HELP! Altnet InstaFinder has invaded my PC!

Can anyone please help me with this? I've tried everything I could think of and things that my techie pal have recommended to me, but so far nothing has worked. Here's what's happened so far:

Because I've been running so terribly slow three nights ago while online, I decided as I always do to do an antivirus scan, and then a spyware scan. On my PC with Windows XP I have the complete Norton Internet Security Package with antivirus software, and I also have Spybot. I've done scans with both several times for the past few days, and both claimed that my computer was running fine even though it wasn't.

So I decided to run Windows Defender, and it picked up after a full scan the following two items:

* BrowserModifier:Win32/InstaFinder (Alert level: severe)

* Adware:Win32/Altnet (Alert level: medium)

So I had Windows Defender delete them. No prob, I figured.

But I can't get rid of them! It looks like there is the possibility that it "may" be the cause of a Rootkit.

So far aside from the above programs I mentioned, I have also tried using the following: the "Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool", which also claimed that it had removed the problem. But it didn't.

Then I tried Lavasoft Ad-Aware SE personal. It was recommended by a techie pal of mine. When I used it, it listed a ton of things that had needed to be removed, including the two above programs. I told them to fix it, and it claimed that everything was clean, including the two above programs.

To be safe, I turn off my computer for a while. Then I turn it back on.

I did a full scan again with Ad-Aware, which claimed that everything was still clean. Then I rescanned a full scan again with Windows Defender again... and the two programs are still on here!

I then tried purchasing online two full versions of two different programs which claimed that they could remove InstaFinder: XoftSpySE, and then NoAdware.

Both did the same thing that Ad-Aware did: both had claimed to had found the problem, both had claimed to have removed it: but after having the computer off and then turning it back on, the two new programs I had bought were still claiming that the two above problems were gone, yet doing a full scan with Windows Defender shows that they are still there! And I am desperate.

I'm ready to just take my PC to where I had bought it and pay for them to remove it, as I'm so desperate. I don't know how to get rid of the awful things, I've already tried two paid-for programs that didn't remove it (and which I'll now have to request my money back for since I'm not satisfied), and I just can't get rid of them!

Can anyone PLEASE help me? I don't know what else to do apart from taking my poor PC in for repair!

 

hi...
there a few ways to try to remove the pests first you could try to do an online scan with house call from trend micro

the second method update you antivirus definitions disconnect from the internet and do a full system scan (also if you have kazaa or lime wire or another p2p application installed remove it first also remove the two programs XoftSpySE and NoAdware and installed media files)

The third method install hijack this and avast cleaning tool
crap cleaner disconnect from the internet
run hijack this and do a repair run c cleaner and cleanup your hdd and also repair system files then do a scan with the avast cleaning tool and spybot and adware make sure they are updated (before you disconnect from the net)....

hope it helps....

 

Go2 http://www.bitdefender.com and run their free online scanner After that, get yourself a free firewall - somthing like ZoneAlarm off of http://www.cnet.com

Windows Defender is good for letting you know that you just got fucked, but you need something else to actually stop it from coming in

 

add an additional hard drive or add another hard drive partition. then get the FREE Ubuntu Linux 7. install is a breeze just like everyone said. and no viruses, malware, rootkits, etc. everyone is switching over now. it is really easy too. it used to be hard to make the switch but if 40 and 50 year old office workers can do it, you can too.

 

another way to go is to do a antivirus scan with knoppix it is verry secure and you get good results with this method....
http://www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/netsecur/article.php/10952_3389801_2
http://linuxactivist.blogspot.com/2005/10/windows-tip-windows-virus-scanning.html

 

Also don't forget to scan for rootkits a good app is blacklight rootkitrevealer....
http://www.f-secure.com/blacklight/

 

If you are running windows XP you first need to switch off system restore.

Right click my computer
select system restore tab - click the box
now disable system restore as a service

open the control panel - select administrative tools
select services
find sytem restore
double click it and disable it then stop it

now reboot and disinfect your computer
and leave restore swiched off

 

isnt it funny, in Windows, how system restor is suppossed to be there to protect you but it does the opposite?

 

yeah I thought the same thing. Yeah, I agree with all the above statements. Especially, with the one about us over 40 crowd using Linux. I ain't no office worker just a not-so-dumb blonde grandma who knits and crochets and is into Linux. Common sense says to use an OS that is more secure and stable whether you are the owner of a 100 dollar computer or a 2,000 dollar job. It does not make sense or cents to pay someone at a computer store or freelancer the kind of money they charge for service. Learn to do things for yourself and then you are the master of your own system. Ubuntu Linux is the easiest distro with the best support I have found so far.
Any human being and probably, a few of our ape brethren, can install and run Ubuntu Linux. I have got a few viruses in my days running Linux and they are few and far between. It has always been because I got sidetracked and did not click and start my firewall as soon as I booted and connected to the internet. My bad! Not the OS! Teach me to get drunk and boot the computer! I have been running some flavor of Linux for 5 years and in that time I have gotten 5 viruses. That is one per year. (That's how often I get smashed). So, please save yourself a lot of headaches and cash. Research the different Linux distros and if you need help installing or configuring please feel free to ask.

Peace, Cricket

 

a few of our ape brethren, can install and run Ubuntu Linux.

most of them have I think. It takes a genius to work windows out but give a few monkeys some typewriters and in half an hour theyll give you back a fully working dell machine with ubuntu on it - I am a fully qualified computer ape and if you throw me some bananas I will fix your computer