Virus farked my PC
 

Had some trojan that I believe is cleaned. Avast and Spybot both run clear...

Only issue is when I click on a desktop icon to launch an application I get the prompt asking what I want to open the file with...even for executables.

So for instance I can click on firefox.exe, get the prompt and select firefox to open the file with, which does launch firefox. Same thing for photoshop etc...

The apps seem to run fine after that.

Thoughts on how to fix?

thanks,

-spence

That's 7 feature it's in the security settings.

icons are tricky
 

ever notice how they are always changing
or your being asked to clear un used ones

or getting re positioned or sometimes won't open stuff
they opened yesterday

it's all those updates i swear! although JOHNR and i agree to disagree
on that topic -LOL

try making a new icon for each one affected and see what happens,
when ya get one to work delete the older one.

it's why i make my own custom ICONS

Should have said this is XP.

-spence

could be firefox
 

when i switched over to a later version of firefox
the icons wouldn't work for several things
error message city

then i started changing (checking) icons by trial and error
eliminating those that popped errors
and that ended that...

not making light of your situation ...tho

Hm, that's a tricky one. Sometimes you wish it would ask "open with" all the time but could get to be a pain. I would say you need to play with default settings but in XP its not so obvious as it would be in win7 where they make selecting defaults a big issue.

Any time you get a virus, your safest bet is to back up all your data and do a clean install.

It's a pain in the rear but is the most effective method for truly cleaning your system and avoid all the headaches that come after an infection, like what you're dealing with.

I agree with this. I setup a nice backup system i have it image my pc every week and put it in an external 2 terabyte hd its called Acronis.

Huh?!

What if you back up the virus?Damn fine chance after running your antivirus and several different malware programs that some remnant of the virus still exists and then you might still back it up!

So you're saying run all the security apps then backup personal files and then reinstall windows and then reinstall months(if not years)worth of upgrades?That's a solution:confused:

i attack the virus
i am the anti virus program

all ya have to do is isolate the "when"
and search it out that way
looking for strange .exe files

searching with asterisk (wild card) *.exe

anything that you have no knowledge of

Now a days, a computer virus typically comes from websites that have been compromised. It then infects system files, changes configurations, screws with system files and opens up holes that could be exploited even after multiple AV and malware programs confirm it is gone. For the most part, gone are the days that you download a Word file that executes a macro and infects all other word files. If you properly scan the files you back up, chances are extremely slim of actually backing up the virus and even if you do, chances are also slim that you'll execute it again.

What does it matter if there are "months (if not years) worth of upgrades"? Upgrades to what, Windows? Run Windows Update a couple times and you're caught up within an hour.

I typically do a clean install every 6-8 months or whenever my computer starts acting flakey. Takes about 3 hours from the time I put the Win7 disk in, until I'm back to where I need to be with all programs installed and updated, along with all my files transferred.

JD has a good plan of action, I also do this every 6-8 on my work machine, the home machine about twice as long, I have to pry my son off of the drivers seat.

The home one is more locked down, and we've still gotten nailed with several malware hits from scam sites he's unintentionally hit.

Again...huh?

You will actually do a clean install of windows every 6-8 months?To avoid a "flakey" computer?And you'll wait 3 hours to do so?

And you'll do all this to avoid a virus that your antivirus program should've taken care of to begin with?

Again HUH?!?!?!?!?!

Btw windows update takes a "little" more than an hour to catch up after a clean install,in some cases more than a day in your own admission at least three hours.

To each his own... doesn't matter to me. Don't like my method, you don't have to use it.

Also, Windows Update has never taken "more than a day" to update and that's including the time it takes to download the files - maybe it would take that long on a dial-up connection because of the painfully slow download speed. You must have misunderstood something, takes me about 3 hours to install windows, update drivers and get all my software/files copied back over.

Next you're gonna say there's no need to have a backup copy of your files...

I have an acronis image made up after a clean install.I fully updated the OS and installed all of the programs I use then I made the back up.Now if I need to back up I will have all of my programs and be updated at least until the date I made the image.Made a boot disk on dvd and keep that and a windows boot disc on hand.I run a program called Tuneup Utilities that fixes shortcuts .Not sure if it works in XP but it does in win7.I am the only one that uses my PC so it never gets viruses or spyware.

Spence - did this get resolved?

Acronis is fair: C, Shadow Protect is pretty stinking good: B+

Cannot stress enough how good / important backups really are.

If you value your data, you have a prevention and recovery strategy. I should probably put together an article/post on quick & dirty backup.

Ha, no..just been dealing with it. I only use this PC for surfing and storing digital photos...

Have been too busy to put too much effort into it.

I bought a 1t drive to image my wife's Macbook when she fried it, so I might just upgrade this machine anyway to get a USB2 port and backup to the external. This is a really old and slow box...

-spence

John i also have and use Shadow Protect IT edition but its way to powerful for the regular user Acronis is more user friendly.