Ransomware

I have the antivirus ransomware "virus". I know how to kill it ... on an XP unit.

Unfortunately, the unit it is on is a Windows 7 Home Premium unit.

I need to know how in the h--- one gets the unit into safe mode. Once I am there I can fix this thing.

Any help is appreciated.

j

 

Not at all. I tapped it every second through the entire startup and all it did was to start normally.

 

I tried holding the F8 key down through the entire setup and that didn't seem to work. I then restarted the thing and up popped the safe mode window so I was able to get into safe mode. I just haven't the foggiest idea of how I did it.

 

Thank you. I already have all of that information and this is a ransomware that I am quite familiar with. I have removed it from several computers, some more than once.

The common theme is these people all download music from download sites like iTunes, etc.

My problem this time is that the computer has Windows 7 as the OS. I haven't much experience with Win7.

How I managed to get into safe mode is beyond me but I am now running Ccleaner, Malwarebytes, Spybot, and SuperAntiSpyware. That has always cured the problem in the past. One simply cannot run any of the cleanup programs unless they are in safe mode because this malware will not let anything run. It also has false internet windows that it puts up, some of which are pornographic.

Thanks.

j

 

I was able to get into safe mode by happenstance. Can you tell me how that is done on a Win7 computer? I honestly do not know how I did it.

I am in the process of cleaning the malware off of the computer. I am already able to boot into normal mode without incident.

Thanks,

j

 

I tried "tapping" and that did not work. I tapped it every second throughout the entire boot process as I posted earlier.

What seemed to work, which I also cited in a later post, was the instruction at http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Start-your-computer-in-safe-mode which stated:

I did that BUT it still booted into the normal mode. I held the F8 key so long that my finger got tired and I had to change fingers; but here's the kicker. After it booted completely I then restarted it and lo and behold the selection window appeared which finally allowed me to boot into safe mode. I still have no idea how this process is supposed to work. As I stated prior, I managed this by happenstance, not by design.

Yes, tapping the F8 key while booting into an XP OS works just swimmingly. This was my first excursion into the ethereal world of Win 7. Tapping simply didn't work. I tried several times to no avail. There has to be another set of rules for Win 7.

I was able to get into safe mode, load and run the programs necessary to kill the malware, and the malware was successfully removed. This is a simple bug to kill and I have done it many times. I still don't know how I finally managed to get into the mode necessary to kill it. It was simply dumb, blind luck.

Thanks for your help.

j

 

I'm sorry. Perhaps I have not been clear.

The unit in question had malware (ransomware) which is quite common on machines which are used for music downloads.

I know how to kill the malware; but before that can be done the infected unit has to be booted into safe mode.

I am familiar with how to boot a unit with XP into safe mode but not a unit which has Win 7 as the OS. That is where I needed the help.

I was able to finally boot the infected unit into safe mode and the infection has been removed pursuant to the READ & RUN ME FIRST. Malware Removal Guide which I am quite familiar with.

There is no need to attach log files as the problem was always within my grasp to solve. Log files would also not tell us how I managed to get to safe mode. I followed instructions -- yours and Microsoft's -- and neither seemed to be much help. The unit kept booting into normal mode regardless of my efforts.

It was only after I had tried one of the methods that it finally went to the proper screen, and that only after I restarted the machine. It did so on its own without any help on my part. It was all very strange.

You may close the thread.

PROBLEM SOLVED.

Thank You.

 

I was unaware that there is a registry key for that. Can you tell me what that key is and what the normal settings should be? I can then check that against the subject computer to see if it has a problem.

I am using the free version of SUPERAntiSpyware; but I have the paid version on my wife's laptop. I will check out the repair options to see what they are and how they work.

Thanks,

j