Another MSN Virus

[Cyclaws]

There's another MSN virus I though I aught to warn you guys against (quite a lot of my contacts have attempted to send it to me).

If you see "check out these pics of us! http://p1392.pic-myspace.info" or similar, don't click on it. If anyone knows how to get rid of it for those who do have it, well, share.

[Plasma]

Duly noted!

[Alien King]

http://www.marketingshift.com/2005/12/myspace-aim-virus-warning.cfm

I have actually clicked said link but cancelled the prompted download. Not sure if it happend anyway.

Currently looking for a solution. Has anyone tried any anti-virus programs to see if they work?

[Cyclaws]

It prompted you to download it?!

And people... accepted? *sigh*

[Nuke]

If the virus is just add-ware or spyware, try get rid of it with Hijack-This.

Hijack This - http://download.hijackthis.eu/hijackthis_199.zip

Note: Best to do a system restore point if your not sure whats going on with this one. Its kinda complicated, but really effective.

- Download, run, "Do a system scan and save logfile".
- A notepad file should open. Copy everything in it and paste it here:
http://hijackthis.de/index.php?langselect=english
- Click Analyse.
= A webpage contrining all your spyware is displayed and it gives a general description and safety level. Eg Norton and Windows spyware is "safe" because its used for their autoupdate features. Cookie trackers are flagged as nasty.
- Make a note of the nasty files, do another system scan, tick the boxes of the "nasty files" and click "Fixed checked".

If it is another type of malware, a virus scanner should sort it out. Just google the name of the virus if you know it, there are usually articles on how to remove them from then on.

[UnKnown X]

It prompted you to download it?!

And people... accepted? *sigh*
If my memory serves me right, 90% use IE.

[bonz]

That's why I use Miranda IM.
And since yesterday Firefox and Thunderbird.

Against spyware I suggest Hitman Pro (http://www.hitmanpro.nl).

[pilot62]

Well, this virus viciously raped me earier. I was one of those contacts cyc talked about.

Laugh all you like, for I feel quite stupid at the moment. I never expected it to be a virus, it came from one of my freinds and I didn't give it a second thought.

Anyway, its for all intents and purposes stopped my internet access, for it works for about 20 seconds after I disconnect and reconnect, therefore downloading software isn't really an option. Is there any way you think I could get rid of it from my system?

Edit: Its also seemed to stop me running searches on my computer, which is bloody irritating.

[Plasma]

As on AlienKing's link:
There will be a file called dr.exe or drme.exe in the root of the drive where your operating system is loaded. Mine is on the C:\ Drive so it was located in root of C:\.

1. Delete C:\dr.exe or C:\drme.exe file.

2. Show all hidden files and folders in the Folder Options from the Tools menu in explorer.

3. Stop the SCVHOST.EXE service in Task Manager. NOTE: Do not confuse this with SVCHOST.EXE or it will cause your system to shutdown if you terminate the task.

4. Delete the file C:\Windows\scvhost.exe

5. Clear your temporary internet files from IE and all the offline content.

6. Delete the dr.exe from the C:\Windows\Prefetch (if it resides there)

[Nuke]

If your lucky, a system restore might do the trick, perhaps?

Edit: Just do what Plasma said :)

[pilot62]

As on AlienKing's link:
There isn't either of those files.

There is however, a myspace file, I'm just booting safe mode in order to delete it.

Edit: Haha, that got rid of the bugger! Hooray for the admin account!

[Alien King]

It prompted you to download it?!

And people... accepted? *sigh*

Indeed it did. Of course I realized that downloading something with a .exe as a file extension was not a good idea. Especially if I was expecting a link to a picture.

I also got the link from you, Pilot.


Seeing as I can't find any files and that everything works, I assume I did not get it (especially since I said no to the download).

If my memory serves me right, 90% use IE.

I would be part of the 90%

[Plasma]

If my memory serves me right, 90% use IE.
And me! I'm too lazy to figure out why I should switch!

[UnKnown X]

It's unstable, unsafe, slow, dysfunctional and generally terrible.

[Alien King]

It's unstable, unsafe, slow, dysfunctional and generally terrible.

Well, I've never had anything happen to me to make me judge it 'unsafe'. Neither has it been very unstable.

[pilot62]

I also got the link from you, Pilot.
Yea, you along with 6 others.

Sorry and all that.

Well, I've never had anything happen to me to make me judge it 'unsafe'. Neither has it been very unstable.AK, get Opera, I stayed with IE for ages, it always seemed fine, and only changed because tabbed browsing seemed like a good idea. But, when I have to use IE at school and such since, its noticable how terrible it is, now I'm used to mouse guestures, tabbed browsing, personal bar, the ability to re-open closed pages, general better looking browser, faster page loading, among other features.

[UnKnown X]

Personally, I never really liked Firefox, but it's worth a shot, too. You should try both Opera and Firefox, Alien King.

[Alien King]

Personally, I never really liked Firefox, but it's worth a shot, too. You should try both Opera and Firefox, Alien King.

Well I'm getting stuff sorted with Opera at the moment.

My school has firefox and I don't like it much.

[MrBunsy]

Well, I've never had anything happen to me to make me judge it 'unsafe'. Neither has it been very unstable.
A chap a microsoft conference my dad went to actually recommened Firefox over IE6, he said until IE7 is finished, FF is actually much safer.

The simple fact that it won't automatically run .info files stops you from getting 90% of these msn virii anyway.

[Alien King]

A chap a microsoft conference my dad went to actually recommened Firefox over IE6, he said until IE7 is finished, FF is actually much safer.

The simple fact that it won't automatically run .info files stops you from getting 90% of these msn virii anyway.

I was running IE6 when I was prompted for the download anyway...

