Thread: Very Intrusive Virus: Caution

I created this thread to warn the people of DreamViews about a very... very... invasive program that automatically downloads to your computer acting like an anti-spyware program. It is a fraud and it is EXTREMELY difficult to get rid of.

The program is called: Antivirus Live

The program is set up so that you can't do anything else but respond to it. Apparantly it's a scam for you to pay $50 to get rid of the so called viruses that you don't have. It even affects Task Manager. If you hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete, it closes about 2 seconds later with an alert pop-up saying that it is affected. Same goes with just about every program including regedit.

Plus, even if you may think that it's gone... don't be fooled, because once you restart your computer, it comes back right on.

The program will also cancel antivirus programs that you may already have on your computer. McAfee for example will no longer function.

Talk about a nightmare.

How do I know if I have it?
-Trust me, you'll know... Trust me. If you are still unsure though, here's a picture.


How do I prepare to get rid of it?
-If you download Windows Defender, it will tell you right away when it detects something alienated. The trick is to wait for the pop-up from Antivirus Live and continue to wait, and the program will automatically take care of it. This will allow you to take further action and actually use the computer. I strongly recommend clicking the link and downloading this program because it maybe one of the only few programs that will help you.

What next?
-Do NOT restart your computer because you will have the program all over again. The next thing you need to do is download Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE). Once you have it, you need to run a FULL SCAN. NOT A QUICK SCAN. After a couple of hours, it should detect about 3 foreign items. Make sure they get deleted.

And then...?
-I will not say it again. DO NOT RESTART your computer. Especially after those long hours of a full scan. The next thing you should do is download SpyBot Search and Destroy and run another full scan. This should take care of the remaining things MSE couldn't. The scan should bring up about 10 items. After that, make sure the items are deleted.

Finally!
-Your computer should be free of this stupid program. You should now be able to restart your computer. You will know you don't have it anymore if the program doesn't load again after restarting.

What if I already have it before I download Windows Defender?
-There are a couple of ways to go about doing this.

1. Hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete and hold it and as quick as you can, go to processes and delete the first thing on the list that isn't task manager. You need to do this within about 1/4 of a second. The trick is to have your finger on the delete button and just keep hitting it when task manager pops up.

2. Restart your computer in SafeMode. When you turn on your computer and that picture of whatever is the brand name of your computer is up and loading, hit F8 (tap it several times if you feel it's necessary). Doing this and logging on will allow you to use your computer without anything invasive popping up. Note that it is normal for your desktop to look strange.

Well, I hope this helps. If you have anymore questions, you can ask or Google it. There's more information there about it.

All the programs I provided links for are free and just because they are free doesn't mean that they suck. So don't worry.

All has failed... What now?
-I would suggest to reboot your computer. Make sure to save any important files to a CD or floppy disk. This requires a Windows CD. DO NOT run the Repair and Fix, it will do nothing. If you don't wish to reboot Windows, I would continue to search Google.

Good luck

Thanks for the warning

Sounds kind of like the fake Alpha Antivirus program...one of my co-workers got it by simply visiting an msn page about the Denver Broncs. It downloaded to his system and ran right on start-up. We killed the process with the task manager, then manually uninstalled it. It was a pain in the ass to get rid of.

Thanks for the alert, mate.

All has failed... What now?
-I would suggest to reboot your computer. Make sure to save any important files to a CD or floppy disk. This requires a Windows CD. DO NOT run the Repair and Fix, it will do nothing. If you don't wish to reboot Windows, I would continue to search Google.

Good luck

Rebooting your computer is serious business.

wth, a virus that needs 3 programs to get ride of.

Thank you for the warning. You can save a whole lot a agony and distress just by telling someone about something.