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If you've got a good backup, or can back up the files you deem truly essentials (documents, photos...your daughter might add music to the list, etc.), I'd second Ed's approach. It's probably the best, and ultimately fastest, way to get things spic 'n span.
If Richard's right and you don't have and can't get a decent backup, then take the path he outlines. The only thing I'd add is run both a good AV scan **AND** run a malware detection and removal tool, too. I've heard good things about Malware Bytes, FWIW: http://www.malwarebytes.org/.
Jim
. If you're already able to boot up
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+jim -dot- pinkham=voith -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+jim -dot- pinkham=voith -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of Ken Poshedly
Sent: Friday, August 06, 2010 2:48 PM
To: Techwr-l
Subject: anti-virus removal question
My 15-year-old daughter is _almost_ perfectly responsible with her 2- or 3-year-old Toshiba Satellite laptop (with Vista). Her maturity level is more like 18 or 19 years old (in a good, well-grounded way). But she occasionally does still have those "teenager knows everything" moments and now, it's caught up with her.
I recall how she was always too busy with the laptop and it was a real uphill battle getting her to let me install antivirus protection (AVG Free) and Spotbot Search & Destroy on her terminal, but at least it was done. But then she never updated them with new virus or antispam definitions, etc. Instead, I did when I could get access to the laptop.
Then AVG stopped offering updates for her version of the "free" product, so that's as far as that went. The result: expired (i.e., little or no) protection for who-knows-how-long.
But earlier this past week, her terminal wound up with the nasty pop-up that announces that the terminal is infected and to click on the onscreen box to upgrade to some unknown bogus antivirus program (not Norton, not AVG, not anything I've ever seen mentioned anywhere).
And cancelling out of the warning window doesn't mean the end of things.
Instead, every program she tries -- no matter what it is -- results in the onscreen window notifying her that this file (or that file or the other file, no matter what) is infected and she should purchase this "unknown" antivirus program.
Can't run Spybot, or download even a new AVG -- can't do nuthin'.
My good friend Tim (who is also a member of this list) advises me that if I can somehow come up with a bootable Vista CD, I should be able to use it to get up and running and then run AVG from a thumb-drive (data-stick, whatever you call it). (My own desktop Windows XP computer is well-protected, so I can prepare the thumb-drive that way.)
But at my office, the IT guy tells me that my plan won't work. And another guy says the best thing to do is remove the hard drive from the Toshiba laptop and cable it directly to my desktop and then run my own scanning software on it as it will be recognized as another drive.
All of this is logical, but now I don 't know which way to turn. Is Tim correct?
Or it my company's IT guy correct? Or is the last guy correct? School starts here in Gwinnett County (near Atlanta) next Monday, so getting this done in the next day or so is the plan.
-- Ken in metro Atlanta
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