Yet another weird problem

[Craig234]

Sometimes my computer gets in a state where it starts to randomly make a sound in the sound system that sounds like someone blowing in a mic.

Every so often it's "swoosh" "swoosh". No idea what's causing it.

While I'm at it a while after that started, I recently have the browser sometimes go to a spam link when I click a site.

So, I might search on google, click one of the links and a spam site comes up. I close it and click again the right site is up.

I've run AVG and malwarebytes, malwarbytes found one trojan but didn't fix this. Win 7 64 IE. BTW the sound is exactly like that old paper clip sound in Windows.

 

[VirtualLarry]

time to re-install?

 

[Craig234]

time to re-install?

That'll never happen. I build up a system over years and wouldn't think of having to redo.

 

[Bubbaleone]

That'll never happen. I build up a system over years and wouldn't think of having to redo.

I hear ya...If AVG can't kill what ails you, there's a good possibility something more serious than a simple browser hijacker has infected your PC. Malware becomes more sophisticated every day, and the use of rootkit techniques to self-replicate, and evade detection or removal is becoming commonplace. What's frustrating to me is that the majority of otherwise excellent AV software can't detect, or can't remove it while running in the Windows environment.

I use Kaspersky's very specialized tools because they just plain detect and kill the worst stuff out there today. Download Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool which runs in Windows. Temporarily disable your existing AV and close any other programs before running it.

If KVRT can't kill the infection/s from the Windows environment, you'll need to run Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10, which is a linux based boot disk. Download it and burn the ISO. Read How to start scan for viruses using Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10 to familiarize yourself first.

 

[Craig234]

Thanks; I ran Kaspersky, it found nothing, but the weg page re-directs are still happening. I haven't heard the woosh sounds today but it's only so often that happens.

I'll take a look at the next thing you suggested. Surprised the spyware companies aren't catching this.

 

[JamesV]

Did you check your browser's add-ons? You might have some toolbar thing installed that is redirecting you. Or are you redirected from a common site you go to often? (could be something on that site).

As for the sound, have you checked your system (drivers, how it's setup, etc)?

If you've scanned your PC thoroughly like you have mentioned, I'd bet it is something else, and not a virus or trojan. There's always hijackthis for a deep look at your system...

 

[Craig234]

Did you check your browser's add-ons? You might have some toolbar thing installed that is redirecting you. Or are you redirected from a common site you go to often? (could be something on that site).

As for the sound, have you checked your system (drivers, how it's setup, etc)?

If you've scanned your PC thoroughly like you have mentioned, I'd bet it is something else, and not a virus or trojan. There's always hijackthis for a deep look at your system...

Good call I think. I didn't think I had any controversial add-ons - nothing but Adobe, Java, Microsoft, Quicktime and spyware.

But, it turns out, I'm suspicious of 'Adobe flash' - a googls says that it has 'popup ads while browsing', which is exactly the problem.

So I'm guessing they've changed it so that now to use flash, they expect you to have random ad windows open up? That's terrible. I'm turning it off, we'll see if it fixes it.

On the sound, I haven't touched anything in years, and have to suspect it's not the drivers, that it's some annoying hidden software.

Update: Disabling the addon/restarting did not fix it.

 

[cubby1223]

I would uninstall AVG then run a program called "combofix". Usually fixes up things like that for me. The log file the program produces usually finds any stragglers, take particular note of any files that are marked as "system, hidden, & read-only".

Afterwards you can reinstall AVG (AVG prevents combofix from running).



If you have the ability, I would actually first pull the hard drive out and hook it up to a different machine as a secondary drive, and run a virus scan from there. It's not effective to run a virus scan from the Windows installation you are trying to clean up. Though combofix you do need to run from the installation you are cleaning up.

 

[cubby1223]

Adobe flash is not the cause of the google redirects or any random ad windows.

A bug in the Adobe flash may have been what the malware used to infect your system, so do update flash everytime it catches that a new release is available.