Computer bug

[lawdog]

I got a fake warning message coming up for "Spyware Protect 2009 alert".

Is there a good free way to get rid of these???

thanks.

[Jackpine Rob]

It is malware, and you need to get rid of it.

Reboot your machine, and hit F8 as it is booting back up. You need to get into Safe Mode with Networking.

Once there, open up your browser and go to Malwarebytes.org

Download the free program, and run a scan on your machine. Follow the prompts to get rid of the stuff.

Reboot, and you should be back to normal.

Unfortunately, that particular malware worms its way into a few hidden places, and it is likely you will have the thing pop back up in a week or two. I talked to our tech consultant yesterday, and he reports that a few of these programs are nearly impossible to eradicate entirely - but you can manage them by running a spyware/malware cleaner as needed.

Good luck!

[hoggs222]

I found this on the spyware-411 site. Hope it helps.

How Do You Remove Spyware Protect 2009 Files?

Need help figuring out how to delete Spyware Protect 2009 files? While there’s some risk involved, and you should only manually remove Spyware Protect 2009 files if you’re comfortable editing your system, you’ll find it’s fairly easy to delete Spyware Protect 2009 files in Windows.

How to delete Spyware Protect 2009 files in Windows XP and Vista:

1. Click your Windows Start menu, and then click “Search.”

2. A speech bubble will pop up asking you, “What do you want to search for?” Click “All files and folders.”

3. Type a Spyware Protect 2009 file in the search box, and select “Local Hard Drives.”

4. Click “Search.” Once the file is found, delete it.

How to stop Spyware Protect 2009 processes:

1. Click the Start menu, select Run.

2. Type taskmgr.exe into the the Run command box, and click “OK.” You can also launch the Task Manager by pressing keys CTRL + Shift + ESC.

3. Click Processes tab, and find Spyware Protect 2009 processes.

4. Once you’ve found the Spyware Protect 2009 processes, right-click them and select “End Process” to kill Spyware Protect 2009.

How to remove Spyware Protect 2009 registry keys:

Spyware Protect 2009 warning Because your registry is such a key piece of your Windows system, you should always backup your registry before you edit it. Editing your registry can be intimidating if you’re not a computer expert, and when you change or a delete a critical registry key or value, there’s a chance you may need to reinstall your entire system. Make sure your backup your registry before editing it.

1. Select your Windows menu “Start,” and click “Run.” An “Open” field will appear. Type “regedit” and click “OK” to open up your Registry Editor.

2. Registry Editor will open as a window with two panes. The left side Registry Editor’s window lets you select various registry keys, and the right side displays the registry values of the registry key you select.

3. To find a registry key, such as any Spyware Protect 2009 registry keys, select “Edit,” then select “Find,” and in the search bar type any of Spyware Protect 2009’s registry keys.

4. As soon as Spyware Protect 2009 registry key appears, you can delete the Spyware Protect 2009 registry key by right-clicking it and selecting “Modify,” then clicking “Delete.”

How to delete Spyware Protect 2009 DLL files:

1. First locate Spyware Protect 2009 DLL files you want to delete. Open your Windows Start menu, then click “Run.” Type “cmd” in Run, and click “OK.”

2. To change your current directory, type “cd” in the command box, press your “Space” key, and enter the full directory where the Spyware Protect 2009 DLL file is located. If you’re not sure if the Spyware Protect 2009 DLL file is located in a particular directory, enter “dir” in the command box to display a directory’s contents. To go one directory back, enter “cd ..” in the command box and press “Enter.”

3. When you’ve located the Spyware Protect 2009 DLL file you want to remove, type “regsvr32 /u SampleDLLName.dll” (e.g., “regsvr32 /u jl27script.dll”) and press your “Enter” key.

That’s it. If you want to restore any Spyware Protect 2009 DLL file you removed, type “regsvr32 DLLJustDeleted.dll” (e.g., “regsvr32 jl27script.dll”) into your command box, and press your “Enter” key.

Did Spyware Protect 2009 change your homepage?

1. Click Windows Start menu > Control Panel > Internet Options.

2. Under Home Page, select the General > Use Default.

3. Type in the URL you want as your home page (e.g., “http://www.homepage.com”).

4. Select Apply > OK.

5. You’ll want to open a fresh web page and make sure that your new default home page pops up.

Spyware Protect 2009 Removal Tip

Is your computer acting funny after deleting any Spyware Protect 2009 files? I recommend using a program like File Recover from PC Tools. File Recover saves deleted files that otherwise can’t be recovered by Windows operating sytem.

Want to save time finding Spyware Protect 2009 files? Download Malwarebytes, let it find the Spyware Protect 2009 files for you, and then manually delete Spyware Protect 2009 files.

[Whoaru99]

Go to MajorGeeks dot com malware removal forum. Follow the instructions in the "read and run me first" sticky thread.

Yes, it's sorta long and tedious, but it's virtually guaranteed to completely clean your computer of stuff you may not even know about. Much better than the typical hit-or-miss, let's chase it around for a week or two, approaches.

Of course, if you don't have much to lose on the computer and have all the disks, a complete format and clean reinstall might be quicker in some cases.

All the tools required by the Major Geeks process are free, afaik, or at least have a free trial period.

[Neighbor_guy]

My parrents got this one. I am not sure how they got rid of it, but for some reason it came in as a change in the clock on the computer. It is set for the time in seatle WA, when they tried to change it back they got the bug. They got it fixed and 3 days later, West Coast time... now they just leave it, but I am not sure what to make of it.

[lawdog]

Thanks guys. Seems to have done the trick. I did most of these different suggestions...thought I could get at it several ways. We'll see when it pops back up.

Sure would like to have a few minutes alone with these folks who write this malware garbage!