My husband paid to download spyware-help7 two months ago. I'm not sure if this is the cause of our current computer trouble (disasterously slow), but I'd like to at least look at this thing that he bought and find out what it is. When I googled it, all that came up that specifically mentioned it was a post here on this forum.

I'm not very computer literate, so it's been a difficult problem for me to chase down. I'm using a HP Pavilion a1330n with Windows XP. We have Norton 360 anti-virus software, as well as Spyware Doctor. I've run Spybot four times, it now says we're clean, I'm runnning a Stinger scan now. I have yet to run Ad-Aware, but it's on my list. I have a Hijackthis log as well, but I can't read it.

I wasn't here when he downloaded the software, and the only thing he was able to find to tell me anything about it is the charge they made on his credit card, that's how I found the name spyware-help7.com.

I really appreciate any help anyone can give me.

According to McAfee SiteAdvisor, that site is not trustworthy.

http://www.siteadvisor.com/sites/spyware-help7.com

You, or your husband, are probably better off requesting refund and/or calling your CC company and canceling the payment.

About what to do with that application now installed, it is perhaps better to wait for someone qualified to post here with instructions how to proceed.

Was the program you bought called one of the following :

IEDefender/IE-Defender
IEAntivirus/IE-Antivirus
MalwareBell
FilesSecure/Files-Secure

You found your way there because that is a generic help page that connects to all of their scan applications .

The way it is advertised is by a trojan that either installes through web exploit or from fake movie codecs .

The warning that you recieved that prompted you to download this was not from windows , it was from the trojan .

The system is infested with malware now. I strongly recommend that you follow CastleCops' Malware Removal and Prevention procedure, a system CastleCops devised to enable users to either partially, or fully clean their systems without the direct aid of an expert.

Please read these instructions carefully. You will find the Malware Removal and Prevention Procedure here:

http://wiki.castlecops.com/Malware_Removal_and_Prevention:_Introduction

If that doesn't fix the problem, then go to this Forum, read the instructions at the top of the page carefully:

/f67-Hijackthis_Spyware_Viruses_Worms_Trojans_Oh_My.html

Follow these instructions:

/t102301-Hijackthis_Guidelines_Read_Before_Posting.html

and one of CC's trained 1st Responders or Security Experts will help you.

Note to everyone: You must be a CastleCops member to post for help in the HJT forum. Do not post a HJT log anywhere other than in our HJT forum. If you post them here or in other forums, they will be deleted or ignored.

You probably will need some live assistance after you complete the MRP since rogues like that download all kinds of garbage.

I went thru all the steps. At one point when I used the anti-malware program, my machine seemed totally better, and then when I rebooted, I found out it wasn't...

Here's my HJT log thread:
/p1088028-Completed_Malware_removal_pc_still_not_right.html#1088028

Thanks so much for your help. I'd be LOST without you folks!