Malware: Pop-Ups, Browser Problem

Hallo.

I have a range of probs, hopefully all connected.

First, two icons in my System Tray which periodically throw up the following bubbles / boxes:

Second, When I launch IE it sends me here: http://www.syssecuritysite.com/ via "about:blank ", even after I change the Home Page back to Google.
Third, I keep getting pop-ups for a range of services from gambling to anonymous sex.
Fourth, whenever I click links involving the submission of data it has started to ask me whether I really want to do this, even though I have the box checked where it says "Don't ask this again ".

I have used: Ad-Aware 6; SpyBot-S&D; Sophos Anti-Virus; Ewido Anti-Spyware 4.0. SpyBot-S&D couldn't find a problem. Ad-Aware 6 found something called Istsvc-A which it claimed to have deleted and then has found and "deleted" every time since. Sophos Anti-Virus found Istsvc-A, shredded it, and hasn't been able to find it since - but I still have the above problems. I have just downloaded Ewido Anti-Spyware 4.0 which first found and killed two things which made no difference to the problems and now appears to have crashed.

I think that's pretty much it. Any ideas?

Chris

 

Hello Chirs and welcome to the forums.

This very much sounds like one of the many SmithFraud variants infecting your machine.


Seeing as you already run a multitude of scanners, lets do some deeper digging and see what else shows.

Please download HiJackThis v:1.99.1
DL the zip file to your desktop, then create a new folder on your C drive, called 'HJT' or 'HijackThis'. Then unzip the files to the new folder. When you run HijackThis.exe from C:\HJT folder and have it "Fixed checked" it will create a backup file of modifications to use if restore is necessary which is easily accessible. When you run HijackThis.exe from C:\HJT folder and have it "Fixed checked" it will create a backup file of modifications to use if restore is necessary which is easily accessible.

Run the program, and press Scan. You will notice the Scan button will turn into a "Save Log" button. Save the log and Post that log into this topic. DO NOT DELETE or modify anything yet, as some of it is needed to keep your system in good shape.

 

Here ya go.

Logfile of HijackThis v1.99.1
Scan saved at 20:23:26, on 04/07/2006
Platform: Windows XP SP2 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP2 (6.00.2900.2180)

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\system32\dcomcfg.exe
C:\Program Files\Virtual CD v4 SDK\system\vcsplay.exe
C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_06\bin\jusched.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\khooker.exe
C:\Program Files\Messenger Plus! 3\MsgPlus.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\BTBROA~1\Help\SMARTB~1\BTHelpNotifier.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\PANICW~1\POP-UP~1\PSFree.exe
C:\Program Files\Sophos SWEEP for NT\ICMON.EXE
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Works Shared\wkcalrem.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\drivers\CDAC11BA.EXE
C:\Program Files\ewido anti-spyware 4.0\guard.exe
C:\Program Files\BT Broadband 210\Help\bin\mpbtn.exe
C:\Program Files\Prime95\prime95.exe
C:\Program Files\Sophos SWEEP for NT\SWNETSUP.EXE
C:\Program Files\Sophos SWEEP for NT\SWEEPSRV.SYS
C:\Program Files\Sophos SWEEP for NT\SWUPDATE.EXE
C:\Program Files\Virtual CD v4 SDK\system\vcssecs.exe
C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe
C:\Program Files\SiteAdvisor\SiteAdv.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\atmclk.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Yahoo!\browser\ycommon.exe
C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe
C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe
C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger\msnmsgr.exe
C:\HJT\hijackthis\HijackThis.exe

R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://www.wanadoo.co.uk/
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Search_URL = http://uk.red.clientapps.yahoo.com/customize/btyahoo/defaults/su/*http://uk.search.yahoo.com/
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,SearchAssistant = about:blank
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Bar = http://uk.red.clientapps.yahoo.com/...b/*http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/info/bt_side.html
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://uk.red.clientapps.yahoo.com/customize/btyahoo/defaults/sp/*http://uk.search.yahoo.com/
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,SearchAssistant =
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Window Title = Microsoft Internet Explorer provided by Freeserve
R3 - URLSearchHook: (no name) - _{CFBFAE00-17A6-11D0-99CB-00C04FD64497} - (no file)
O2 - BHO: Adobe PDF Reader Link Helper - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {089FD14D-132B-48FC-8861-0048AE113215} - C:\Program Files\SiteAdvisor\saIE.dll
O2 - BHO: UberButton Class - {5BAB4B5B-68BC-4B02-94D6-2FC0DE4A7897} - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Common\yiesrvc.dll
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {5f4c3d09-b3b9-4f88-aa82-31332fee1c08} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\hp100.tmp
O2 - BHO: YahooTaggedBM Class - {65D886A2-7CA7-479B-BB95-14D1EFB7946A} - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Common\YIeTagBm.dll
O2 - BHO: SSVHelper Class - {761497BB-D6F0-462C-B6EB-D4DAF1D92D43} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_06\bin\ssv.dll
O2 - BHO: SidebarAutoLaunch Class - {F2AA9440-6328-4933-B7C9-A6CCDF9CBF6D} - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\browser\YSidebarIEBHO.dll
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {FDD3B846-8D59-4ffb-8758-209B6AD74ACC} - C:\Program Files\Microsoft Money\System\mnyviewer.dll
O3 - Toolbar: SiteAdvisor - {0BF43445-2F28-4351-9252-17FE6E806AA0} - C:\Program Files\SiteAdvisor\saIE.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [WorksFUD] C:\Program Files\Microsoft Works\wkfud.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [VCSPlayer] "C:\Program Files\Virtual CD v4 SDK\system\vcsplay.exe "
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunJavaUpdateSched] C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_06\bin\jusched.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SiS KHooker] C:\WINDOWS\system32\khooker.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QuickTime Task] "C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe" -atboottime
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [MoneyStartUp10.0] "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Money\System\Activation.exe "
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Microsoft Works Portfolio] C:\Program Files\Microsoft Works\WksSb.exe /AllUsers
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [MessengerPlus3] "C:\Program Files\Messenger Plus! 3\MsgPlus.exe "
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HPDJ Taskbar Utility] C:\WINDOWS\System32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3\hpztsb05.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [CleanEasyImg] c:\apps\easydvd\cleanall.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Ce_XXX] C:\WINDOWS\Ce_XXX.exe -n
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [TkBellExe] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe" -osboot
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Motive SmartBridge] C:\PROGRA~1\BTBROA~1\Help\SMARTB~1\BTHelpNotifier.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [!ewido] "C:\Program Files\ewido anti-spyware 4.0\ewido.exe" /minimized
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Ad-aware] "C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-aware 6\Ad-aware.exe" +c
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [PopUpStopperFreeEdition] "C:\PROGRA~1\PANICW~1\POP-UP~1\PSFree.exe "
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [MoneyAgent] "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Money\System\Money Express.exe "
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [msnmsgr] "C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger\msnmsgr.exe" /background
O4 - Global Startup: Adobe Reader Speed Launch.lnk = C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Reader\reader_sl.exe
O4 - Global Startup: Broadband Desktop Help.lnk = C:\Program Files\BT Broadband 210\Help\bin\matcli.exe
O4 - Global Startup: InterCheck Monitor.LNK = ?
O4 - Global Startup: Microsoft Office.lnk = C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\OSA.EXE
O4 - Global Startup: Microsoft Works Calendar Reminders.lnk = ?
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_06\bin\ssv.dll
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Sun Java Console - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_06\bin\ssv.dll
O9 - Extra button: Packard Bell - {1D49B7D4-524D-4ac9-BC34-B4822CAE4BB1} - C:\Apps\IECustom\script.htm
O9 - Extra button: BT Yahoo! Services - {5BAB4B5B-68BC-4B02-94D6-2FC0DE4A7897} - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Common\yiesrvc.dll
O9 - Extra button: Real.com - {CD67F990-D8E9-11d2-98FE-00C0F0318AFE} - C:\WINDOWS\System32\Shdocvw.dll
O9 - Extra button: Money Viewer - {E023F504-0C5A-4750-A1E7-A9046DEA8A21} - C:\Program Files\Microsoft Money\System\mnyviewer.dll
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O12 - Plugin for .spop: C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\Plugins\NPDocBox.dll
O14 - IERESET.INF: START_PAGE_URL=http://www.wanadoo.co.uk/
O16 - DPF: IEToolbarCab - http://www.animetoolbar.com/DailyToolbar.CAB
O16 - DPF: {14B87622-7E19-4EA8-93B3-97215F77A6BC} (MessengerStatsClient Class) - http://messenger.zone.msn.com/binary/MessengerStatsPAClient.cab31267.cab
O16 - DPF: {2B323CD9-50E3-11D3-9466-00A0C9700498} - http://us.chat1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/chat/applet/v45/yacscom.cab
O16 - DPF: {4D7F48C0-CB49-4EA6-97D4-04F4EACC2F3B} (InstallShield Setup Player 2K2) - http://sib1.od2.com/common/Member/ClientInstall/7.20.0003/OCI/setup.exe
O16 - DPF: {4E888414-DB8F-11D1-9CD9-00C04F98436A} (Microsoft.WinRep) - https://webresponse.one.microsoft.com/oas/ActiveX/winrep.cab
O16 - DPF: {4F1E5B1A-2A80-42CA-8532-2D05CB959537} (MSN Photo Upload Tool) - http://spaces.msn.com//PhotoUpload/MsnPUpld.cab
O16 - DPF: {74D05D43-3236-11D4-BDCD-00C04F9A3B61} (HouseCall Control) - http://a840.g.akamai.net/7/840/537/2003120501/housecall.antivirus.com/housecall/xscan53.cab
O16 - DPF: {7D1E9C49-BD6A-11D3-87A8-009027A35D73} - http://chat.yahoo.com/cab/yacsui.cab
O16 - DPF: {B38870E4-7ECB-40DA-8C6A-595F0A5519FF} (MsnMessengerSetupDownloadControl Class) - http://messenger.msn.com/download/msnmessengersetupdownloader.cab
O16 - DPF: {B8BE5E93-A60C-4D26-A2DC-220313175592} (ZoneIntro Class) - http://zone.msn.com/binFramework/v10/ZIntro.cab27513.cab
O16 - DPF: {C3DFA998-A486-11D4-AA25-00C04F72DAEB} (MSN Photo Upload Tool) - http://sc.groups.msn.com/controls/PhotoUC/MsnPUpld.cab
O16 - DPF: {E5D419D6-A846-4514-9FAD-97E826C84822} - http://fdl.msn.com/zone/datafiles/heartbeat.cab
O16 - DPF: {E6187999-9FEC-46A1-A20F-F4CA977D5643} (ZoneChess Object) - http://messenger.zone.msn.com/binary/Chess.cab31267.cab
O16 - DPF: {E7DBFB6C-113A-47CF-B278-F5C6AF4DE1BD} - http://www.smgradio.com/core/player/abasetup.cab
O16 - DPF: {E855A2D4-987E-4F3B-A51C-64D10A7E2479} (EPSImageControl Class) - http://tools.ebayimg.com/eps/activex/EPSControl_v1-0-3-0.cab
O16 - DPF: {F04A8AE2-A59D-11D2-8792-00C04F8EF29D} (Hotmail Attachments Control) - http://lw8fd.law8.hotmail.msn.com/activex/HMAtchmt.ocx
O16 - DPF: {F58E1CEF-A068-4C15-BA5E-587CAF3EE8C6} (MSN Chat Control 4.5) - http://fdl.msn.com/public/chat/msnchat45.cab
O18 - Protocol: msnim - {828030A1-22C1-4009-854F-8E305202313F} - "C:\PROGRA~1\MSNMES~1\msgrapp.dll" (file missing)
O20 - AppInit_DLLs: MsgPlusLoader.dll
O20 - Winlogon Notify: WgaLogon - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\WgaLogon.dll
O23 - Service: C-DillaCdaC11BA - C-Dilla Ltd - C:\WINDOWS\System32\drivers\CDAC11BA.EXE
O23 - Service: ewido anti-spyware 4.0 guard - Anti-Malware Development a.s. - C:\Program Files\ewido anti-spyware 4.0\guard.exe
O23 - Service: Prime95 Service - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\Prime95\prime95.exe
O23 - Service: SmartLinkService (SLService) - - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\slserv.exe
O23 - Service: Sophos Anti-Virus Network (SweepNet) - Sophos Plc - C:\Program Files\Sophos SWEEP for NT\SWNETSUP.EXE
O23 - Service: Sophos Anti-Virus (SWEEPSRV.SYS) - Sophos Plc - C:\Program Files\Sophos SWEEP for NT\SWEEPSRV.SYS
O23 - Service: Sophos Anti-Virus Update (SweepUpdate) - Sophos Plc - C:\Program Files\Sophos SWEEP for NT\SWUPDATE.EXE
O23 - Service: Virtual CD v4 Security service (SDK - Version) (VCSSecS) - H+H Software GmbH - C:\Program Files\Virtual CD v4 SDK\system\vcssecs.exe

