Ok, so my computer threatned the end of the world was near...

Curbside Prophet

...and I'm not joking either. It certainly was almost the end of the world for my computer anyway.

I was searching for window blinds online when it happened, and I guess I did one too many clicks for my computer's liking. Where out of nowhere my computer froze and mysterious music began to play...and dialogue between two people could be heard. One normal sounding person asked about the end of the world and his demonic counterpart explained precisely when it would occur. Too soon for me, so I shut my computer down saying you've got to be f'n kidding me!. Only with a little more between 'f' and 'n'. Only to restart my computer and find a new desktop background. Where there once was a beautiful pic of Elsa now showed a warning message that my computer was going to explode, or something to that effect.

Silly me hadn't renewed my anti-virus and spyware programs soon enough. So, let this be a lesson to me, if not you...keep those programs active and updated.

Thankfully the voices had gone, and I could manage to renew my programs, do the scans, and remove most of the problem. But that darn desktop background would not go away. I spent at least 5 hours running through scans, restarting my computer, doing all the things I thought I needed to do, but I still had a touchy freezing problem and that warning message that wouldn't go away.

So in disgust I started searching for a new computer ...that was until I understood my next computer and tastes did not match what I wanted to spend. So out of curiosity I tried to track down what this infection was, and it's some trojan named virtumonde, and I guess it's pretty difficult to get rid of. I know Webroot Spy Sweeper and Trend Micro couldn't do it!

In my search for more understanding I stumbled across a site appropriately named bleepingcomputer.com, a forum dedicated to computer problems just like this one. Where I learned about a free spyware program called SuperAntiSpyware. It was free, and it systematically removed the problem, along with 40 other infections my other programs did not even detect.

So the moral of this story is, I hate PC computers more now than ever and I'm feeling more like a Mac person everyday.

KelliCZ

I'm glad you got it fixed

I had to laugh though since my husband and I are both in the window treatment biz - I think you should buy local not online

Curbside Prophet

I'm going to highly consider your recommendation. And would you recommend a window treatment retailer versus, say, Home Depot?

KelliCZ

Yes I would - We get many customers from Home Depot since the job was botched by them.

jesirose

I bought blinds at Home Depot. The window was a custom size, so I told them how long to cut the blinds. They asked if that included the space to put around the blinds, like not the actual size of the window but how long I wanted the blinds. (Wide? whatever). I think it was 60". I told them exactly these words "The window is 60.5". I want the blinds 60". Exactly 60". I watched him cut them and saw the measure on the machine read .5" short, making the blinds 1" less than I wanted. I asked him if he got the right width and he measured it in front of me and said it's 60".

I got home, measured them with my own tape, and saw that it was in fact, 59".

What the f dude? I SAW you do it, why would you LIE right to my face? I had to drive back there and yell at them to get them to re-cut it, and I brought my own tape measure and checked them there. The woman who cut them the second time had the audacity to tell me I didn't need to measure them because she said they were right. Yea. right.

That was just the latest problem with Home Depot. Before that is was my washer and dryer where they sold me the scratched up floor model without telling me, delivered them the wrong day, and don't even ask about the fridge.

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Curbside Prophet

jesi, I think I'd rather having my computer talking to me in a creepy voice than to to have those problems.

AkiraleShiba

Jesirose - the same thing happenned to me, they screwed up the measurement and didn't cut it straight but I was so angry that I yelled, got reimbursed for the blind and the cut and went somewhere else!

Curb - Did you try It's Virtumonde be gone I read that it's a Keyloggger so be careful ... maybe you sould call a computer guyorreformat your PC? Good luck

MyCharlie

That's freaky!

Yesterday while surfing petfinder () I clicked on a dog and started getting warnings too. Nothing about the end of the world LOL but it seems like it mentioned SuperAntispyware and I needed to run a scan and it was downloaded and please click run to start the program and all that stuff. I don't even HAVE SuperAntispyware. Strange. Luckily for me (it was DH's work laptop ) I was able to close it out without anything further happening.... yet anyway.

Curbside Prophet

I just ran it and it says I'm clean, so that's good...but I've discovered another problem...or two.