In any case, I have Opera running instead.

[Cyclaws]

virii
It's viruses.

[Kelster23]

How do you get firefox? Does your internet provider have to switch for you?

[Cyclaws]

How do you get firefox? Does your internet provider have to switch for you?
Nope, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera etc are just browsers. You can try Firefox by downloading it here:

http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

[pilot62]

And opera here.

http://www.opera.com/

Personaly, I think opera's better, but not everyone thinks so.

[AndrewTaylor]

Opera has more features, and is a little faster, usually, once the thing's loaded. But Firefox is smaller and lighter and you can call it up a fair bit faster. Take your pick, really.

I like Opera, mostly for the fantastic Zoom feature, and the Really Shouldn't Be Useful But Is Totally Indispensable "Fit Website To Width Of Window" button.

[Plasma]

I just tried Firefox. It's noticably faster over IE, but lacks the round-friendlyness(?). It takes some getting used to.

And currently downloading Opera.

[AndrewTaylor]

Of course, a better solution to MSN viruses is Trillian. Trillian 3Basic is free and it has had more-or-less every single feature that the new MSN is supposed to have for years. Plus it lets you sign in to as many MSN, AIM, Y!IM, ICQ and IRC accounts as you like. And I've never known anyone get a virus through it.

[Xinos]

Uhm, didn't computer viruses go extinct like 4 years ago?

[Alien King]

Uhm, didn't computer viruses go extinct like 4 years ago?

You are existing in the same reality as us, right? I just need to check.

[Cisken1]

And me! I'm too lazy to figure out why I should switch!

Simple: http://www.killbillsbrowser.com/

[Plasma]

Simple: http://www.killbillsbrowser.com/
If anything, that would want me to switch back to IE!
The only valid excuse there is the 'ctrl +' thing.

[MrBunsy]

Uhm, didn't computer viruses go extinct like 4 years ago?
Well, these mostly count as spyware I think.

It's viruses.Darwnina calls them Viri, so I'm sticking to that even if I'm wrong. It sounds better :p

[pilot62]

Viruses sounds better, because its anglicised and therefore is more natural for those of us who have english as a first language.

[bonz]

Darwnina calls them Viri, so I'm sticking to that even if I'm wrong. It sounds better :p
Well, viri means men in Latin. (vir = man)
The word virus had no plural in Latin.

Sounds better, yeah, if you think your computer is infested by veeery little men.

[AndrewTaylor]

"Preclusion" sounds even better, and that doesn't mean "viruses" either.
Viruses sounds better, because its anglicised and therefore is more natural for those of us who have english as a first language.
It's not Anglicised; it's an English word. The latin word "virus" was a mass noun and had no plural form, like "slime" or "heat".
If anything, that would want me to switch back to IE!
The only valid excuse there is the 'ctrl +' thing.
The main reason you should switch is because you'll get fewer virus attacks and things. The political reason is because IE is being forced upon people by Microsoft's OS monopoly, and is deliberately non-standard to force websites to conform to Microsoft's standards over the W3C's The W3C's standards are open and Microsoft's are proprietary, so if that happens nobody will be able to effectively compete with them. That's plainly evil, not to mention illegal. Plus, you get features like mouse gestures, zooming, tabbed browsing, and so forth that you wouldn't think were that useful but soon become indispensible.

The real kicker, though, is that there's really no reason at all not to switch apart from ignorance, idleness and stubbornness. IE does nothing Firefox and Opera can't do better.

[MrBunsy]

Plus if everyone switches to browsers which follow the same standards, writing games in javascript becomes a hell of a lot easier. Currently my script has to detect which browser you have and re-write all the keystroke detection functions!

[bonz]

It's not Anglicised; it's an English word.
It definitely is a Latin word, though it has been used for a long time now.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus#Etymology

[AndrewTaylor]

It definitely is a Latin word, though it has been used for a long time now.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus#Etymology
Virus is a Latin word (and now an English word). Viruses is an English word. The Latin word "virus" has no plural, therefore "viruses" is not an anglicised Latin word, but merely an English word that has Latin roots.

[Pigbuster]

I'm all for everybody switching from IE, as it is smelly and doesn't have tabs, but I prefer Safari (mac only browser.) over Firefox.
I like Safari's interface better, and the fans of Firefox just annoy the hell out of me.
I mean, come on...
At ExplorerDestroyer.com we offer a free script that will automatically show a switch message to every IE user.

It's a new campaign to spread Firefox, [3.14]ss off Microsoft, and get paid. Now's our chance to finally torch Internet Explorer. Won't you join us?

I don't think that it'd [3.14]iss off Microsoft, it would [3.14]ss off the users, who will hate firefox. Good job, stupids.
And I wish that people would stop ripping on Bill Gates. Not only is he giving up the role of CEO, but he wants to be a philanthropist.

Never tried Opera, though. Probably should sometime.

[pilot62]

Yea, new problem, the virus mysteriously reapeared, in a slightly different guise, I got rid of it again, but its more than slightly unnerving.

Also, the search function in my computer still hasn't come back.

[AndrewTaylor]

And I wish that people would stop ripping on Bill Gates. Not only is he giving up the role of CEO, but he wants to be a philanthropist.

To be honest, I really don't like Gates. He was on TV a bit back saying how he wished he wasn't the richest man in the world, and yet as far as I can see all he would have to do to stop being so rich is to operate his own company ethically. If he was really a nice guy, that's surely what he'd do? He'd still have more than enough money to do charity work and live a life of luxury.

[pilot62]

Ooh, turns out it wasn't purely a malisious virus. No, it had a purpose. Popups.

Its installed loads of bloody programmes onto my PC, most of them to do with advertising.