Windows 10 [SOLVED] Lucky Starting Virus?

[Kian Hui]

I can't seem to find help online on how to remove this Lucky Starting Virus. It changes my Chrome browser homepage to a Lucky Starting webpage as the name implies.

I downloaded Malwarebytes and it removed infected files but after 1 day it came back.

Can anyone please help?

 

[Neemobeer]

Well I'd start by getting a malware protection software suite, if you have some free one I'd suggest getting a paid version since the free one is clearly not stopping the browser hijacking malware. Once you get that re-scan with either that software or malware bytes to remove it again.

 

[Kian Hui]

Do you have any reccommendations on which paid version?

It has gotten much worst now, it disconnects me from the internet in less than 10 mins from boot up and I have to reboot to get it up again.

I have been using the malwarebytes free software (which claims to have a free 14 day premium trial) to scan my computer and it is detecting nothing.

 

[Neemobeer]

The free version of malwarebytes is only an on-demand I believe so it won't prevent anything from infecting your system. I know there are a number of members that use the pro version and perhaps they can chime in. I personally like and use Webroot. $29 / year for one device. Virus Protection For All Your Devices | Webroot

 

[bochane]

Will this help?
How to Remove Lucky Starting Virus

 

[Kian Hui]

The free version of malwarebytes is only an on-demand I believe so it won't prevent anything from infecting your system. I know there are a number of members that use the pro version and perhaps they can chime in. I personally like and use Webroot. $29 / year for one device. Virus Protection For All Your Devices | Webroot

Thanks, I will consider this but I am still hoping to try and solve this if possible without paying for any software.

Will this help?
How to Remove Lucky Starting Virus

Yes, I have tried a few of these guides and still no luck. They also seem very simple and less complex as compared to what I am facing, like for example I can't find the Lucky program in add/remove on control panel or in extensions under chrome as stated in the guide.

I have also read online that the software "Spy Hunter" that many of these guides suggest may be a scam.

I am not sure how true this is but I'm just very frustrated that it's really difficult to remove this virus from my computer completely.

 

[BIGBEARJEDI]

You might try using the free HOUSECALL online scanner from TrendMicro.com to scan for normal viruses, and then use their free RootKitBuster anti-rootkit/anti-Bootkit virus scanner. This checks for boot viruses in the hidden partitions of your hard drive where most other antiviruses cannot check. Default settings in the free versions of most antivirus programs do not check for rootkits/bootkits, such as in Avast, or Malwarebytes, they must be enabled by going into settings and selecting the "Check for Rootkits" option. The paid version of Malwarebytes is one several of us recommend, and if it's Real-time Protection option is selected, it will check for Rootkits automatically; otherwise it is turned off. I recommend the Avast Internet Security ($50/yr.) or the Avast Premium ($79.99/yr.). These products I've deployed in about 35 customer machines who have gotten hit by viruses or spyware viruses using other products, mostly free as Neemo states. Paid protection is your best bet, and Avast gives you the most bang for your buck. If you purchase their 2 yr. or 3 yr. combo package, the Internet Security package runs $27/yr. and the 3 yr. package of the Premium is $33/yr. I use both of these for my high-end Clients.

Another one I've begun using is EMSIsoft anti-Ransomware. Their paid version is about $40/yr. and I'm deploying it now with Customers who have gotten hit by troublesome Ransomware and gotten locked out of their computers.

Even if you get one or more of the paid AV/Malware products that we recommend, it's not possible to predict whether or not the virus removal process will fix your Internet connection problem. Before using any AV/AS scanners we strongly suggest that you FIRST BACKUP ALL OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA TO EXTERNAL MEDIA! THIS WOULD INCLUDE YOUR LIBRARY FOLDERS FOR DOCUMENTS, PHOTOS, MUSIC, VIDEOS, AND ANY SAVED E-MAILS OR ATTACHMENTS IN ORDER TO AVOID IRRETRIEVABLE DATA LOSS!!!

You cannot count on any AV/Malware product, even the paid version to fix all problems or subsequent damage from virus-removal on your computer, as it could have multiple problems, such as Windows Registry corruption or hardware failure (faulty Hard Drive or RAM sticks). In this case you will need to first test your Hardware using my free TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE available here: https://windowsforum.com/threads/unclickable-task-bar.222292/#post-676594

Once you've tested your Hardware and replaced any faulty hardware found and got all tests to pass, you can then look at doing in order a Windows repair, reset, or reinstallation from factory Recovery Media, as outlined also in the software section of my free Troubleshooting Guide here: https://windowsforum.com/threads/sound-problems.222287/#post-676549

Some viruses these days will not be removable using any free tools, and there are many poor quality ones out there, such as the Spyhunter you mention. And without many years of virus removal experience, even using free tools you may not be able to safely remove it, and thus the Huge Red Caution I have above about backing up all your personal data before attempting any kind of software repairs or even Hardware Testing. Clearly you are looking for the cheapest way to fix your problem, but, you get what you pay for, and we are trying to tell you short of paying $45-$185 US for a licensed Tech to fix your problem, you should be using paid protection as Neemo and I both suggest. But, hey, it's your computer, so it's up to you if you want to spend weeks or months trying to fix your problem! Most of us professionals here have multiple computers, so if we get a nasty virus on one of them, we can just move to one of our other machines and keep on working. Many folks here don't have that option, as may be your case. You should carefully weigh the cost of using paid versions of AV protection versus the cost of professional computer expert repair and how much your downtime is costing you in lost productivity: especially if your infected computer is your ONLY computer!

Best of luck,
<<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>>

 

[Kian Hui]

UPDATE: I think I may have removed all of it. I had to use Chrome Cleanup Tool and had to clean up my Internet Explorer even though I never used IE. Followed all of the useful guide from the Google Chrome Forums here to clean up both Chrome and IE.

I also found out there was a suspicious folder created every time I launched my web browser with the lucky starting homepage. It was located in my Local App Data folder (C:\Users\YOUR NAME\AppData\Local) and it was called "HotBen" - not sure if this will be the same for others. Deleted that and ran Malwarebytes scan one last time and everything now seems ok.

Thanks for the suggestions, hopefully this will help someone.

 

[BIGBEARJEDI]

Cool! Thanks very much for taking the time to post your final solution and share with the rest of our Users!! That's very nice of you.

Come back anytime you run into another problem.

Best,
<<<<BBJ>>>>

 

[Lydiya]

You can remove malware without paying to any malware removal tools or other service. You need to apply below given malware removal instructions to get rid of any types of malicious infection without paying a single penny.

How to find malware on your computer?

• Using Windows Explorer
• Using Process Explorer
• Using Autoruns
• Using TCP View

How to remove malware?

After you have identified processes that are malware related, you need to get rid of them.

There are three steps involved:

1. Stop the running malware processes
2. Remove the files from the system
3. Change the configuration to remove autostart behavior

Some more tips:

1. Remove Suspicious Add-ons using Add-On Manager of Browsers
2. Reset Browser Settings (IE/Chrome/Firefox/Safari/Edge)
3. Reset Host files to Default in Windows 7, Windows 8 & Windows 10
4. Revert back Changed Browser Homepage & Other Settings (IE/Chrome/Firefox/Safari)

Thats all, above discussed tips will allow you to deal with any malicious infection.

 

[srumnk]

Here are some tricks that help you out:-

1.Reset browser settings

2.Disable/Remove Chrome extensions

3.Download Security tool/Removal tool and run it from cmdline in Windows Safe Mode.