The Laptop of Death: suspected malware damage

Discussion in 'Malware Help - MG (A Specialist Will Reply)' started by phildhooks, Dec 17, 2010.

  1. phildhooks

    phildhooks Private E-2

    Hello all, I'm a n00b here, apologies for any poor etiquette.

    My Advent 6651 laptop, t3400 2.16 ghz Windows Vista Home Premium 32 bit has been pushing me towards the edge of sanity for months now.

    Its symptoms are as follows:

    1. (The most painful one) Music, DVD playback, video/audio streaming from the internet, anything media related down to the sound the thing plays when Windows starts up is played at varying degrees of choppiness, the audio sounds like it's underwater, with cracking/distortion/torturous slowdown, the visuals behave much the same. This is, however, intermittent. There will be rare occassions where it behaves itself fine for anything from 10 minutes to four days. These often follow an attempt by me to fix it so it's particularly frustrating when it reverts back.

    2. Slow loading times for programmes, sticky windows, oodles of "not responding" messages which sometimes crash, sometimes correct themselves.

    I followed the malware removal readme/runme business on the forum starting last night and just finished.

    I even punched it once. I KNOW I shouldn't have, and I'm not a violent man, but it really pushed me. It restarted chirpily and continued in its obnoxious ways like a muling little baby.

    The reason I suspect malware (despite having run spybot, Superantimalware, malwarebytes etc to no real conclusion) is the fact I get the odd respite from its evil ways.

    Combofix wouldnt work, citing a corrupt download.

    Here's the SAS log (minus the tracking cookies, I didnt delete temp files before scan). I ran Malwarebytes twice over the last few weeks and it picked up nothing, I couldn't face another scan with that after the SAS marathon. I've attached the MGTools Logs.

    My memory is very fuzzy on this, but it might have started with a virus I picked up months and months ago (wouldnt let me use browser, use antispyware stuff etc, can't remember how I got rid of it now.)

    Thanks for your time :)

    Phil

    SUPERAntiSpyware Scan Log
    http://www.superantispyware.com

    Generated 12/17/2010 at 01:15 AM

    Application Version : 4.47.1000

    Core Rules Database Version : 6014
    Trace Rules Database Version: 3826

    Scan type : Complete Scan
    Total Scan Time : 04:32:37

    Memory items scanned : 600
    Memory threats detected : 0
    Registry items scanned : 10949
    Registry threats detected : 1
    File items scanned : 30120
    File threats detected : 569

    System.BrokenFileAssociation
    HKCR\.exe

    Adware.Tracking Cookie (nb: there then follows a list of 569 cookies)
     

    Attached Files:

  2. TimW

    TimW MajorGeeks Administrator - Jedi Malware Expert Staff Member

    Please attach all logs instead of pasting them inline.

    You should not have uTorrent running at startup.

    I am not seeing much in the way of malware in your logs. Let's do this and then see if you can get Combo to run.

    Run C:\MGtools\analyse.exe by double clicking on it (Note: if using Vista, don't double click, use right click and select Run As Administrator). This is really HijackThis (select Do a system scan only) and select the following lines but DO NOT CLICK FIX until you exit all browser sessions including the one you are reading in right now:
    After clicking Fix, exit HJT.

    Now copy just the bold text below to notepad (Do not include any space above the word REGEDIT). Save it as fixME.reg to your desktop. Be sure the "Save as" type is set to "all files" Once you have saved it double click it and allow it to merge with the registry.
    Make sure that you tell me if you receive a success message about adding the above
    to the registry. If you do not get a success message, it definitely did not work.


    Now use windows explorer to find and delete:
    C:\Users\Phil\AppData\Local\mdnslib
    C:\PROGRAMS AND SETTINGS\AVG

    Now run the AVG uninstaller:
    http://www.avg.com/us-en/download-tools

    Now see if you can run ComboFix.

    Then run the C:\MGtools\GetLogs.bat file by double clicking on it (Note: if using Vista, don't double click, use right click and select Run As Administrator).

    Then attach the below logs:

    * C:\ComboFix.txt
    * C:\MGlogs.zip

    Make sure you tell me how things are working now!
     
  3. phildhooks

    phildhooks Private E-2

    Hello there!

    Thanks so much for taking the time to help me out.

    I've followed your instructions (the reg change etc all accepted), and, at time of writing (5 mins following rebooting after running combofix/mgtools) general performance is better but video/audio still crackly, distorted and slowed down.
    I attach my logs.

    Many thanks again

    Phil
     

    Attached Files:

  4. TimW

    TimW MajorGeeks Administrator - Jedi Malware Expert Staff Member

    Just to be on the safe side, let's have you do this:

    Please download the TDSS Rootkit Removing Tool (TDSSKiller.exe) and save it to your Desktop. <-Important!!!


    Be sure to download TDSSKiller.exe (v2.4.0.0) from Kaspersky's website and not TDSSKiller.zip which appears to be an older version 2.3.2.2 of the tool.

