Congratulations on the new computer!  I’m glad you made sure to have some protection on the computer before you connected to a website online; you’re very right about how fast you can contract some nasty infections on a computer on an unprotected machine.

There are plenty of free options out there which can protect your computer but I recommend one of them more then the others.  Check it out below and feel free to use the download link I provide to obtain the program instantly.

The #1 Free Anti-Virus program I recommend to everyone is AVG Free.  It offers the best protection at a price you cannot argue with…$0.  It offers similar if not better protection then a lot of the paid options offered including some of the big names such as McAfee or Norton.

To download AVG Free, click this link and choose the newest release of the anti-virus.  Click on the free version link on the right and select Save to put the program .exe on your desktop.  After click on the newly downloaded file and install the program.  Be sure to update the program definitions to have the latest updates protecting your machine.

AVG will update automatically when your computer starts up and will only bother you to upgrade to a better version when released by the manufacture.  Let us know your experience and how you felt about the installation of AVG.

Green AV is one of the more annoying spyware programs which likes to disguise itself as the popular and powerful AVG Anti-Virus; ironic huh?  It constantly prompts you to upgrade the program while warning you of false security tags about your computer having malicious files installed.

The removal process of this dangerous rogue spyware is quite simple and will ensure you go back to browsing safely again.

To remove Green AV, we’re going to use our trusty tool Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware

• Download the program from the link above and double click the file “mbam-setup.exe”
• Make sure a checkmark is placed next to Update Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware, then click Finish.
• If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
• Once the program has loaded, select “Perform Quick Scan”, then click Scan.
• The scan may take some time to finish, so please be patient.
• When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
• Make sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected. <- very important
• When disinfection is completed, a log will open in Notepad and you may be prompted to Restart. (See Extra Note)
• The log is automatically saved by MBAM and can be viewed by clicking the Logs tab in MBAM. (You may need this for a later post on the forums!)

Extra Note:If MBAM encounters a file that is difficult to remove, you will be presented with 1 of 2 prompts, click OK to either and let MBAM proceed with the disinfection process, if asked to restart the computer, please do so immediately

Reboot your computer and you should be all set.  Most spyware programs make it a bit tougher to uninstall themselves then the usual add/remove programs option.  Even if they do disappear from that menu, some of their core files still exist that reinstall the program the next time you restart your computer.

In this day and age, everything is posted online…including video!  With media giants like YouTube and Hulu, you’re bound to see some cell phone footage or even someone who brought a hand held video camera.

For this type of large event, Microsoft made sure they had their own crew in place to video tape the event and actually stream it live during the launch.

For those users who wish to watch the Windows 7 Launch Live, navigate here.

The full launch video is just a pinch above 54 minutes, so those of you who might be under a time crunch, I suggest the following:

1) Keynote introduction of Kylie to Steve- just plain cute and fun to watch how Microsoft kept it light and family friendly at the event!

2)  Ballmer thanks the Windows Community- some very interesting facts on how many testers and engineers were put to the manufacturing as well as the wide variety of flavors of the new Windows 7 and the form factors you should expect to see it on soon.

3) Whats new in Windows 7- a no-brainer to check out the new features and hardware that Windows 7 will include which sets it apart from its predecessors.  My personal favorite parts of this clip are the new technology that is about to be released with Windows 7 as the main OS.

4) Windows 7 Touch Capabilities- the most impressive part of the new operating system has to be the touch capabilities and functions.  If you’ve been debating on a new TV or new PC, this clip is for you.  This is the clip that will leave you with the “wow” effect…

Enjoy, let us know what you thought about the event or the clips you watched!

Removing programs like Security Tool can be a bit of a process and challenge but it can be done.  Security Tool likes to control the scanners you run to try and remove it by altering the core files of the programs itself so it cannot find the rogue spyware program.

To remove Security Tool, we’ll have to try a couple of steps that will terminate the process of Security Tool and then another that will go in and remove the actual program.

