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Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: tonynace on July 14, 2010, 04:43:59 PM

Title: Virus Causing Rebooting
Post by: tonynace on July 14, 2010, 04:43:59 PM
I have a Windows 7 computer that reboots itself randomly. I suspect a virus because this is a new computer that I bought this year and I have this problem on another computer I have that is running XP. I've tried everything to try and find this virus including Avast of course and Malwarebytes, but they all report back negative. I finally decided to wipe my hard drive clean on my XP machine. When I reformatted the hard drive, I found that there was a section still on there that was reported as unformatted or something like that. I believe a virus is hiding there and I am still trying to figure out how to remove it. I now suspect that this virus might have migrated to my Windows 7 machine, as it is now exhibiting similar behavior. Anybody heard of a virus like this? What can I do about it?
Title: Re: Virus Causing Rebooting
Post by: Lisandro on July 14, 2010, 04:48:17 PM
You can use a free partition manager to remove that space (if it is not the recovery partition created by Windows 7...).
Then you can resize the other one.
I suggest Partition Wizard or Easeus Master to do this job.

About the infection, I suggest:

1. Clean your temporary files.
2. Schedule a boot time scanning with avast with archive scanning turned on. If avast does not detect it, you can try DrWeb CureIT! (http://www.freedrweb.com/cureit/) instead.
3. Use MBAM (http://malwarebytes.org/mbam.php) (or SUPERantispyware (http://www.superantispyware.com) or even Spyware Terminator (http://www.spywareterminator.com/)) to scan for spywares and trojans. If any infection is detected, it is better and safer to send the infected file(s) to quarantine (Chest), rather than simply deleting them.
4. Test your machine with anti-rootkit applications (http://www.antirootkit.com/software/index.htm). I suggest avast! antirootkit (http://files.avast.com/files/beta/aswar.exe) or Trend Micro RootkitBuster (http://www.trendmicro.com/download/rbuster.asp).
5. Make a HijackThis (http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/files/hijackthis.php) log to post here or this analysis site (http://www.hijackthis.de/#anl). Or even submit the RunScanner (http://www.runscanner.net/) log to to on-line analysis.
6. Clean your Hosts file (replacing it) with HostsMan (http://www.abelhadigital.com) tool.
7. Disable System Restore and then reenable it again.
8. Immunize your system with SpywareBlaster (http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html).
9. Check if you have insecure applications with Secunia Software Inspector (http://secunia.com/software_inspector/).
Title: Re: Virus Causing Rebooting
Post by: tonynace on July 14, 2010, 05:13:29 PM
You can use a free partition manager to remove that space (if it is not the recovery partition created by Windows 7...).
Then you can resize the other one.
I suggest Partition Wizard or Easeus Master to do this job.

About the infection, I suggest:

1. Clean your temporary files.
2. Schedule a boot time scanning with avast with archive scanning turned on. If avast does not detect it, you can try DrWeb CureIT! (http://www.freedrweb.com/cureit/) instead.
3. Use MBAM (http://malwarebytes.org/mbam.php) (or SUPERantispyware (http://www.superantispyware.com) or even Spyware Terminator (http://www.spywareterminator.com/)) to scan for spywares and trojans. If any infection is detected, it is better and safer to send the infected file(s) to quarantine (Chest), rather than simply deleting them.
4. Test your machine with anti-rootkit applications (http://www.antirootkit.com/software/index.htm). I suggest avast! antirootkit (http://files.avast.com/files/beta/aswar.exe) or Trend Micro RootkitBuster (http://www.trendmicro.com/download/rbuster.asp).
5. Make a HijackThis (http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/files/hijackthis.php) log to post here or this analysis site (http://www.hijackthis.de/#anl). Or even submit the RunScanner (http://www.runscanner.net/) log to to on-line analysis.
6. Clean your Hosts file (replacing it) with HostsMan (http://www.abelhadigital.com) tool.
7. Disable System Restore and then reenable it again.
8. Immunize your system with SpywareBlaster (http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html).
9. Check if you have insecure applications with Secunia Software Inspector (http://secunia.com/software_inspector/).

I'll give those a try and let you know. Thanks.
Title: Re: Virus Causing Rebooting
Post by: tonynace on July 14, 2010, 05:22:58 PM
You can use a free partition manager to remove that space (if it is not the recovery partition created by Windows 7...).
Then you can resize the other one.
I suggest Partition Wizard or Easeus Master to do this job.

About the infection, I suggest:

1. Clean your temporary files.
2. Schedule a boot time scanning with avast with archive scanning turned on. If avast does not detect it, you can try DrWeb CureIT! (http://www.freedrweb.com/cureit/) instead.
3. Use MBAM (http://malwarebytes.org/mbam.php) (or SUPERantispyware (http://www.superantispyware.com) or even Spyware Terminator (http://www.spywareterminator.com/)) to scan for spywares and trojans. If any infection is detected, it is better and safer to send the infected file(s) to quarantine (Chest), rather than simply deleting them.
4. Test your machine with anti-rootkit applications (http://www.antirootkit.com/software/index.htm). I suggest avast! antirootkit (http://files.avast.com/files/beta/aswar.exe) or Trend Micro RootkitBuster (http://www.trendmicro.com/download/rbuster.asp).
5. Make a HijackThis (http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/files/hijackthis.php) log to post here or this analysis site (http://www.hijackthis.de/#anl). Or even submit the RunScanner (http://www.runscanner.net/) log to to on-line analysis.
6. Clean your Hosts file (replacing it) with HostsMan (http://www.abelhadigital.com) tool.
7. Disable System Restore and then reenable it again.
8. Immunize your system with SpywareBlaster (http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html).
9. Check if you have insecure applications with Secunia Software Inspector (http://secunia.com/software_inspector/).
Apparently, I can't do #2 as I have a 64 bit Windows OS. Why is there no provision for this? There are enough 64 bit systems out there now. I have a paid version of Avast also, so I should have this.
Title: Re: Virus Causing Rebooting
Post by: Pondus on July 14, 2010, 05:27:06 PM
avast 5 boot time scan
http://sites.google.com/site/spg20scottsweb/home/avast-5-boot-time-scan
Title: Re: Virus Causing Rebooting
Post by: tonynace on July 14, 2010, 05:31:15 PM
avast 5 boot time scan
http://sites.google.com/site/spg20scottsweb/home/avast-5-boot-time-scan
Yea, I found the tab to do it in Avast, but found out I could not do it because I have a 64 bit OS. Why doesn't Avast have a version for this OS?
Title: Re: Virus Causing Rebooting
Post by: Asyn on July 14, 2010, 05:49:50 PM
Yea, I found the tab to do it in Avast, but found out I could not do it because I have a 64 bit OS. Why doesn't Avast have a version for this OS?

5.1 will provide this feature. (out at the end of summer)
asyn