We frequently get phone calls that go like this:

Caller: How much does it cost to get rid of a virus?

Wizard: What leads you to believe you have a virus?

Caller: Well, I got a message that my computer was infected with a virus.

Wizard: What program was it that gave you this message? Where did you see the message?

Caller: I don't know, it was just a message from my virus program...

Wizard: Are there any other symptoms? What is your computer doing that it doesn't normally do?

Caller: Well, when I try to go to the Internet, I don't get the page I'm supposed to. It's some kind of search page or something -- and it's really slow!

OK, let's stop right here. What the caller has just described is a classic Hijacker, not necessarily a virus. This is probably one of the most common conversations we have these days. Is the computer infected with a virus? Probably. If their current "Security Application" had been doing a thorough job, she wouldn't have called in the first place. However... The symptoms she just described are more along the line of Spyware / Malware and removing these infections is nearly impossible for the typical (and even advanced) user.

Why do I say this? Simple. The people that design these infections are intent on making sure they stay where they 'land' - firmly entrenched in your computer. They make lots of money by redirecting your computer to rogue websites and stealing - then selling your personal information. Scary? It should be.

It's not uncommon when infected with a Hijacker to have your Windows Desktop Wallpaper change to something you've never seen before (a biohazard symbol in red and yellow or a warning that your computer has been tracked going to porn sites) and you cannot change it. Another symptom of a computer Hijacker is finding new icons (usually for computer security programs) "welded" to your desktop (you cannot delete them or uninstall the associated programs) and program popups that won't go away.

The other symptom to be very concerned about is the warning message that pops up on your screen warning you of infections on your computer and asking if you want this previously unheard-of program to fix the problem. This dialog box frequently contains rapidly increasing numbers purporting to count the number of infected files it's finding on your computer. This is another classic hijacker and you're in real trouble, as these pests are very difficult to remove. Some of these symptoms also belong to the new category of Malware known as HostageWare. These infestations hijack your system and charge you money to 'go away' or uninstall themselves. Don't fall for it. Once you're infected, you'd best have a professional exorcise the demons from your computer. Doing a partial cleaning will leave you open to further attack and there are NO commercially available tools that do a 100% job of removing Malware. Our experience is the best any of them do is maybe 80%. That leaves 20% of the 100,000+ pests that can (or possibly are) infect your computer. Those are not particularly good odds.

Many callers want to know what tools they can buy / download to fix the problem themselves. We don't tell them what we use, because they're likely to do more harm than good trying to fix the problem themselves. You'll likely get yourself in even more trouble trying to research the problem and solution yourself, because, at last count, out of all the products you could download to remove Malware, 329 (that's right, three HUNDRED and twenty-nine) of them are the very infection you're trying to remove, or something nearly as bad.

Once your computer is infected, you really need to enlist the services of a professional to remove the spyware / malware / virus infecting your computer, because the nature of these beasts is too complex for most software tools to fully handle We've found even the best products leave a smattering of detritus that MUST be removed by hand before the system is safe to use.

Spybot is a very good product (not a 100% solution, but safe to use). Searching for it on the Internet can lead you to bogus sites that will infect your computer, which is one of the reasons we tell people not to do this on their own. AdAware is another very safe product to do some rudimentary cleaning, but again, looking for it on the Internet can lead you to bogus sites that will infect your computer. Do NOT install the PAID version of AdAware, as we have had to remove it many times due to massive resource loading. Our observation and considered opinion is that it will do more damage than it's protection justifies.

In our shop (and in the field) we generally employ no less than a dozen commercially-available Spyware Removers in combination with special boot disks, diagnostic machines and manual infected file removal / registry key removal. Registry editing and manual file removal is very complicated work with the possibility of rendering your computer unbootable as a consequence -- at one slip of the finger (or mouse). The old quote applies: "Don't try this at home." Constant research is mandatory in the business we're in, just to stay up with the advances in malware infections and removal. We've seen a sharp rise in Rootkit infections in 2007 and they can be incredibly difficult to remove, even with our resources. .

Virus removal in today's world is very similar in that, once your computer is infected, any 'decent' virus will prevent you from installing any product that might harm it. Essentially, if your existing AntiVirus program allowed you to become infected, you need a professional to remove the infection, then remove your AV program, then see to it you're properly protected in the future..

Warren Paul Harris

Warren Harris owns and operates The Computer Wizard in Plano, Texas

The Computer Wizard
3131 Custer Road, Ste 175
Plano, TX 75075
972.781.0011
www.thecomputerwizard.biz