You're Ready for cleaning.

At CastleCops we screen all HijackThis logs for errors, out-of-date versions, unupdated operating systems, omissions and P2P applications; getting you [READY] for cleaning by our 1st Responders and Security Experts. Now you wait for one of them to come help you.

going over your logs it don't seem to be a maleware issue you could try to open a topic -here- and ask about it
some of the questions that they will ask is have you installed any new programs or updated windows lately or maybe even trim the programs that start up at the startup.

Update Java

Please download JavaRa and unzip it to your desktop.

• Double-click on JavaRa.exe to start the program.
  
• Click on Remove Older Versions to remove the older versions of Java installed on your computer.
  
• Click Yes when prompted. When JavaRa is done, a notice will appear that a log file has been produced. Click OK.
  
• A log file will pop up. Please save it to a convenient location.
  

Reboot computer now

Download the latest version of Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 6 Update 7.

• Scroll down to where it says "The J2SE Runtime Environment (JRE) allows end-users to run Java applications".
  
• Click the "Download" button to the right.
  
• Select your Platform and check the box that says: "I agree to the Java SE Runtime Environment 6 License Agreement.".
  
• Click on Continue.
  
• Click on the link to download Windows Offline Installation and save it to your desktop. Do NOT use the Sun Download Manager..
  
• Close any programs you may have running - especially your web browser.
  
• Then from your desktop double-click on the download to install the newest version.
  

This is my general post for when your logs show no more signs of malware - Please let me know if you still are having problems with your computer and what these problems are

:remove tools:

Let's clear out the programmes we've been using to clean up your computer, they are not suitable for general malware removal and could cause damage if used inappropriately.


Please download OTMoveIt and save it to desktop.



• Double click OTMoveIt.exe to launch the programme.
  
• Click on the CleanUp! button.
  
• OTMoveIt will download a list from the Internet, if your firewall or other defensive programmes alerts you, allow it access.
  
• Select Yes when the "Begin cleanup Process?" prompt appears.
  
• If you are prompted to Reboot during the cleanup, select Yes.
  
• When finished exit out of OTMoveIt
  
• The tool will delete itself once it finishes, if not delete it by yourself.
  

:Clean temp files:

Download and Run ATF Cleaner
Download ATF (Atribune Temp File) Cleaner© by Atribune to your desktop.Double-click ATF Cleaner.exe to open it.

Under Main choose:

Windows Temp
Current User Temp
All Users Temp
Temporary Internet Files
Prefetch
Java Cache
*The other boxes are optional*
Then click the Empty Selected button.


if you use Firefox:

Click Firefox at the top and choose: Select All
Click the Empty Selected button.
NOTE: If you would like to keep your saved passwords, please click NO at the prompt.


if you use Opera:

Click Opera at the top and choose: Select All
Click the Empty Selected button.
NOTE: If you would like to keep your saved passwords, please click NO at the prompt.



Click Exit on the Main menu to close the program

:Set correct settings for files:

• Click Start > My Computer > Tools menu (at top of page) > Folder Options > View tab.
  
• Under "Hidden files and folders" if necessary select Do not show hidden files and folders.
  
• If unchecked please check Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)
  
• If necessary check "Display content of system folders"
  
• If necessary Uncheck Hide file extensions for known file types.
  
• Click OK
  

:clear system restore points:

This is a good time to clear your existing system restore points and establish a new clean restore point:



• Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore
  
• Select Create a restore point, and Ok it.
  
• Next, go to Start > Run and type in cleanmgr
  
• Select the More options tab
  
• Choose the option to clean up system restore and OK it.
  

This will remove all restore points except the new one you just created.

:Make your Internet Explorer more secure:

please visit this page that gives instructions to do this
http://surfthenetsafely.com/ieseczone8.htm

:Turn On Automatic Updates:

Turn On Automatic Updates
1. Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then press ENTER.
2. Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click to select one of the following options. We recommend that you select the Automatic (recommended) Automatically download recommended updates for my computer and install them

If you click this setting, click to select the day and time for scheduled updates to occur. You can schedule Automatic Updates for any time of day. Remember, your computer must be on at the scheduled time for updates to be installed. After you set this option, Windows recognizes when you are online and uses your Internet connection to find updates on the Windows Update Web site or on the Microsoft Update Web site that apply to your computer. Updates are downloaded automatically in the background, and you are not notified or interrupted during this process. An icon appears in the notification area of your taskbar when the updates are being downloaded. You can point to the icon to view the download status. To pause or to resume the download, right-click the icon, and then click Pause or Resume. When the download is completed, another message appears in the notification area so that you can review the updates that are scheduled for installation. If you choose not to install at that time, Windows starts the installation on your set schedule.

or visit http://www.windowsupdate.com regularly. This will ensure your computer has always the latest security updates available installed on your computer. If there are new updates to install, install them immediately, reboot your computer, and revisit the site until there are no more critical updates.

:antispyware programs:

you have a couple of good antispyware programs on this computer but you still can try some of these others to see if you like them also

I would reccomend the download and installation of some or all of the following programs (all free), and the updating of them regularly:



• WinPatrol As a robust security monitor, WinPatrol will alert you to hijackings, malware attacks and critical changes made to your computer without your permission. WinPatrol takes snapshot of your critical system resources and alerts you to any changes that may occur without your knowledge.
  
  
• Spybot Search & Destroy - Spybot is a tool like Ad-Aware SE whereas it seeks out and removes known spyware from your machine. These two tools (Ad-Aware & spybot) are perfect complements to each other as one will most always find something the other missed.
  
  
• Spyware Blaster - By altering your registry, this program stops harmful sites from installing things like ActiveX Controls on your machines.
  
  
• IE_Spyad - Works by placing known "bad" sites into your Internet Explorer "Restricted Zones" prohibiting them from doing potentially problematic things to your computer.
  
  

Consider a custom hosts file

Consider a custom hosts file such as MVPS HOSTS. This custom hosts file effectively blocks a wide range of unwanted ads, banners, 3rd party Cookies, 3rd party page counters, web bugs, and many hijackers.
For information on how to download and install, please read this tutorial by WinHelp2002
Note: Be sure to follow the instructions to disable the DNS Client service before installing a custom hosts file.

please read this great article by miekiemoes How to prevent Malware:
and
this great article by Tony Klein So How Did I Get Infected In First Place

Now you have followed my advice - it's time to lodge a complaint against what you have suffered.........

Malware Complaints
If you were infected .... Stand Up and be Counted.

I'd be grateful if you could reply to this post so that I know you have read it and, if you've no other questions, the thread can then be closed.


Gringo

Thanks a lot for the help Gringo. I'm glad to hear that you think I have some pretty good protection already and the advice that you offered was quite helpful, I feel like I've learned some more about protection my computer. I'm thinking of trying out those 2 other protection spyware programs that you mentioned in your post.

I have 2 last questions though:
1) Is it necessary to install ATF Cleaner if I already have CCleaner? I'm not basically sure if they're the same or not but I was just curious...
2) If I use firefox do I need to make my internet explorer more secure?

Once again thanks for the help. I'm finally glad that my computer is running better than before. I think that trojan that we found and eliminated with malwarebytes was causing some problems for my computer.

Innerfratboy

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