Former Geek Squad Agent’s Guide to Windows and Viruses/Spyware

Y

Yareek

New member
Well, I thought I'd share some of my experience with computers with you guys who have been quite helpful in the past. I've spent quite a bit of time working on PC's and doing software work, and here's a bit of what I know.

Detection

First things first, determine the cause of the problem. I won’t get into hardware issues, so I’ll give you a few things to check. These mainly apply to Windows XP/2000, but some can also apply to earlier versions.

Hit CTRL+ALT+DEL and click on “Task Manager.” Click on the “Processes” tab. How many does it say are running? A fresh install should have right around 25. Your average install with all hardware running shouldn’t be more than about 35. Laptops might have slightly more due to processes needed to interface the hardware devices with Windows. If you’ve got more than 40, consider running a spyware or virus scan. I’ve seen computers with upwards of 90 processes running; these were definitely infected. Other flags are programs that say things like “Bargains,” “Shopping,” “Adult…” or random things like “SVKLSYE38.” Those are signs of Spyware or Viruses as well.

Go to START > RUN (or Windows Key+R) and type in “msconfig.” Click on the “Startup” tab. How many programs are starting up with this computer? Again, fresh installs usually have less than 5, and your average install really shouldn’t have more than 10. Like the “Processes” check, look out for suspicious filenames. Also, look for unnecessary startup items, such as Realplayer, Quicktime, MSN Messenger, and other things. If you are unsure as to what is necessary, visit http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php for a comprehensive list. The best program I’ve seen for management is “Startup Inspector.” It is free and automatically tells you what is and is not necessary.

Go to START > RUN and type in “services.msc.” Look for anything unnecessary or suspicious. Now this is quite dangerous to mess with, so I recommend using “HijackThis!” to disable services. HijackThis! is a great program that you will become familiar with when you do virus and spyware removals. It shows all the startup items for the computer, as well as services, LSP issues, web hijackers, and other useful things. Visit http://www.theeldergeek.com/services_guide.htm for more info regarding necessary and unnecessary services.

For virus scans, go to http://housecall.trendmicro.com. It is a very helpful and free virus scanner and remover.

For quick spyware scans, go to http://www.geeksquad.com and use their Spyware Scanner. It won’t remove anything, but it will help determine if there are any issues quickly.

Removal

If you still have access to the internet, you will need to download some tools. I recommend the following free utilities:
• Spybot - http://www.safer-networking.org
• Ad-Aware - http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
• HijackThis! - http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/
• LSPFix - http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/
• CWShredder - http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/
• Kazaa-Be-Gone - http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/
• McAfee Stinger - http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/
• CleanCenter - http://www.cleancenter.net/

Once these programs are downloaded, save them to a directory on the computer that can be accessed by all users (i.e. a folder in the root drive, e.g. C:\DOWNLOADS).

Restart the computer in safe mode. This is done by pressing F8 repeatedly after booting up the computer. Select the “Safe Mode With Networking” option and press ENTER. Notice how you have an Administrator user now…we will have to perform the following steps on not only your regular user(s), but the Administrator as well.

First things first, right-click on “My Computer” and select “Properties.” Click on the “System Restore” tab. Disable System Restore for all drives. This will prevent certain viruses and spyware programs from reinstalling themselves.

Install CleanCenter, run it, and remove all temp/junk files and clean out your internet history/temp files and empty the Recycle Bin. This will not only remove some of the problem files, but it will also speed up your file scans dramatically. You can have thousands of files lurking in your temporary folders.

Run HijackThis!. It will bring up a list of a bunch of items. Some of these are good, some are bad. If you are familiar with computers, you will know what not to remove, but if you are not, check my links above for safe and unsafe startup items and services. Obvious ones to kill are anything related to bargains, shopping, assistants, etc. Random letters and numbers (especially 8-characters long) are also usually safe to remove. You can also remove anything that you don’t want to run anymore from this menu. If any search pages or home pages come up, I usually delete them, as well as any additional menu items or buttons. If there is a hijacker (like NewDotNet), it may prompt you to run LSPFix to remove it. Be sure to do a Google search regarding this program, as it is very easy to break Windows by removing the wrong things. Read the help file regarding LSPFix as well if you need to run it.

Install Spybot, run the program, download the updates, and search for spyware. Spybot is a very quick program because it does not do a comprehensive file search. Remove all detected items.