To start, we must close the process of the program so it does not try to interfere with the cleaning.  Download RKill and double click on the file.  Allow it to run its course and stop any programs…do NOT reboot after the process is complete or make any other changes that will allow the program to start up again.

Next, download Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware

• Download the program from the link above and double click the file “mbam-setup.exe”
• Make sure a checkmark is NOT placed next to Update Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware, then click Finish.

Do not reboot your computer even if the program prompts you too.  The Security Tool program will interfere with the installation core programs and you may receive an error that it is unable to execute file.

If so, download the executable files from here and put it in the C:\program files\Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware\ folder on your computer.  Make sure you save it directly from your browser to that folder and do not rename the file even though it looks like a bunch of gibberish.

Once complete, double click that recently downloaded file, open the program, click on the update tab and try to update the program.  Run a full scan and let it find the infected files for Security Tool and any of its friends.

Remove any of the infected files that MBAM finds and reboot your computer.  You’re all clean!  Enjoy!

Good job of picking up on malicious piece of software!  AntiVirus System Pro is a rogue anti-spyware that likes to report tons of fake results and security alerts like you’re reporting.  It is also programmed and designed to start up right when you boot into Windows so it will keep hogging up your system resources as well.

Like you also picked up on, we will need to remove this software.  It will help you gain control back of Internet Explorer; the program tends to hijack the use of Internet Explorer.

Some of the tell tale signs of AntiVirus System Pro, besides the start up of the actual program are fake reports such as:

Windows Security alert
Windows reports that computer is infected. Antivirus software helps to protect your computer against viruses and other security threats. Click here for the scan you computer. Your system might be at risk now.

To remove this infection, we’ll use our trusty tool Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware

• Download the program from the link above and double click the file “mbam-setup.exe”
• Make sure a checkmark is placed next to Update Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware, then click Finish.
• If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
• Once the program has loaded, select “Perform Quick Scan”, then click Scan.
• The scan may take some time to finish, so please be patient.
• When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
• Make sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected. <- very important
• When disinfection is completed, a log will open in Notepad and you may be prompted to Restart. (See Extra Note)
• The log is automatically saved by MBAM and can be viewed by clicking the Logs tab in MBAM. (You may need this for a later post on the forums!)

Extra Note:If MBAM encounters a file that is difficult to remove, you will be presented with 1 of 2 prompts, click OK to either and let MBAM proceed with the disinfection process, if asked to restart the computer, please do so immediately

Reboot your computer and you should be all set.  I’m glad you were able to pick up on the false program and did not fall into its trap of asking for credit card information to remove the “fake” infections on your computer.

Microsoft also did a fabulous job of including the “history” to Windows 7.  They touched on what the motives are behind this new OS, how many engineers, testers and beta users they included and what feedback they took from the testers and how they changed their original product to conform to what the people wanted.  For those of you who’ve never seen a piece of software change shape before (…and boy do they change…) it will be an interesting experience to understand how rigorous and large of a processes the finalizing of a product takes!

Microsoft held the event this year at Skylight Studios and opened the doors at 10:00AM.  The Attendee and Registration line were already built up around 9:30 with many MVP’s, Media Head’s and Company Directors chatting it up about the excitement to see what Microsoft information will be released in just a couple hours!

The inside of the studio was beautiful with a wide variety of lighting to keep a lot of “Windows” colors over the artwork and walls.

Different press and media members were walking around for interviews with Microsoft Employees as well as other MVP’s and attendees for pre-launch information about what they expect Windows 7 to become and how much of an impact it will make on the computing world.

Once we got into the main room, it was clear to see that Microsoft was ready to make a big impact and wanted to impress their members.  They came out with massive projector screens as well as sharp LCD monitors and TV’s to wow the audience.

With a surprise guest of Kylie (the lovable 4 year old who told the world that “she was a PC”) introduced Steve Ballmer who went right into the facts and numbers on what it took to create Windows 7.  Steve made sure he rewarded Kylie of her performance with a small pink netbook!

