winword.exe svchost.exe etc.

[pc sos]

Hello everyone!

I need help with my PC. I've been reading forums for 2 days trying to solve the problem but its really not working, it could be my knowledge of computers :P

Ok so this is how it started,
My computer is about 3 years old and because i haven't used it to go online for almost a year, the antivirus and stuff were pretty out of date. So i downloaded avast from cnet and updated a previously installed Spyware Terminator. Avast pulled up a whole lists of worms, trojans and viruses, which i put in its chest and then deleted.

NOW... Everytime i boot up, there's the svchost.exe error, saying that windows could not locate it and i should find with search. Clicking OK is the only option. So when I do that, it closes. But then, I am unable to open yahoo messenger because an error message shows up 0xc0000008. I am also unable to run any of my microsoft office 2007 programs. If i click on M Word, then it shows winword.exe error. This applies to all, powerpoint, excel etc.

Also, when i click on control panel, some other error appears, I click OK but after a minute it opens control panel.

However, when i boot up, if i dont click OK, to the svchost.exe error, I was able to open microsoft word, yahoo messenger etc. This worked only for awhile.

Because the svchost.exe error kept repeating, I ran msconfig and unclicked it on startup. Now the svchost error doesnt appear but everything else, like winword.exe etc is still there.

I also ran regedit, i read that i should check there, to see if there are any svchost.exe or suspicious files but there aren't.

I used Search to identify all svchost files and it came up with 4. 2 on each hard disk. They both had a svchost.exe file in system32 in windows and the other file was a c/e:windows/prefetch (a .PF file).

I also read online, that svchost.exe is almost always an antivirus problem or a windows automatic update problem. Well my windows update has always been turned off (and i dont intend on turning it on), so i guess it has to be my antivirus right?

Well please help..please..I need access to certain word files and what i'm trying to do just ends up in the same thing.

[pc sos]

I forgot to add, i have also recently downloaded hijackthis. So if you think the log could help with my problem, please let me know and i will post it immediately.

[haapy]

There is a lot of information in this thread that may help you.

http://www.pctools.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56903

[pc sos]

´Hey haapy,

are you suggesting that i use microsoft disc cleanup? and run on safe mode after that? I`m still reading through those 12 pages..

[pc sos]

Okay just another add,

i mentioned earlier that i cannot open control panel. Well it says, RUNDLL, error loading, C:\progra2\micros2\grooveutil.dll.

[haapy]

Groove is integrated with Outlook.

Google the files.

[haapy]

´Hey haapy,

are you suggesting that i use microsoft disc cleanup? and run on safe mode after that? I`m still reading through those 12 pages..

microsoft disk clean up is just one of the many cleanup tools available.

[pc sos]

Hey again!

Well, i did a hijack this log and i uploaded it to hijackthis.de/en. They analyzed it almost instantly and i removed all harmful, that i did not recognize.
The result is, i do not have the svchost error on startup anymore.

However, i still cannot open anythin in microsoft office. As for the yahoo, it didnt work either, but i deleted and reinstalled it and now it works fine. But i cannot use my mobilephone tools either. So what the hell is this?? Why is it that when i reinstall a programme it works? Does that mean i've to reinstall microsoft office and every other programme that doesnt work again? Or is there something else i can do?

I dont think its a cleanup thing anymore happy, i guess most of the stuff has been removed...

[haapy]

It is because the malware corrupted files.

You can run a Microsoft Office repair to see if that fixes Office.

[haapy]

You should probably get something like Spyware Doctor with antivirus to protect your PC.

[pc sos]

I thought it would be enough to have both Avast and Spyware Terminator. Or are these not that great?

Well as for the problem, hard to believe but after hijackthis fixed it and i reinstalled yahoo twice, everything works again. I do not know if there was something in the yahoo installation files that fixed the microsoft office problem as well but all is okay now.

I doubled checked by running hijackthis for the 3rd time today but all is good. :)

[dingo44]

they are both good if you are going the free way but spyware terminator really lacks in detecting malicious object and can give of a lot of prompting which is annoying, I would recommend removing spyware terminator immediatly;).

I would recommend the combination I have, avast and spyware doctor without antivirus;)

from dingo44:)

[haapy]

Avast is OK, Spyware Terminator not so. If you are looking for free and want better protection try the following:

Unistall Avast, get Spyware Doctor with Antivirus from Google pack, get ThreatFire from PCTools.

Then all you need to scan with is Spyware Doctor and you have better online protection than you have now.

[dingo44]

Avast is OK, Spyware Terminator not so. If you are looking for free and want better protection try the following:

Unistall Avast, get Spyware Doctor with Antivirus from Google pack, get ThreatFire from PCTools.

Then all you need to scan with is Spyware Doctor and your have better online protection than you have now.:(hey avast isn't that bad just because it doesn't block rogue and potentially unwanted products unless it detects a virus in it doesn't make avast weak.

from dingo44:)

[haapy]

A matter of opinion. I have cleaned up a lot of PCs that used Avast, do not us it any more and no re-calls. The SDA/ThreatFire Combo is pretty darn good and a lot easier for the user to manage if you want to go the free route.

[dingo44]

A matter of opinion. I have cleaned up a lot of PCs that used Avast, do not us it any more and no re-calls. The SDA/ThreatFire Combo is pretty darn good and a lot easier for the user to manage if you want to go the free route.:osorry I can be a bit sensitive to some comments made.

from dingo44:)

[haapy]

No problem.

I was not bashing Avast, but offering the member a solution that may provide better protection and be easier to manage.

Also, if the member gets familiar with SDA free and wants the benefits of even more protection, it offers an nice way to get to SDA, the paid version... uninstall ThreatFire and upgrade.

[pc sos]

hey!

OK so it looks like spyware terminator should go and avast too? thats a waste because i just downloaded avast.

