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[Norseman]

The wifes laptop has caught a beeping virus, and I need to find a download for explorer.exe for Vista. Not quite sure which vista, how could I tell ?

I am using iexplore so I an search and everything is being driven from the task manager and no icons  areavailable. The virus is in explorer.exe.

Ha ha - I'm fairly useless with computers so getting even this far is an achievement - I've never had a virus before.

Anyway - any link to a Vista type explorer.exe download would be much appreciiated

Regards Dave

[sailorboy61]

Dave,

if you go to Symantec (Norton) or  I believe most other supplies of AV software, you can often get a free trial, for a week, and indeed symantec used to be able to do a remote scan and fix, worth looking about.
You could also try one of the free AV tools, eg AVG http://free.avg.com/gb-en/homepage

[Tug-Kenny RIP]

Wouldn't explorer come on the Windows  start up disk ???

Sorry to hear you caught a Virus. I was attacked last week but my machinery detected it. Phew !!


ken

[Andyn]

Antivirus will do sweet flip all...

Use either system restore or in the unlikely event you have one - a startup disk, backup all your data and reformat the drive, then boot from the disk. Another one would be to locate the file then run up in safe mode and try to remove it.

Failing that, get a Mac

[Stavros]

WOA STOP dont do it,if your computer has not got a restore point set up you will be in the mire,take it to a repair shop of get a m8 to help you


Dave

[Andyn]

Windows sets restore points every time you make a change in software, and you can choose which one to roll back to...

[HawkEye]

You need to eradicate the virus / malware, then the chances are explorer will be fine.

Some steps you may like to try -

First Kaspersky rescue tool - http://www.kaspersky.com/antivirus-removal-tool-register , install and run - might be all that's needed.
I not then go here on a uninfected computer and download the rescue disk - http://support.kaspersky.com/viruses/rescuedisk/ , burn it to a blank cd, insert cd into infected pc and restart computer, follow prompts and let it scan (takes a long time), when finished go here - http://www.superantispyware.com/ and download the free version, install it and do a full scan, fix any issues, restart pc and scan again.

Hopefully all should be good  , the above procedure will take a few hours !

[Norseman]

Hi Guys - thanks

I'll look properly at your replies in a minute.

TheToshiba laptop came loaded and I don't believe there was a disc

I run on AVG and have never had a problem before (also have superantispyware loaded)

Ok the virus is a fake money demand that seizes your pc. In safemode with command prompt I have regedited a value in 'shell' from 'Explorer.exe' to 'iexplore.exe'. Restarted and in command line ran iexplore.exe ............ so now I have some chance of doing something. I want to download a clean 'Explorer.exe' and overwrite the infected one. I don't know which vista though ......32bit, 64bit, other

What I did try this morning - I opened super.... updated it, ran it, and it found the explorer exe file, so I clicked ok........... Tried restarting computer and after loading the screen was seized again ............. so it seems the advice I got to download/overwrite a new explorer exe file was right.

I'm not sure - what do you think? - about restore - won't it just load the infected exporer.exe file again?

A possible additional problem - not sure - last week a disk wouldn't load on the laptop but would load on a work computer - maybe a one off but maybe it would prevent a rescue disk ........... just a thought.

I am finding these commands really difficult too ........ I love using the computer but I don't understand it's operations at all

Dave

[essex2visuvesi]

Some toshiba laptops have a hidden recovery partition.

https://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/support/jsp/bulletinDetail.jsp?soid=2737864&pf=true

I know my sister-in-laws one did

Beware tho this will return it to the factory settings and any documents and installed programs etc will be lost.  Another annoyance if you have a slow internet connection is that windows will want to do god knows how many updates

[RAAArtyGunner]

Windows sets restore points every time you make a change in software, and you can choose which one to roll back to...

Andy,

I am not computer literate, but that's what I always thought, but found out the hard way, that sometimes you cannot restore to an earlier point and had to reformat 

[Artistmike]

It's always best, when restoring using Windows Restore, to do it in Safe Mode as often Windows will just tell you it can't do it if you try in normal mode....  Mind you as long as you're doing good back-ups or disc images, it's often best to have a good clear out occasionally with a re-format as it will give you a much improved, faster and cleaner system anyway. ...

[Norseman]

this will return it to the factory settings and any documents

The computer is stuffed to the gills with my university stuff, work stuff, family photos, scooter and model boat stuff C&E: are almost full

When this is sorted I'll ask about seperate storage - off the laptop that is.

How do I tell which version of Vista is on here?
I'll check back later .................hey it's nice to be able to ask you guys - I'd feel much worse otherwise

Dave

[RAAArtyGunner]

The computer is stuffed to the gills with my university stuff, work stuff, family photos, scooter and model boat stuff C&E: are almost full

When this is sorted I'll ask about separate storage - off the laptop that is.

How do I tell which version of Vista is on here?
I'll check back later .................hey it's nice to be able to ask you guys - I'd feel much worse otherwise

Dave

Dave,

With XP you click control panel then system and it will tell you what is installed, in my case

Windows XP Profesional, service pack 3, etc,

Suspect it would be similar with Vista.

[RAAArtyGunner]

Dave,

Link for version,,.......................  http://www.probz.com/index.php?showtopic=2494

To check which version of Windows is installed,
... Left-click on the Start button
...... Right-click on Computor.
......... Left-click on Properties in the menu that appears.

About half-way down this window, there will be a line titled System type, either 32-bit or 64-bit

The bit numbers refer to different technologies used in the computer's processor and motherboard.

In theory 64-bit systems are better, but few home tasks really take advantage of this technology.
... As there are fewer drivers available for the 64-bit versions of Windows, most computers are supplied with the 32-bit version.
...... This is true if they have a 64-bit processor, because these chips can run either version of Windows.

[Colin Bishop]

The computer is stuffed to the gills with my university stuff, work stuff, family photos, scooter and model boat stuff C&E: are almost full

I assume you do have all this irreplacable data safely backed up in at least two separate places....?

[Circlip]

Yes, everybody always backs up the information 

  Seriously Dave, try this forum :- http://www.theeldergeek.com/forum/   they got me out of the mire when I got a nasty without having to do a full system restore. Most of the "Pay us to get a virus fix" "Viruses" can be deleted using Malwarebites "Mambam" and many of the scam listings are on their forum.

   Nil iligitum, at your first opertunity upgrade to Windows 7, Vista is the pits.  Forget the expensive pay anti - V's, go for "Avast", "Ccleaner" and "MamBam", all freebies and worth every penny.

  Regards  Ian.

 

[sailorboy61]

 
Vista is the pits.  
 

         

[Norseman]

I don't smoke but if there was an emoticon for a guy lying back with a slim panetella after a very very satisfying experience I would post it now
even though this really was a bad two day experience   .................... I'm back

In the end I was lucky because I had I think an older version of a ransom - the newer ones (I read) won't let you in safe mode or safe mode with command line.
I could reach the latter and that meant I could get internet etc because I changed a registry key to iexplore.exe instead of explorer.exe then opened task manager and used 'run' .......... all this initial info came from a search on a works computer that I wrote on paper (paper's still very useful stuff)

I was still denied all the usual ways into control panel that would have told me whether vista home premium was 32/64 bit but in the end it didn't matter. I went to the Britec forum and dug around there which was useful and I also got the Kaspersky tool mentioned earlier. Now they wanted me to get the phone number or text number etc from the virus screen and enter it in a box that would bring a password. Then run the Kaspersky tool - but I figured they were talking to people with the new virus because I could see 'run scan' so I did and a few restarts/scans later here I am. MANY THANKS TO YOU ALL

What is puzzling me now is I can't find Kaspersky on the laptop at all? I'll just download it again. It was very good. AVG missed the virus, Superantispyware found but couldn't handle it.

Lessons learned

1. I thought you only got viruses in  places or email attachments (if I don't know the sender I never open attachements)- now I know you don't, you can get them sat next to the wife looking at a boat type for Loinerlad. Beyond having antivirus as I did - what more could I possibly have done?
2. Colin - you devil - you knew I had nothing backed up didn't you  (see point 1)
3. I need a big seperate storage device asap - would that need antivirus too?
4. I need to understand a bit more because I really didn't understand most of what I read/was said to me - fortunately I read so many different versions that I caught on to a bit of something useful.
5. Should I be using a differnt browser? Chrome or something?
6. Is it expensive or worth doing to change from Vista?
7. Wetherspoons is now due a serious visit.

8. To my mate - who's in hospital - if you still look in on the free wi fi - 'Get Well Soon' because I feel sorry for the nurses

Finally, in the words of Vinnie Jones; 'It's been emotional'

Dave

hmm now I've just started worrying about something called a rootkit - it's nothing to do with the vegatable garden - I only discovered that today.

[Andyn]

And easy way to see whether you've got 32 or 64 bit windows:

If it's got over 3.5gb of preinstalled RAM, it's most definitely 64. Being windows, it's useless

[HawkEye]

I find that one of Kaspersky's tools nearly always fixes the problem ( there is the odd exception ), the version you used will automatically delete itself after use.

For the price I don't think you can beat it, although others prefer Norton / McAffee etc. ect. , I've used it for years and nothing has got passed it as yet ( according to online scanners ) .

Protection for 3 - yes THREE pc's for one year -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004YZRFEQ/ref=asc_df_B004YZRFEQ8521117?smid=A1QPRCEH90XYH2&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22218&creativeASIN=B004YZRFEQ

[Andyn]

The best thing to use on Windows is, oddly, Windows defender. Reason being is that it's integrated with the operating system instead of just poking at it.

[malcolmfrary]

MS Security Basics generally does a good job of preventing problems.
With any programs I use such as Libre Office or Thunderbird or similar that have an "options" tab somewhere to set where stuff will be filed, I set it for somewhere away from drive C.  On my netbook, its a separate partition, on my other PCs its  a physically separate drive, inside or outside the main PC box. 
That way, all my programs, operating system and settings are on drive C - all my files are elsewhere.  That way, I can keep backups of my files in more than one place (MS Synctoy is good).  If I buy a new PC, I plug my files into the new one.  If the C drive is a "simple" one, I can use something like Todo backup to store a complete copy of the drive as at any time that I hope it is all working properly.  In the case of a disaster, it takes about 25 minutes to completely reload the OS, the programs and all of the settings and updates to then, as opposed to 45 minutes reloading windows and about a fortnight reloading the rest.
The backups, both system and file, can live on a USB  drive.  If a USB stick will hold the info, great, but you can get a 1TB drive for well under £100 currently, in its own box and with a power supply.  Or about £62 for 500GB, including VAT and delivery.  Not having something like this, for that kind of outlay, is just asking for grief.
There is a traditional computery saying that if you don't have at least two separate backups, you didn't really want the data.  Its unsympathetic, possibly unkind, but it is a valid point.

Write out 100 times "Backups are good".  Do not use Copy and Paste.  Especially dont use copy to copy several lines and paste them.

Glad to see you got sorted - the important thing now is to avoid falling into the same hole again.
There was a question earlier about upgrading to W7 from Vista - whatever the shortcomings of Vista, and there are plenty, if it is working, there is little point.  Wait until it's time to buy a new box, and hope that the new current system is one built by the competent team (W98, XP, W7) and not by MS management (ME, Vista).