Greetings everyone,
I'm not a computer tech by trade. I learned to type on a manual typewriter, routinely cleaned key gunk of out typewriter keys, made copies using carbon paper, cut stencils for use on a mimeograph, used a rotary dial phone, and had to walk across the room to change TV channels. Everything I learned about computers was through trial and error, and self study. Everything I learned about malware has been through nieces and nephews (whom I affectionately refer to as the brain-damaged offspring of my well-adjusted and high-functioning siblings), most all of whom have had to contend with computer infections ranging from simple fix to some really bad trojans. Hence, what I've learned about malware infections comes from them, with some knowledge gained here and other places, all of which tells me I have limits (and I know them). Now that my technical credentials (or lack thereof) have been established, here's some simple advice based more on what NOT to do than what to do.
HELP - I'M INFECTED. The primary job of your anti-virus or security suite is preventive in nature. For a host of reasons, one might fall victim to a malware attack despite one's best preventive efforts. While most are likely the result of user-induced problems (for example, P2P downloads - and I've seen an instance where, despite warnings that an MP3 file was infected, the user disabled the AV software to download it and was, no surprisingly, infected with a nasty trojan), it's not useful to blame the victim or second guess here. At this point, you're at consequence management - time to fix the problem rather than the blame.
NIS (OR ANY OTHER AV SOFTWARE) DETECTS THE PROBLEM AND CLEANS THE INFECTION. If you're lucky this is the case. If, after a successive scan you come up clean and stay that way, you can keep on trucking.
INFECTION RECURS, OR YOU GET NOTICE FROM YOUR AV PRODUCT THAT THE INFECTION NEEDS TO BE MANUALLY REMOVED: Stop. Right there. Unless you're a truly competent malware removal specialist, taking on the job of removing a self-healing trojan, rootkit/bootkit, or malware of that nature it is most likely going to be beyond your limits. Seek help, either from a paid removal service (like Symantec's), or through volunteer forums.
WHAT NOT TO DO: Run other tools (what are considered basic and what are advanced tools depends largely on who you ask), diagnostics, and so on. Realize that there are a lot of people out there who know not they know not, and may offer well-intended advice. Running ComboFix is an example; ComboFix is not for the faint of heart, or for user's other than those skilled in its use. I've seen it cause more problems and crashes than solutions. Anticipating and taking initiative based on what you see in other threads, while well-intentioned, does nothing but make matters worse.
STARTING THE FIX PROCESS: Every forum, from AV manufacturers to volunteer forums, will tell you the same thing. Wait until being told what to do or run, and follow directions to the letter. They strive to make them easy for you to understand and carry out. Don't be surprised if they send you away because you tried to do things on your own, ran something twice, or tried something someone else suggested in the midst of the process. Where there's smoke there's fire, and what you think it might be might end up being much more. Trained and accomplished removalists trying to help you are high demand, they'll work with you, but they need to correctly identify the problem in order to help you fix it. With as many variables as there are, this is not an easy task sometimes. Malware infections are specific to machines, hence if you take the initiative to run one tool like everyone else based on other threads you're complicating the process. So stop, don't get ahead of the process - initiative is great sometimes, but with malware removal you need to follow the bouncing ball.
REMEMBER: Forum members are volunteers trying to help. If you're sent away because you got ahead of the process or strayed from the instructions, you'll be sent somewhere else and will be told why. I can understand why. Countless volunteers spend countless hours doing this by grace, if you're unintentionally pushing on doors marked pull, don't be upset if someone sends you on your way. Cooperate, graduate. Simple as that. In any case, pointed no-nonsense language is fine, but abusive language is not. Live and learn.
That's my FWIW advice; others more tech savvy feel free to add/refute as necessary.
Regards,
Kelly
Also if things are "too much" for you, simple take it into a computer repair shop asap and not do anything.