Need some help :( Downloaded Photo recovery software and now have problems :(

Ok so I have been running xp on a desktop pc for the last 2 years or so no problems. I dont download much besides movies etc so never had a problem. I have my os on a seperate drive (36gb) and programs and games on another and other etc.

So the other day the wife deletes all the pics off the Dslr and I took some sweet one sbefore so I tried using some free software. ALl they did was get me thumbnail size photos back so .. sigh... i tried to download a serial key where I get my movies. I know I know..

So I have something that disabled agv free. I can no longer connect to battlenet on warcraft 3 and when I google search I always see 100ksearches directing me elsewhere unless I refresh fast enough.

I d/l'd tdsskiller after googling some help posts and it finds something that requires restart but the pc screen shuts off and logs but it keeps running. I thought it might take time so I did it once before I left for work and 12 hrs later its still in shut down mode.

every time I turn on the pc something else happens .. this couldnt be saved or this error.. or should I unblock or block certain programs.. something has gone crazy.



Can anyone please give me an idea where to start or what to do etc?
On a few drives I have photos only so I do have some important info.

Im kind of newb but I think I put my os on a seperate drive can I just wipe it and reinstall?
what will I lose?
Ill check to see what drive is my boot drive.

 

I would advice to make a backup of important data first and foremost.
Pic, docs, photo's etc; everything that's unique/personal and can't be re-acquired. If necessary while in XP's ' Safe mode'.
Probably best is to run a linux LiveCD to boot up from and then copy all important data to an external drive. Can you download and burn a LiveCD on another computer?

Make sure that you know which drives are what before trying to reinstall XP.
Usually the OS drive/partition is ' C:'.
Most of the time, full-formatting the C drive/partition and reinstalling XP will solve your issues but again make sure which drives/partitions are what exactly.

If you are not comfortable running a linux live-cd, try running HitmanPro3 and Malwarebytes'Antimalware.
When you've downloaded MBAMsetup.exe, rename it to ABC.exe, install it but do not run it yet.
Go to Program files; MBAM folder and rename MBAM.exe to (f.i.) ABCD.exe.
Now run ABCD.exe, let it update and then do a 'Quick Scan'. You can check my sig for those programs.

But again, first go offline and backup all personal data as step nr. 1.
When you've reinstalled XP make sure to thoroughly scan all partitions/drives with multiple AV/AM programs.
And as you know by now, running key generators isn't the smartest thing to do, serial keys in a .txt file don't cause this kind of trouble.
Good luck.

 

thanks for the advice. do i need to back up all the hdds? i have 4 installed i thought keeping them separate wouldnt get them all infected

 

No, there is no immediate need to backup all of them because of the infection. Just make sure to scan them for malware after reinstalling XP.
Take into account that you will have to reinstall your programs and likely repair/reinstall your games also.

(Besides this issue, do you have a separate backup HDD? Because with the current configuration, you could lose all those old PC HDD's if for some reason the power supply dies and decides to take along the HDD's with it.
To prevent this possibility, I always keep one HDD disconnected).

 

Ok even worse last night my internet stopped working. firewall is disabled and i cant turn it back on etc.

I tried booting on the other drive I partitioned and had xp installed on it etc and still no go.

Im thinking to disable the one boot hdd (36gb) and just reinstall xp on it.

what would be my next steps? should I install an av then connect all the other drives to the mb and then scan them or are they infected too?

 

Have you tried running MBAM or HitmanPro3?
If not, why not? Or didn't they find anything?

Best is to just take your loss, safe time and full-format the 36GB OS drive and reinstall XP.
When finished installing and updating XP+SP3, install a decent AV and MBAM and then scan the other drives.

 

Will try the mbam and hitman as suggested if not ill wipe like you said. thanks for the help much appreciated. thank god for this laptop im still up and running

 

Baserk I disconnected the other drives from the mobo and am reinstalling XP now on the c: Is AVG free edition enough to scan the other drives when I reconnect them? Should I buy an AV in your opinion?

 

There is no need to buy an AV imo.
A free AV should suffice. I'd recommend Avast over AVG though.
For scanning the other drives, a second opinion scan like MBAM is highly adviced.
Also, make sure to use a LUA/Limited User Account in the future for daily routine work and an admin account only for administration tasks.
With most malware this still reduces the amount of harm, the malware can do.

 

Ahh I never knew that about LUA.. is it possible to set it up for win xp too? ive been debating on moving up to w7 just cant seem to find a cheap copy anywhere local.

I googled mSE and alot of people like it over avg.. should I go that route or still avast?

 

Yes, XP also offers the option to make a user account.
About an AV, some folks 'feel' MSE to be heavy on older machines, especially when updating (I don't have that issue though).
Avast Free offers an 'Auto Sandbox' feature (among other features), this can be usefull to run apps you're not sure about in a temporary sandbox which can be erased if needed.
Check the features yourself; link and form your own opinion if you'd like to have those options or would rather have a more basic AV like MSE.
Working with a LUA, keeping all your software up-to-date and common sense, are in the end more important than your choice of AV though.