Ask A Geek

Q: Does Lime Wire create viruses on your computer?

Q: How do I get rid of the KesenjanganSosial.exe adware error?

A: The kesenjangansosial.exe program is a known part of several infections — viruses, adware, malware, etc. To stop the error that you have been experiencing, use respected security software to run a full scan of your entire computer. Do not be fooled by Microsoft’s Windows Defender program, which is built into Windows Vista, is not powerful enough to remove most infections. You will need to use security software that is more powerful. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: I have a Dell e1505 and I have had some trouble recently with viruses spyware and other unwanted programs on my computer. I have McAfee virus scan, Spybot, and Ad-aware se and ran each program multiple times. Each time I run them they come up with new problems and remove them, but my computer still runs incredibly slow and has random erratic behavior(pop-up adds and installation programs). I was wondering if there is anything I can do myself.

A: I would recommend a pop-up blocker if you don’t already have one. On other thing I would recommend is that you install a HijackThis to get a better look at what software is running on your computer that might be doing bad things. I had similar problems and this seemed to take care of it.

Regarding the slowness of the machine. I would make sure you are also defragmenting your hard drive and running the disk clean up utility. Another good idea is to delete your temporary internet files. I hope that one of these steps helps resolve your issues. You can get more information about these steps at our Windows XP Computer Running Slow article.

An Into Tomorrow listener submitted the following question!

Q: I am having a problem with my CPU usage at being 100% all the time. I have run three different programs: Regcure, Stopzilla, and Spydoctor. All of them have found problems and fixed them. The problem gets better for a while then it seems the checks seem not to work anymore. Can you please help? Also I am a Sprint customer and love the Treo 700.

A: Thank you for your question. As I have mentioned in previous answers here at AskAGeek.com, there is a little-known secret about computer viruses/spyware/malware. They often tamper with files and settings in your Windows-based computer. Deleting the viruses/spyware/malware themselves does not remove the malicious modifications that were made to your computer. These changes often result in your computer being more vulnerable to future attacks. This explains why your computer seems to be fixed for a while, and then is suddenly reinfected. Consider that even with his top software experts assisting him, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was recently unable to re-secure a Windows-based computer after it had been infected with malware. If the creators of Windows cannot fix an infected computer, how can people like you and me hope to do so? The answer is, we can’t! The best solution is to totally reinstall Windows. Here’s how to do that:

1. Create backups all of your important files using CDs, DVDs, or an external drive. Be careful to avoid creating backups of any infected files!
2. Use an uninfected computer to download and make a CD of the free GWSCAN utility. GWSCAN will allow you to “write zeros” to your computer’s hard drive. Writing zeros to your computer’s hard drive does a better job of erasing files — including viruses — than just reinstallation alone.
3. Now it is time for you to reinstall Windows. There are a couple of good ways to accomplish this. The best is to use the operating system disk that may have come with your computer. The more likely of the good methods is using your computer’s system restore disks. Do not use any system restore utility that is built into your computer. Doing so could allow your computer to be reinfected. Sometimes for free, but often for a small fee, the manufacturer of your computer can send you the appropriate disk(s).
4. It is important that you apply all security updates and install antivirus/spyware/malware and firewall software. Scan your backups before transferring them back to your computer. This will help you to prevent reinfection. I personally like Avast! 4 Home Edition (antivirus) and ZoneAlarm Free Firewall. I have tested these programs, both of which rival expensive security software in functionality and ease of use. These programs are free for most users.
5. It is worth mentioning here that operating systems such as Mac OS X and Linux are currently immune to viruses and most other security threats.

You state your love for the Treo 700; the Treo 700w is Windows-based and the Treo 700p uses the Palm OS. Either way, you might want to consider security software for your Treo 700. Since it offers protection for both Windows and Palm OS, Avast! 4 PDA Edition seems promising. You can also visit a reputable website, like softpedia.com, to search for more security software that will work with your Treo 700.

Good Luck!

Q: My computer continues to advise me that it has been infected with spyware and I cannot seem to get rid of it can you help me?

