• Loss of internet connection
• Can’t copy and paste
• Can’t drag and drop files
• Missing task bar/Start menu

This problem can render your computer completely useless until you fix the damage that was done by McAfee.  We’ve put a preliminary guide together – please let us know if it works in the comments (or if you have additional symptoms or solutions).

You may see an error similar to the one shown below if you are experiencing this problem:

Which reads:

“Windows is must now restart because the DCOM Server Process Launcher service terminated unexpectedly.”

Before you follow this guide, please note the following.

The fix for the McAfee Update 5958 problem is fairly straightforward, but you should be comfortable with working in Safe Mode and using a command prompt before proceeding.

If you do not feel comfortable with the material presented in this guide, please consult an authorized repair technician.

Method 1 (New 04/22/10)

A tool was released today from McAfee which should be able to perform the procedure explained in Method 2 automatically.  Please note that we have yet to extensively test this method, so post please post your experience in the comments if you use it.

Step 1: From a working computer, download the McAfee Remediation Tool and save it to a USB flash drive or burn it to a CD.

Step 2: Boot the affected computer into Safe Mode by tapping the F8 key as it starts up.  You will eventually see a black screen with several options, select Safe Mode as shown below.  You may also be prompted to select an operating system (even if only one is present).

Step 3: Run the McAfee Remediation Tool on the affected computer.  If you are unable to access My Computer because of a missing task bar or Start menu, press Windows + R to bring up a Run dialog, type the following command, and press enter.

EXPLORER.EXE /e,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}

Step 4: Restart your computer, it should now operate properly.

Method 2

Step 1: You need to download the EXTRA.DAT fix that McAfee released after the problem occurred.  Since you probably can’t download this from your own computer, you will need to find a working computer and put it on a USB flash drive or burn it to a CD.

You may also need a copy of svchost.exe.  A backup version of this file may already exist on your computer, but if it doesn’t you can obtain it from a Windows XP installation disc.  More on this will be covered in Step 3.

Step 2: Boot the affected computer into Safe Mode by tapping the F8 key as it starts up.  You will eventually see a black screen with several options, select Safe Mode as shown below.  You may also be prompted to select an operating system (even if only one is present).

Windows will notify you about Safe Mode.  Click Yes to proceed.

Step 3:  Press and hold the Windows key and tap the R key.  This will bring up a Run prompt.  Type C:/Windows/ServicePackFiles in the prompt and press enter.

If this folder does not exist, proceed to Step 3.5.

If the ServicePackFiles folder exists, press Windows + R again and type cmd.  Press enter and you will see a command prompt.  Type the following commands in succession, pressing Enter after every line (please note that the direction of the slashes matters here!):

copy “C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles\i386\svchost.exe” “C:\Windows\System32” /Y

copy “C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles\i386\svchost.exe” “C:\Windows\System32\dllcache” /Y

Step 3.5: (Only follow this step if the ServicePackFiles folder does not exist):  You need to obtain a clean copy of the svchost.exe file.  The best way to do this is with a Windows XP installation disc.

Put the disc in your optical drive, press Windows + R, and type CMD.  You need to navigate to the the CD by typing in the drive letter followed by a colon.  In my example, the optical drive is called D.  I would type D: in the command prompt and press enter.

You then need to type the following commands in succession, pressing Enter after every line.

cd i386

expand svchost.ex_ C:\Windows\System32

Step 4: Finally, you need to copy the EXTRA.DAT file you downloaded in Step 1 to the computer.  Press Windows + R and type cmd.  Then navigate to your flash drive by typing the drive letter followed by a colon, then press enter.

For example, my flash drive is called G, so I typed G: and pressed enter.  You can type dir and press enter to view the contents of the directory to verify EXTRA.DAT exists.

To copy the file, type the following command and press enter:

copy EXTRA.DAT “C:\Program Files\Common Files\McAfee\Engine”

Step 5: Restart your computer.  Now that you’ve replaced svchost.exe and copied EXTRA.DAT, your computer should now start properly and operate normally.  If you continue to have problems, or have information that could be beneficial to include in this guide, please post in the comments below.