Install Ad-Aware, run the program, download the updates, and go to the options. Be sure to perform the in-depth file scan. Search for and remove all detected items.

Run CWShredder. It will automatically find and remove all traces of Cool Web Search.

Run Kazaa-Be-Gone. Chances are, if you have spyware, you have some version of Kazaa, and vice-versa. Delete all detected items.

At this point in time, restart your computer and scan for spyware online again. Usually it takes about two full sweeps to remove all items. Stubborn items may require special tools, in which case Google is your best friend. Be sure to do all removals in safe mode.

After cleaning the spyware out of your system, run the Stinger.exe program in safe mode for all usernames. This searches for and removes the most common worms and viruses. Then, visit Trend Micro’s website (above) and perform the online virus scan/removal. This will help clean up any extra viruses that may crop up. Again, if something is stubborn, do a Google search on the item for removal.

Once you have done all of the spyware and virus removal, restart your computer in normal mode. Hopefully, you should be problem free. Now, be sure to protect yourself with a good antivirus software (I like Symantec Corporate edition), a good antispyware software (Microsoft Antispyware is the best and is free), and a good firewall (the Windows XP SP2 one is adequate and free, but ZoneAlarm is a nicer free firewall). Be sure to download all the latest Windows updates (Internet Explorer > TOOLS > WINDOWS UPDATES).
 
i think you geek squads are BS. you didnt teach me anything new.. so basically, i do the same thing for myself and my family, that you would charge big bucks to do??

you guys really arent all that smart on your own huh???

thanks though, because this is good for people to read, im just a dick and i think im better than any tech service ;)

and i dont even use a PC anymore, haha!!
 
if you ever think a PC level 1 has their heads up their butts just try getting a right answer from a Mac Genius(TM)... those guys are idiots :)

Mac tech support has the nasty habbit of saying things that arn't supported are "impossible" ... like data recovery and various uses of the iPod.
 
actually, i just went through hell with my ipod... the hard drive is weak, VERY sensitive now, it gets hung up when sorting songs and caused me about a 14hour nightmare.

well, ipod's arent supposed to be used for anything other than standard ipod functions. if you do anything, even software related, it voids the warranty. data recovery on a mac is eh... when they break (not often) the break bad.. ill admit that.. mac tech support is no different than any other tech support, there all overpricing, not so smart, manual reading asswipes!!! just joking buddy, geek squad whoever you are!
 
TragikRemix said:
i think you geek squads are BS. you didnt teach me anything new.. so basically, i do the same thing for myself and my family, that you would charge big bucks to do??

you guys really arent all that smart on your own huh???

thanks though, because this is good for people to read, im just a dick and i think im better than any tech service ;)

and i dont even use a PC anymore, haha!!
Click to expand...
The final word is that companies like the Geek Squad are for people that need them, which there are a lot of. Stupid people are everywhere.

No company tries to impose themselves on you if you are knowledgable about the material in question. Actually, the only time you would talk to a GS member would be if you have a question about something, thus implying that you have a need for them there.

It is not my intention of defending them, because they are a ripoff, but they provide a service that the common people need. If you are not a common person, their services do not apply to you.
 
In the past 24 months I have done brake jobs, tie rod ends, full exhaust replacement, ignition diagnosis and repair, radiator and thermostat replacement, some body repair (including an improvised home-fabricated hood latch release) and a CV axle replacement (outside, in ten degree weather, at night). I guess a mechanic who charges for these services must be a con artist. Either that, or some other people haven't been exposed to a lifetime of car repair, and would be overwhelmed starting such a project.
 
ermghoti said:
In the past 24 months I have done brake jobs, tie rod ends, full exhaust replacement, ignition diagnosis and repair, radiator and thermostat replacement, some body repair (including an improvised home-fabricated hood latch release) and a CV axle replacement (outside, in ten degree weather, at night). I guess a mechanic who charges for these services must be a con artist. Either that, or some other people haven't been exposed to a lifetime of car repair, and would be overwhelmed starting such a project.
Click to expand...

ok, i see your point. Its not difficult to do many of these things on computers though. It's not like i was born with a computer fixing ability, its just something i read up on a little, and developed some computer knowledge.

common people dont fix things themselves because they are afriad that they will mess it up worse. OK, so sometimes thats exactly what happens... but you learn from action.

im not saying everyone should be able to build a computer from the ground up, but they should atleast try to help themselves a little.

