Salvaging an infested PC with no internet connection

frivolous_fay

Hiya,

I've volunteered to sort out a friend's PC. It's definitely got at least one trojan, I suspect a lot more. ('your privacy is in danger' desktop)

I intended to do a quick fix and reformat, but I've evidently gone about it the wrong way and simply reinstalled Windows :rolleyes:

As I've wasted a fair bit of time already, I started trying to research fixes on my networked PC - most seem to involve requiring a network connection, but I'm not happy hooking up this PC to the network.

I can download software and copy it across, no problem, but I can't connect directly. (The last thing I tried was Spybot, which evidently tried to connect, and gave up when it couldn't)

Am I stuffed? Or should I just engage brain and reformat? :rotfl:

espresso

frivolous_fay wrote: »

I can download software and copy it across, no problem, but I can't connect directly. (The last thing I tried was Spybot, which evidently tried to connect, and gave up when it couldn't)

Am I stuffed? Or should I just engage brain and reformat? :rotfl:

Spybot was trying to get the latest definitions but you can manually download those from here.

You should be able to sort it out without a reformat/reload of everything.

frivolous_fay

Thanks,

I downloaded 'Detection Updates' but when I try to install it it asks for the location I've installed Spybot in. Spybot isn't installed because it couldn't connect.

Did I download the right one?

LittleJo

Hi,
Download useful things, SPYBOT, ADAWARE, AVG etc on to your PC.
Copy them to a CD.
Install them on the rogue PC.
Run them.
All should then be well.
I have done it and it works!
Jo

espresso

frivolous_fay wrote: »

Thanks,

I downloaded 'Detection Updates' but when I try to install it it asks for the location I've installed Spybot in. Spybot isn't installed because it couldn't connect.

Did I download the right one?

You would have to download the Spybot program and also the latest update files on another machine and then transfer them over on a flashdrive etc. to install them on the problem machine.

frivolous_fay

I'm sorry... I'm in IT but viruses etc aren't my normal thing.

Which of these is the latest update? (Sorry it's a mess)

Detection updates 2007-11-07 -

productdescription




Tools update 2007-08-01 - product description Advanced check library update 2007-01-19 - product description TCP/IP Plugin 1.0 - product description

I have the spybot program on a disc. It won't install without connecting.

espresso

frivolous_fay wrote: »

I'm sorry... I'm in IT but viruses etc aren't my normal thing.

Which of these is the latest update? (Sorry it's a mess)

The first download on the link that I gave is for the program Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.5.1 and the next one down is the latest updates.

frivolous_fay

That's what I thought - when I try to run the updates, the first thing it does is:

'This will update your Spybot - Search and destroy detection rules. Please choose the program folder:'

I took that to mean 'The program folder where Spybot is installed' but it isn't installed. Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

espresso

frivolous_fay wrote: »

That's what I thought - when I try to run the updates, the first thing it does is:

'This will update your Spybot - Search and destroy detection rules. Please choose the program folder:'

I took that to mean 'The program folder where Spybot is installed' but it isn't installed. Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

I have just downloaded the updates and at the chose a folder stage, I simply left the default path and it installed the updates fine.

LuciferTDark

OR pop the Windows CD in & choose to format the partition which will wipe everything off giving you a clean hard drive to install to.

espresso

LuciferTDark wrote: »

OR pop the Windows CD in & choose to format the partition which will wipe everything off giving you a clean hard drive to install to.

Yes but that is the typical PC World fix for every problem and is usually tiotally unnecessary!

:rolleyes: