• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Please help with residual program from blaster virus

M

moocat

Platinum Member
I was able to purge my system of what I believe was the blaster virus or a variation of it. My system has been clean and sober..err stable for the several months that have passed since I fixed it. However, there is a program that starts itself up when I boot that I can't seem to get rid of. It doesn't appear to be any of
the programs in the "startup" list. All that happens is that a window labeled 'status' opens with another window inside that that is labeled 'update'.

I'm running Win XP with all current updates.

Though this problem isn't harming anything it is extremely annoying. I'd appreciate any suggestions on getting rid of it.

Thanks in advance for any help.
 
You didn't say you ran a virus scanner. You might as well use one of the free on-line ones available. They know Blaster pretty well by now. I don't recall the details, but it seems to me one of the viruses works by seeming to take you to the Windows update site, and this may be a remnant. I have no idea how they accomplish these type of things.

one free anti virus scanner
Left sidebar, at bottom.

There are others.

The simple way to run something from the registry is under the Run or Runonce key.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
 
I use a virus scanner from grisoft. The computer is currently free of viruses. This little problem is a residual of a variation of the blaster virus I cleaned up about 5 months ago.
 
Looked in registry under the key you gave me. There is nothing that looks like this program with the possible exception of a grisoft scanner update. I've been running grisoft scanners for a couple years and never saw these windows before. Besides, they don't appear to DO anything...they are just empty, idle windows that pop up at boot. I guess I'll disable the grisoft once and see if that's it...but I have my doubts.

Is there any other possible way a program could be started at boot without showing up under that key?
 
OK.

I got a Blaster virus a week or so ago. The actual remover I used was a little single purpose one at Symantec for Blaster. I didn't get any residual.

>Is there any other possible way a program could be started at boot without showing up under that key?

Yes. I wish I knew them all.

Possibly Blaster substituted its own version of a real MS file, and although it is not a virus, it puts up that screen. There is an MS utility called SFC that is supposed to check if all the "protected" OS files are the correct versions.

Although I didn't get any residual from Blaster, I did get something residual from a malware program I removed with Spybot. It put up a box every time Window started. Although the file loaded from the "Run" key, as it turned out, it had a name that bore no connection to what it put on the screen, and a full file seach for the text it put up turned up nothing.
 
I don't have any great insight into this.

The actual remover I used was a little single purpose one at Symantec for Blaster. I didn't get any residual. You don't have anything to lose by trying another virus remover.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top