The shocking facts were that over 3,000 Engineers, 50,000 partners and 8 million customers (who provided the beta testing) were part in making the Windows 7 OS successful.  The shocking number of the 8 million testers can be placed against an astonishing fact that there are only 10 million OS X USERS world wide…so 80% of that number just TESTED the beta version of Windows 7.

Ballmer was quick to touch upon the response and feedback Microsoft received from its testers.  Each engineer would take the emotional and technical feedback they got for improving the software and posted it on a global wall where all employees could try and tackle the suggestions that were made.

I think Microsoft did a great job out of the gates with the presentation.  Not only was I impressed at their techy feel at the event, I thought they did an even better job at first making sure they introduced this software as a “software of the people.”  Its always crucial to make the customers know they have been listened too, especially coming off a lower approval from Windows Vista.

For those of you who bought Windows 7 already, let us know what you think.  I’d love to hear your initial thoughts on the new OS.  Next week, I’ll touch more upon the features they described, what’s new and the new technology that is being designed and released for Windows 7!

The security threat behind a false positive is not the actual detection of something that is “not a threat” but the consequences of following through with the proposed fixes to these problems.  Most of these false positives will recommend removal through free software (which will lead you to download more infections) or software that charges small to large fees to get control back of your computer.

If you’ve ever seen a false positive or think you might have one, read further about the dangers of false security reports and how to deal with them.

The dangers of false security reports is the window it opens up for other infections.  It can allow other programs to download and install onto your computer, such as a key logger, which will log the keystrokes you type on your machine and send them back to a 3rd party to be used at the disposal of the creator.  Have you ever done some online shopping?  File your taxes on the computer or send some sensitive data for work on your last login?  Be prepared to be at a significant identity theft risk if you give into these security threats.

Be careful when a separate website tries to convince you that your computer is infected…it is separate and cannot see your main hard drive so how can it tell you that your PC is infected?

I highly recommend daily scanning from free alternatives such as AVG AntiVirus or Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.  If you are questioning whether any result that pops up from surfing on a website or something that comes up on your computer screen…seek help before you take action.

If you still need convincing, try this article on for size.  Let us know what you think.

Drew’s also a pretty funny guy. A couple of recent tweets:

DrewFromTV The only bad thing about Oreos is that they don’t lick you back.

DrewFromTV Some might think I’m just trying to buy friends by doing this, but all the friends I’ve bought so far don’t seem to mind

http://bit.ly/7F04J

Surprisingly enough, there is a better way to efficiently optimize battery life for your notebook in Windows 7 that will not be done automatically by the operating system.

For those of you users who really like to stretch every possible percentage and minute out of your battery, I suggest you stop what you are doing, print out these instructions and extend your battery time even further!

• Open the search box in the start menu and type in “CMD” to bring up the command prompt.
• ^Make sure you are running as an administrator, if you are uncertain, right click and select to “Run As Administrator” and verify any account control prompts
• In the command prompt, type in “powercfg -ENERGY” without the quotation marks.  There is a space between the end of -cfd and the start of -ENERGY
• The system will be “tracing” for about a minute, but when it is complete, it will make a new file in C:\Windows\system32\energy-report.html which you can save to the desktop and open with a browser or HTML reader.
• After that, it’s quite easy…Windows will output some instructions on how to make some changes to prevent the computer for searching for files and drivers or timing itself when to go to sleep.  Correcting these changes will stretch your battery life to a new height!

Post back with what your changes were after completing these steps!