A: I am sorry to hear that you are having problems with spyware. Spyware (malware/viruses/Trojans) is one of the downsides of the every evolving Internet. More and more people come online every day and with this there are of course a few bad apples intent upon wreaking havoc upon Internet users of all sorts.

Your first defense against the bad guys is setting your Internet Options Security level to a High (or at least Medium) level. To do this, access Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Internet Options -> Security tab. Click the Custom Level button. Here you will see the Settings area, which will give you various choices about your browser’s behavior on the Internet. You can change these as you see fit, but you are generally okay if you set the Reset to field to High (or at least Medium), and click Reset. Then click OK.

Next, you want to be sure that you are running security software of some sort; Norton, MacAfee, Windows Live OneCare; it doesn’t really matter what you are running, as long as you are running something. Computers usually come with a security suite pre-installed and active for a trial period. Simply purchasing a license for the pre-installed software is often the easiest way to go.

However, simply running your security software is not enough. You will need to make sure that you update it regularly, usually once a week, but more often when there is a known security threat on the Internet.

To get rid of a pesky piece of spyware, as you seem to have, download a trusted spyware remover such as Spybot. You can find this or another trusted removal tool at Download.com. Simply download the software, run as directed, and gasp at all of the things the software finds on your system. Follow Spybot’s (or other application’s) instructions to dispose of the malware.

I hope this information helps!

Thanks,

Anne

Q: Recently, I ran Spybot and AVG. The two programs came back with viruses, which I deleted immediately. Now, I am having problems. One problem is with the response time and the other is that I cannot get on line. After my computer has been running for about 3 minutes, it automatically slows down with its response time. I opened up the task manager and noticed that both the winlogon.exe and csrss.exe are using all of the CPU, which is at 100%. I switched their priority level on the winlogon.exe from high to normal and the response time seems to be ok, even the number of the CPU remains between 50-70. From there, I re-ran Spybot and AVG and they came back with no viruses. However, I still have the some problems. I have done some research online, from another computer, and tried different avenues. One was starting my computer in safe mode. I did, and after 3 minutes of running the computer reboots itself back into normal mode. Is there a way to tap into the hardware and found out if there is a problem? Do you any suggestions what to do?

A: I am 99% certain of what your problems is, and of how to fix it. Something that most people don’t realize about computer viruses is that even after they have been removed, they still leave something behind. Let’s put this in human terms for a moment. Imagine that someone named Jane had a stroke a few years ago. That which caused the stroke is probably gone from Jane’s body by now. But Jane may still be dealing with the effects of the stroke. She may walk with a limp, not have full control of her facial muscles, and so on.

Computer viruses are similar to strokes in that damage caused by the viruses will remain in your computer even after the viruses have been removed. This is a secret that the antivirus companies do not want you to know! Of course, humans can undergo physical therapy to overcome the effects of a stroke. No such luck with computers and viruses I’m afraid… Repairing your computer will require reformatting your hard drive and reinstalling Microsoft Windows. Here are some instructions to help you:

1. Create backups of all-important data using external media (CD, DVD, or external drive)
2. From an uninfected computer with a CD burner, download the GWSCAN utility from Gateway Computers. Running the downloaded file from the uninfected computer will create a bootable CD-ROM that you can use on your infected machine.
3. Use the write zeros option in GWSCAN to do a full erase of all hard drives on your computer. Writing zeros to your hard drive is better than doing a normal re-install of Windows because normal re-installs sometimes leave old data behind — such as viruses.
4. At this point you will need the operating system disk that came with your computer. If you didn’t get an operating system disk with your machine, you may have gotten a “system restore” disk. WARNING: do not use any of the system restore utilities that are built into your computer, as they could allow you to get reinfected by viruses! If you do not have the necessary disks, contact the manufacturer of your computer to order them. In my experience, Dell will send you an operating system disk for free (or very low cost). HP will not send operating system disks, but will ship system restore disks to you for a fee. I encourage you to complain about this policy if you own an HP.
5. Reinstall Windows.
6. DO NOT transfer your files back to the computer until you have updated Windows, installed security software, and run a full security scan on the files.

Believe me, I know how annoying it is to have to reinstall Windows. But when a virus has infected your computer, there is little else left to do but start over.