    • Double-click on TDSSKiller.exe to run the tool for known TDSS variants.
      Vista/Windows 7 users right-click and select Run As Administrator.
    • If TDSSKiller does not run, try renaming it.
    • To do this, right-click on TDSSKiller.exe, select Rename and give it a random name with the .com file extension (i.e. 123abc.com). If you do not see the file extension, please refer to How to change the file extension.
    • Click the Start Scan button.
    • Do not use the computer during the scan
    • If the scan completes with nothing found, click Close to exit.
    • If malicious objects are found, they will show in the Scan results - Select action for found objects and offer three options.
    • Ensure Cure (default) is selected, then click Continue > Reboot now to finish the cleaning process.
    • A log file named TDSSKiller_version_date_time_log.txt (i.e. TDSSKiller.2.4.0.0_27.07.2010_14.17.05_log.txt) will be created and saved to the root directory ( usually Local Disk C ).
    • Attach this log to your next message


    Please also download MBRCheck to your desktop

    • Double click MBRCheck.exe to run (vista and Win 7 right click and select Run as Administrator)
    • It will show a Black screen with some information that will contain either the below line if no problem is found:
      • Done! Press ENTER to exit...

    • Or you will see more information like below if a problem is found:
      • Found non-standard or infected MBR.
      • Enter 'Y' and hit ENTER for more options, or 'N' to exit:

    • Either way, just choose to exit the program at this point since we want to see only the scan results to begin with.
    • MBRCheck will create a log named similar to MBRCheck_07.16.10_00.32.33.txt which is random based on date and time.
    • Attach this log to your next message.
     
  5. phildhooks

    phildhooks Private E-2

    Thank you - I"ll be back with my computer on Monday and get to it then.

    Could other factors other than malware be at fault do you think?
     
  6. TimW

    TimW MajorGeeks Administrator - Jedi Malware Expert Staff Member

    Only if you have some disc emulation software running which could make the logs indicate an MBR infections or a TDSS Root type infection.
     
  7. phildhooks

    phildhooks Private E-2

    Hello - ran both - TDSS found a suspicious locked file. When dealt with and rebooted the symptoms raged on. I've never come so close to simply kicking a computer through a glass window.It deserves nothing more.

    Thanks again, have attached the logs.
     

    Attached Files:

  8. TimW

    TimW MajorGeeks Administrator - Jedi Malware Expert Staff Member

    At least you MBR is not infected. Please tell me exactly what issues you are having.

    In the meantime, let's have you do an online scan:

    eSet Online Scan.
     
  9. phildhooks

    phildhooks Private E-2

    Will do when home. The main issue is that if I watch or listen to anything - net streaming, dvd, vlc, wmp youtube etc etc, its violently interrupted and distorted. It often is accompanied by a CPU spike to 100 percent in task manager. Also, unresponsive mouse clicker a lot when doing anything, as well as not respondings and general jammy sloth.
     
  10. TimW

    TimW MajorGeeks Administrator - Jedi Malware Expert Staff Member

    That is sounding like a problem with windows. Possibly a hardware issue or a software conflict. Do let me know if eSet finds anything.
     
  11. phildhooks

    phildhooks Private E-2

    E-Set found nothing :( Do you think this business going to cost me money? I hope not for I have none. Thanks again for your help.
     
  12. TimW

    TimW MajorGeeks Administrator - Jedi Malware Expert Staff Member

    I certainly hope not!! I do strongly suggest you post this in either the software or hardware forum for those issues. They may be able to get you straightened out. ;)

    If you are not having any other malware problems, it is time to do our final steps:

    1. We recommend you keep SUPERAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for scanning/removal of malware. Unless you purchase them, they provide no real time protection. They do not use any significant amount of resources ( except a little disk space ) until you run a scan.We recommend them for doing backup scans when you suspect a malware infection.
    2. If we had you use ComboFix, uninstall ComboFix (This uninstall will only work as written if you installed ComboFix on your Desktop like we requested.)
      • Click START then RUN and enter the below into the run box and then click OK. Note the quotes are required
      • "%userprofile%\Desktop\combofix" /uninstall
        • Notes: The space between the combofix" and the /uninstall, it must be there.
        • This will uninstall ComboFix and also reset hidden files and folders settings back to Windows defaults.


    3. Go back to step 6 of the READ ME and renable your Disk Emulation software with Defogger if you had disabled it.
    4. Any other miscellaneous tools we may have had you install or download can be uninstalled and deleted.
    5. If we had you download any registry patches like fixme.reg or fixWLK.reg (or any others), you can delete these files now.
    6. If running Vista, it is time to make sure you have reenabled UAC by double clicking on the C:\MGtools\enableUAC.reg file and allowing it to be added to the registry.
    7. Go to add/remove programs and uninstall HijackThis.
    8. Goto the C:\MGtools folder and find the MGclean.bat file. Double click on this file to run this cleanup program that will remove files and folders related to MGtools and some other items from our cleaning procedures.
    9. If you are running Win 7, Vista, Windows XP or Windows ME, do the below:
      • Refer to the cleaning procedures pointed to by step 7 of the READ ME
        for your Window version and see the instructions to Disable System Restore which will flush your Restore Points.
      • Then reboot and Enable System Restore to create a new clean Restore Point.

    10. After doing the above, you should work thru the below link:




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