[Stang5Liter]

Sorry it took so long for an update. Been working crazy hours at work and I finally had a chance to work through the last post. I got down to step 3 and uninstalled the only security program left which was MBAM. It uninstalled it successfully and I got Kaspersky installed and running now. Computer running very well at this point so should I reinstall MBAM? I will wait for your next reply. BTW, thanks so much for your time and patience!!

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Yeah!!!

I will get back with further instructions after my instructor approves them!

Regards,

CompCav

[CompCav]

Yeah!!!

I will get back with further instructions after my instructor approves them!

Regards,

CompCav

[CompCav]

Yes please reinstall MalwareByte's and give me an update on how your computer is performing!

[Stang5Liter]

OK, got MBAM reinstalled and ran a quick scan and everything seems to be running smooth. No hiccups so far!!

[CompCav]

Subject to no further problems

I will remove my tools now and give some recommendations, but, I would like you to run for 24 hours or so and come back if you have any problems

Your log now appears clean

The following will implement some cleanup procedures as well as reset System Restore points:

Run OTL

• Under the Custom Scans/Fixes box at the bottom, paste in the following
  

  :Commands
  [resethosts]
  [emptytemp]
  [CLEARALLRESTOREPOINTS]
  [Reboot]

• Then click the Run Fix button at the top
• Let the program run unhindered, reboot the PC when it is done

Remove ComboFix

• Hold down the Windows key + R on your keyboard. This will display the Run dialogue box
• In the Run box, type in ComboFix /Uninstall
  (Notice the space between the "x" and "/")
  then click OK
  
  
  
• Follow the prompts on the screen
• A message should appear confirming that ComboFix was uninstalled

Run OTL and hit the cleanup button. It will remove all the programs we have used plus itself.

We will now confirm that your hidden files are set to that, as some of the tools I use will change that

• Click Start.
• Open My Computer.
• Select the Tools menu and click Folder Options.
• Select the View Tab.
• Under the Hidden files and folders heading select Do not show hidden files and folders.
• Click Yes to confirm.
• Click OK.

Now that you are clean, to help protect your computer in the future I recommend that you get the following free programs:

Malwarebytes.

Update and run weekly to keep your system clean

Download and install FileHippo update checker and run it monthly it will show you which programs on your system need updating and give a download link

It is critical to have both a firewall and anti virus to protect your system and to keep them updated. To keep your operating system up to date visit

• Microsoft Windows Update

To learn more about how to protect yourself while on the internet read our little guide How did I get infected in the first place ?Keep safe

[Stang5Liter]

Well, when I tried to run the first fix it came back with:

Cannot create file C:\windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

So I went into task manager and rebooted like we did last time it locked up trying to reset the hosts file. Is there a way to rebuild the hosts file when it becomes corrupted??

Here is the official log from OTL:


Files\Folders moved on Reboot...
File move failed. C:\WINDOWS\System32\drivers\etc\Hosts scheduled to be moved on reboot.

Registry entries deleted on Reboot...

[CompCav]

Reset Hosts File


Visit this link here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972034 and proceed with the Microsoft FixIt.

Lets see if that's able to reset your host file successfully.

[Stang5Liter]

I ran your program fix through OTL with the same result after I ran the Microsoft fix...


Files\Folders moved on Reboot...
File move failed. C:\WINDOWS\System32\drivers\etc\Hosts scheduled to be moved on reboot.

Registry entries deleted on Reboot...

[CompCav]

Files\Folders moved on Reboot...
File move failed. C:\WINDOWS\System32\drivers\etc\Hosts scheduled to be moved on reboot.

This is correct, it always does it on the reboot, it will not move it until reboot.

[Stang5Liter]

Files\Folders moved on Reboot...
File move failed. C:\WINDOWS\System32\drivers\etc\Hosts scheduled to be moved on reboot.

This is correct, it always does it on the reboot, it will not move it until reboot.

File move failed. C:\WINDOWS\System32\drivers\etc\Hosts scheduled to be moved on reboot.

This is the log that I get after reboot.

[CompCav]

scheduled to be moved on reboot.

The log is after reboot but it was completed on shutdown and presents itself early in the boot up process.

[CompCav]

If you open the hosts file with notepad it should have:

127.0.0.1 localhost
::1 localhost

or something very similar.

Regards,

CompCav

[Stang5Liter]

If you open the hosts file with notepad it should have:

127.0.0.1 localhost
::1 localhost

or something very similar.

Regards,

CompCav

How do I do that?

[CompCav]

Click on Start >> Accessories >> Windows Explorer
Navigate to c:\ >> Windows >> system32 >> etc
You will see Hosts click on it.
It will ask you what to open it with select Notepad >> Click OK
Now you should see the contents!

Regards,

CompCav

[Stang5Liter]

# Copyright © 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

127.0.0.1 localhost




This is the information that I got out of the first file. There are 25 backup files of HOSTS and then 4 other random files.