downloads, adobe and others

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

now it may be genuine but ive downloaded adobe
flash player yet many sites are giving a pop up
that it needs to be installed.

just in case ignored link and went to adobe site,
installed, think still getting pop up blocker saying
need to install.

this is on IE, my firefox is fine.

just concerned as heard theres virus/malware making
out is a legit upgrade, not sure if as a windows upgrade,
so suggest watch out.

my daughter got a virus "system tools 2011" it got past avg 2011 full and pops up virus found and disables all avg and other parts you need to find it,nasty little bugger it were!

[(RIP) PLANK]

cheers, i just started a scan to be on the safe side

she may have "let it past " avg but with name like system tools youd think it part of windows and maybe inclined to allow it acess!

[clivvy]

it could be that a function of IE needs to be enabled, but generally installing Adobe flash player is simple and straight forward. Wise to do a scan, but i'd post on here what the pop ups say if it continues to bother you....

[clivvy]

Originally Posted by jace

she may have "let it past " avg but with name like system tools youd think it part of windows and maybe inclined to allow it acess!

your right Jace, thats a current virus doing the rounds. So far, we have found a system restore gets rid and it isnt much bother, but i suspect that leaving it onthe system for too long will result in more problems.

combofix is a handy tool for virus's like this....

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

well my machine is still fresh from system restore having had anti virus 2011
or similiar trojan/malware.

ended up on a full restore as couldnt clear it.

but watch out it survived somehow, despite using cd rom recovery disc.
somehow it was in ram as well, but a file from kerpsesky killed it
eventually, something to do with a google link re router!

now so wary, in fact trying to use just firefox for browsing as feel is faster
and more secure...

then gettingthese pesky dns issues every time restart machine, has led me
to just leaving it switced on, with site on a minimised window.

i keep ff secure mode, no cookies or history so only pain is entering passwords
that would normally be saved.

[lacroupade]

Originally Posted by Thomas-the-Terrano2

well my machine is still fresh from system restore having had anti virus 2011
or similiar trojan/malware.

ended up on a full restore as couldnt clear it.

but watch out it survived somehow, despite using cd rom recovery disc.
somehow it was in ram as well, but a file from kerpsesky killed it
eventually, something to do with a google link re router!

now so wary, in fact trying to use just firefox for browsing as feel is faster
and more secure...

then gettingthese pesky dns issues every time restart machine, has led me
to just leaving it switced on, with site on a minimised window.

i keep ff secure mode, no cookies or history so only pain is entering passwords
that would normally be saved.

It won't have been in RAM - it doesn't work that way; if you format a hard drive and do a clean install theres no way on earth a virus can get back on unless you then reloaded a personal data file that was holding it.

The drill in such circumstances is to run a complete AV and spyware check on whatever media you stored your data on before reloading it.

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

havent put any old data back.

was a rom disc

avg said couldnt remove trojan as was in ram
yet kerspky did, well this is debate we had on fb as i recall.

whatever it did, but seems clear now.

[lacroupade]

Originally Posted by Thomas-the-Terrano2

havent put any old data back.

was a rom disc

avg said couldnt remove trojan as was in ram
yet kerspky did, well this is debate we had on fb as i recall.

whatever it did, but seems clear now.

lol! But seriously, yes a virus can propogate in RAM, but RAM only 'works' when your machine is powered up - as soon as its switched off everything in RAM is permanently lost, so it had to have come from something infected that you put back on the machine ya bad boy!

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

deffo no, clean install, no memory stick data brought back, only fresh
download from ms, avg etc.

suggest when powered up, was in a start file to copied to ram which
survived the recovery?

and adobe still wants to install itself on nearly every ie site i go to
despite installing directly from them....

hence in firefox now.

[lacroupade]

Well trust me Rich, SRAM and DRAM are completely volatile, i.e. incapable of holding any data when powered off, so come up again completely devoid of anything, even a cobweb LOL. Certainly stuff can hide in there when powered on but no electricity = no stuff.

The only place something might have been hidden would be a virtual memory slot on your hard drive - which is why I always do a "C: format" when I do a reinstall. Did you do a full disk format? If not that might have been the cause?

I hate unsolved mysteries.....

[macabethiel]

A couple of my mates have had the same virus, they use MS explorer, luckily I was talked into using firefox about three years ago by son-in-law who works in IT systems and I have been spared the pain of virus infection.

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

was a full destructive, as wanted to be sure was clean fresh start.

cdrom was in drive, and having powered lappy up, used f8 i think
to invoke the process.

yep i know the principles, studied computer science to well hnd/bsc
in a past life, just choose not to work last 20 years in the industry.

remember when a mouse on a computer was just for fun a graphic
tool, long before WIMP, bbc/amx/turtle graphics c.1983!

[lacroupade]

Originally Posted by Thomas-the-Terrano2

was a full destructive, as wanted to be sure was clean fresh start.

cdrom was in drive, and having powered lappy up, used f8 i think
to invoke the process.

yep i know the principles, studied computer science to well hnd/bsc
in a past life, just choose not to work last 20 years in the industry.

remember when a mouse on a computer was just for fun a graphic
tool, long before WIMP, bbc/amx/turtle graphics c.1983!

I remember starting to learn WordPerfect years ago when you had to type Ctrl/+)&*%$$£" just to get italics....I gave up after about ten minutes.

The only thing I'm wondering - and I don't know the answer - is that while a C:format will destroy everything, whether the "format" the install disk runs might ignore virtual memory on the HDD....could even be that it there was another partition on the HDD (which the install format will igonore), like you often get for OS stuff as opposed to data, and the little beggar was hiding there? Because as I'm sure you know, even a clean reinstall can leave the original OS in place in its own little slot...and on XP I think it is, you will often get a flash screen on startup asking which one you want to run.

Still, guess we'll never know - now I'm feeling all depressed and inadequate