Hello all.
I have very poor skills using compfusers and would like to know how to install antivirus program(s) I have on CD (Symantec, Norton, or downloaded Lavasoft Adaware) onto a rewritable CD instead of installing onto hard drive; making it a 'live' - bootable - autoexecutable, to be used with a friend's sick WinXP (He believes I know about these things... , he knows even less than I )

The intention is to boot from such CD and get the option to run one of its burned antivirus executable programs before Windows starts.
I understand the updating of virus definitions may not be possible if the CD is a plain one not rewrittable; and it may be possible to update if rewrittable. The execution / access speed is of no concern.

As I run Linux, I believe I would have to follow your instructions on a healthy WinXP compfuser, right ?

Thanks,
Miguel

 

You may have to download "the ultimatebootcd" (Google will find that name) and burn the .iso image onto a cd or flash drive. It has the tools to do the cleaning.

An alternative is to install AVG Free and run it. Then, even if some of the OS files are damaged, you can select a restore point on a date prior to the virus infection to clean up the computer.

None of the programs you mention will run without the XP OS loaded, so burning any or all to a bootable cd as stand-alone executables won't work. They have to be in the registry and work with it to run. Cleaning up computers is never easy. Saving personal data onto a flash drive and resysteming the computer may be the easiest way out. Hopefully, he has system restore disks.

 

Hello all.
I have very poor skills using compfusers and would like to know how to install antivirus program(s) I have on CD (Symantec, Norton, or downloaded Lavasoft Adaware) onto a rewritable CD instead of installing onto hard drive; making it a 'live' - bootable - autoexecutable, to be used with a friend's sick WinXP (He believes I know about these things... , he knows even less than I )

The intention is to boot from such CD and get the option to run one of its burned antivirus executable programs before Windows starts.
I understand the updating of virus definitions may not be possible if the CD is a plain one not rewrittable; and it may be possible to update if rewrittable. The execution / access speed is of no concern.

As I run Linux, I believe I would have to follow your instructions on a healthy WinXP compfuser, right ?

Thanks,
Miguel

I don't think the said programs will allow you to run them outside of Windows because there are more than just the application files and signatures - settings are strewn across the registry and there are other miscellaneous files. You would need to get dedicated non-install versions of the said software.

Failing getting dedicated versions, the closest you will probably get is to install the apps as per normal and then running them in Safe Mode:

• Install and update the AV applications
• Reboot the OS
• When the BIOS screen appears repeatedly tap F8
• Select the Boot to Safe Mode option (inc. networking of you want net access)

Safe Mode is the bare OS so is pretty slow, however it will allow you to run the said applications with minimal interference.

Another option is to download the free version of Avast! When you install Avast! it updates then prompts you to reboot the OS asking would you like to perform a start-up scan - this scan will scan the whole system before the OS boots.

Dave

 

I would not recommend installing an AV program directly in an infected computer (with or without safe mode), because you risk to infect the newly installed AV as well. Dave mentioned Avast, which is an excellent AV program (I have it myself), and has plenty of updates.

However, I recommend you to download both Avast Virus Cleaner, and full featured Avast Home Edition. They are both free. Before installing Avast Home Edition, you should run Avast Virus Cleaner in order to clean the computer first. The application can be run directly from a CD without installation, and scans the memory as well. Only then you should install Avast Home Edition. Thus you will minimize the risk of compromising your AV.

Note that Avast Home Edition requires registration (in a year basis), but registrations and renewals are free and it is only a question of asking for a new key via e-mail.

 

Let me make it unanimous. I have been using Avast for more than 2 years. I had tried previously Kaspersky, Norton, and McAfee. Besides being free, Avast does not noticeably slow down the computer, except just a little while it is doing updates in the background.

John

Edit: BTW, if your friend had McAfee and you or s/he removed it, that may be part of the problem. I have crashed and had to wipe, reformat, and rebuild the hard drive on each of 3 computers from which I removed McAfee. The so-called removal tool on the McAfee site corrupted the registry. McAfee was zero help in fixing the problem.

 

You will need to format the RW CD as if it were a normal CD to get things to run from it, before placing any programs on it.

You can then erase it afterwards.

The Symantec (Norton) will not work without product activation, so will be of no use to you. However some versions come with a ready bootable recovery CD, from which you can run the Norton. You can also copy the latest updates to a usb stick from your good pc and point the Norton to use this instead of the older definitions on the CD.

Avast is very good, but does not cope with spyware. To clean this download mbam from

www.malwarebytes.org

as a trial.

 

Thanks.

beenthere: No recover disks; I tried to make them and the infected compfuser vomits them, halts and does not allow to do it.

