Quote:
Originally Posted by sidewinder
Cool thanks for your help. I actually do have Avast and/or AVG, thanks for reminding me. I just don't remember which one is running on a regular basis.
And I do think my problem is spyware or malware. I use the term virus loosely...anything jacking my system is a virus to me.  It's trying to get me to purchase this XP something or other software in order to get rid of a virus. So I'm getting all these alert prompts saying my system is under attack, etc. And the copyright violation alert is trying to get me to "settle" rather than let the case go to court.  It scared me when I first saw it, but then I realized it was full of broken English.
So as I said, I have tried using MalwareBytes and Search & Destroy, but maybe they're not up to date enough. I'm unable to update them because whatever has taken over my system is preventing me from doing so.
I was ready to get a professional to look at it, but what I think I might do tomorrow is bring it to work so that it's easier and quicker for me to research (on my office computer) and troubleshoot in the same place. I'm also thinking of asking the guy we outsource our IT to if he's willing to help me out on the side, I assume if he's got the time it'll cost me less than taking it to a shop, and I can trust him.
But, feel free to give any more advice in the meantime...I'm not even sure I can bring it in here easily tomorrow seeing as I don't have a car...not looking forward to taking it on the bus. |
Cool deal.
Just for information's sake, you shouldn't have more than one anti-virus program installed and running on your computer at once (i.e. AVG and Avast) because they tend to need the same system resources and that can cause problems. If you get a chance to verify, ensure you're only using one. I personally recommend Avast because you don't need to manually update it, and it's just as strong as AVG, which if I'm not mistaken.. you do have to manually update.
It's a great idea to bring your computer to work and research the issue online. 9 times out of 10 someone else is having the same problem as you are and you can easily find solutions to common problems that way on the web. The extent at which you'll intuit the fixes is dependent on your knowledge and their instruction quality, but if you find yourself needing any additional information or if you hit a brick wall, feel free to post your questions.
(using your IT guys is also a great option as well, but they better owe you a favor or be really bored.. they can be slow on purpose.. believe me, I know. hehe.)