So What Exactly Happened?

What went wrong? The shortest explanation is that McAfee inadvertently flagged an important Windows system file, svchost.exe, as a virus and attempted to remove it.  This is what caused Windows to reboot and all the other problems.  In some cases svchost.exe was not damaged, but in all instances I saw today it needed to be replaced.

What does this guide do? This guide replaces your damaged svchost.exe file with a good version, and also applies an update to McAfee so it will no longer see svchost.exe as a virus.

That sounds simple, what’s with all the command line stuff? After svchost.exe was damaged, it unfortunately removed simple-but-critical features in Windows like drag and drop or copy and paste.  Most of the commands performed in this guide simply copy files, but since you can’t do it through the graphical operating system anymore it becomes a little more complicated.

Will this happen again? Probably not.  This event was very unlikely (and will be better guarded against in the future, I would imagine) – so it still remains critical that you keep your antivirus software and operating systems up to date.  Unfortunate incidences like this can happen, but most of the time updates do more good than harm.

I had something different happen! Please let us know in the comments below!  It will help us make this guide better.

The post What To Do if McAfee Virus Scan Update 5958 Crashes Your Windows XP Computer (or destroys svchost.exe) first appeared on Techerator.

Malware creators utilize scary pictures and language to trick people into believing their computer is infected, and ultimately attempt to make the individual purchase something to remove the fabricated “threats”.

In my experience as an IT support technician, this type of malware is generally installed on an individual’s computers when they click a seemingly harmless link on a website or download a file.  This means the malware can be prevented if users know what to look for and follow safe browsing habits. This article will provide one example of how to do that.

Malware in Disguise

Recently I came across a very interesting pop-up I hadn’t seen before:

At first glance, this error message looks like a legitimate virus notification.  However, this image has some flaws that, with the right knowledge, make it easy to spot as a fake and avoid the consequences of clicking on it.

How to Identify a Fake Virus Notification

The first giveaway that the virus notification shown above is a fake is that it shows the virus scanner running in a “My Computer” window (as seen in the title of the window).  This implies that the virus scanner is a part of Windows, but Microsoft does not have any antivirus software integrated directly into the operating system.

Second, nothing happens when trying to move the window.  Moving the mouse cursor over the buttons doesn’t make them change like you normally see in Windows. You can also observe that there are numerous spelling and grammar mistakes in the text – any professional product would not contain such mistakes so frequently.

Finally, my taskbar only showed that Firefox, iTunes, and Pidgin windows were open, no antivirus. However, it showed an extra Firefox window which I had not opened. At this point I clicked it to bring that window to the foreground and the bogus virus scan appeared.

Since experiencing that first pop-up, I have seen several others that are similar. Each has its own unique features, but the general premise in all of them is the same. Observation techniques such as the ones I used in this situation can be used to determine the legitimacy of many other fake notifications and will help you avoid viruses.

Additional Tips

Besides the specifics of the example in this article, here are some general “good computing” habits to prevent you from being a victim of this latest type of virus:

• Have legitimate antivirus software installed and updated (Microsoft Security Essentials, avast!, Avira, and AVG are all good antivirus products that can be downloaded and used free of charge).
• Know the name and logo of your installed antivirus software.  If you see a notification with a different name, you’ll immediately know that it’s a fake.
• Take time before clicking on links or images to make sure you know what they are and where they lead.

In the past, this type of virus has been relatively easy to remove.  However, recent iterations have proved more tenacious, which makes it that much more important to know how to prevent them.

Have you have encountered any similar pop-ups? Or have you gotten the malware that can be caused by them? Do you have any other additions, comments or questions about good browsing habits to prevent getting malware? Please let me know in the comments below!

Image Credit: http://www.salisbury.edu/helpdesk/

The post Don’t Get Caught Off Guard By Web Pages Imitating Antivirus Software first appeared on Techerator.

My first experience with Security Essentials was on my own computer. It had some relatively benign spyware which wasn’t being removed by my standard set of scans, so I thought I’d give Microsoft Security Essentials a try.