 

As I suspected, you do indeed have a SmithFraud variant.

The fix is a two step process, even tho we confirmed some files of the variant are there, a possiblity exists that others are present.

First we search for files.

Please download SmitfraudFix (by S!Ri)
Extract the content (a folder named SmitfraudFix) to your Desktop.

Open the SmitfraudFix folder and double-click smitfraudfix.cmd
Select option #1 - Search by typing 1 and press "Enter "; a text file will appear, which lists infected files (if present).
Please copy/paste the content of that report into your next reply.

Note : process.exe is detected by some antivirus programs (AntiVir, Dr.Web, Kaspersky) as a "RiskTool "; it is not a virus, but a program used to stop system processes. Antivirus programs cannot distinguish between "good" and "malicious" use of such programs, therefore they may alert the user.

 

SmitFraudFix v2.67

Scan done at 20:56:37.93, 04/07/2006
Run from C:\Documents and Settings\Chris\Desktop\SmitfraudFix
OS: Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600] - Windows_NT
Fix ran in normal mode

»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» C:\


»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» C:\WINDOWS


»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» C:\WINDOWS\system


»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» C:\WINDOWS\Web


»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» C:\WINDOWS\system32

C:\WINDOWS\system32\atmclk.exe FOUND !
C:\WINDOWS\system32\dcomcfg.exe FOUND !
C:\WINDOWS\system32\hp???.tmp FOUND !
C:\WINDOWS\system32\hp????.tmp FOUND !
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ld???.tmp FOUND !
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ld????.tmp FOUND !
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ot.ico FOUND !
C:\WINDOWS\system32\regperf.exe FOUND !
C:\WINDOWS\system32\simpole.tlb FOUND !
C:\WINDOWS\system32\stdole3.tlb FOUND !
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ts.ico FOUND !
C:\WINDOWS\system32\1024\ FOUND !

»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» C:\Documents and Settings\Chris\Application Data


»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» Start Menu


»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» C:\DOCUME~1\Chris\FAVORI~1


»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» Desktop

C:\DOCUME~1\ALLUSE~1\Desktop\Online Security Guide.url FOUND !
C:\DOCUME~1\ALLUSE~1\Desktop\Security Troubleshooting.url FOUND !

»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» C:\Program Files

C:\Program Files\SpyQuake2.com\ FOUND !

»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» Corrupted keys


»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» Desktop Components

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Desktop\Components\0]
"Source "= "About:Home "
"SubscribedURL "= "About:Home "
"FriendlyName "= "My Current Home Page "


»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» Sharedtaskscheduler
!!!Attention, following keys are not inevitably infected!!!

