I can't get "msconfig" to work form Run menu (1 Viewer)

[DaveGTP]

I've heard of this before, firsthand. They had the window pop up, then vanish on its own. Viruses.

You don't have ANY virus software? My Dad installed Norton 2004 CD over my Norton 2003 (which I had up to date).

With active virus software only 7 months out of date (Norton 2004 CD had definitions from Dec '03)...

..he was on 56k dial-up, too...


he had over 100 viruses on his PC, including all of the nasty ones from this year. Including keyloggers, trojans, worms, you name it, he had it.


You can't get away with no AV any more. My wife always used to run that way back in like '98-99. Doesn't fly anymore. I think I saw an article that said a PC put on the internet is now attacked within hours, whereas years ago it was months.

 

[Ken.Nischan]

Try this.. hit start, run, type CMD and hit OK. You'll get a DOS window. Copy this line:

copy %systemroot%PCHealthHelpCtrBinariesmsconfig.ex e %systemroot%mscfg.exe

then right click the DOS window and choose Paste. Hit enter. It should say 1 file(s) copied. Type exit and hit enter. Now hit Start, Run, type mscfg and hit OK. Let us know if msconfig comes up. Alot of the viruses look for that process name and kill it but if the process name is diff it is not affected.

 

[Chuck C]

KEN!!!! worked like a charm

muchas gracias

so do i have a virus infection?

 

[Cees Alons]

Chuck,

You can check that by using a free scan product, like the one by McAfee found here (on that page below left, under free tools, you need the Free Scan. It will require you to register with a username and install an ActiveX tool, but I can assure you it's safe - I use McAfee myself and tried this one just a few minutes ago before recommending it to you).

Cees

 

[Ken.Nischan]

Yup, that's a sign of infection. The virus is keeping its eye out for the processes it thinks are dangerous and killing em. Running a diff named copy of the prog got around that. You'll want to go ahead and try to scan the box and clean it like Cees Alons suggested. If it doesn't work out (viruses also kill a/v programs, but the web one should work) for some reason there's another way to figure out which one it is. Check your Startup tab in msconfig (or i guess, mscfg as the case may be hehe) and write down the names of any suspicious looking programs that are there. Now open task manager (ctrl-shift-esc) click the processes tab and terminate the programs you wrote down one at a time. Each time you kill one, do start run and try to run msconfig. If it runs, the last one you term'd was the virus. You can then google the process for info on what virus it is or check SARC (Link Removed). Hope that helps.

 

[DaveGTP]

If you have problems getting a virus scanner up and running...plus, some viruses damage your TCP/IP stack so that you can't update the virus scan software (blocking off norton liveupdate URLs, etc)....here's some tools I found useful.



I had good luck cleaning my dad's PC somewhat by using this software:

http://housecall.antivirus.com/house...tart_frame.asp

It runs an online virus scan in your webbrowser. It'll help get rid of some viruses. The McAfee online scan will probably work listed above would probably work, too.

Also McAfee stinger tool if needed:

http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/

It is a standalone .exe that gets rid of some significant annoying viruses that make it hard to install/update your antivirus.



Also useful, but it says "as a last resort", is a tool that repairs your Winsock TCP/IP stack if spyware or viruses have changed/damaged it. I can't remember which one I used, but I found a couple out there:

http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/winsockxpfix.html


If you try to update your virus protection, but it is unable to connect to the webaddress where the virus scanner updates, your IP stack might be screwed up. Use the IP stack repair tool to restore connectivity. But it does say not to try using it unless you really need it.

 

[Chuck C]

Thanks for the help everyone, I greatly appreciate the reponses. I scanned for viruses using the mcafee free tool, and it quickly detected 25 viruses before prompting me to buy the software. So I went ahead and bought a one-yr subscription of VirusScan ($35), and after an hour of scanning, the software detected over 200 infections.

The payoff: msconfig works again, and I have piece of mind.

Question: Do you guys runs AV software and leave it running in the background or use it every so often like you would ad-aware?

 

[Cees Alons]

Chuck,

Yes, both, in fact.

As I said, I have McAfee Virus Scan. One part, the Virus Shield, runs in the background, checking downloaded files and files read from removable media. Another part, the Virusscan Console, schedules regular (daily) checks of files on the harddiscs. It also loads new updates on a weekly basis.
I use that combination on all my PC's.

Norton has a similar package.


Cees

 

[DaveGTP]

You need a virus scanner running constantly, as some viruses now hop out over the networks and hunt for vulnerable PCs. You don't even have to download anything, you just have to be online.

As far as spyware protection, I just stick with running adaware, spybot S&D, and spysweeper every now and then (or when I suspect spyware). I'm pretty careful about my downloads, and so far at least , spyware can't hunt you down over the internet by itself.

 

[Cees Alons]

Oh, and you need a firewall.
If you have Windows-XP service pack 2, you can start using the built in one.


Cees

 

[Scott Merryfield]

If you have broadband Internet access, your PC is attached to the Internet at all times and needs to be protected. As suggested in the various threads above, minimally you should be running firewall and antivirus software to protect yourself. The AV software should be running at all times, and it doesn't hurt to schedule weekly AV scans.

For firewall software, ZoneAlarm is free and works very well -- I've been using it for a few years. Windows XP SP2 has a built-in firewall, too, but with all the security holes in Windows I do not really trust a new firewall product built into Microsoft's operating system.

If you want to spend a little money, an external firewall/router is also a good idea. DLink, Linksys and Netgear all make products for the home -- some include built-in wireless network support, too (just make sure you turn on the wireless security features, or completely disable the radio if you do not have any wireless devices). These routers can be found starting at around $30 after rebates.