As Evan mentioned in his article, Microsoft Security Essentials is a quick, painless installation and it automatically updates its virus definitions. This is a handy feature because it prevents me from wasting time by running a scan and then realizing I forgot to update and having to do it all over again.

After updating the virus definitions, I elected to go straight for the full scan option, not really knowing what to expect in terms of time. The full scan took about 3 hours to finish. This was on an older computer, but it still surprised me how long it took. However, the wait was worth it, as it found and easily removed the malware that none of the other products I tried were able to!

Since I found Microsoft Security Essentials to be successful at home, I have been using it more frequently at my IT job. Although it still isn’t part of the standard set of scans we run, Microsoft Security Essentials seems to find malware that other applications miss. Most of the time, it takes care of the malware without causing any additional problems to the system.

We’ve recently seen an issue with a Windows Update for Windows XP combined with a virus causing a Blue Screen of Death error.  Kevin wrote a fantastic guide to resolving the problem, and he found that using Microsoft Security Essentials seems to be the most successful  method for removing this particularly nasty malware.

Conclusion

Although the full scan still seems to take significantly longer than other products on the same hardware, it can be worth the time because Microsoft Security Essentials finds malware that other products miss. I still recommend using a combination of anti-malware products when running manual scans (since each one has unique strengths and weaknesses), but if your usual set of scans does not do the trick, I would give Microsoft Security Essentials a spin!

Have you used Security Essentials? Have your results been similar to mine, or have you had a different experience? I’d love to get feedback in the comments below!

The post Follow Up: My Experience with Microsoft Security Essentials Anti-Malware Software first appeared on Techerator.

1) Upgrade your web browser

Upgrading your web browser is one of the best things you can do for your PC in the new year.  Believe it or not, many people are still using Internet Explorer 6 which is almost 10 years old.  An updated web browser is one of your first lines of defense against the malicious activities that occur on the internet.  Below are a couple of web browsers that you could upgrade to.

Firefox

If you looking for a customizable, stable and secure web browser, then Firefox is for you.  Having an extensive collection of add-ons to customize your browser makes Firefox a great alternative to Internet Explorer.  Firefox is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux users.

Chrome

The newest competitor to the browser market, Google Chrome boasts superior Javascript performance over other browsers.  With the recent announcements of extensions for Chrome as well as beta versions of the browser for Mac and Linux users, Chrome has become a viable alternative to Internet Explorer.

2) Creating a testing environment

One way that your PC becomes slow and cluttered is from the parts of programs which remain on your hard drive after uninstalling the software.  Having a secondary PC for testing software and applications would be ideal, but not everyone has access to that luxury.

Setting up a virtual machine allows you to have a guest operating system running in a host operating system.  A virtual machine will allow you to install software without it affecting the operating system of your host computer.  Take a look here for some more information on what a virtual machine is and how to get started using one.  I also wrote an in-depth guide on installing Windows 7 on a virtual machine.

3) Change your anti-virus software

It is important to have updated anti-virus software installed on your PC to defend against viruses and other malicious software that thrives on the internet.  Many users are unaware whether their anti-virus software is updated and running properly.  This often occurs when 30-day trails or paid yearly subscriptions run out.  Switching to a free anti-virus solution will help to save money and keep your PC secure.  Listed below are some great free anti-virus alternatives.

• Microsoft Security Essentials
• avast! Home Edition
• AVG Free
• Avira AntiVir

4) Free-up space on your hard drive

With years of use, your PC’s hard drive can become cluttered with remnants of old software, duplicate files, and unnecessary software installers.  Removing these extra files can free-up space on your hard drive.  Below are a couple of programs that can assist with this.

WinDirStat

Running WinDirStat on your PC will give you a visual representation of the files on your hard drive.  This will allow you to easily spot large files and remove the outdated and unnecessary ones.  Read my guide for more information on using WinDirStat.

CCleaner

CCleaner will allow you to clean Cookies, Temporary Internet Files, History and Search results from all popular web browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and Safari, along with temporary files from Windows and other third-party applications.  To find out more about CCleaner, read my guide.

5) Backup your files

Your computer has crashed, now what?  If you have backups, it’s no big deal.  Keeping a backup of your important files will make restoring your computer much easier.

