Trojan help

[Colin]

I recently posted about the constant disconnections I was getting when d'loading torrents ( although it can happen at other times too) - I've tried as gazillion things but it's still happening. Yesterday when it disconnected, as soon as I connected again I got 5 warnings from AVG about a Trojan called 'Collected.Z' - AVG healed them and removed them to the virus vault. Now every time time I get disconnected they all come back again as soon as I click on the 'connect to the internet' button.  I'm not sure if they've maybe been there for a while , just weren't picked up by AVG and have been the cause of the disconnections all along. Whilst removing them Firefox got corrupted and won't work anymore either.

Any tips on how to remove this once and for all ? I've Googled but all the links are in the kind of techie gobbldegook that I just don't have a clue about. Might a system restore work ? I've never done this before - would I lose everything that's been put on my PC since the point I restore to ?

[Colin]

The virus seems to be spawning offspring each time I get disconnected - it's gone from 5 warnings, to 10 and now 18.   

[Kim]

Yes Colin, I'd try a system restore, I've done it, but not with that particular Trojan.

I've Googled your Trojan & it brings up loads of info, just trawl through, you may find the answer there.
Good luck!

[Pammy]

Colin - a system restore is unlikely to get rid of it. You might need to reformat and reinstall windows 

Try doing a restore back to a coupole of weeks ago and see how you go from there. You will get the otpion to keep files you've created since the restore point but you need to be carfeul you don;t simply reinfect yourself 

I had a trojan a few months ago and ended up having to do a full system rebuild

[GingerLeo]

I'd go with the reinstall as well. You can sometimes just go around in circles trying to get rid of something. You usually feel better about the computer knowing your starting afresh.

Just a thought, but if you do alot of downloading and browsing it may be worth your while buying a cheap basic computer/lappy to use for just these things. It can save alot of hassle in the long run.

[Colin]

Thanks everyone. System Restore would only let me go back as far as 15th feb and it hasn't shifted the Trojan - so it looks like I'll have to reinstall windows.

I've got an external hard drive I can transfer photos and videos to - apart from that the only things I'd like to save are stuff like Nero, DVDSanta, Winrar, Winavi etc. Should I bite the bullet and wave goodbye to these programmes, just to be on the safe side ? As well as the 'Collected.Z' trojan, I've now got two others called Proxy.KPU and Generic3TKJ. All the various parts of the viruses seem to be located in the temp folders, although one just says it's on the C drive and doesn't specify where.

[Cob-Web]

the only things I'd like to save are stuff like Nero, DVDSanta, Winrar, Winavi etc. Should I bite the bullet and wave goodbye to these programmes, just to be on the safe side ?

Can't you reinstall them afterwards? I tend to keep all my .exe files that I haven't got disk for in a separate folder, so that when I do system rebuild, I can find them again without having to re-download them 

[GingerLeo]

If your wary about sticking the programs on your hard drive cos there infected then you could burn the programs onto cd/dvd's??

Virus check the programs before you reinstall them again.

[Colin]

Thanks Ginger Leo - that sounds like a plan. How would I run a virus check on the discs prior to installing them again ?

Rachel - the progs I mentioned aren't free - stoopid here didn't keep a list of the passwords. 

[Pammy]

Thanks Ginger Leo - that sounds like a plan. How would I run a virus check on the discs prior to installing them again ?

Before you install the proggy open up your virus package, pop the disc in your PC and scan the disk - done deal

.................. - stoopid here didn't keep a list of the passwords. 

Stoopid? Who? Where?  ner ner ne ner ner Colin is a numpty 

[Colin]

 

Ah I see now - AVG has a 'scan selected areas' bit - I'd never noticed that before - being the numpty that I am. 

[Gilly]

Colin, if you are healing it with AVG and then doing a System Restore you are restoring the Virus back on your system again 
You need to turn off SR by going into SR and then System Restore Settings on the left and turn off SR. You need to heal with AVG and then try all the free Anti-Spywares and run full system scans. Get rid off all the rubbish and then go back into system restore and set a new restore point. Restart your PC and then go back and turn SR back on again.

[Colin]

Thanks Gilly, I'll give that a go - I did wonder about turning the system restore off but wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. Can't find all the driver discs at the moment to re-install everything, so fingers crossed that might work - I've been trying to sort it all day, must have done about 8 full scans already. 

[Colin]

I don't want to count my chickens or anything - but that seems to have worked - no more virus threat warnings, the scans are all clear and I've stopped getting disconnected. So a tentative, fingers crossed, big thanks Gilly. 

One other question though - does anyone know what winchill.exe is ? When the virus started showing, AVG kept popping up a box saying it was trying to access the internet and did I want to approve it ? It happened again after the system restore, as soon as I tried to connect to the internet - I'd never heard of it prior to the virus problems and Google doesn't show any results for it.

[GingerLeo]

Your right there's not much about Winchill.exe, its not even listed as a virus/trojan on the norton or mcafee sites.

If you run your systems scans and spyware programs again does it not pick it up at all?, tbh when you've had a few viruses on your com id still be inclined to scrub it and start again.