The Gang of Five
Beyond the Mysterious Beyond => The Fridge => Topic started by: Noname on July 06, 2009, 09:02:34 PM
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Hi. My computer has some sort of massive virus or spyware... this crap usually hits around the 4th of July... anyway, my computer only operates in Safe Mode, which is what I am typing this in... the spyware is a fraud; it messes up my system and then asks for me to pay a sum of money to download something to "fix" it, and it changes my wallpaper to say that I've got spyware...
I've tried AVG and spybot, neither worked, so I am trying McAfee now... this really stinks...
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Aw, man that sucks! Sorry to hear that :(.
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That is terrible. I hope you get it fixed soon.
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Try Malwarebytes or Superantispyware.
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Instead of spending 10 hours trying to fix a system that probably needs a format anyways, just back up your data and format. Seriously....it's worth the $60-$80 to get a 500gb external hard drive just so you can painlessly format your computer every 6-12 months. Whenever I get a really bad virus, I just format. It takes MUCH less time and you never have to worry about that bug ever coming back. Now if you go to a lot of sites that have viruses, that's not an option for you. Just get a really good scanner.
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Honestly, I don't see the benefit of formatting the computer if other solutions are available. A rogue antivirus can be easily removed with programs like Malwarebytes and such. A reformat should only be used if all other options have been tried and failed, in my opinion, an absolute last resort.
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Well it also depends on how many files you have on your computer. I for one have around 3 MILLION files so it takes 10+ hours to scan with AVG. In less than 2 hours I can have the thing reformatted and working 100 times better than it did before I got infected.
It really is a good idea to format every 6 months. I'm pretty lazy when it comes to this though so I do it about once a year. :p Formatting shouldn't be looked at as a bad thing or something to do as a "last resort" but rather a healthy thing that your computer needs now and again to be at it's peak performance.
It just makes no sense to spend hour upon hour "fixing" the problem when you can spend less time by formatting and restoring your data. Even if you do "fix" the virus, your computer is still slow and full of junk. Chances are you only get 1 or 2 viruses a year anyway unless you're a porn junkie or something so why not use that opportunity to speed up your computer and get rid of the problems?
EDIT:
I should add that formatting your computer every 6-12 months can also help prolong the life of your processor, memory, power supply, and hard drive. If your computer is all junked up with crap it has to work a lot harder to do the things it needs to do therefore putting more strain on your components. Depending on environmental factors one of these components is more likely to fail than the other if you keep your computer junked up, but most of the time your hard drive is what benefits most from formatting.
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Hello:
They are all good options in my opinion. I hope noname's problem will be fixed soon.
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Ugh, I really hope this works out.
When all else fails, it might be a nice excuse to format your computer if it has been running for awhile since the last format anyway.
Otherwise, good luck, mate. :)