Nasty pop up

**daveb** · 12-25-2011, 09:02 PM

I downloaded a fake adobe upgrade that hit me with something called XP 2012. Now the I.S. people are gonna yell at me

It tries to tell you your computer is infected. Really. Guess there is an easy fix though...I hope.

**BroncoHauler** · 12-25-2011, 09:30 PM

...let me mark this thread as unread and walk slowly away...

Sorry to hear about your computer troubles. Recently had a hard drive take a dump, and the technician we hired to restore as much as possible was a total bozo who didn't know a 1 from a 0.

Herb

PatO · 12-25-2011, 10:07 PM

That is easily fixed - it's a fake scam trying to trick you into giving them money. They muck up your registry so you can't use Firefox and IE Explorer. On another PC you need to download a file called FixNCR reg file and get it over to the infected one to run. Also Google the XP Security 2012 text that you see in the popup. There are some additional directions to follow too. PIA; I wish the Internet castration protocol was in effect for those jerks!

dave_in_delaware · 12-25-2011, 10:16 PM

(You know I thought this was about a dirty or broken SMB pop top problem, right?)

Yeah, I've been hit with nasty crap just going to music lyrics websites. Sucks.

I've had to use Malwarebytes, Spybot, and a Microsoft scanner to find stuff. Last resort is ComboFix, in case it kills your OS anyway.

There's nasty stuff out there, and you can get hit anywhere.

Good luck in getting uninfected.

**daveb** · 12-25-2011, 10:46 PM

I was just surprised it came in on a Adobe look alike upgrade...or so it seemed. It's on my work computer and I can't download the fix, so I have to listen to the computer brains cuss me out about downloading stuff on their PC

The Adobe download looked like the real McCoy.....dammit

**WVvan** · 12-25-2011, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Recently had a hard drive take a dump

This technique doesn't work every time but I've had success with it on two different drives. If you're trying to read data from a hard drive that has failed and nothing else works, stick it in the freezer for a couple of hours. Take it straight from the freezer and hook it up to a computer and see if you can read the drive. If it works, immediately copy off the drive whatever data you want. As the drive warms up it will begin to fail so have everything in place before you start. It only works once.

I know this sounds crazy and didn't believe it either the first time I heard it but figured it couldn't hurt since the drive(s) weren't readable at that point.

Quote:

(You know I thought this was about a dirty or broken SMB pop top problem, right?)

That makes two of us.

dave_in_delaware · 12-25-2011, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WVvan

... stick it in the freezer for a couple of hours. Take it straight from the freezer and hook it up to a computer and see if you can read the drive. If it works, immediately copy off the drive whatever data you want. As the drive warms up it will begin to fail so have everything in place before you start. It only works once.

I know this sounds crazy and I didn't believe it either the first time I heard it but I figured it couldn't hurt since the drive(s) weren't readable at that point. It does work but not every time.

LOL, this method (freezer) reminds me of mags from BMX bikes back in the day. If you bend the crap out of one, you toss it into the freezer overnight and it comes out straightened again. I never knew it worked for hard drives.

ANZAC · 12-26-2011, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatO

That is easily fixed - it's a fake scam trying to trick you into giving them money. They muck up your registry so you can't use Firefox and IE Explorer. On another PC you need to download a file called FixNCR reg file and get it over to the infected one to run. Also Google the XP Security 2012 text that you see in the popup. There are some additional directions to follow too. PIA; I wish the Internet castration protocol was in effect for those jerks!

It can be really hard to get rid of. One of the Google links will be bleepingcomputer.com, follow their instructions (which include the FixNCR program). It is harder to remove from XP than Win 7.

Here's another tip, I ditched McAfee/Norton and the like and now use Microsoft Security Essentials (free!) and it is 10x better.