DriveCleaner

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Hello,

I am very unknowledgable about computers.

The last couple of days the computer has been kicking me off the internet and telling me a security breach has been detected.

It has offered to install programmes like DriveCleaner and another one I can't remember to protect against Spyware.

Should I do it? I didn't know if this was a virus or something nasty?

Thanks
Smelena

Sounds like tou have picked up a bit of spyware.
I would go to microsoft.cpm and install defender
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

Assuming your using XP or very simmilar

Thankyou!

I've installed it and run it and it says nothing detected.

Everybody connected to the internet should have Spybot S&D on their machine:

http://www.safer-networking.org/

It's great and free, but lots of spyware will also prevent you from downloading spybot, for obvious reasons.

Good luck.

I keep Ad-Aware and Spybot search and destroy. Ad-Aware doesn't have the extensive tools but is easier to use for a less advanced user.

Hi Smelena.

From Symantec(Noton):

As well as SpyBot and AdAware, for anti-virus, I use free AVG (Anti-Virus Grisoft). However, strictly speaking, DriveCleaner isn't a virus, so AVG won't do anything about it.

You are quite correct to be suspicious of anything that suddenly pops up saying you have a problem - 99% of the time, the thing that popped up is the problem.

Spybot, AdAware should BOTH be used. AVG is good too, if you have Norton Antivirus remove it and install AVG.

I'll qualify that a little, ahayes...

If you have a free copy of Norton Antivirus, wait until...

1. they ask you for money (they will),
2. it breaks (it will) or
3. it annoys you in any other way (it will),

... then remove it and install AVG (or the other good free one, that I don't personally use... Avira).

PS. I give Symantec (Norton) some credit for providing a utility on their website that will uninstall ALL their products in a single hit. (Well... it does do so, until it is presented with a broken Norton install, then it flounders a bit.) (Also, if you try to run a slightly out-of-date version of the removal tool, it whinges and won't work.)

I'd like to add Spywareblaster
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

I use AVG's anti-virus (free) and anti-spyware (paid, back when it was still Ewido before AVG bought them out), running in the background at all times. I also use Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall (free edition), also running at all times.

I run AdAware once a week and Spybot Search & Destroy about once a month if I remember it. (But with all the other stuff I run, it's been quite a while since Spybot actually found anything the others missed.)

My computer came with Norton Antivirus. And I ... found... that ... it ... made ... my ... computer ... run ... v e r y ... s l o w l y . . .

why do u need 2 AVs? and a firewall?
just disable incoming connections except on ports you use specifically like for bit torrent and stuff.
and 1 av is enough. as long as your not a moron downloading stuff off untrusted sites you should have no prob w/ it.

I'd like to add a word of caution.

There are whole families of malware out there, which hide behind names that appear genuine. One such family includes a load of versions with "blaster" in their names. Computerlove's link is genuine (I believe). I've not used it, and I'm not sure I would. It seems rather limited. Still, it's free!

Having spent some time recently, cleaning up infected systems, I know that (even) I can get it wrong. One that had me fooled for a bit was so professional-looking - I was sure I'd seen in on the shelves in shops. It had managed to force itself to the top of search engines, looking good, and displacing all the entries which alerted that it was unadulterated malware.

Also beware of not-so-malware. Things that give "free" virus scans, report shed-loads of problem, and then say "just pay us <some amount of money> and we'll clean this all up." Naturally, your machine has no infection at all. (One such scan reported hijackthis as a virus - so they obviously don't have a clue).

And now... just checking, and I've discovered that www<dot>hijackthis<dot>com is a site trying to foist a bunch of non-free stuff from WebRoot Software, whereas HijackThis is free, and comes from Trend Micro. I'm not at all sure I understand what's going on there!

I'm not sure if your comment is directed at me or not. I use only one anti-virus program, AVG. Norton did come with my computer, and it ran slower than my old 200-MHz MMX machine running Windows 95. I uninstalled Norton completely, obliterating every trace of it in the Registry... suddenly my machine was a *LOT* faster.

I use a firewall because anyone on a high-speed connection (cable or ADSL) who isn't using one is asking for trouble.