If you get a flat tire, do you sit there and wait for AAA?? yeah, some people do, but others open the truck, jack the car up and change the tire. if my computer has a virus, do i sit there and wait for a tech? no, i run a virus scanner. if i cant get rid of it, i pop the windows disk in and run installation again, formatting the HD. its not complicated, if people would read the screens, they could get themselves through it.
 
Some people may have more things they need to do, long hours @ work, families, friends, etc...

Recall the last thing some people *want* to do is to fix their OS.
 
I think it is sound advice. there are far more people that don't have a clue about cleansing their computers. This is a pretty good general how-to.

I'd add a couple things, though. Firstly, I'd stay away from "If you have more than 10 whozeewhatsits, you are infected." With the CD burners and plug ins and hardware that HR guys use, there could be alot of processes running and alot of things in startup.

When i am going through processes to figure out who is the bad guy, I google all of the ones that I don't recognize. If I don't get anywhere, i google the ones I recognize, too. If you have a process that has zero hits in google, you can be assured that it is a randomly-named program.

I have a thumbdrive that has hijack this, stinger, spybot and adaware and the latest signature files on it. I have never had to give up and re-install the OS for any reasons other than hardware problems.
 
TragikRemix said:
actually, i just went through hell with my ipod... the hard drive is weak, VERY sensitive now, it gets hung up when sorting songs and caused me about a 14hour nightmare.

well, ipod's arent supposed to be used for anything other than standard ipod functions. if you do anything, even software related, it voids the warranty. data recovery on a mac is eh... when they break (not often) the break bad.. ill admit that.. mac tech support is no different than any other tech support, there all overpricing, not so smart, manual reading asswipes!!! just joking buddy, geek squad whoever you are!
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get an i-river. i-pod's are so over rated.

personally, i wish my friends/relatives would call geek squad when they have pc problems. i always end up wasting MY time doing that shit for free..........."oh, while you're here Travis"...............uggghhh. everything that Yareek mentioned is old news to me and there's a reason for it. since my first pc, i did'nt want to pay a tech to fix stuff that i knew i could figure out on my own. same goes with auto repair, home repair, etc. on the other hand, if my friends relatives had no other choice but to pay a tech, it might inspire them to get off their lazy asses and learn something for themselves.
 
I've been in the computer business forever. Yarkeek offers good advice, and I see no reason to scorn it. Not everybody is that savvy, even if they should be. The tools he recommends all work as they should, and most are part of my tool kit.

In my area, Geek Squad continues to provide me with a good living. They have lousy customer service because they are not allowed to spend sufficient time with clients to give that extra mile of service. They are also quite expensive, and have a long waiting list. Yes, GS is a corporate ripoff, like all the others.

Most of my clients prefer to have me do their repairs, because they make FAR more money per hour doing what they do, compared to what they pay me. They are better being dentists, doctors, and attorneys than they are at playing amateur computer tech.

For this same reason, I do not do my own dental work nor give myself prostate exams or cancer screenings. There is a time and place to pay for professional services by somebody who knows what he is doing.
 
JazzMang said:
Some people may have more things they need to do, long hours @ work, families, friends, etc...

Recall the last thing some people *want* to do is to fix their OS.
Click to expand...

completley agree- i had a virus last month on my PC and i just formatted the drive, i never finished installing windows.... i'll get around to it i guess. thats right, i work 6 days a week, and on my day off i want to *relax* (like that ever happens) and pc problems is the least of my worries.
 
Hah, looks like I started a little hellstorm. I take no offense to any comments, kind of enjoy them.

Here's the funny thing, some Geek Squad agents (yes that's what they are called) are brilliant computer nerds, some are just guys that work at Best Buy. I was the latter, I needed a job at a different store when I went to college, and I memorized the A+ cert book in a few days, took the test, passed, and got the job.

Basically, I faked my way into the job, but I have great customer service skills and I'm a quick learner, so I like to think I had a pretty good run there. By the time I left, I'd be working on over a dozen computers simultaneously because you basically do the same thing on all of them. And my customers were very happy, even if they had to shell out $200 on software and labor.

I don't profess to have superior knowledge, and these techniques may well be outdated by now. But they can help people that were like me, who were familiar with computers but wanted a little help.

If this is rudimentary info, just ignore it. If you don't understand it, it might be better to take your computer in to an expert. But for the rest of you, have at it, and feel free to toss your two cents in.

:D
 
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