WWTBAM Bored

Okay so I am trying everywhere I can think of to get help...maybe one of you techie smarties can help me!

I think I have a virus and I think it came from Facebook. Damn Facebook!

Yesterday when I started up my home computer, a folder named "Common" popped up. It had two files, "helper.dll" and "helper.sig". Both were installed the prior day at a time when I was only in Facebook. "helper.sig" appears to be modified whenever I go online, whereas "helper.dll" appears to remain unchanged.

I ran McAfee virus scan (quick and full) and it turned up nothing. I also ran Ad-Aware which got rid of cookies but detected nothing critical. I also ran some of the McAfee cleaning fixes which got rid of a lot of junk, but the problem still exists. I think part of the problem may have been that there were 5 Microsoft updates that kept aborting so they were not installed on my computer; it took a few tries but I got them to install but it may be too late if something is on the system.

Also, now I can no longer even access the internet. Even though McAfee doesn't find a virus, it now blocks internet access with the "buffer overflow" warning. What little I was able to find online suggests that this is a protective response to the virus attempting to send information from my computer to the internet.

i have found lots of "fixes" online but none on McAfee, Microsoft or other legit sites...not being a technical person, I didn't know which to trust or which might want me to download stuff that will give me more viruses or not fix the problem. I posted a thing on the McAfee forum but have gotten no responses yet. Can anyone help???

I guess all the techno experts took the morning off....

The only anti-virus tool I'm knowledgable with is a sledgehammer. And I've had to use it on a couple occasions.....

lb13

kayrharris wrote:I'd probably take it to a geek squad somewhere. They can fix it in a jiffy
and probably won't cost too much.

I thought of that - do you know, do they fix it while you wait? Or do you have to leave it? I'm just worried about all the personal stuff on there, I don't even care about the computer itself just the privacy aspect.

I recall seeing that Facebook was experiencing some virus or other that started with K and made me think of Ed Kranepool, but I didn't pay attention since I don't use Facebook! So I'm useless as well.

I mean, more useless than usual....

Mini [Bot] wrote:I recall seeing that Facebook was experiencing some virus or other that started with K and made me think of Ed Kranepool, but I didn't pay attention since I don't use Facebook! So I'm useless as well.

I mean, more useless than usual....

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=12623

We had a guy at work once whose last name was Kube, and that's the only reason I remembered it....

lb13

I think I'd be more worried about the personal stuff the impersonal invaders were snagging than the local folkses.

I would take it to the locals, but it wouldn't be cheap here. It would cost around $100, and I would consider it to be worth it.

littlebeast13 wrote:

Mini [Bot] wrote:I recall seeing that Facebook was experiencing some virus or other that started with K and made me think of Ed Kranepool, but I didn't pay attention since I don't use Facebook! So I'm useless as well.

I mean, more useless than usual....

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=12623

We had a guy at work once whose last name was Kube, and that's the only reason I remembered it....

lb13

I didn't get any suspect emails or download anything...and as far as I know none of my friends have gotten any sinister emails from me. I hope I can get this fixed!! I have no idea where it came from!!!

SportsFan68 wrote:I think I'd be more worried about the personal stuff the impersonal invaders were snagging than the local folkses.

I would take it to the locals, but it wouldn't be cheap here. It would cost around $100, and I would consider it to be worth it.

Or do I just back up all my stuff, and replace the 4 year old computer with a new one?? I mean they're so cheap.

sunflower wrote:

SportsFan68 wrote:I think I'd be more worried about the personal stuff the impersonal invaders were snagging than the local folkses.

I would take it to the locals, but it wouldn't be cheap here. It would cost around $100, and I would consider it to be worth it.

Or do I just back up all my stuff, and replace the 4 year old computer with a new one?? I mean they're so cheap.

That works. Mine wasn't four years old the last time I went sobbing to the computer doctors.

sunflower wrote:

SportsFan68 wrote:I think I'd be more worried about the personal stuff the impersonal invaders were snagging than the local folkses.

I would take it to the locals, but it wouldn't be cheap here. It would cost around $100, and I would consider it to be worth it.

Or do I just back up all my stuff, and replace the 4 year old computer with a new one?? I mean they're so cheap.

I smell another sale.....

kayrharris wrote:Get a price on what the virus cleaning will cost. Then see what a new, faster,
bigger memory computer will run you. It might just be time to do that.

Why don't you try pushing a laptop on her like you do me?

