Deltaduke's Config - Any software tips?

[Deltaduke]

Hi everyone. I just bought my laptop a week ago; when I tried to download/install my programs from my previous laptop, I installed the wrong program, and it caused me to be infected by the Oursurfing Malware.

Thank goodness I found one of your threads here about the removal of that silly virus. Btw, thank you so much for that guide. After that malware encounter, I somehow became paranoid since this is my first laptop that I bought with my own money.

So here are my questions, I hope you guys can help me.

1. By using the removal guide, the one with 4 programs--Adware Cleaner, JRT, Anti Malware, Hitman Pro, should I be relaxed that all traces and virus have been removed? I repeated the steps twice since the scan found trojans. I'm scared that the virus may come back after the software trial expires.

2. What are the best free security set-ups that I can use? For now, I only have the Windows Defender that was pre-installed on the laptop. I also saw bad reviews about it, so I'm considering trying out some free AVs. I really don't have budget/credit card for paid software so I'm asking for your expert tips.

This is the first time that I've encountered/suffered from this kind of virus. I hope you guys can provide me some advice.

Once again, thanks in advance.

 

[hjlbx]

Best overall freeware option is Comodo Internet Security or 360TS. Either one should work well on your W8.1 system.

Others will disagree with my choices - and suggest good alternatives.

 

[Piteko21]

hi, for malware removal assistance I advise you creat thread here: http://malwaretips.com/forums/malware-removal-assistance.10/

but If you remove malware for you own, You must be sure that you clean all temporary files and that malware was effectively removed.
use Norton power eraser, hitman pro or EEK- Emsisoft Emergency Kit , this are someefective scanners.

for free AV, I recomend 360 Total Security , Comodo IS or AVAST free.

 

[Sven]

Hello @Deltaduke ! First of all, welcome to MT! We're glad to see you here.

For your first question, if you see any performance related problems like slow,laggy boot-up and load times or some Windows components fail to load or work etc. or if you just dont feel comfortable at the moment, you can do a little scan and clean-up with these free softwares : Emsisoft Emergency Kit - Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and HitmanPro.

If they find a virus, but can not clean, then you should consider a clean-up process, and in this situation, you can take free help of our Malware Removal Experts, which you can make a thread here

And for the second, there are lots of Free antivirus options. If I'd give some examples, AVG - Avira - Avast! - 360 Total Security - Panda etc. You can take a look into these softwares and decide which one will be good for you! My own recommandation would be with Avast! or 360 TS, because of their good protection rates, low system - memory usage and their easy-to-use interfaces.

I hope you'll have a good time around here
Best wishes!

 

[Deltaduke]

hi, for malware removal assistance I advise you creat thread here: http://malwaretips.com/forums/malware-removal-assistance.10/

but If you remove malware for you own, You must be sure that you clean all temporary files and that malware was effectively removed.
use Norton power eraser, hitman pro or EEK- Emsisoft Emergency Kit , this are someefective scanners.

for free AV, I recomend 360 Total Security , Comodo IS or AVAST free.

Hi! Thank you so much for that quick reply. Really appreciate it.

Yes, I saw this guide-- http://malwaretips.com/blogs/remove-oursurfing-com/, and I'm pretty sure it worked since my browsers are back to normal. I guess I'm a bit paranoid that the trojan virus may come back. I'm still observing, and scanning every day with Hitman Pro. Good thing it has a 30 day trial period.

Thanks again!

Hello @Deltaduke ! First of all, welcome to MT! We're glad to see you here.

For your first question, if you see any performance related problems like slow,laggy boot-up and load times or some Windows components fail to load or work etc. or if you just dont feel comfortable at the moment, you can do a little scan and clean-up with these free softwares : Emsisoft Emergency Kit - Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and HitmanPro.

If they find a virus, but can not clean, then you should consider a clean-up process, and in this situation, you can take free help of our Malware Removal Experts, which you can make a thread here

And for the second, there are lots of Free antivirus options. If I'd give some examples, AVG - Avira - Avast! - 360 Total Security - Panda etc. You can take a look into these softwares and decide which one will be good for you! My own recommandation would be with Avast! or 360 TS, because of their good protection rates, low system - memory usage and their easy-to-use interfaces.

I hope you'll have a good time around here
Best wishes!

Hi @Sven , thank you so much for the welcoming and reply! Really great people around here.

For now, I don't see any weird problems in my laptop. Just worried that the trojan may come back. But I still have 28 days before the Hitman Pro expires, so I'm scanning everyday with that awesome software. Good thing the results are clean, just a couple tracker cookies from browsing, I guess.

Thanks for the AV suggestions! I'll look into them.

Have an awesome day!

 

[Exterminator]

Using UAC,Smartscreen,Defender & Windows Firewall should do a pretty good job in and of itself as long as you are careful about where you go online and only install legitimate software using the vendor installers.
Adding a program like Sandboxie will add to your security especially if browsing sandboxed.
Adding some on demand scanners such as Hitman Pro and some of the others mentioned and performing regular scans will put your mind at ease also.
Windows 8.1 security is much improved and most infections are due to operator error if you will.
You can also consider some of the free AV options already suggested if you aren't comfortable with Windows 8.1 built in security.

 

[jamescv7]

1) As others advice, try those scanners; actually Junkware Removal Tool, AdwCleaner are sometimes need a supervision of removal experts because you may accidentally delete entries from legitimate ones and hence the damage may exist more.

2) Also follow the post which are very good to have on your system, backup is more important and the formula exist:

Cloud backup + External HDD/USB + Creating system Image (built in from Windows or third party like Macrium Reflect or AOIMEI Backupper or others) + System Restore (Rollback RX or Windows built in) = better accessible in case of emergency.

 

[WinXPert]

Welcome to MT.

Scrap Defender!

 

[Rolo]

You can be pretty certain your malware is removed by wiping the drive and reinstalling from burned media. Overkill? Perhaps. Catharsis? Definitely.

Don't ever buy a security product. Ever. You won't get a better product and I'm going to guess that you have better jobs for your dollars.

If you run Comodo, you might as well run linux--at least with linux, the comparable heartache, difficulty, nonsense and annoyances would eventually lead to a productive outcome. (I think @hjlbx is the real Captain Ahab and it wasn't a whale, it was a komodo dragon )

I can't recommend Qihoo 360 enough, activate all engines, flip on all the switches; it's still light but effective.

I don't recommend third-party firewalls; they aren't any better than Windows Firewall and may lack the reliability. GlassWire (free version) is neat to easily see your traffic and to get notifications on new first outbound connections but mostly it's a gadget.

Use an adblocker for your browser (AdGuard, uBlock, AdBlockPlus for IE) and set it to block all ads...best first-layer of security really...you won't see fake download buttons.

For on-demand scanning (to scan that download you want to be extra certain of)
Malwarebytes Antimalware (free), it catches things no other AV does (mostly adware type stuff...just read before clicking "next" buttons!)
herdProtect or VirusTotal Uploader

 

[Deltaduke]

I would like to thank everyone here who gave their tips and advice. They are really helpful!

I've been scanning like twice a day using Hitman Pro and Emsisoft Emergency Kit, and there are no detection of any kind of trojans and malware. Thank goodness! Though, I've been seeing some doubleclick cookie trackers, I doubt that they are real threats on my laptop.

Thanks again everyone!