PC help needed!

[johncomic]

I run ESET NOD antivirus, Spybot and Malwarebytes on my PC, all recommended by the shop where I get the beast serviced. Despite running those three protective programs, a bug has gotten into my machine. Here's how I know:

- I can't update Spybot
- I can't get into Spybot's OR Malwarebytes's websites, my browser “can't find them”
- my Google searches are getting hijacked to unrelated undesired locations
- occasionally fake security warnings pop up

So something is pulling nasty tricks but my anti programs can't locate it.

Besides running these things, I have also run Avira, Stinger, and Combofix at other people's recommendation, all to no avail. The IT guys at my office tried to help. Malwarebytes support guy has been contacting me sporadically for weeks. This week I finally took it in to the shop. Just got it back today -- they told me that the updating and browser thwarting was all fixed. But they also admitted that they didn't know where the bug came from, or exactly what it was, or how to stop it from coming back. But as soon as I got it home, ALL the above problems were still there! So either the shop lied to me, or else by the most amazing stupid luck the bug jumped back in off the internet within minutes of me hooking the machine up at home!

I'm on the verge of buying a new computer (which we really can't afford now) as a “solution” to this problem -- hoping that the same mystery bug won't infect IT too! I have banking and income taxes and whatnot that I need to do, and I'm reluctant to do them on a machine that I know is compromised.

Please does ANYONE know what the eff is going on with my PC and how to fix it? I realize that if it has The Professionals stumped then odds are not in my favour, but no harm in asking, right?

Comments

[ginsu.livejournal.com]

You don't need a new computer. At worst, this should suffice:

• Back up your data to another drive
• Format your primary drive
• Reinstall your OS, apps, drivers, and patches (hopefully this will be easy because you have a complete, bootable backup on another drive, and you know it to be secure)
• You should now be able to update your anti-malware stuff
• Run your anti-malware software on your backed-up data on the other drive
• Migrate your data over to your main drive

[johncomic.livejournal.com]

Even if I had sufficient storage media on hand to back up my entire drive, I would not know how to format and then re-install XP. So yes, I am a victim of my own unpreparedness and incompetence.

[ginsu.livejournal.com]

Oh, formatting the drive and installing XP are easy. Most likely, the manufacturer included a restoration CD and you can just boot from it and follow the prompts.

As for the storage, external drives are pretty cheap and well worth the investment. A 500 MB external drive shouldn't cost more than about $75 US and will probably suffice to back up your PC and then some.

[johncomic.livejournal.com]

OK, I will dig around and see if I can locate said CD in my mass of installation discs. (I thought you meant one that I was supposed to have thought to prepare for myself beforehand or whatnot -- I'm pretty sure I wasn't clever enough to have thought of that).

[ginsu.livejournal.com]

Right after you're through, I suggest you create an image of the drive and stick it on the external.

This way, if security BS comes up again, you won't have to go through the whole painful format/installation/configuration process manually. You can just restore the drive from that image. (There ought to be a Windows tool that will do this job for you.)

When my Facebook account was compromised last year, I had no way to know if it was just that, or if my whole computer was compromised and the Facebook access was just one aspect of the larger issue.

So it was very handy being able to wipe the drive and restore from a safe image automatically. Probably saved me five or more hours of hands-on work.