Some of you may have read about a new little experiment that we’ve started here at WhattheTech called the MacBook Experience.  Basically one Windows loyalist has decided to switch over to a Mac entirely for 30 days and see if the experience can convert him to become a Mac Follower.  I am here to offer an previous Mac user’s point-of-view. 30 days is obviously a very short period of time to try and decide if OSX is right for you, so along the way I will be here to offer guidance and other useful tips and hints.  If you are reading this, you might be sitting on the fence yourself about whether to take the plunge into the world of a Mac, so in addition to helping out Hemal personally, I will be posting a tip or a hint or some other useful bit of knowledge that someone brand new to a Mac (or even some long-time Mac users) might not know.

Don’t forget to follow Hemal’s experience on Twitter!

Not all Anti-Viruses are created equal and have the ability to remove all infections.  Be thankful you have been alerted of your infection as we should be able to remove it in a couple steps!  The Packed.Win32.Monder.gen is a program that has the intention to embed itself on download programs and spread in emails and what not to download more malware on a computer.

To remove the Packed.Win32.Monder.gen, we’re going to use a special tool that I only recommend to use when instructed to do so by a trusted tech.  Programs, like the one I recommend below, are not typical “run-everyday” type of software so do not become clicky happy!

Download SDFix and save it to your Desktop.

Double click SDFix.exe and it will extract the files to %systemdrive%
(Drive that contains the Windows Directory, typically C:\SDFix)
Please then reboot your computer in Safe Mode by doing the following :

• Restart your computer
• After hearing your computer beep once during startup, but before the Windows icon appears, tap the F8 key continually;
• Instead of Windows loading as normal, the Advanced Options Menu should appear;
• Select the first option, to run Windows in Safe Mode, then press Enter.
• Choose your usual account.

• Open the extracted SDFix folder and double click RunThis.bat to start the script.
• Type Y to begin the cleanup process.
• It will remove any Trojan Services and Registry Entries that it finds then prompt you to press any key to Reboot.
• Press any Key and it will restart the PC.
• When the PC restarts the Fixtool will run again and complete the removal process then display Finished, press any key to end the script and load your desktop icons.
• Once the desktop icons load the SDFix report will open on screen and also save into the SDFix folder as Report.txt
  (Report.txt will also be copied to Clipboard ready for posting back on the
• forum if need be by a persisting problem).

You should be all set.  Make sure you continue to update your AVG Anti-Virus as the new updates contain a lot of the fixes for these infections as they become more reported to the makers.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to have an Anti-Virus on your computer at ALL times, especially if you are on multiple networks where you are not familiar with their security.  I’m a bit puzzled how you could manage to use a computer that is unprotected and highly suggest you look into something more permanent for your machine.  An infection can occur in the blink of an eye and you should have something that has the ability to warn and protect you.

As for online scanning, there are many options out there, but I have a list of some of the best.  Online scanning does not replace a good anti-virus but they can be useful as a “second opinion” or a scan on the go in your case.

I’ve compiled a list of the top 6 online virus scans that I recommend.  They are in no specific order and should not replace a stable and installed version of an Anti-Virus.

Kasperksy and ESET offer products in the Anti-Virus area which I do like as permanent choices.  The last of the scanners is an individual file scanner.  If you are file sharing on these networks, it can be highly useful to scan the files online first before you open and run them on your own work machine.

Kasperksy and NOD32 are some of the best Anti-Viruses out there along with SuperAntiSpyware for the best combination of protection.  For your specific situation, I could not be more adamant in saying you need it.make it your next purchase before it’s too late!

PersonalAV is derived from the Personal Antivirus brand.  Your friend is 100% correct in assuming that these messages are fraudulent and should not be trusted.  One way to determine its invalidity is the annoying amount of times the pop-up occurs forcing you to buy something to remove a risk.  No true antivirus pesters you as much to buy the software to remove one single risk.most just bug you to upgrade from the free version.

To remove PersonalAV, we’re going to use Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware.  It’s one of my favorite programs.  The problem is that PersonalAV might not allow the setup to run as it recognizes the name of the exe so we will rename the file.

