Ran the malware removal protocol just for maintenance and now my docs are corrupted!!

I ran the malware removal protocol here:

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=35407

just for maintenance on my Mom's computer. My mom's in graduate school and has TONS of school research on her computer. In addition, she has been diagnosed with an absolutely terrible cancer, and has kept her diary on her computer for the past few weeks. So you can see that her computer docs are VERY important.

Anyway, after I ran it, her Word docs were suddently corrupt and we can't open them. I emailed some to another computer and they won't open there either. I emailed her some Word docs from my computer (hoping it was something wrong with the registry or Word setup or something and the files were fine but the path was wrong) and she COULD open them.

I tried several Word repair programs (via the free demo downloads) and none could open the document. I downloaded openoffice and tried to open a test document and when it opens, it just has her name in it.

Please, oh please, somebody help me. I am absolutely heartsick that something I did could have either damaged her hard drive (how????) or ruined her documents. I am open to ANY suggestions.

 

Re: Ran the malware removal protocol just for maintenance and now my docs are corrupt

I can't get to the logs right now because I'm two hours away from my parents, but if it helps, the scans didn't find any malware at all. McAfee did really interfere with Combofix (it kept thinking it was a trojan), and in fact, I'm not sure I got Combofix to ever run, but I read elsewhere on this forum that it can quarantine the documents so that it looks like they're gone (I am SOOO hoping this is what's happening... I'm literally sick at my stomach, I could throw up in my trash can at my desk right now, thinking of what my mom has possibly lost).

What I've done right now is order a copy of Norton Ghost and sent it to my parents' house, and they're going to take it and the computer to a guy there locally who's supposed to know what to do with computers, if I can't figure out a solution in the next day or two. I called some other computer guys I know, and they said the best thing to do would be to come back to this forum and see if others have had the same problem.

 

Re: Ran the malware removal protocol just for maintenance and now my docs are corrupt

GCWesq suggested I post the resolution here, even though it likely won't help anyone else.

You wouldn't believe what the solution was. Mom is incredibly inexperienced with her computer and being two hours away makes it difficult to diagnose issues. The problem was that in doing the malware removal protocol I had unhidden hidden files and extensions (as per the directions) but had not re-hidden them after I was done. There were hidden files in her list of documents when she opened the folder they were normally kept in--for example, the file she thought she was trying to open was called "Attention Deficient Disorder", but there was a hidden file in the same folder named "~$tention Deficient Disorder". When this file wouldn't open, she freaked and didn't notice that the real file was about four document names down. After a few hours struggling with the incredibly not-user-friendly Logmein, and trying to walk my mom through installing it on her computer...

"Ok, Mom, now after you clicked that link did a window come up?"
"No, there's no window."
"Really? Are you sure?"
"Yes, nothing happened."
"Click it again."
"OK"
"Any window?"
"No! There's still no window! [long pause] Now, there's a blinking button down here at the bar on the bottom of the screen... what does that mean?"
[although full of love and compassion, head still bloodies itself on desk in frustration]

... the next day I tried Teamviewer, had it downloaded and up and running in less than 10 minutes, and had figured out the problem (to my immense relief).

Thank you all so much for your willingness to help. And yes, as GCWesq pointed out, this was my fault for not remembering to hide the files when I finished. :-o You can bet I won't ever forget again!