Computer Help/Question

[TickTockMan]

Last night my virus protection (Avast!) told me I have a virus. It suggested I restart my computer and let it do a scan before Windows came on. I let it and it found a few corrupted files, which I told it to place in the chest (quarantine).

Now though my computer won’t open any apps. I can open files and I can open jpegs, but nothing else will open.

Any idea what I should do or what is going on? I have never had a problem with Avast! before and I have been using it for about two years now. Short of erasing everything and starting over is there anything I can do?

 

[GamerBear]

Look at the files that you put in the chest to see if they might be files that are needed.

AVAST has done this in the past due to a update which the program said important computer files were infected and it put them into quarantine. Best to look through it and see if those files be needed.

 

[TickTockMan]

Look at the files that you put in the chest to see if they might be files that are needed.

AVAST has done this in the past due to a update which the program said important computer files were infected and it put them into quarantine. Best to look through it and see if those files be needed.

I can't. My computer won't let me open anything, except jpegs and file folders.


If you mean go find quarantine as a folder, I couldn't find it, but I am also not very good with computers. I did find the AVAST folder though. There was nothing I could open, besides the folders themselves.

 

[GamerBear]

So your AVAST doesn't open up when your computer starts?

Is there any way you can go back to a system restore point before this happens? You can usually do this when you start the computer and it shows where you can restore your computer to factory settings or restore from a certain date.

 

[TickTockMan]

So your AVAST doesn't open up when your computer starts?

Nothing opens. I have a few things that are suppose to open when I first turn my computer on. None of them open and I can't make anything beides jpegs and file folders open by clicking on them.

Is there any way you can go back to a system restore point before this happens?

My computer said I never made a restore point. I thought I did though.

You can usually do this when you start the computer and it shows where you can restore your computer to factory settings or restore from a certain date.

I am trying to reset my computer to the factory settings now. I am hoping it will work.

 

[looseliam]

What do you see when your computer loads? Do you see all your icons on the desktop?
How are you opening jpeg files?
What other files are you able to open; what applications?

When you say you're unable to open anything else, do you mean a program, or are you unable to open/read other file types?

Stay away from system restore. Also do not reset to factory defaults. The latter sometimes will wipe the main partition and thus delete all your data.

 

[GamerBear]

I am trying to reset my computer to the factory settings now. I am hoping it will work.

Though I wouldn't of preferred to use factory settings, I would of just tried to do a restore from a certain date.

But if looseliam says system restore is dangerous then I guess don't use it. Don't know why the have it in the first place if it was dangerous to use.

 

[looseliam]

System restore is neat in theory. But it tends to do more harm than good. If the system made a restore point before every software installation, etc. then perhaps.

Most of the time the system restore causes more problems than it fixes.

Now if MS could implement something like ZFS and snapshots...

 

[T-Rexx]

I would back up the files you need from your hard drive and reinstall windows.


For this approach, you will need:

1) A computer with internet access.

2) A CD or DVD drive capable of burning disks

3) An external hard drive or flash drive(s) big enough to hold all the files you want to save from the computer.


Download a live Linux distro like Knoppix or Mint.

Burn the iso you downloaded to a CD (or DVD) as bootable.

Boot your Windows computer from the CD/DVD. Knoppix (and most other Linux distros) will boot and run completely from the CD/DVD drive without installing to the hard drive.

Use Knoppix to recover everything from your Windows computer that you need. All your images, documents, videos, whatever. Back them up to a flash drive or an external hard drive.

Reinstall Windows, and reformat your hard drive when you do so.

Reinstall all your programs and drivers.

Copy your backed-up files back to your hard drive.


Knoppix cannot be installed to your hard drive. It is designed to run only from the CD/DVD drive. However, after you have reinstalled Windows, it is worth considering installing some Linux distro (e.g., Mint) to your hard drive in a dual boot with Windows. When you plan to surf, boot into Linux instead of Windows. Then, no more viruses, no more malware, no more worries. Open all the email attachments you want, and visit the nastiest web sites you can imagine - they can't hurt you. You're bulletproof.

And it's free.


The three Rs of working with Windows: Reboot, Reformat, and Reinstall.

 

[Corny]

I know this kind of malware. It uses a file as a windows shell for running programs. So everytime you run a program, the malware is loaded, too. Now your virusscanner removed the malware, and windows believes the needed file for running any program is missing.

You need to fix this in the registry. Try to run regedit. If it does not work, find regedit***** and rename it to regedit.com.

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\FileExts

Check if there is an entry for exe files. If yes, backk it up (export) and then delete it.

Go to the following registry paths and ensure that those standard commands are there:
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open\command]
@="\"%1\" %*"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\exefile\shell\ open\command]
@="\"%1\" %*"

if not, create them, and you should be fine to go.

 

[TickTockMan]

Thanks for the posts guys, but as I said in post five I already reset to factory settings. I was stressing too much to wait. I needed to know if my laptop was going to work again.


Everything seems to be fine now. I just have to get back all of my stuff (AOL, Foxfire, etc). This is the first time Avast as let me down. I don’t know if I should be disappointed or not. Luckily I am anal about saving my files to a hard drive so I didn’t lose anything I can’t get back.

 

[looseliam]

At least you were keen enough to backup your date - well done.

 

[GamerBear]

Thanks for the posts guys, but as I said in post five I already reset to factory settings. I was stressing too much to wait. I needed to know if my laptop was going to work again.


Everything seems to be fine now. I just have to get back all of my stuff (AOL, Foxfire, etc). This is the first time Avast as let me down. I don’t know if I should be disappointed or not. Luckily I am anal about saving my files to a hard drive so I didn’t lose anything I can’t get back.

AVAST has done this is the past where it thinks important files are spyware so it deleted them or puts them into the virus chest. Maybe there really was a bad file on your system and it removed it just like Corny said.

Good to know you back up your stuff. I need a bigger hard drive just in case this happens to me.

 

[TickTockMan]

AVAST has done this is the past where it thinks important files are spyware so it deleted them or puts them into the virus chest. Maybe there really was a bad file on your system and it removed it just like Corny said.

How long does it take before a virus starts working? I was reading a book and not even on my computer when Avast popped up and said I had a virus.

Good to know you back up your stuff. I need a bigger hard drive just in case this happens to me.

I have three hard drives and and two USB drives. My most important file is on each. My space equals about 3 1/2 TBs.

Sometimes it is nice to be paranoid.

 

[uslad7]

Try using Microsoft Security Essentials. It's gotten good reviews in the past. I used Avira, then MSE. Never Avast though.