Bewildered by malware! All my apps disappeared!

[ozarknature]

Hello friends,

I am a newbie when it comes to diagnosing and repairing malware attacks. I got hit with something serious and would appreciate any suggestions you'd care to offer!

First, let me describe my system: HP Pavilion dv6 3010us 64-bit laptop with 4GB RAM running Windows 7, SP 1. Yesterday I was trying to update some drivers that I thought were outdated. I was complacent and let my guard down. Some free driver update software directed me to some site from which I downloaded what I thought were legitimate drivers.  I don't know for sure that this was the source of the problem but right after I installed the drivers I noticed that several of my applications seemed to vanish. Within 10 minutes or so nearly every application on my hard drive had disappeared, including the McAfee antivirus and firewall service I was using at the time (I have been a longtime user of Avast but I was given a free subscription to the full McAfee suite so switched over and now I regret it!).  The documents and files created by all these apps (including MS Word, PDFs, etc) seem to all be intact and undamaged but I can't be sure since I can't open any of them.

The only browser I can use is Google Chrome, although Java has disappeared so I'm limited in what I can do online. Luckily I can post to this site!  :-)

I can launch Internet Explorer but it won't display any websites.  I can download software so long as Java is not required in the download process. I was able to download Avast with no problem and install it but when I ran the scan it showed no infections. I was also able to download Microsoft's malware removal tool but the scan turned up nothing either.

I downloaded TrendMicro's HouseCall software but it stalled on repeated attempts to download program updates. I was able to download Hijack This but as I don't know what to make of it I am turning to you experienced folks for advice before I do anything.

Where do I go now, short of wiping my hard drive and re-installing everything?  I'd like to avoid that if possible.

Thanks in advance for any ideas, suggestions, assistance, etc. 

David Orr
Fayetteville, Arkansas

[Pondus]

Follow this guide from our expert malware remover Essexboy
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=53253.0
( post the logs here and not in the guide )


To avoid using multiple post with copy and paste you have to attach the log`s
Lower left corner: Additional Options > Attach ( Malwarebytes log / OTS log ) save OTS log as ANSI

Essexboy will look at the logs when he arrive here later today...

[ozarknature]

Hello,

Thank you, Pondus, for your prompt reply and helpful suggestions. I went to Essexboy's 'Guide' and followed the instructions. However, I could not fully install and run Malwarebytes AntiMalware; the definitions updates would not download when I tried to run the program. I assume this is the malware interfering with the download.

As directed in Essexboy's Guide post, I downloaded and ran OTL.exe, which did work. I am posting the two files generated by that program. However I will have to post these files here separately as together they exceed the file size limit. I'm attaching the OTL.txt file with this post and will attach the Extras.txt file in my next post.

Here is a link to my post in the Geeks To Go Forum which Essexboy recommended I post to if I had a particularly difficult problem. That forum did allow me to post both log files in the same posting.

http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/topic/306067-mystery-malware-attack%3B-makes-almost-all-applications-disappear-leaves-documents-intact/

Again, any further advice you can provide will be most gratefully appreciated.

David Orr
Fayetteville, Arkansas

[ozarknature]

Here is the second log file from running OTL.exe:  Extras.txt

[Pondus]

essexboy is notified

he will be back here late uk time, usually around 08:00pm - 11:59pm   unless he replys to you in geeks to go forum where he is at daytime

[essexboy]

Yep picked it up at G2G