When I use Mozilla Firefox and do a Google search, if I click on one of the search results I alsways get redirected to a different website than the one listed. But only with Firefox. The search works fine behind my AOL browser.

And...no creepy voices, but late last night it started playing random music bits and radio segments. So after much hard effort my computer is still possessed. I keep banging on it asking for the gremlins to come out, but maybe if I take my tower and lovingly toss it out of the window will extract them?

Bellasmom

Thanks for the link Curbside Prophet. You wouldnt believe what all was found on my computer and healed. My computer is running alot better now!

jesirose

CP you need to take it to a shop, you got hosed

And DO NOT go to Best Buy or one of those places, find a specifically computer repair shop.

Curbside Prophet

I think I've got it all cleaned up. I believe part of the problem was in not deleting the infected files in quarantine that all my spyware and anti-virus programs had found. I did that, and not only is my computer not talking back at me, the Firefox Google search is working properly again, and my computer is running much quicker than before.

I considered taking it in for repair, but this computer is on it's last leg. It probably has a higher salvage value than worth to have it professionally repaired. But don't tell my computer that, nor that I want to replace her soon. Shhhhhh. Now if I could only stop looking at building a gamer computer system I might actually find a computer I can afford.

Filnyyena

Thank you for the link and I am sorry about your problems

I have two virus scanners that my dad's computer dude installed on my computer when I experienced tremendous lag on my games, starting the computer itself, and browsing the web, and I experienced weird unexplained crashes.

Anyway, one is Spybot Search and Destroy and the other is Ad-Aware SE Personal.

Turns out I had like four trojans and other nefarious things..

I believe they are free also..

I am running another search from the link you provided..and already it has detected 170 objects in 2minutes.. Thank you for providing the link and I hope your computer is fine.

FriendsOfZoe

I just love my mac. mwahahaha

briteday

Don't be fooled, Mac's also have their share of problems, and even more so now that the IPhone has been released.

Also watch out for a trojan horse named Antivirus Vista/XP 2008. It starts sending you pop ups that you have thousands of infections on your computer and IF YOU BUY THIS PROGRAM "Microsoft....." for $49.99 you can solve all your problems. Problems is, nto a legitimate Microsoft anything going on here. And in the meanwhile it messes with your search capability and takes away your desktop background as well as your home page.

I have been using AVG free as a daily scanner for infections on my computer. Although it hasn't stopped everything it does also catch about 300 spyware / adware programs EVERY DAY!!!! In addition if you happen to acquire the trojan horse I mentioned there is a reputable free program called Malware that will safely remove the infection. However, this infection does mess with your registry so it is best that you have a bsack up copy for your computer before going forward.

Curbside Prophet

Yup, had that problem too. Most of the Google searches I was describing went directly to a link for that.

I've heard a lot of good things about AVG, in fact we use it at work, and I don't recall having any issues like this with my work computer. However, my work computer also works dreadfully slow when it's running, so that's a bit of an annoyance, but probably more reason to get a faster computer.

And your computer was still running?

For the most part I think what my computer had was harmless, amusing to an extent, but really annoying. Somewhere somebody is making money off these jokes...today it looks like I fixed it for free. So thanks for continuing my good computer juju.

Mr Pooch

LMAO about the end of world conversation Curb,thats pretty freaky too though i might have thrown mine out the window for fear of being possessed!!!!!!!!!

Ahhh the comfort and bliss of the Mac.ha ha

Filnyyena

Lol yes. It is a tough bugger..Custom built from the ground up..not by me of course, I am not tech savvy..

I was gone for four months and unplugged everything..came back and everything was plugged back in so I know people were using my stuff. My computer was slow, did an AVG free scan, I think, and it caught another trojan or something bad. Did another scan with what you supplied today and ended up with 900 items I believe.

But like you, I believe they were harmless.. No doomsday message for me

And I have a macbook now for internet browsing too Mr Pooch I've grown waaay too used to this keyboard..I can't go back to my PC for anything but printing and gaming rofl. Macs are superior working computers!!

Kuma'sMom

Thanks for the link! I downloaded it, and found 145 objects.

duck_girl

O.O
*glances at own computer nerviously. runs away*

seriously, that is really freaky!!

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