windows 7 virus help

Okay so my kids managed to get some sort of virus on their computer. I have an anti-virus in there, but somehow they over rode it. So when I start up the desktop is black with the exception of some anti-virus program that they want you to download. Nothing else. I am not able to access any of my anti-virus programs such as mcaffe or malwarebytes. So what do I do now to get rid of this thing? Thanks for your help.

Try booting to safe mode (F8 on boot) and then running malwarebytes. I don't think that you have a virus but it sounds like malware.

You can also try SuperAntispyware. Sometimes that one gets more than what Malwarebytes will get.

What type of computer are they using, a PC or a Mac running Boot Camp?

firesidedog said:

Okay so my kids managed to get some sort of virus on their computer. I have an anti-virus in there, but somehow they over rode it. So when I start up the desktop is black with the exception of some anti-virus program that they want you to download. Nothing else. I am not able to access any of my anti-virus programs such as mcaffe or malwarebytes. So what do I do now to get rid of this thing? Thanks for your help.

Click to expand...

Yeah, yeah... blame the kids!

Anyway, describe your symptoms; maybe post a screen shot or two. It might not be a virus but malware or rogue anti virus.
Popups like to trick users into installing all sorts of crap by making it look like a legit error message. Before you punich the kids, legit sites like CNN are sometimes hit by those - just a heads up and FYI.

DaFlake said:

Try booting to safe mode (F8 on boot) and then running malwarebytes. I don't think that you have a virus but it sounds like malware.

Click to expand...

+1. and when you can get back on it, uninstall mcafee, uninstall norton, etc, etc. get AVG free and make sure your malwarebytes is up to date. set them both to update in the middle of the night. i ran AVG and spambot search and destroy on windows xp for 6 years with great success. all the junk they pre-load those machines with is crap. they give you a month or two free, but people don't realize that after that, they need to pay for it.

Okay friends, problem resolved. I started in safe mode then ran malwarebytes and spybot. All is well. No really, it was my kids! i use my macbook pro. For them it is hands off. I am selfish that way.

Microsoft Security Essentials seems to work great and its free supposedly updates in the
background along with Windows update without lugging the system down.

NOTE: Thread moved to appropriate forum. Not just anything goes in Anything Goes