\WINDOWS

Which Windows Installation would you like to log onto
(To cancel, press ENTER)?


Go ahead and hit the number 1 on your keyboard, or whichever number corresponds to the operating system you were using when havoc struck. Enter your administrator password, and then hit enter. You're in! Now it's time to run with the big dogs! Do not be afraid, dear reader, I am here to help you. By the way, if you don't know your administrator password, just try hitting the Enter key, and if that doesn't work, well, there's a fix for that, too. Just go to the following site and get the necessary tools to get you in: http://www.petri.co.il/forgot_administr ... ssword.htm.

If you type the following commands into your computer, it will work magic, akin to going back in time. There are three parts to this process, but believe me, they take much less time than reinstalling Windows XP and all your applications. So follow along with me, and keep in mind that each command must be typed exactly as you see it here. Please note that this procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows to the appropriate windows folder if it's at a different location. The copy commands will answer you with a little "file copied" message. The delete commands just move on to the next line. Because of the way your Web browser displays individual lines, a command might look to you like it's two lines, so I've separated each command by an empty line. But anyway, type the whole command in one line, and when you've finished typing that command, hit the Enter key. Be sure to include the spaces I've included between each word here:

md tmp


copy C:\windows\system32\config\system C:\windows\tmp\system.bak


copy C:\windows\system32\config\software C:\windows\tmp\software.bak


copy C:\windows\system32\config\sam C:\windows\tmp\sam.bak


copy C:\windows\system32\config\security C:\windows\tmp\security.bak


copy C:\windows\system32\config\default C:\windows\tmp\default.bak


delete C:\windows\system32\config\system


delete C:\windows\system32\config\software


delete C:\windows\system32\config\Sam


delete C:\windows\system32\config\security


delete C:\windows\system32\config\default


copy C:\windows\repair\system C:\windows\system32\config\system


copy C:\windows\repair\software C:\windows\system32\config\software


copy C:\windows\repair\sam C:\windows\system32\config\sam


copy C:\windows\repair\security C:\windows\system32\config\security


copy C:\windows\repair\default C:\windows\system32\config\default


Now you can relax for a minute. You've made it through the first part! Way to go! Now what did you just do? I'll tell you. You first made a temporary directory called "tmp" (md tmp), and then into it, you copied all the files that boot up Windows. Then you deleted all those startup files, one of which is the stinker that got you into this mess in the first place. After that, you copied into that same place fresh startup files from a special repair directory. When you reboot, Windows will look for those files where it always does, and there won't be a stinker in the bunch. The only thing is, there won't be all your settings for all those applications you run every day, either. But not to worry. Right now, you're sitting in something like a lifeboat -- it's not the original ship, but it'll get you back to where you need to go. We'll get everything back to that comfortable place, but only after we go through steps 2 and 3.

Now type Exit and watch your computer restart into Windows XP again. Be sure not to tell it to boot from the CD this time. But wait. That's not the way you had XP set up before this disaster struck! That's OK. We're in a lifeboat right now -- this isn't your comfy cruise ship, not just yet. Hang in there. I'm going to show you how to restore your system to the way it was the moment before you told it to install that errant application, or whatever it was you did, so follow along and we'll go to part 2.

Part 2
Here's where you'll copy the saved registry files from their backed up location by using System Restore. This folder is not available in Recovery Console and is normally not visible -- Microsoft is protecting you from yourself by hiding it from you and locking it away from you. But we have the keys. Before you start this procedure, you'll need to change several settings to make that folder visible:

1. Start Windows Explorer.

2. On the Tools menu, click Folder options.

3. Click the View tab.

4. Under Hidden files and folders, click to select Show hidden files and folders, and then click to clear the "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)" check box.

5. Click Yes when the dialog box is displayed that confirms that you want to display these files.

6. Double-click the drive where you installed Windows XP to get a list of the folders. It's important to click the correct drive.

7. Open the System Volume Information folder. This folder appears dimmed because it is set as a super-hidden folder. If you're using the FAT32 file system, this will be easy. If you're using NTFS, it won't let you open the folder, but here's how to get around that: Right-click on that system volume information folder and select Sharing and Security. Then click the Security tab. (No security tab? Skip two paragraphs.) Click Add, and then in the box that's labeled "Enter the object names to select," type the name of the user that's at the top of the Start menu -- that's probably you. [Diet Dr. Pepper it, why do they say object names when it's people's names? I guess that's Microsoft for you.]

Anyway, make sure you type the name the way it's listed there on the Start Menu. I made the mistake of typing my first name only and it wouldn't let me in. Type first and last name if that's how it's written on the top of the Start menu. After you've typed that in, click OK a couple of times and finally that monster will let you in.

