Long time Trojan problems

Hello,

I have been to this forum several times and have always been very grateful for the help I've received. I have run all the steps in the read and run me first thread (though there were a couple of problems).

I have three problems:

1) A particularly stubborn worm / trojan that I've had for more than four years.
2) My DVD/CD drive has frozen.
3) I have what I can only assume is malware on a USB drive.

My machine is a Toshiba laptop, Intel 1.73GHz CPU, 1014 MB RAM, 32-bit OS and it runs Windows Vista.

(Previously I ran a Sony Vaio, 1.4GHz CPU, Windows XP, the stubborn worm / trojan began its life here)

1) The worm / trojan problem started on my Sony Vaio and transferred to the Toshiba by my Iriver MP3 player. That may sound like a stupid thing to have allowed to happen but the virus always appears to have disappeared when it hasn't. I found some information about the virus (attached). It generates explorer.exe files which transfer themselves variously to digital cameras, USB drives, MP3 players, etc. Until yesterday, on my toshiba, I had Trend Micro PC-Cillin, which usually spotted the explorer.exe files and quarantined them, but it didn't seem to catch whatever the source of the files was. My license on PC-Cillin ran out and now I've replaced it with PC Tools Antivirus. I used to have AVG Free on my Vaio. AVG never picked up any of the explorer.exe files. (I will attach a word file containing the contents of a webpage that refers to this virus in a separate post on the same thread).

2) My DVD / CD drive (writes and reads) just suddenly didn't work one day. I went into the hardware section of the control panel and it simply says the device isn't working. It cites a Code 10 error. It gives me the opportunity to look for solutions but ultimately suggests nothing. The dialogue box that pops up when I say I want to seek solutions just disappears and it goes back to the box citing the Code 10 error.

3) Re: my USB drive, I stupidly used it on a work computer (I won't make that mistake again). The files that I saved on the work computer appeared on the USB drive but once it had been unplugged and plugged back into my Toshiba, the files had vanished. I saved more files, unplugged and plugged it back into the Toshiba again and the same thing had happened. I set the machine to show hidden files. I found a folder named FOUND.000, which couldn't be opened or deleted. I figure this is malware. This USB (and the MP3 player) was plugged in for all the scans mentioned in the read and run me first thread. None of them found this virus. Only Spybot found anything (those problems have been fixed).

I've run all the scans suggested in the read and run me first sticky except Combofix. On the website reached by clicking the link on the sticky, it said that I should run Windows Recovery Console. It said if I was a Vista user I would have to use the Vista DVD I got with the computer. I did not get that disk because the computer is second hand. Also, even if I did have it, it wouldn't work because my DVD drive isn't working.

As a final note, although the Toshiba is second hand, it's only a year old and still has a year left on the warranty. Also, I'm still in contact with the former owner.

My thanks in advance,

Tom

 

This is the word file containing information about the explorer.exe worm / trojan virus mentioned in the first post in this thread.

 

Cool, thanks for your help.