Log in/log off loop

[epicfail13]

I was referred to this forum from the software forum. http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthr...67#post1340567
I did spend about half an hour checking similar threads, but I wasn't confident that I found enough information.

My original post:
I've spent about 10 hours surfing the net looking for help on this one.

I have a friend that uses P2P applications. She runs only McAfee, and I don't know if she ever updates or runs it. I ran McAfee, and it only found one infection (so I'm not very willing to let her use it anymore). Her computer is XP Pro, about 5 years old, and only updated to SP2. She didn't notice the malware until it started aggressively hijacking her browser and changed her desktop to a warning that she had an infection (yeah, no kidding).

Her computer refused to recognize my flash drive, so I had to burn the anti-malware programs to a CD. I started with Spybot S and D, but about halfway through the computer went to BSOD. I had some success stopping the scan after a few infections were found and removing them, scan and repeat, but I hit the BSOD whenever it was about halfway through. I switched to Ad-Aware by Lavasoft. It found 2 infections (sorry, thought I was safe and didn't note what they were) and removed them. When asked to restart, I did, and now it will not let me log in under any user, under any safe mode. From what I've read on a couple dozen pages, this is often caused when the malware has replaced userinit.exe.

I believe her XP came pre-installed without the XP CD-ROM, which seems to mean that it's OEM-installed and the MS fix won't work. I can access her files using a Linux Live CD. I have read some tutorials on making an Ultimate Boot Disk from my/her C: i386 file, but I'm not certain I can do it. I can't reformat her computer without the XP CD-ROM? I'm a fast learner, but I'm feeling overwhelmed.

Additional comments:
Spybot found and removed at the bare minimum 15 infections and still allowed me to restart and log in. The desktop was freed, task manager was usable again, her browser was freed. I would have continued with Spybot but for the BSOD problem. (May have been caused by overheating?)
Her computer is a laptop. Mine is also a laptop. We both run XP that came pre-installed. If it is possible to wire her hard drive to mine (not looking forward to that), I'll probably want more security than I have. I'm not worried about my computer as it is now, but if it comes to wiring them together, I'll probably spend a while installing and scanning. (I don't have a lot of RAM to work with). After seeing what it has done to her computer, I'm a little scared. If at all possible, I'd prefer some kind of boot disk, even a reasonably priced commercial one; especially as I'm not very comfortable with the insides of computers just yet.

It seems to me that since most people get Windows pre-installed that there should be more options that don't require the CD-ROM.

[TimW]

According to the thread in software, you have managed to fix the login loop. If that is the case, then you need to follow these instructions:

Please follow the instructions in the READ & RUN ME FIRST link given futher down and attach the requested logs when you finish these instructions.

• If you have problems where no tools seem to run, please try following the steps given in the below and then continue on no matter what you find. You only need to try the TDSSserv steps if having problems getting scans in the Read & Run Me First. If TDSSserv is not found, just continue on with the READ & RUN ME.
  
  • TDSSserv Non-Plug & Play Driver Disable

READ & RUN ME FIRST. Malware Removal Guide

• If something does not run, write down the info to explain to us later but keep on going.
• Do not assume that because one step does not work that they all will not.

• After completing the READ & RUN ME and attaching your logs, make sure that you tell us what problems still remain ( if any still do )!

Helpful Notes:

1. If you run into problems trying to run the READ & RUN ME or any of the scans in normal boot mode, you can run the steps in safe boot mode but make sure you tell us what you did later when you post logs. See the below if you do not know how to boot in safe mode:
   
   • Starting your computer in Safe mode
2. If you have problems downloading on the problem PC, download the tools and the manual updates for SUPERAntiSpyware, Malwarebytes and Spybot ( links are given in the READ & RUN ME) onto another PC and then burn to a CD. Then copy them to the problem PC. You will have to skip getting updates if (and only if) your internet connection does not work. Yes you could use a flash drive too but flash drives are writeable and infections can spread to them.
3. If you cannot seem to login to an infected user account, try using a different user account (if you have one) in either normal or safe boot mode and running only SUPERAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes while logged into this other user account. Then reboot and see if you can log into the problem user account. If you can then run SUPERAntiSpyware, Malwarebytes, ComboFix and MGtools on the infected account as requested in the instructions.
4. To avoid additional delay in getting a response, it is strongly advised that after completing the READ & RUN ME you also read this sticky:
   
   • Don't Bump! It Only Hurts You!!!

Any additional post is a bump which will add more delay. Once you attach the logs, your thread will be in the work queue and as stated our system works the oldest threads FIRST.

[epicfail13]

These are from the current state of the system. Please let me know if I have made any mistakes and what to do to correct them.

After running all these programs, I'm still having a problem when browsing the web. I'm using Firefox, but it gets redirected to random sites when I'm using Google. It doesn't necessarily prevent me from getting to anti-malware sites: I tried googling horses, and still got redirected when I clicked on links.

[epicfail13]

Update. I seem to have fixed the redirect problem. I uninstalled all Google applications, uninstalled Mozilla Firefox, uninstalled Yahoo toolbar. Hunted down all the Program files for all 3 and all their application files and deleted them too. Ran CCleaner to empty and overwrite the recycle bin. Reinstalled Mozilla Firefox, and now the Google redirect problem seems to have vanished.

I made a wild guess that the redirect was caused by something buried in the Google or browser files, and as I have no idea what's natural in there or not, I just purged them. Seems to have worked. Whatever it was might have been leftover from one of the dozens of things that I've removed when I started cleaning this computer, maybe not.

If there's nothing unusual in the logs, I'll finish up with the "how to keep your computer safe" thread and return the computer to its owner...with extensive instructions to keep updated and run scans frequently.

[TimW]

That would have done it. You should also uninstall this:
URL Assistant

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

1. We recommed you keep SUPERAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for scanning/removal of malware. Unless you purchase them, they provide no real time protection. They are useful as backup scanners. They do not use any significant amount of resources ( except a little disk space ) until you run a scan.
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" /u
     
     • Notes: The space between the combofix" and the /u, it must be there.
     • This will uninstall ComboFix and also reset hidden files and folders settings back to Windows defaults.
     
     
   • Delete the C:\combofix folder from combofix (if it exists)
   
   
3. Any other miscellaneous tools we may have had you install or download can be uninstalled and deleted.
4. 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.
5. Go to add/remove programs and uninstall HijackThis.
6. You can delete the C:\MGtools folder and the C:\MGtools.exe file. You can also delete the C:\MGlogs.zip
7. If you are running Vista, Windows XP or Windows ME, do the below:
   
   • Refer to the cleaning steps in the READ ME for your Window version and see the steps to Disable System Restore which will flush your Restore Points.
   • Then reboot and Enable System Restore to create a new clean Restore Point.
   
   
8. After doing the above, you should work thru the below link:
   
   • How to Protect yourself from malware!