But what if you don't see a Security tab? Try this: Click to select the checkboxes in the "Network sharing and security" area -- one is labeled "Share this folder on the network" and the other is labeled "Allow network users to change my files." Change the share name to something short, like sysinfo. Then it'll let you in. After you're done with this entire rescue operation, you might want to go back and change these back to the way they were before, for maximum security.

OK. Now here you are, in the inner sanctum where only the high priests go. Be not afraid, all ye who enter here. As Microsoft so eloquently puts it:

NOTE : This folder contains one or more _restore {GUID} folders such as "_restore{87BD3667-3246-476B-923F-F86E30B3E7F8}".

8. Open a folder that was not created at the current time. You may have to click Details on the View menu to see when these folders were created. There may be one or more folders starting with "RP x under this folder. These are restore points.

9. Open one of these folders to locate a Snapshot subfolder; the following path is an example of a folder path to the Snapshot folder:

C:\System Volume Information\_restore{D86480E3-73EF-47BC-A0EB-A81BE6EE3ED8}RP1Snapshot

From the Snapshot folder, copy the following files to the C:\Windows\Tmp folder (you can use your mouse, you're in Windows now, remember?):
_registry_user_.default
_registry_machine_security
_registry_machine_software
_registry_machine_system
_registry_machine_sam

This is how Microsoft explains this: "These files are the backed up registry files from System Restore. Because you used the registry file created by Setup, this registry does not know that these restore points exist and are available. A new folder is created with a new GUID under System Volume Information and a restore point is created that includes a copy of the registry files that were copied during part one. This is why it is important not to use the most current folder, especially if the time stamp on the folder is the same as the current time."

Anyway, you're still not done. Don't worry, the magic is about to begin. Believe me, if you do this in front of your friends, they'll start thinking you're some kind of god. So, heavenly father, get ready to dazzle 'em.

Now it's time to place those files you just made visible to the Recovery Console where they belong. And to do that, we need to get back into the Recovery Console. So, make sure your CD is in the drive, and restart Windows, this time hitting any key when it tells you to do that if you want to boot from CD. Yes, you want to boot from CD, so you can launch your old cryptic pal, the Recovery Console. Type R after it goes through that file-reading routine that looks like an install but isn't. Then you're back into our dark-suited friend with its ominous command line. It's kinda like going into the basement to fix some broken pipe or something. But we're not scared. The command line is our flashlight and friend. Here we go:

Part 3
In part three, you delete the existing registry files, and then copy the System Restore Registry files to the C:\Windows\System32\Config folder:

From within Recovery Console, type the following commands:

Del c:\windows\system32\config\sam

Del c:\windows\system32\config\security

Del c:\windows\system32\config\software

Del c:\windows\system32\config\default

Del c:\windows\system32\config\system

copy c:\windows\tmp\_registry_machine_software c:\windows\system32\config\software

copy c:\windows\tmp\_registry_machine_system c:\windows\system32\config\system

copy c:\windows\tmp\_registry_machine_sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam

copy c:\windows\tmp\_registry_machine_security c:\windows\system32\config\security

copy c:\windows\tmp\_registry_user_.default c:\windows\system32\config\default


Now. You're done! Type exit and your computer will reboot into whichever restore file you chose. But wait. If it's not the right one, that's OK, you can now go into your System Restore area and pick a different restore point if you want. There's a whole calendar full of them in there. I bet you didn't know that Windows XP is watching just about every move you make, taking notes all the while. It can restore about any state you had on that machine. And the best part is, even when it's doing all that, it's still 10% faster than Windows 2000 according to our extensive tests here at the Midwest Test Facility. Here's how to get into that restore area if you're not happy with the current restore point:

1. Click Start, then click All Programs.

2. Click Accessories, and then click System Tools.

3. Click System Restore, and then click Restore to a previous Restore Point.

Sheesh, before this I hated the command line. Many of you probably still do. But when it saves your butt like this, you have to feel grateful. I should send out a badge of courage for all you intrepid souls who followed me into these dark gallows, the basement of Windows XP. I hope this routine was successful in bringing your computer back to life. I know how it feels to have your computer down for the count. As a wise old man once told me, "When your computer crashes, it's like your dog just died." He was so right. Excuse me now, I'm going to go get some work done on my Mac.

If I'm not too late, try this. If so, save it for future use.

[Leviathan]

Off-topic : moncal', I was originally wondering how such a Personal Computer could have been entrusted to someone who does not own that many Technical Knowledges in the required Domains, especially when the concerned DELL® Product has cost a significant Price, while precising that this Remark has not been intended to offend you...
Furthermore, ShadowHawk, would you mind giving me either web-adresses or additional Informations on how you have obtained the Article provided inside your last message ?

Thanks in advance !...