Do you work for the laptop industry or something.....

lb13

kayrharris wrote:Get a price on what the virus cleaning will cost. Then see what a new, faster,
bigger memory computer will run you. It might just be time to do that.

It looks online like geek squad charges $69 just to look at it and then they'll give a quote for repair.

A quick search of the dell website shows me I can get a good computer for $600. I was thinking of getting a new one after the holidays, so I need to decide what I want to do. Why spend even $69 if I'm going to replace it anyway? I just don't like being under the gun to make a decision. Luckily I can bring my work laptop home.

I've heard some horror stories about geek squad. Don't know if they're true. But I would definitely back up all my files before I took anything there.

One thing you could try is http://www.trendmicro.com - they used to have a free scanner there, and they're legit. If McAfee didn't catch it, I don't know if trendmicro would, but it's worth a shot before you spend money.

ToLiveIsToFly wrote:I've heard some horror stories about geek squad. Don't know if they're true. But I would definitely back up all my files before I took anything there.

One thing you could try is http://www.trendmicro.com - they used to have a free scanner there, and they're legit. If McAfee didn't catch it, I don't know if trendmicro would, but it's worth a shot before you spend money.

They are legit, and they are my everyday virus protection. Plus they were the guys recommended for another problem I had before I had them.

I have also been getting that Common/helper thing popping up on my computer when I log on from time to time. I'm so computer stoopid, tho, that I have no idea what it is and have been basically just ignoring it, as it has not kept me from being able to do any of my normal activities. I showed it to my husband about a week ago, and he didn't know either and tried deleting it, couldn't, and we are now both ignoring it. It does not keep me from accessing anything, it is just there and it's something I simply go around. I'll have to have him check into the possiblility of it being a virus now. I'll be looking forward to hearing any new info you find out about what it may be. Good luck.

I just googled common/helper, and some links with instructions popped up (of which there's no way I'll be able to follow, but maybe you can) on how to try to remove it, at: Majorgeeks.com . I'll show it to my son and husband later tonite and see what they can figure out.

Hope this helps.

Second Chance wrote:I just googled common/helper, and some links with instructions popped up (of which there's no way I'll be able to follow, but maybe you can) on how to try to remove it, at: Majorgeeks.com . I'll show it to my son and husband later tonite and see what they can figure out.

Hope this helps.

Yeah I saw a lot of those. I am staying away from anything that involves a third party download, unless someone here can vouch for it. A lot of those had it.

I did do one thing looking in the registry files for it, and it wasn't where they said it would be so I couldn't proceed with that.

If anything works for you let me know! Although your situation doesn't sound as bad since you are not blocked from the internet. Or maybe it's worse because maybe your info is making its way out to the internet. I don't know.

sunflower wrote: ...Or maybe it's worse because maybe your info is making its way out to the internet. I don't know.

yikes. i hope not.

The best anti-virus program I've found is the free downlown from www.malwarebytes.org called anti-malware. It got rid of a very nasty virus that managed to get past Norton and load on my computer and resisted all Norton's efforts to get rid of it. It also picks up some adware that gets by Norton as well.

We got this email at work. Dunno if it will mean anything to you, but trying another browser is always a good test.




All PC users,

We have discovered a Windows worm called W32.Downadup that has infected a few PC’s on the network. Symptoms of the worm are pop-up messages from Symantec Antivirus, as well as random reboots.

It does not appear to be destructive, and we are working to contain it.

FOR NOW, please only use Firefox to browse the Internet. DO NOT use Internet Explorer if at all possible.

It's not Koobface. That causes a message, “Error: Error installing Codec. Please contact support.”

The problem with cleaning anything is that the virus definitions have to be downloaded from the Net and you don't want to access the Net!

I would download and install Sunbelt Vipre on another system, then install it on your infected one then copy the installed file(s) of definitions from your clean system to your intected one then run it.

The trouble with the nuclear option of buying a new computer is that you will really want to transfer all your files off the old computer onto the new one. When you do that, you risk transferring the virus, too.

I've researched your problem a little. The malware seems to be called "DeepDive" and it's a bear to get off your system, judging from what I read in the tech support forums. Do you ever run Firefox or Google Chrome as your browser? This particular malware does seem to be one of those Internet Explorer specific problems, but I could've read that wrong.

If it were me, I would call a place that specialized in virus removal (Probably NOT Geek Squad) and ask them how much they would charge to remove Deepdive from your computer. Then decide about the new computer. But remember that the file transfer from old to new could be problematic, especially if no one around you is particularly tech-savvy.

Everything I can find about DeepDive says it's Adware and a search toolbar.