directed here by firefox for malware

The people over at firefox directed me here because I am getting the error message about sending in error reports every time i try to open the browser. They gave me a bunch of suggestions, all of which failed, leading them to the conclusion that I have malware on my computer. They said to post here and that someone would assist me, so that's what I'm doing, thanks for any help available!

 

For help you must be very specific about the problems you are having. System info, Softeare versions, computer components, and specific error messages. Do that and someone will fix it for you!

 

If you/they think it might be spyware related you can post it here, http://forums.majorgeeks.com/forumdisplay.php?f=35 in the Spyware Forum. Be sure to read : READ ME FIRST BEFORE ASKING FOR SUPPORT sticky.

What's the error message, maybe we can solve it here.

Steve

 

Thanks, the specific error message is: firefox.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience. It then goes into that whole, send or don't send the error report thing.

 

So any suggestions or should i go look for help elsewhere?

 

weplayiwin -

Matacumbie is correct. Read the thread he recommended. It seems like a lot to go through, but if spyware/malware is your problem, then you should be able to weed it out by following the instructions. Afterwards post your logs and results, that will provide much instight for others to help you.

Offhand, seperate of running spyware aps, I would recommend you shutdown as many background programs as possible and then try running Firefox. Or you might try uninstalling and reinstalling. Or booting in safe mode with network enabled. Or update Firefox independently of running it. Do you have any overclocking going on? That could be an issue. Other hardware issues might include ram incompatibility. Do you have different RAM from different manufacturers?

No doubt some of what I suggested was already done. Maybe not. Give some of those things a try, especially the Spyware instructions, and get back to us.

 

What version of firefox? 1.06? What OS are you running?

Is this your first time installing firefox?

We really do need more info, so read this ----> http://forums.majorgeeks.com/announcement.php?f=21

 

Hey,

Is that all the message? Does it give you any details or maybe list a specific .dll that might be causing it?

Also, what steps did they have you take at the other forum. That will give us some idea of what to try for you.

Steve

 

You were given a suggestion. The error message, firefox.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close, is a general error message.
Follow the instructions in this thread http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=35407 and post any unresolved issues in this forum http://forums.majorgeeks.com/forumdisplay.php?f=35. If after following the instructions in the first thread, nothing has been found come back to this thread and we will continue.


[EDIT] I'll butt out now. Hello Steve.

 

We keep running into each other 20Valve, sorry.

Steve

 

Well, they got plenty of help now. See what they post and we can all give it a go if we can.

Steve

 

Thanks for all the help and suggestions everyone. Unfortunately, none of them solved the problem, they might have solved some issues, but im afraid that i still have this stubborn one, probably plus some others I am unaware of. I know this has taken way too long, but it has been hard to get a length of time where I could do all of this at once.

The whole error message is: "firefox.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience. If you were in the middle of something, the information you were working on might be lost. Please tell Microsoft about this problem. We have created an error report that you can send to us. We will treat this report as confidential and annonymous. To see what data this error report contains, click here."

First thing that strikes me here is that firefox isn't a Microsoft product, and the other is that the .dll isnt listed like someone else mentioned.

When I look at the error report, this is the error signature that comes up:
"AppName: firefox.exe AppVer: 1.0.6.0 ModName: unknown
ModVer: 0.0.0.0 Offset: 013694be"

Here are the reporting details: "this error report includes: information regarding the condition of firefox.exe when the problem occurred; the operating system version and computer hardware in use; your Digital Product ID, which could be used to identify your license; and the IP of your computer. We do not intentionally collect your files, name, address, email address or any other form of personally identifiable information. However, the error report could contain customer-specific information such as data from open files. While this information could potentially be used to determine your identity, if present, it will not be used. The data that we collect will only be used to fix the problem. If more information is available, we will tell you when you report the problem. This error report will be sent using a secure connection to a database with limited access and will not be used for marketing purposes."

Hopefully, this will get some leads, I know it isn't that much hardcore info, but hopefully it can help in some way. Thanks again for any help at all!

 

One additional note, when I try to open internet explorer, I am getting basically the same error message, so I am having to access the internet via typing in sites in the top bar for My Computer.

 

Sorry to add additional posts this way, but it seems that when I get a pop-up from either firefox or internet explorer, the error message doesn't come up. This is making me think that there has to be some sort of spyware that is preventing me from accessing both browsers in what would be considered a "normal" way. I have no idea if I am way off base, just trying to add as much information as possible to help you all help me, haha.

 

Are you running any type of "internet secuity" and have you checked your firewall to see if that program is being blocked by either?

I had a problem similar to yours a year ago and it was the firewall. I've since changed firewalls. Just a thought. If this is redundant with what you have already been suggested to do, sorry.

 

Not at all, any help at all is appreciated. What kind of firewall was it, was it a free-standing firewall or one built in to a browser? I don't have a free-standing firewall, and i guess i don't know the settings for my browser's firewall settings, if they has any.

 

When did this start?

Did firefox ever work?

What OS (Operating System) are you using? 98/me/2k/xp?

 

Well, it did work, for about 3 weeks. The problem started about 4-5 days ago now, and I'm on xp.

 

Correction, it was more like a month, and it was 3 days ago.

 

Sounds like a Windows problem, as both Fire Fox and Internet Explorer are having the same issues!

 

Ok, well, any suggestions or ideas?

 

Did you go thru the Spyware Sections tutorial, if so, did it find anything?

Steve

 

Yeah, I went through everything you all threw at me, and it didn't work...

 

I would go to NO HIJACK THIS LOG FILES BEFORE READING THIS: HJT Tutorial & LOG File Posting located here, http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=38752

Start a thread in the Spyware Section and ask for help, be sure to tell them you have completed the steps in the READ ME FIRST section. They will probably ask you to submit a HJT log, maybe there is something there.

Doing this will rule out any malware issues and give all of us a better look at your system and what you have installed.

Steve

 

Free standing firewall. Which browser are you using?