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Windows Forum / Windows Me / System Tools / August 2005Unable to open Internet Explorer
My computer suffered a freeze at attempted shutdown and now will not open Internet Explorer although Outlook Express works ok and making an online connection is fine. I am also getting an error message that Active Desktop is missing it's HTML file and the desktop is flashing to it's recovery screen and back continuously. I am running Me with IE 5.5 Can anyone help me get IE working again? BarryA My reply is at the bottom of your sent message: > My computer suffered a freeze at attempted shutdown and now will not > open Internet Explorer although Outlook Express works ok and making [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > BarryA Sounds like a likely case of malware of one type or another. Assuming you have another browser installed or access to a burner and another PC (though you'd still have to update) take a peek here: Malware Cleaning : http://kgiii.info/windows/all/general/malwarefix.html Note that two of the applications will not work for you. Microsoft Anti-Spyware and eTrust will need 2k/XP or higher. Galen  Signature"But there are always some lunatics about. It would be a dull world without them." Sherlock Holmes If, after confirming the presence (or not) of malware - as Galen has suggested - and removed it, the problem is still there, then it might be worth running System Restore and roll-back to the last time/date BEFORE the problem started. Mart > My reply is at the bottom of your sent message: > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > Galen Hello Galen I am sure you are right I have Malware. I have run Adaware with all clear. Tried to run Spybot Search & Destroy but this will not run. Also tried to run CleanUp312, CWShredder & Hoster which also will not run. TaskManager will only run in Safe Mode. IE will not start and nor will Windows Help. Am getting a variety of Error messages about programs not able to start and Dll files either missing or unable to start. Can see in HijackThis log that Default URL SearchHook is missing and have a file named C:\Windows\System\MFCFS.EXE /s but do not know what this is. In response to your suggestion, I do not have another browser installed (but will in future). Have no access to another computer, but could go to the local library and use one of theirs as a last resort which could give me online access if there was a sensible solution. I suppose I really need to get online access to be able to find a solution to this, but still not sure how to solve the problem anyway. I see my System Restore has lost all it's restore points, so this solution is not available. If it's Malware I have it has hit all the solution routes. These invaders are complete lunatics and really sick in the head! Any other ideas please? regards............BarryA My reply is at the bottom of your sent message: > Hello Galen > I am sure you are right I have Malware. I have run Adaware with all [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > Any other ideas please? > regards............BarryA Assuming you have IE 6... Pound this into your start > run box... rundll32 setupwbv.dll,IE6Maintenance (copy/paste) Do a repair of IE. Other than that you try a virus scan - in safe mode of course. CD copy the installer over, install, and update might be your only realistic options at this point for that if you don't have one already installed. As for the library that's all well and good but it doesn't get your PC up and running. If it's too bad then backup your data and go ahead and tear it down and re-install but for now I'd try the less ruinous paths of a virus scan. Galen Signature"But there are always some lunatics about. It would be a dull world without them." Sherlock Holmes Barry, clutching at straws but again if after having followed Galen's excellent advice, you still get nowhere, then before you finally take the 'reinstall' road there is still one final trick available. Boot with your WinMe Startup (floppy) Disk and select option 2 (With CD-ROM support). At the A:\> prompt, type "scanreg /restore" (no quotes and note the space between the g and /) then press Enter. Follow the screen prompts and when asked, select the LAST 'good' date BEFORE THE PROBLEM, continuing with the instructions. Don't forget to remove the floppy disk BEFORE you tell the machine to reboot. Even without any SR points, you *might* just get your machine running again - but depends on what else is affected. Good luck Mart > My reply is at the bottom of your sent message: > [quoted text clipped - 47 lines] > > Galen Thanks Galen/Mart I can enter the string into the RUN box, but will I then be guided through an IE repair as I would not know how to do this myself? You then suggest:- CD copy the installer over, install, and update. What installer are you talking about? I can also try the Scanreg/restore as another option, if that process is available on Windows Me which has the System Restore function. With regards to the library computer use, I was thinking that if I needed to download any fix items, I could burn these to CD and then install them on my own computer. Is there any way I could download IE and install this over my existing copy, can it be copied as an individual program or is it integral with Windows, if it could be installed over would it automatically be infected also or might it create a good working copy? rgds......BarryA when you enter the command, it'll open the Repair/Remove wizard - pick the option to repair, and Windows does the rest. SignatureNoel Paton (MS-MVP 2002-2005, Windows) Nil Carborundum Illegitemi http://www.btinternet.com/~winnoel/millsrpch.htm http://tinyurl.com/6oztj Please read