Dropbox

Dropbox is a great way to keep a backup of your important files.  Offering 2 GB with the free version, Dropbox allows you to sync your files with other computers and devices such as the iPhone.  Read more about Dropbox here.

SyncToy

SyncToy is another way to keep backups of your important files by using a free application from Microsoft to copy, move, rename, and delete files between storage devices or computers quickly and easily.  Read our guide on SyncToy for more information.

These are just some of the things you can do for your PC in the New Year.  If you have any other suggestions, let us know in the comments below.

The post 5 New Year’s Resolutions For Your PC first appeared on Techerator.

One sign that you have been infected with a virus (or what can be referred to as malware) is the sudden appearance of new “security” software, such as AntiVirus 2009, Total Security Center, and System Security.  These programs are not valid anti-virus software, and will often warn you that your system is infected and then direct you to their site and request payment for running scans on your system.  It is important that you do not pay for these “services”.

Depending on the severity of the virus infection, the usability of your computer may range from moderately usable with moderate pop-ups, to random restarts, system errors, and blue screens of death.

Although the situation may seem dire, there is hope.  Malwarebytes is a free program that swiftly remove virus and malware infections.

Using Malwarebytes

Start by downloading the free version of Malwarebytes.  Before finishing the installation, be sure that the check boxes for “Updating Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware” and “Launching Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware” are checked.

When the program has launched, select Perform full scan to scan your entire hard drive. and click Scan.  The full scan will take quite a bit of time, so if you’re in a hurry select the Perform quick scan option.

On the next screen, select the drives you wish to let Malwarebytes scan.  Although the default C: drive may be sufficient, I would recommend scanning all attached drives.  Click Start Scan to start the virus scan.  Depending on the size of your drives and the amount of data stored on them, a full scan may take well over an hour.

When the scan has completed, the results will be shown.  Click Show Results and click Remove Selected Items to remove the virus infection from your system.  Depending on the virus, it may be necessary to reboot your system to completely remove some items.

Tips for improving scan performance

Run the scan in Safe mode

Many times a virus will embed itself into a running system file.  Malwarebytes will not always be able to remove virus items that are embedded in running processes.  The easiest way to reduce the number of running processes is to boot into Windows Safe mode.  To enter Windows Safe mode, repeatedly press the F8 key when first booting your computer.

Update software before each use

It is important that you update the virus database before you perform a scan.  Click the Update tab on the Malwarebytes main window and click Check for Updates.  After the update has been finished, you can then continue with the scan as shown above.

Multiple scans

Although Malwarebytes may be successful, it may be possible that not all parts of the virus were removed during the scan.  It can be helpful to perform a second scan of the system to verify that all items were removed.

Conclusion

Although it is important to take steps to prevent a virus infection, Malwarebytes can be a useful program for removing malicious software.  Your first defense to preventing a virus infection is to have up-to-date virus software.  A free anti-virus solution is Microsoft Security Essentials.  Above all, smart internet browsing will be the best way to avoid malware.

The post Have a Virus? Let Malwarebytes Help first appeared on Techerator.

Installing Security Essentials took approximately 60 seconds (not including updating the virus definition files) and my first Quick scan was completed in about 5 minutes.  The Full Scan took significantly more time, but this will be dependent on your processor speed and the size of your hard drive.  The software itself used around 60 MB of RAM while performing a virus scan, which is fairly light compared to other commercial anti-virus products.

Security Essentials offers a simple interface, allowing users to select Quick scan, Full scan, or use custom settings from the Home screen.  Updating the software can be easily done in the Update tab, and the software also utilizes your system’s Windows Update service to stay up-to-date.

Since Security Essentials only offers virus, spyware, and malware protection, this software isn’t intended to compete with full-fledged commercial security suites.  Security Essentials provides good basic protection for normal use and is a great contender in the free protection market.

Microsoft Security Essentials is a free download for Windows XP, Vista, and 7 (but you will have to validate your copy of Windows before installation).  [Download]

The post Looking for Free Virus, Spyware, and Malware Protection? Try Microsoft Security Essentials first appeared on Techerator.