Windows 7 A whole medley of problems

[dragon2041]

A whole medley of problems - URGENT

Well, i'm not even sure what's happening here, but it seems to be an OS problem. I closed my laptop, putting it into sleep mode, and when i opened it back up, it wouldn't boot back up into the operating system. I turned it off, turned it back on, and got a booting error screen. Unfortunately, I forget what it said, but it ended with something like "do you want to boot failsafe or (some other option)." Eventually I got back into Windows - and everything seems wrong. I can't log into facebook because it says my browser has cookies turned off. And even though i've changed that setting and reinstalled firefox twice, it still refuses to log in. Icons from, I forget what it's called, the icon set on the right of your toolbar, have disappeared. I've checked that they're turned on, but they aren't there. Also. whenever I try to log into AIM, it says "configuring" for half a second and then stops. I've done a system restore, but the problem stuck. I then tried installing McAfee (no, I did not have any virus protection prior to that) and it said that it couldn't install because "it can't access the internet."

help?

 

[dragon2041]

Update

Update: Cookies are NOT working, even though they're enabled.
Also - firefox keeps talking about sites having invaild security certificates

 

[textureDnB]

This sounds VERY malware like....unfortunately if you can't access the internet and don't have an anti-virus there aren't many options. Try to boot into safe mode with networking and attempt to install anti virus from there.

 

[dragon2041]

It's gotten worse. What with the cookie problems, even in safe mode, it won't let me log in to McAfee to download it. I tried copying the McAfee folder over from my desktop, but it didn't work. Things have gotten so bad that I had to post this from my desktop.

Please, this is urgent.

 

[dragon2041]

I ran a free AVG virus scan, and while it came up with a bunch of warnings, it wouldn't let me delete some of them. The problem is still around.

 

[kemical]

Hi Dragon,
Can you not do a fresh install?

 

[dragon2041]

Hi Dragon,
Can you not do a fresh install?

If there's a way around it, I'd rather not. I can dban and do a fresh install, and this laptop is relatively recent, so I wouldn't lose much, but the only external backup hardware i have is a 2gb flash drive.

 

[littlfairy]

my advice: download free trial of gdata on another PC. put the setup file on your stick. install the program from your stick on that infected laptop. enjoy any malware getting removed.
gdata has received a couple of awards and is, to me, simply the best anti-virus program out there. im actually paying for a yearly subscription, even tho i never ever payed for anti-virus before this. but u dont have any problems any more after. you. pay. for. software.
anyway the free 30day trial works fine and will solve that mess probably

http://www.gdatasoftware.com/

ps: mcAfee is shit.

 

[dragon2041]

ps: mcAfee is shit.

Yeah, but my dad insists on using it, and it's the choice between 10 bucks for another McAfee computer or >100 for Kaspersky/Gdata

 

[dragon2041]

my advice: download free trial of gdata on another PC. put the setup file on your stick. install the program from your stick on that infected laptop. enjoy any malware getting removed.
gdata has received a couple of awards and is, to me, simply the best anti-virus program out there. im actually paying for a yearly subscription, even tho i never ever payed for anti-virus before this. but u dont have any problems any more after. you. pay. for. software.
anyway the free 30day trial works fine and will solve that mess probably

Gdata says 0 infected and 0 suspicious

 

[RogerG]

time for a fresh install.

btw, what make and model laptop is it?

 

[textureDnB]

I have never seen an infection this bad get cleaned up ,properly short of nuke and reinstall. You may have already removed the malware and what your left with is the damage caused by the infection. You will find a plethora of methods of repairing damage and removing malware but in my opinion the damage will never be completely repaired short of a re format.

 

[RAK]

And stay away from facebook.

 

[textureDnB]

And stay away from facebook.

Good advice for more reasons than malware.
The OP stated however that he wasn't using any anti virus software!!! While Rak's advice is spot on a decent AV (not Mcafee) will go a long way towards keeping you safe or at the least mitigating any damages incurred by an infection.

