...Free, though.

On Friday night, I aqquired the "AIM Virus" from a stupid friend. I didn't have a virus scanner, so I downloaded a few of them, and none have solved the problem yet. They've taken everything BUT this virus out. I need the best of the best of the best (for free, of course). If you can recommend me something that actually gets it out, I'll be very grateful.

The ones I've already tried:

Trend Micro PC-cillin
Spyware Doctor
AVG
Bazooka Spyware Scanner
Ad Aware
Zerolite Spyware Scanner
A1 (something, I forget)

Yeah... so... HELP! [-o<

Antivirus software and spyware scanners are different things. If you want antivirus, go with AVG - it's completely free.

If you need spyware removal, get Microsoft antispyware or Spybot Search and Destroy. If you understand the ins and outs of windows registry, get Hijack This.

Hm... I have Norton, Microsoft AntiSpyware and Ad-Aware, I usually use all 3 every week... They all work fine for me.

Honestly

Webroot spy sweeper is the best one i have ever used


get it...its pimp shit

i have the newest Norton, and its working pretty good!

You love exclimation points don't you !!! :wink:

You know, I downloaded and installed the microsoft anti spyware tool and I can't find a listing of it on my start menu or anything. Musta done something wrong I guess.

YES!!!!!!! \:D/

AVG is very good, you may hav eot do a manual update the first time (I ahve seen this happen more then once) but after that it should work fine.

Another alternative to AVG is Clamwin, it has a less user friendly GUI though.

Webroots Spysweeper is very good, but it cost money to get the spyware definition updates.

If you're using Windows XP, Norton should have come with the Security Pack 2 download. That's the best.

I wouldn't touch AVG. I downloaded it and it actually gave my computer a virus. No joke. I got it from the official website and everything.

exclamation points kick ass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hell yeah! :rock:

hehe!

makeshift - I doubt you got a virus from AVG. More likely what happened was that you already had a virus on your computer, and the virus redirected your download of AVG to another site.

And no, you don't get Norton with SP2 either.

You sure? I got Norton with SP2.

And I don't think I already had a virus, because I had just ran Norton the day before I downloaded AVG and my system was clean.

Let's see...

AVG didn't work.

Webroots Spysweeper didn't work, since it only checked for it, but can't delete it unless you pay.

Microsoft Anti-Spyware didn't work. I don't think it did, atleast.

Spybot is scanning as I type this.

I'm positive that you do not get Norton with SP2. Norton is a rival product to Microsoft, why would they do giveaways of a competitor's product?

As for AVG - I can vouch for them as being a good Antivirus product. I've installed it on many clients' machines without a hitch. I don't know how you managed to get a virus with it, but I'm very skeptical that they would put a virus on their product.

I dunno. I swear to god I got Norton with SP2, though. I downloaded the update, installed it, and I had Norton all of the sudden. It's a 90 day trail, but still, it's there.

I don't know what happened with the AVG thing, either. I just know that I downloaded it and the next thing I knew I had a Trojan file that Norton kept finding every few hours. After I uninstalled AVG, I never got the Trojan warning again.

Spyboy didn't work either.

I'm trying AVG again...

What might've happened was that because of some of AVG's features, Norton figured it's a trojan. I have a problem like that with the custom software I install on clients' computers: it's a networked software, so it expects for one computer to take control of the other. It does so by utilizing a product that some AV-scanners consider a trojan.

As for Norton - could you have already had in your computer prior to SP2 being installed?

Actually, come to think of it, I think I had an old, expired Norton AntiVirus 2003 on my machine. Would SP2 have updated it, or something?

Zing...

If you have a virus, I don't think any kind of Spyware removal tool will help you.

If it is doing serious damage to your machine, you might want to look into a system restore.

Maybe SP2 was sooo efficient, that it ACTUALLY changed the date on your computer and set back the year by two. This gave you an extended liscence (glitches in Norton) that then allowed Norton to (AutoUpdate) itself.

Maybe not.

Here's the thing. It's not doing anything to any part of my computer EXCEPT AIM. Every 5 minutes, an away message is automatically put up for me with a link to where the virus (or whatever it is) was downloaded from. I need to stop that.

I don't know whether to call it a virus, trojan, spyware...

It was slowing down my computer on Friday and messing up the sites I visited (including this one), but then I used a few scanners, and it was okay, but the virus is still there, putting up that away message. Without completely stopping the use of AIM, I need a brilliant solution.

first off ... search google for symantec or symantc free virus scan ... scan your computer and tell us the results ... then we can help you.

Zing: see if this helps - http://www.aim.com/help_faq/security/trojan.adp