SrchSTS.exe by S!Ri
Search SharedTaskScheduler's .dll

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\SharedTaskScheduler]
"{af3fd9a8-1287-4159-9212-9a5b4494af70} "= "ecosystems "

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{af3fd9a8-1287-4159-9212-9a5b4494af70}\InProcServer32]
@= "C:\WINDOWS\system32\guxxa.dll "

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{af3fd9a8-1287-4159-9212-9a5b4494af70}\InProcServer32]
@= "C:\WINDOWS\system32\guxxa.dll "


»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» Scanning wininet.dll infection


»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» End

 

OK, looks like we got a bunch of em, lets clean them up.

You should print out these instructions, or copy them to a Notepad file for reading while in Safe Mode, because you will not be able to connect to the Internet to read from this site. Please follow the instructions exactly in the order listed; this is very important!

Please download, install, and update the free version of Ewido Anti-Malware:

1. When installing, under "Additional Options" uncheck "Install background guard" and "Install scan via context menu ".
2. When you run Ewido for the first time, you will get a warning "Database could not be found! ". Click OK. We will fix this in a moment.
3. From the main Ewido screen, click on update in the left menu, then click the Start update button.
4. After the update finishes, the status bar at the bottom will display "Update successful "
5. Exit Ewido. DO NOT run a scan yet.

Reboot, into safe mode, this way:
Turn on the computer
Immediately begin tapping the F8 key.
Use the arrow keys to highlight Safe Mode and press the Enter key.

Once in Safe Mode, open the SmitfraudFix folder again and double-click smitfraudfix.cmd
Select option #2 - Clean by typing 2 and press "Enter" to delete infected files.

You will be prompted : "Registry cleaning - Do you want to clean the registry ? "; answer "Yes" by typing Y and press "Enter" in order to remove the Desktop background and clean registry keys associated with the infection.

The tool will now check if wininet.dll is infected. You may be prompted to replace the infected file (if found); answer "Yes" by typing Y and press "Enter ".

The tool may need to restart your computer to finish the cleaning process. A text file will appear onscreen, with results from the cleaning process; please copy/paste the content of that report into your next reply.

AFTER SmitfraudFix finishes (and after a reboot if required), please open Ewido. (If a reboot is required, please boot BACK into Safe Mode.)

• Click on Scanner
• Click on Complete System Scan and the scan will begin.
• If ewido finds anything, it will pop up a notification. You can select "Remove" and check the boxes "Perform action with all infections" and "Create encrypted backup" before clicking on OK.
• When the scan is finished, click the Save report button at the bottom of the screen.
• Save the report to your desktop
• Close Ewido

Then please restart it into Normal Windows. Please post the contents of the SmitfraudFix log located at C:\rapport.txt into this thread, along with the Ewido report and a new HijackThis log.

 

I already installed Ewido and I doubt I did this - do I need to uninstall it and reinstall it this way?

 

I would just reset it, in the settings panel, so the guard is not running, same with other setting, no need to uninstall it.

 

YAY!

I reckon it all worked - no more pop-ups, a nice functioning homepage... ahhh.

Here are the reports just in case:

 

Assuming that all is well, it only remains to say a big THANK YOU!

 

I'm afraid we're not quite done yet.

Firstly when you scanned with Ewido, you didn't let it do anything, witness the many 'No Action Taken' comments after each item found.

You need to rescan and when prompted, select 'Quarantine'. With the exceptions of items found in the Sophos folders and in the System Volume folder, everything else needs to be removed.

Also, do you know what this app is:
CleanEasyImg

If not it needs to be removed. I cannot find any definitive info on it.

Lastly, we need to fix a few things with HJT.

Run Hijackthis and look over the following entries I have listed, check the boxes next to them and press the "Fix Checked" button with HijackThis. When you are doing this, make sure you have No IE windows, or other browsers open, including this one. Reboot if I have specified below, and post a fresh HijackThis log.