 

[dragon2041]

time for a fresh install.

btw, what make and model laptop is it?

Made it myself.

I have never seen an infection this bad get cleaned up ,properly short of nuke and reinstall. You may have already removed the malware and what your left with is the damage caused by the infection. You will find a plethora of methods of repairing damage and removing malware but in my opinion the damage will never be completely repaired short of a re format.

dang. Was hoping to avoid that.

And stay away from facebook.

Well, I have mixed feelings about this post. For one thing, I don't really enjoy using it, it's just to contact friends who refuse to use any other form of communication. For another, you're an idiot. It's completely unrelated to the topic, so you obviously came in here, read my post, and instead of trying to be helpful, responded "LOL I FEEL BETTER THAN U CUZ I DONT USE A SITE U DO"

 

[RAK]

"Well, I have mixed feelings about this post. For one thing, I don't really enjoy using it, it's just to contact friends who refuse to use any other form of communication. For another, you're an idiot. It's completely unrelated to the topic, so you obviously came in here, read my post, and instead of trying to be helpful, responded "LOL I FEEL BETTER THAN U CUZ I DONT USE A SITE U DO" "

Thank you. It maybe have been superficial, but Facebook is gaining notoriety for virus infections. The advice to use an antivirus is sound. The fact that, in these days, you were not running antimalware, makes two people in this thread idiots, possibly. The thread, when I read it, was already reaching a conclusion. - there was no more help to be given. As I was in the thread I thought I might as well throw in that light remark. I am sorry, and apologise, if it led you to the point of a rude response..

P.S. IMO. I believe it was definitely related to the topic.

 

[dragon2041]

The fact that, in these days, you were not running antimalware, makes two people in this thread idiots, possibly.

Not running antivirus doesn't make me an idiot, just means I hadn't gotten around to it, having been working on debugging the laptop and being swamped with work.

I am sorry, and apologise, if it led you to the point of a rude response..

The whole insincere-apology-to-make-me-look-like-a-jerk thing has never worked.

P.S. IMO. I believe it was definitely related to the topic.

It wasn't.

Anyway, thanks for your help (almost) everyone. I'll nuke it tonight.

 

[RogerG]

testosterone imbalance, or wha?

 

[Tepid]

Yes, Facebook was a valid response, so is not running Antivirus/antimalware anything. Just accept it.

But, yeah, either you are infected, or the improper sleep/start caused a malfunction which corrupted the OS.

Either way, you are better off doing a nuke and reload.

And stop using garbage like Mcafee (it hasn't been anywhere near decent since they sold it a decade ago).
AVG is also garbage (i don't care how many people swear by it) it's garbage, trust me when I say I have cleaned up countless PC's with AVG installed previous to the infections.

Honestly, Microsoft Security Essentials (it's still in beta) but I have already had it catch things. And it's free.
You can find the beta on softpedia I believe, google it. It's not exactly ready for daily use.. But it is better than nothing or AVG and Mcafee put together.

Also, look at AV-Comparatives - Independent Tests of Anti-Virus Software - Welcome to AV-Comparatives.org for more information on good anti virus.
They are not listed in order of what is best, you need to look at the current main comparatives.
You can not just look at one aspect of an anti-virus program on that site either.
You have to look at the over all data. Mcafee has moved up in position, but it still is not the best choice.

Kaspersky is ok,, but slows a system down, and is not truly 7 ready yet.
Avast is ok, but you have to put up with it's constant activation prompting
Eset NOD32 is good, But I don't approve of the tatics of disabling OS features when the licesne expires.
Norton is garbage and will slow the system down among other things.

G-Data and Avira do get the best results over all, but have a high false positive rating.

There are a lot of factors that play into Anti Virus protection. Just buying one and installing it is not a guarantee you will be safe.

Stay away from Internet Security Suites, They all suck in some way.

 

[littlfairy]

Gdata says 0 infected and 0 suspicious

OK. If you still want another possibility of help try out Windows System Restore and choose a point prior to your problems. this sometimes helps, esp. if its not about viruses