Can't use Cleaning Procedures

Hello, MG,

A few days ago I began getting pop-up boxes from a suspicious, badly
written website calling itself "XP Total Security", listing 27 viruses
lodged in personal (named) files (I screenshotted them) and wanting me to
buy protection software. The giveaway was that it promised a 1-click
solution to my problems, etc. My Sygate firewall had not been switched
back on after I disabled it some weeks ago to use some tax-return
software, hence infection.

I initially started having problems opening my browsers. I ran an old
version of CCleaner and had less problems opening them, although browser
problems have been with me since last year, so I was not unduly anxious.

Yesterday I started getting continuous Avira alerts about a trojan. I
continually pressed 'deny access' or 'send to quarantine'. These alerts
have now ceased but now the problems have really started:

I can't open any programs except a few Office programs, Adobe and Opera,
Opera only by clicking on an old Opera Web Page icon on my desktop. The
trick here is that I'm clicking on actual files, or similar, not on the
program itself. My main email inbox directory on Opera has also
disappeared, but that's a detail(!).

When I try to open programs using Start > Programs - even things like the
calculator in Accessories - I'm getting the 'Open with...' list of
programs, and my attempt to open the program fails.
This even happens with things like Thunderbird and Paintbox, where the
relevant program is an option in the list of programs.
It happens with the most recent MGtools.exe, with SUPERAntiMalware (from
wherever I try to access it), with a new mbam.exe which I renamed into
mb.exe - and now with Sygate (which I had switched back on, btw).

I'm blocked from the stuff in Control Panel, e.g. 'Software' for
adding/deleting. I just get a 'can't open application' message. I.e. the
symptom is different from the Start > Programme route.

I've tried running system restore via the command C:\windows\system32\restore\rstrui.exe, unsuccessfully.

I do have the Recovery Console, btw. I can press F8 when booting and it's
an option on the screen, if I remember correctly. Is that going to save
me? I've sent the personal work I've done over the past few days to my
provider's server, so a reversal to say the 20th May wouldn't bother me.
Also, from last year's dealings with major geeks, I have a 2-second screen
with white-writing on when I turn on the computer, but never get a chance
to read it. I tried to screenshot it today but can't open Paintbox to save
and view it.
Because of the Console etc, I haven't repeated the whole Read and Run Me
First sequence that I did last year with some success. Some of the issues
I've described above also suggest that I may not be able to.

Today am not getting the XP Total Security pop-up boxes listing 27 viruses
and only very occasionally the Trojan alert from Avira.
I'm on XP Pro.

Best regards,
WP

 

Yes, I've since read up a bit on "XP Total Security" (http://www.rvnetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=91470) and discovered that my clicking to close the "buy our AV software" boxes was what infected me.

Due to the problems stated, I can't run any of the versions of Rkill that I downloaded, so can't begin to follow your step-by-step suggestions. I continually get the "Open with.." list of programs - a brick wall. The Rkill doesn't open ...and now the "Open with" box refuses to close, forcing me to use the Task Manager to close it.

 

I'll ask a friend to mail me the contents of the exe-fix zip file individually, because when I tried to open the downloaded zip file I ran into the same brick wall that I've run into with all other programs: I choose '[open with] WinZip Executable' and it refuses.