Yeah, I got that last night. Somehow my security software let this happen. Anyways I was surfing the web and ****, and all of a sudden I get a warning from someone other than my virus killing software. It said this:
Warning! Spyware Detected
Win32/Adware.Virtumonde. Detected
Win32/PrivacyRemover.M64 Detected
And now I can't even change my wallpaper because that little warning is my wallpaper. The desktop tab under properties is completely gone.
Anyways I tried taking a screen shot of both my background and the properties section, but when I bring up Paint.Net my computer automatically restarts.
So yeah I'm currently waiting for an answer from someone on Cyber Tech Help forums, but so far no one has answered. I did look around the forum and noticed that I wasn't the only one who had that problem, at least 4 others had the same exact thing occur.
But yeah if you know about this problem, than please do help.
Whenever that happens to me, windows does something automatically to fix it. Pretty ballin'.
If this is a laptop, you can send it in with your parents to their workplace and have their IT people take a look at it. That's what I did the first time.
I love Google.
http://www.google.com/search?q=Win32%2FPrivacyRemover.M64
You guys should really look at Google some time!!!!! :D
First link shows how to remove that one!
I was able to rid the problem, and I'm running a scan from my ISP security software. Anyways I just need to figure out how to put the desktop option back in the properties area.
Actually I was able to do the scan for about 2 hours, and then it did the same restart into a warning screen.
But yeah I have no idea of what to do next.
[quote]I'm running a scan from my ISP security software.
delete that now.
do everything manually from now on.
everything.
So far I've downloaded a few programs, like Ad-Aware, Spywareblaster. I tried installing Spy Bot S&D, but the file was corrupt. So I'll try that later.
As for the idea of doing everything manually, I'm just too lazy, but I can stop being a ***** and do it manually. It's worth a try though. With my ISP's security software (F Secure) it was working decently for a long time; I never had a virus problem or anything. But yeah I was kind of ****ed that a virus somehow got through. Anyways I might work a bit more cautiously now because of this.
Ok if I were you I would scrap whatever antivirus you are using now. Use [URL="http://free.avg.com/"]AVG[/URL], as that would have blocked whatever has infected your computer.
I would also use [URL="http://www.spybot.com/index2.html"]Spybot S&D[/URL], that has realtime blocking of spyware, and you can do the daily scans as well. It's one of the best I've ever used.
Because you can't always be too careful, get a second anti-spyware/malware program, I suggest [URL="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=435BFCE7-DA2B-4A6A-AFA4-F7F14E605A0D&displaylang=en"]Windows defender[/URL]. It works pretty good, and overall has decent reviews for being a Microsoft product.
Now I know you said you probably got rid of the stuff, but these suggestions are for the future. Right there is probably some of the best security you could find for free.
Also, do you even have a firewall?
Now, most likely the reason you don't have the desktop tab in your properties is because the buggerz wreaked havock on your registry and changed a key. Try doing this:
Start>Run and type cmd.exe and hit enter
Put this in the command prompt:
REG ADD "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" /V ClassicShell /T REG_DWORD /F /D 0
and hit enter. Let us know what happens.
I haven't even ****ed with my computer for a while now, I've been using this computer, the one with Linux (ubuntu). I might just try to contact the computer manufacturer of my old computer, and get a free copy of XP so I can just re-format and re-install windows. I'm usually too lazy to fix my computer when I get problems like these. But yeah I can't seem to get on it anyways. It usually freezes during startup at a black screen, sometimes at the login screen, and sometimes on the desktop.
So I might just get in contact with compaq to get a free copy of XP, since I have an OEM on my old computer. And they better send me that **** fo free man.
I sent an e-mail a while back to Microsoft about getting a free XP disc, but they said that I had to contact the manufacturer of the computer I purchased, or from the place I bought it. I doubt I can go back to the place I bought it and get a free disc, especially since it was like in 2004 or 05. I can't remember if I contacted compaq or not about that, but I might send them an e-mail.
If by any chance I do have to pay, how much would I have to pay towards HP?
But yeah, I'll contact HP about it.
I can't seem to find an e-mail to talk to them about this. It lists a bunch of them, but none having to do with my problem.
Found it. E-mailed them, hopefully I can get a free copy, because that'd rock for sure.