HELP - Virus/Spyware Removal

SwingsitlikeHogan

SwingsitlikeHogan

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Picked up new laptop for Mrs SILH this morning and have downloaded Firefox. Immediately I seem to have infected it with virus/spyware - Foxstart; Launch One System Care and PC Driver Kit. I am soo pissed off at being so careless - even although McAfee is running and I would have hoped would have stopped it.

I can search on how to uninstall but how do I know I am not being directed to rogue sites that will just make things worse?

Advice please
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
actually it's One System Care (the 'Launch' bit looks to have just been added for the shortcut)
Click to expand...

Did you download it directly from the Mozilla website or via a third party? I've never had that issue when I've installed Firefox.

You could restore you laptop to an earlier version before you installed Firefox.
Try Malwarebytes AntiMalware and Super AntiSpyware. If you run both their free scans they can detect and delete most viruses between them.
CCleaner can help you to remove unwanted programs as well.

I am sure lots of other people will provide other solutions.
 
Robster59 said:
Did you download it directly from the Mozilla website or via a third party? I've never had that issue when I've installed Firefox.

You could restore you laptop to an earlier version before you installed Firefox.
Try Malwarebytes AntiMalware and Super AntiSpyware. If you run both their free scans they can detect and delete most viruses between them.
CCleaner can help you to remove unwanted programs as well.

I am sure lots of other people will provide other solutions.
Click to expand...

I must have downloaded Firefox from somewhere other than the Mozilla website (careless fool).

I have been able to uninstall all the programs that have been installed. Easy to spot them as they are all dated today. But I'm guessing that might not sort things. Looks OK. But obviously as the laptop is brand new I could restore now with nothing lost. Though I'd have to look into how to do that.
 
Download and install free (versions of) Anti-Virus software like Panda and get them to do a full scan!

Likewise your favoured Anti-Malware tool.

I'd recommend Avast as an alternative to Panda, but have gone off it as it doesn't completely uninstall, leaving an annoying stub that asks me to 'complete WX installation by installing Avast'! And that's even after using some (free) full uninstall products!

Actually belay performing the above - though you should download an anti-virus tool!

One System Care is one of the many 'system cleanup' products that are either auto downloaded if you use 'the wrong' button to download your desired product, or by failure to turn the auto-download off when you are downloading some desired product (like Firefox).

You should be able to simply uninstall it!
 
Last edited:
Foxholer said:
Download and install free (versions of) Anti-Virus software like Panda and get them to do a full scan!

Likewise your favoured Anti-Malware tool.

I'd recommend Avast as an alternative to Panda, but have gone off it as it doesn't completely uninstall, leaving an annoying stub that asks me to 'complete WX installation by installing Avast'! And that's even after using some (free) full uninstall products!

Actually belay performing the above - though you should download an anti-virus tool!

One System Care is one of the many 'system cleanup' products that are either auto downloaded if you use 'the wrong' button to download your desired product, or by failure to turn the auto-download off when you are downloading some desired product (like Firefox).

You should be able to simply uninstall it!
Click to expand...

Thanks sir. The laptop has come with McAfee trial installed so not sure why they got through - unless McAfee let's them through as non-virus - even though not ideal - it did flash up a warning. I am sure that I did as you suggested - and downloaded it from a 'wrong' and non-Mozilla location and so got the rest of the rubbish - about half dozen in total. I managed to uninstall them all - apparently successfully.

Maybe I'll just download Chrome rather than Firefox as Mrs is more used to Chrome in any case.
 
brendy said:
Given its only new. I'd perform a factory restore.
Click to expand...

I'm inclined to do that. Seems straightforward enough but I'm rather nervous about doing it...

The only thing I've put on it is Microsoft Office Professional - purchased from Microsoft. But even if I can't reuse the download link - it only cost me £9.95 through work so no big deal to buy it again.

If I do the factory restore will it be exactly as I got it out of the box? (I know that sounds a stupid question but I don;t know about these things)
 
Last edited:
brendy said:
Given its only new. I'd perform a factory restore.
Click to expand...

Factory restore commenced. I have 99% confidence that that'll get me back to where the laptop started yesterday morning when I took it out of the box. The 1% is because I don't really know what I'm doing and what I'd do if the restore went wrong :confused:

Lesson Learned - I must be very aware and careful about the download source of anything I download - even when looking to download the most commonly used software. It can come from sites that look genuinely like the suppliers/vendors but may not be what they seem.
 
Yea, itll do the job spot on, as if you had just unboxed it. The download link should still work too.
Get macafee off there and get either avast or Avg on instead, they do a much better job.
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
Factory restore commenced. I have 99% confidence that that'll get me back to where the laptop started yesterday morning when I took it out of the box. The 1% is because I don't really know what I'm doing and what I'd do if the restore went wrong :confused:

Lesson Learned - I must be very aware and careful about the download source of anything I download - even when looking to download the most commonly used software. It can come from sites that look genuinely like the suppliers/vendors but may not be what they seem.
Click to expand...
 
brendy said:
Yea, itll do the job spot on, as if you had just unboxed it. The download link should still work too.
Get macafee off there and get either avast or Avg on instead, they do a much better job.
Click to expand...

We'll get there - Windows now installing and 32% done. :thup: Will :whoo:when 100% and I'm back to 'as bought'.

Then I'll get Office installed - and maybe then Chrome.

Any other browser worth considering as an alternative given I have been stung by being careless over Firefox?
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
We'll get there - Windows now installing and 32% done. :thup: Will :whoo:when 100% and I'm back to 'as bought'.

Then I'll get Office installed - and maybe then Chrome.

Any other browser worth considering as an alternative given I have been stung by being careless over Firefox?
Click to expand...

Firefox I fine, just make sure you download it from Mozilla or somewhere like CNET.

If you want to try something else, opera is ok too.
 
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