Yes i am taking the freebie route. I might buy Norton or Karpersky soon but only if i do some hardware upgrades.

Also I do not know if its Spyware T thats causing the problem because when I enabled it again today, the control panel dll error popped up.

Well thanks again for your suggestions, more is of course welcomed :)

[dingo44]

you don't have to get rid of avast if you don't want but spyware terminator has to go.

another suggestion would be avast and spybot search and destroy.;)
or you could stick with haapy's idea.

from dingo44:)

[haapy]

Spybot does not provide much active protection. Good only for a backup scanner.

[dingo44]

oops:D what I meant to say was that avast and microsoft windows defender was a good free combonation. I would only ever use spybot search and destroy as a back up scanner.

from dingo44:)

[haapy]

Windows Defender is about a good as having nothing... a poor piece of software which doesn't protect well and has terrible scan detection.

Perhaps this is why Microsoft has replaced it with yet another attempt at protrecting PCs.

A lot better solution are out there like SD/AV free.

[dingo44]

Windows Defender is about a good as having nothing... a poor piece of software which doesn't protect well and has terrible scan detection.

Perhaps this is why Microsoft has replaced it with yet another attempt at protrecting PCs.

A lot better solution are out there like SD/AV free.

actually I would go against your comment. I just read the consumer magazine and windows defender won the best free spyware remover award. and it blew away the competition between spybot search and destroy and ad-aware free. of coarse its pretty useless when it comes to detecting viruses in general thought.

from dingo44:)

[haapy]

I do not think so. Check out the reviews. Here is one.

Windows Defender is a decent anti-spyware program. It is free, powerful enough and yet very easy-to-use. However, it identifies and completely removes only regular spyware and adware parasites as well as some well-known, relatively old malware and viral threats. Unfortunately, Windows Defender does not provide reliable protection against widely spread trojans, worms and other malicious software. In other words, the program cleans most infections, but often cannot eliminate the cause, so the system gets re-infected.

Windows Defender has been replaced by Microsoft Security Essentials.

Windows Defender never had anti-virus protection and never was really very good.

MSE on the other hand has been getting better reviews.

I don't doubt that it blew away Spybot and Adaware. Both are marginal at best for removal and protection.

I still do not understand why some try to protect their PC with half baked tools and then wonder why they get infections.

If there is one place to not compromise or settle for less than the best software is in protecting your PC.

Oh well, live and learn.

[dingo44]

hmm interesting well I only suggested it as spyware protection. but i am supprised microsoft security essentials did a lot better than windows defender however I am to suprised about the rest of the comments.

oh well I am still trying to learn as much as possible:D.

from dingo44:)

[haapy]

It is all about research. The net is full of information on all the products. If you glean the good articles, you will find a certain consistency in the reviews about the various products.

[pc sos]

hey guys!

Thanks for all that info :) I've gone with the threatifre + spyware doctor protection. So far, its been pretty good. I was surprised how many worms and trojans and even 1 or 2 viruses were pulled out. Hijackthis had missed those and so did spyware terminator and avast.

Pretty good solution actually. I'm just happy not to have spyware terminator anymore, as i dont have to click allow and block everytime i do something on the computer!

:) merry christmas

[dingo44]

hey guys!

Thanks for all that info :) I've gone with the threatifre + spyware doctor protection. So far, its been pretty good. I was surprised how many worms and trojans and even 1 or 2 viruses were pulled out. Hijackthis had missed those and so did spyware terminator and avast.

Pretty good solution actually. I'm just happy not to have spyware terminator anymore, as i dont have to click allow and block everytime i do something on the computer!

:) merry christmashijack this is a rootkit scanner so its not going to find much.

from dingo44:)

[haapy]

Hijack this is not a root kit scanner.

It is an excellent tool for finding specialized malware and also for pointing out where other malware muight be.

You just have to know how to use it. It has bailed me out a bunch of times.

Here is the turorial.

http://www.pctools.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55651&highlight=tutorial

[dingo44]

I think I just figured it why I always hated using hijack this.:D

from dingo44:)

[haapy]

Someday you might find it a valuable tool.

[pc sos]

Hey guys,

do you think the threatfire + spyware doctor combination is sufficient or do you think i should spend some money and purchase Norton or Kaspersky antivirus? Those seem to be the only 2 around 15euros over here.

[haapy]

Hey guys,

do you think the threatfire + spyware doctor combination is sufficient or do you think i should spend some money and purchase Norton or Kaspersky antivirus? Those seem to be the only 2 around 15euros over here.

SD free or paid for?

[pc sos]

okay it took me awhile to understand SD haha.

I meant the free SD + threatfire. The one you recommended earlier.

[haapy]

Hey guys,

do you think the threatfire + spyware doctor combination is sufficient or do you think i should spend some money and purchase Norton or Kaspersky antivirus? Those seem to be the only 2 around 15euros over here.

That combination is OK and the scanner is about the same as the paid for version of SD. The only drawback is that it does not have all the online protection of the paid version of SD.

If you practice safe surfing and do not do P2P, it should be fine.

My personal oppinion is that PC protection is one of the most vital pieces of software, so why compromise? I use SD with AV.

[pc sos]

what do u mean by AV? Avira or Anti virus?

well i thought if i'd buy something, i'd buy Norton. They're having discounts over here, so its quite cheap to buy norton 2010.

well i dont do any P2P's but about safe surfing, well theres that occassional mp3 download from some free website. But i scan the file after, with SD.

[dingo44]

[QUOTE=haapy;222819]That combination is OK and the scanner is about the same as the paid for version of SD. The only drawback is that it does not have all the online protection of the paid version of SD.
QUOTE]pctools browser defender would help with the web protection and pctools firewall would as well, both free.

from dingo44:)