R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,SearchAssistant = about:blank

R3 - URLSearchHook: (no name) - _{CFBFAE00-17A6-11D0-99CB-00C04FD64497} - (no file)


O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Ce_XXX] C:\WINDOWS\Ce_XXX.exe -n


O16 - DPF: IEToolbarCab -http://www.animetoolbar.com/DailyToolbar.CAB

Reboot, into safe mode, this way:
Turn on the computer
Immediately begin tapping the <F8> key.
Use the arrow keys to highlight Safe Mode and press the <Enter> key.

Also, enable the 'Show Hidden Folders' option, like this:
Click Start.
Open My Computer.
Select the Tools menu and click Folder Options.
Select the View Tab. Under the Hidden files and folders heading select Show hidden files and folders.
Uncheck the Hide protected operating system files (recommended) option.
Click Yes to confirm.
Click OK.

And search for, then delete, if found, (some may not be present after previous steps) the following files/folders:
C:\WINDOWS\Ce_XXX.exe <<<--this file

To exit Safe Mode, click the Start button, click Turn Off Computer, click Restart.

Post a new HJT log back into this thread please.

 

Am at work now, but will do this when I get back home if you really think it necessary.

But, the computer is now back to how it was before, I don't see any probs with it. What do all these things I'm about to get rid of do? They don't seem to be doing anything noticeable.

 

If I didn't think they were necessary I certainly wouldn't have you waste your time, nor would I waste mine.

The Cexx file:
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/dialer.oneonone.html

The 016 IEToolbar:
http://www.symantec.de/avcenter/venc/data/adware.dailytoolbar.html

Just because that you cannot 'see' what's going on, does not mean there is not activity. That being said, it is likely neither of these is active because we may have neutered them already.

 

Oh, I wasn't suggesting you were wasting my time or yours! Not a bit of it. I'm extremely grateful for all your help so far. Will have a look at it.

 

I did what you suggested but now my internet connection doesn't seem to work (I am now at work). If it still doesn't work when I get back, why might that be?

 

Net still works, apparently.

Is it ok?

 

OK, everything appears to be clear at this point, are you experiencing any unwanted operations or malware symptoms any more? Let me know please, thanks.

We have 3 more things to do, to help ensure you have removed all the little 'leftovers' which may be hiding:

Empty the TIF (Temporary Internet Files)
Delete all the files in (and any subfolders of) the C:\Windows\Temp folder
The app below will help with temp files.
Index.dat Suite

Also, delete all your cookies, and empty your recycle bin. But remember, by deleting your cookies, you will have to re-enter any passwords and log-in info for any sites you are usually required to do so with.

This would also be a good time to set a new system restore point for your machine.
Set New System Restore Point. Do not do this unless there are no other user accounts to be diagnosed.

Also, as you are an XP user, if there are any other accounts on this machine, they too, must be cleaned with AdAware, Spybot S&D, then HJT. Not all infections are global, nor are all the HJT fixes global. You can post each user account here into this thread, but please, do only one at a time to avoid confusion.

Here is a link which describes how security apps work with WIN XP machines.
XP User Accts Security Apps Operation

To further prevent the installation of ad/mal/spyware, DL the apps below, which are just as good the fight against ad/mal/spyware as AdAware & Spybot S&D:

SpywareBlaster
With SpywareBlaster v3.5.1 , just DL, install and check for updates, enable Internet Explorer protection, and your done! I don't recommend using IE restricted sites protection as it's not a very large database. Use IE-SPYADs below.

To avoid known malware infested sites from loading in IE install IESPY ADS.
And MVPS Hosts File will accomplish a similar tactic and provide another layer of protection.

And to prevent unknown applications from being inserted to start up on your machine install WinPatrol v10.0.1.

Links for tutorials for all the apps I mentioned can be found on my site as well.

Confused about which apps are good or not? Read about Rogue/Approved Anti Security apps

And just because you have security apps installed, they are useless unless updated regularly. Keep track of updates for ALL your security needs here:
Calendar of Updates

Subscribe to update alerts for all the above security apps here.

You can also see my own ongoing security testing with all the above apps proving how securely you can safe with them installed.
TeMerc Test Box Forum

Happy surfing!!
Tom