http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm on how to post messages to NG's > Thanks Galen/Mart > I can enter the string into the RUN box, but will I then be guided through [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > rgds......BarryA Barry, It is Trojan.Agent.bi, but, little info is available on it. Suspect it is a VX2/Look2Me/BetterInternet variant. Suggest you download, register, and then update a-squared-FREE. The download and registration link is on the bottom of this page : http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/ Then show hidden files, folders, and system files : http://snipurl.com/f4cx And then scan the system with a-squared -FREE. Restart to Safe Mode and do another scan. STRONGLY advise you to download LSP Fix as the Winsock may become damaged during the malware's removal :http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm If there is any issue with internet connectivity, run LSP Fix according to the Readme link that is also on the above page. If the malware is stubborn, suggest you post here after reading the guidelines : http://forum.aumha.org/viewforum.php?f=30&sid=29e815131c297a814da5bcc61522b64f MowGreen [MVP 2003-2005] =============== *-343-* FDNY Never Forgotten =============== > Hello Galen > I am sure you are right I have Malware. I have run Adaware with all clear. [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > Any other ideas please? > regards............BarryA MowGreen For some reason my IE seems to be working again for the moment, not sure why though. My Trend PC-Cillin antivirus has now identified the file in question as having a Trojan_Agent .XG virus and asks me to remove it manually. I cannot find this variety either in their encyclopaedia or on the net. Do you know anything about this one? I have tried the route to repair IE via the RUN box but it tells me this is not installed on my computer - but if it is standard on Me it should be there ! Was Galen suggesting last resort was to re-install Windows - I would not want to do that unless I really had to. Want to remove the virus as the next step, before trying to get the other programs working again. Any further help here would be appreciated. BarryA ********************** > Barry, > [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > If the malware is stubborn, suggest you post here after reading the > guidelines : http://forum.aumha.org/viewforum.php?f=30&sid=29e815131c297a814da5bcc61522b64f > MowGreen [MVP 2003-2005] > =============== [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > > Any other ideas please? > > regards............BarryA Latest update:- My IE has magically started working again 'thank you Lord' - but I did nothing to enable it ! Trend have given me instructions on how to remove the Trojan but the main file infected is a Windows/System file and I cannot delete it as it says it is being used by Windows. Any ideas guys ? thanks & rgds...........BarryA ****************** > MowGreen > For some reason my IE seems to be working again for the moment, not sure why [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > > If the malware is stubborn, suggest you post here after reading the > > guidelines : http://forum.aumha.org/viewforum.php?f=30&sid=29e815131c297a814da5bcc61522b64f > > MowGreen [MVP 2003-2005] > > =============== [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > > > Any other ideas please? > > > regards............BarryA Why don't you tell us which system file? It would make telling you how to fix it a lot easier. Shane > Latest update:- My IE has magically started working again 'thank you > Lord' - [quoted text clipped - 101 lines] >> > > Any other ideas please? >> > > regards............BarryA The file is C:\Windows\System\MFCFS.exe which as far as I know was created by the virus. However I tried again yesterday by various means to remove it and had the same message "that Windows was using it". However I switched on today and it looks like it was removed at startup today before Windows put the file into use. As I cannot find it I presume that is what has happened. If it re-appears I will post again, in the meantime I thank you all for your efforts to help me solve my problems which appear to be cured. Thanks a lot BarryA > Why don't you tell us which system file? It would make telling you how to > fix it a lot easier. [quoted text clipped - 56 lines] > >> > If the malware is stubborn, suggest you post here after reading the > >> > guidelines : http://forum.aumha.org/viewforum.php?f=30&sid=29e815131c297a814da5bcc61522b64f > >> > MowGreen [MVP 2003-2005] > >> > =============== [quoted text clipped - 43 lines] > >> > > Any other ideas please? > >> > > regards............BarryA > The file is C:\Windows\System\MFCFS.exe which as far as I know was created > by the virus. However I tried again yesterday by various means to remove > it OK. I thought you meant a genuine Windows file. > and had the same message "that Windows was using it". However I switched > on > today and it looks like it was removed at startup today before Windows put > the file into use. > As I cannot find it I presume that is what has happened. Hmm. The way to remove a file in use - when it's not a legitiate Windows file, at least - is either to boot to Safe Mode to do it, or boot to DOS using a boot floppy. The former will usually work, the latter is certain to work. If, having removed the file using either of the above routes, you find it's returned when you boot Windows normally again, then there is some other file, probably running at Startup, whose purpose is to recreate the first file. Thus both files must be removed. Shane Ok if it returns I will follow your suggestions. Thanks you all once again. BarryA |
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