Hey all, I'm in need of some help from you super geniuses around here.

A couple days ago I started getting an alert from my Spybot Search and Destroy, asking me to allow or deny a change (I think it was something to do with win32), so I just auto-denied since I had no idea what prompted such a thing.

Now, I decided to go look for why something got past my McAfee, and what do you know, it had expired. Wonderful, I loved the alert it gave me that it had run out. The non-existent one.

So I go to download a new McAfee, as it won't let me just install updates for some reason. It tells me to uninstall Spybot, so I do that, and when it continues on in the installation it comes to something that says "Gathering Download Information." After a while it auto-cancels the download because it can't gather this information it so desperately needs, and gives me a solution to the problem: Try the installation again. Needless to say, that hasn't worked. Anyone have any experience with this one?


I also have a different problem that's likely connected to this one in some way, since they happened at the same time. One browser I use, which I guess is Internet Explorer (It's this MSN browser thing that connects my E-mail and my MSN messenger, so it's just really convenient), isn't working. I don't know why, since Firefox is connecting to the Internet just fine. It takes two or three attempts to connect with the MSN browser, and once it does I can't go past my e-mail account, because it can't connect to anything. My MSN messenger seems to be connecting fine, but the browser can't go anywhere.

Running XP (Home, I think, if it matters).

So... any ideas on this? Have I majorly borked it up? Is there any information I can give to make it easier?

I'm gonna go ahead and update my backup hard drive. -.-

Edit: My downloading problem might be linked to the failure of my MSN browser, but I'm not sure. I tried downloading Spybot again, to see if it could find anything, but as it started the installation it said "Connecting to 127.0.0.1," and then said it could not connect. I know that 127 is that thing that loops back to my computer, so it seems like that might be an issue. I'm still confused.

 

Spybot detects registry changes in the computer. While there is an API (application program interface) which is win32 based, win32.exe is a trojan (google it if you want more information).

I am assuming you are using mcafee 10. If it's possible uninstall any anti-virus you may have and the spybot then download avast 4.8 home edition(it's free), install it and get the latest update and then run a boot-time scan. It should detect any virus, trojan or worm you may have.

Regarding your MSN browser, it's quite possible that it may be showing the problem because of any trojan or worm you have. Since, there are certain win32 trojan which doesn't allow you connect to the net excluding a few sites. So do the scan.

127.0.0.1 is the loop-back address. You will find that when you search spybot on the net there are two different setup files, one which requires you to remain connected to the net to install and another which can just install itself without any connectivity. Try downloading the latter (how will you identify, simple, the latter should have a larger size).

 

You should totally format. Yep, I think that's the only thing that you can do.


Or, alternatively, try using System Restore to rollback to last week or, preferbly, last month if you have any restore points that go that far. Then, try using the updates. Also, are you attatched to McAfee? You could try using another program. In fact, I encourage it. See if you can access another anti-virus program, because I've had a few before that block your PC from accessing certain sites- like anti-virus sites which might hold programs to kill the thing.

Try FileHippo.com. I think that's how I got a program downloaded and working.

There's also an online scanner that's meant to be alright. I can't remember the name of it though, so if anybody remembers let Rehio know.

Or you could totally format your PC and start clean.

 

Fuck you, Shezza. Fuck you.

I ain't seeing much of a problem here. If you've got Firefox, the only reason you'd need IE is for bloody Microsoft websites that sulk if you try to hit 'em up with Firefox. And there's a hell of a lot of alternate virus scanners out there - NOD32 and AVG leap to mind.

I mean, aye, ideally you'd be able to track down the problem and solve it, but it ain't as if there's no middle ground between fixing it and reformatting.

 

I think you're talking about Trend Micro Housecall, which is a pretty good way to scan for nasty shit on your comp if you think your anti-virus is fucked.

 

I guess the biggest issue is that some programs I use can't seem to connect to the internet. When I went to download some Firewall/virus scan stuff, a couple that I tried weren't able to install because they couldn't get a connection. Also, my WoW can't "connect to the news server," and I'm slightly worried I'll be screwed when they release another patch (It works fine when connecting to the game itself, but it can't connect to the setup page pre-game.

I've downloaded Avast! and Comodo to work as my virus scan and firewall. They were recommended to me by a friend, but I don't know how good they really are.

 

AVG is pretty decent. McAffy is garbage, I've been told by this computer wiz a long time ago. and I agree with him. I'm currently using AVG at the moment. AVG is a good one, it spots almost anything.

I suggest that if you can't get rid of it, burn your important stuff onto CD's or DVD's and reformat. If you're lucky, and you have a fast computer, it would install XP in only 20 minutes. And I suggest using XP Pro instead, I'm told Home has bugs up the kazoo.

 

Avast is quite good. Install it, get the latest update and then run a boot-time scan, mind you, not the normal scan. It should detect any virus and trojan you have.

As for not being able to connect to certain sites, it's most probably due to certain virus or worm. You should be able to connect after you get rid of them.

 

Started to run an Avast! scan, and it immediately told me about a virus that it needed to go into boot mode to deal with, so I'm doing that. Thanks for the advice so far, you guys. And Shezza.

Boot scan done, supposedly everything there is clean. MSN browser still won't connect to any site, and my WoW Installer won't connect either. When I load up MSN, it automatically goes to my e-mail account, and I can see the updated e-mails in there. Every time it loads it'll show new e-mails, but I can't open any of them, so it's getting the information somehow.

I can live without my MSN browser and the easy e-mail connection, but it's still strange that this is happening and I'd like to take care of it if it's possible.