Please download Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware

• Rename “mbam-setup.exe” to “helpthiscomputer.exe”
• Double Click helpthiscomputer.exe to install the application.
• Make sure a checkmark is placed next to Update Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware, then click Finish.
• If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
• Once the program has loaded, select “Perform Quick Scan”, then click Scan.
• The scan may take some time to finish, so please be patient.
• When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
• Make sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected. <- very important
• When disinfection is completed, a log will open in Notepad and you may be prompted to Restart. (See Extra Note)
• The log is automatically saved by MBAM and can be viewed by clicking the Logs tab in MBAM. (You may need this for a later post on the forums!)

Extra Note:If MBAM encounters a file that is difficult to remove, you will be presented with 1 of 2 prompts, click OK to either and let MBAM proceed with the disinfection process, if asked to restart the computer, please do so immediately

It’s important to notice how we had to rename the file for the system to allow the install.  In the future, anything that “pops-up” to prompt you to buy something or claims some urgent disaster is usually a scam.  Never enter your credit card information, click the links they display or continue to use your machine if you see another message similar to this one.

It’s pretty tough to remove and get rid of an infection when it restricts your ability to do anything else on your desktop just like Windows Anti-Virus Pro does.  In order to remove the infection, we’ll have to gain access to your Task Manager again using a Registry fix.  After we’ll go straight for the heart of the program and let a good antivirus and malware removal tool to get the rest out!

To start the removal process, download the Fixtm.reg file.  Double click the file and select Yes when it prompts if you would like to merge the file with your Registry.  You should now be able to use your Task Manager.

Using the hotkey of “CTRL+ALT+DELETE” start the Task Manager and in the Processes Tab to end Windows Antivirus Pro.exe and choose the End Task button.  Confirm the warning message and proceed with the termination.

After repeat the procedure for the process “svchast.exe” but be careful not to end “svchost.exe.”

After, download Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware

• Double Click mbam-setup.exe to install the application.
• Make sure a checkmark is placed next to Update Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware, then click Finish.
• If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
• Once the program has loaded, select “Perform Quick Scan”, then click Scan.
• The scan may take some time to finish, so please be patient.
• When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
• Make sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected. <- very important
• When disinfection is completed, a log will open in Notepad and you may be prompted to Restart. (See Extra Note)
• The log is automatically saved by MBAM and can be viewed by clicking the Logs tab in MBAM.

Extra Note:If MBAM encounters a file that is difficult to remove, you will be presented with 1 of 2 prompts, click OK to either and let MBAM proceed with the disinfection process, if asked to restart the computer, please do so immediately.

A simple reboot should have your computer completely clean by the next reboot!  Enjoy the freedom.

The way viruses and spyware are attaching themselves to files are becoming more problematic as they hide themselves in files that normally would look good.  To any inexperienced or even avid tech user, C:\WINDOWS\$NtServicePackUninstall$\setup50.exe file would seem harmless because of the file location where it is in looks like it is a legitimate file in a service pack update.  Unfortunately this file is malicious and needs to be removed with some of our most trusted programs.

We’re going to start with Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware

• Download and double Click mbam-setup.exe to install the application.
• Make sure a checkmark is placed next to Update Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware, then click Finish.
• If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
• Once the program has loaded, select “Perform Quick Scan”, then click Scan.
• The scan may take some time to finish, so please be patient.
• When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
• Make sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected. <- very important
• When disinfection is completed, a log will open in Notepad and you may be prompted to Restart. (See Extra Note)
• The log is automatically saved by MBAM and can be viewed by clicking the Logs tab in MBAM. (You may need this for a later post on the forums!)

Extra Note:If MBAM encounters a file that is difficult to remove, you will be presented with 1 of 2 prompts, click OK to either and let MBAM proceed with the disinfection process, if asked to restart the computer, please do so immediately.

I also would like you to download and install SUPERAntiSpyware.  Please update it and run a full scan to see if it comes up with any other infections.  The infection you describe usually does not “attend parties alone” and I’d like to verify all of its buddies left the building with it.