Technical Help

[FelixJaeger]

I finally have broadband, it took 5 attenpts to get it installed but its now done,
i have a question, i have recently found out that my EXPLORER.EXE is infected with some kind of virus, it is impossible to delete the virus and i cant seem to get it disinfected, is there anything i can do?
if the file/infection name is needed just say and i will post it.
cheers for anyhelp,
Felix

[Megabot]

Did you try Norton antivirus or any other virus programs? and if nothing helps the only solution you have is to format the hardrive where the virus is sorry about that Felix!

[B_part]

I am afraid formatting might be the only way, if antivirus fails.

However, look at the good side of the thing: you will have a brand new system with top performance and will be able to get rid of all those applications you installed, never used but didn't remove simply because you didn't even rebember them being there.

[FelixJaeger]

Argh ill go and d/l that norton thing, i hope i dont have to reformat it ...
even though i could do with a new base unit ....
Felix

[/)eathKiller]

Yeap... Broadband... such a wonderfull thing... i've got it too... unfortunetly they only allow you to download and upload 300 megs a month otherwise you get charged 50 bucks a meg or something O_o And we already are paying more than we would for normal 24/7 never-stop-downloadin' broadband . . . *sigh* It's not even fast... *sticks to his 56k for now*

There's much to be said for it... look at all the time you've got while downloading songs to um... do other things... like... stuff... and stuff...

and things!...

------------

[i]Currently In The middle of a hurricaine... Be back later...

[andrewas]

Explorer.exe is a fairly integral part of windows, therefore windows wont let anything touch it. Its rare for it to get infected because of this, but some viruses do get loaded into memory before windows.

Unfortunatley your virus scanner cant do anything to it, my advice would be to boot to DOS and delete it, and replace with a (clean) copy from another PC. And when I say boot to DOS, I mean use a known clean bootdisk, since viruses have all kinds of tricks to avoid file deletions. Most can even survive a format if their in memory at the time.

A format is probably not necessary, since you can replac this file by hand without to much risk. And norton or whatever should be able to take care of the rest of the system itself.

[FelixJaeger]

hmmn i cant see me doing the dos thing, i always cock things like that up...what do you mean by copy from another pc? im confused....
Felix

[Megabot]

Only format the drive you have windows on and install it again no more problems NO viruses can survive that so do it and all will be fine and to replace files and stuff dont help i think because the virus can be all over your hardrive not only in explorer.exe!! [img]tongue.gif[/img] I have never had any problems with this so go on it take you about 1,5 houer then all is back to normale!
But first of all TRY Norton Antivirus it is one of the best antivirus program available today!!!! [img]tongue.gif[/img] good luck!

[ 09-28-2002, 11:17 AM: Message edited by: Megabot ]

[andrewas]

Originally posted by FelixJaeger: hmmn i cant see me doing the dos thing, i always cock things like that up...what do you mean by copy from another pc? im confused.... Felix

OK, let me try and explain. Windows has explorer.exe open permanently, since its an integral part of windows itself. Therefore windows refuses to allow anything else to alter the file, which means the scanner cant clean it.

If you reboot to DOS however, windows is out of the way and you can pretty much do what you like. Unfortunatley your virus scanner probably wont run under DOS. So heres what you do:

Go to another computer, one that is virus free.

put a blank floppy in the drive

start-> run -> command (cmd on winNT, 2K or XP)

"format a: /s"

"a:"

"copy c:\windows\explorer.exe"

Now take the floppy out of the PC and put it into your. Enable the write protect tab as well, sicen you dont want the virus to infect this disc.

Reboot your computer. You may or may not have to go into BIOS and reset the boot sequnce, if you do the setting your looking for is "A,C,SCSI".

Anyway, if you get it booting from the floppy you should be looking at a full-screen dos prompt. Windows is not loaded, there is no mouse support. This is the way all machines once were.

Type the following commands:

"cd\windows"

"copy a:\explorer.exe"

YOull now be asked if you want to override the file. Hit "y" to do it.

Take out the floppy, reboot your computer.

[FelixJaeger]

I think ill jsut reformat my stuff it sounds much easier....hmm ill have to re-register broadband,
is there a quick way to format my HD? or will it take ages getting rid of everything?
Felix

p.s. i have two copies of explorer.exe open is that normal?

[ 09-28-2002, 11:18 AM: Message edited by: FelixJaeger ]