So far I have rescued about 3000 pictures and audio files onto a second SATA drive I temporarily hooked in there. Happy so far, but the crippling has not been tackled yet. His kids really messed up by frequenting / downloading games and half a dozen antivirus programs that actually aren't. They are advertisements periodically faking scan and reports peddling for money. The worst is one titled something like XP cleaner2008, showing every 5 minutes.

------------
Dave; cumesoftware
I will try Avast, will proceed slowly, as barely know what am doing and do not want to make it worse.

-----------
studiot, now you hit me with a baseball bat on my head. Never knew a CD RW could have a choice of how to format it. And still don't know how to. The rewrittable feature choice was meant to be updateable for new virus definitions, not to care about erasing it.

All this may well be beyond my skills. But not much to lose by trying at this point. Trying to follow these instructions is painful enough for me:
http://www.articlesbase.com/security-articles/how-to-make-a-bootable-antivirus-cd-380611.html

http://ubcd4win.com/howto.htm

Miguel

 

In case you want to pursue the recovery disks, the computer should boot off the one with the OS. The level of OS off that disk should be about like DOS, and it should allow you to format the hard drive - scrub all data off and prepare it for the reinstall of the OS and other software.

Note - it helps to read. You were trying to make the disks from the computer. I suppose that the stuff is on the D partition, and the virus can easily prevent access to anything.

If the virus can prevent the recovery disk production, you may have to remove the hard drive and bury it at a crossroads with a stake driven through its platter. Or take the computer to a storefront business where they do such stuff.

Children should never have access to a computer connected to the internet without supervision. Bad things always happen. Some children are surprisingly old. Computers in the internet should never operate without all the updates and effective anti-virus like AVG. Spybot is invaluable (and free) for blocking spyware and such.

 

Beware beware beware

Spybot is really bad news. It is extreme malware.

There is a good program called 'spybot search and destroy' which is the one you want.

There is a site which tests and lists antimalware, good and bad.

http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

Check there in future before downloading anything.

Your best bet is to use the web's premier free malware removal service at Major ~Geeks. Start here.

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

 

Good info to have - I only was aware of the Spybot Search and Destroy program. It figures that some slime would pick an easily-confused name for his crud.

 

However, I recommend you to download both Avast Virus Cleaner, and full featured Avast Home Edition. They are both free. Before installing Avast Home Edition, you should run Avast Virus Cleaner in order to clean the computer first. The application can be run directly from a CD without installation, and scans the memory as well. Only then you should install Avast Home Edition. Thus you will minimize the risk of compromising your AV.

Was not aware of Avast Virus Cleaner. Just had a look at their site and it seems ideal for this sort of problem.

Edit: BTW, if your friend had McAfee and you or s/he removed it, that may be part of the problem. I have crashed and had to wipe, reformat, and rebuild the hard drive on each of 3 computers from which I removed McAfee. The so-called removal tool on the McAfee site corrupted the registry. McAfee was zero help in fixing the problem.

John, I to have had problems with McAfee before. Besides being a dog to run, it just won't uninstall without some serious surgery. Given the high quality free AV softwares (Avast, AVG and Avira), I am bemused why anyone would pay for rubbish like McAfee - ok, so I know it is because of ignorance.

You will need to format the RW CD as if it were a normal CD to get things to run from it, before placing any programs on it.

Most CD burning software will do the preparation first.

Dave; cumesoftware
I will try Avast, will proceed slowly, as barely know what am doing and do not want to make it worse.

Avast is very easy to set up and use. You should experience no problems getting it up and running.

Beware beware beware

Spybot is really bad news. It is extreme malware.

There is a good program called 'spybot search and destroy' which is the one you want.

Get it from the official site: http://www.safer-networking.org/index2.html

Good info to have - I only was aware of the Spybot Search and Destroy program. It figures that some slime would pick an easily-confused name for his crud.

Just do a Google search for "Spybot" and see the garbage that comes up in the sponsored links section that is breading off the Spybot name - do not click on these links. Why Google have not pull this up is beyond me.

Dave

 

Just as a check, the most recent version of Spybot S&D is 1.6.30. I just got and installed it over my version 1.5 - works just fine.

In 7 years, Spybot S&D has gone from checking just over 4000 possible installations of malware to over 288,000. Someone's been busy.

 

Just as a check, the most recent version of Spybot S&D is 1.6.30. I just got and installed it over my version 1.5 - works just fine.

Yep, that is the latest version.

In 7 years, Spybot S&D has gone from checking just over 4000 possible installations of malware to over 288,000. Someone's been busy.

Shows you how this has become a problem. The scanning engine of Spybot 1.6 was rewritten to speed up the scan times because the signature size swelled beyond that that was envisaged at the time the original engine was written.

Dave