new here! a little advice please!

[lizmac]

hi,i'm new here! going to give just a little of my story, for the past few months some of my online account have been logged into and it wasn't me and they were spending my coke points things like that, i thought it was called hacked, but when i called my local computer doctor and told him what was going on, and used the word hacked,it didn't give help describe what happened to me. anyways, he told me to bring in my computer he would clean it and put in malwarebytes and something else,asked me what i had in my computer for anti virus, i have/had McAfee, he told me that,that was no good one.he would do all this for $60 and would take a day and half, i don't have $60. and i figure i could install malware myself, which i did and and i unnstalled the McAfee,   my question is i still have a McAfee siteadvisor and McAfee security scan plus in my computer, do i remove these? and i also did come malware AdwCleaner and combo fix, is it safe to do all of these, kinda hoping so since i've already done it, which ones do i want?  also i think the computer fix guy said something about a windows program and it would protect my PC, does anyone know what he was talking about?  thanks for any and all help!!

[ritchie58]

Hi lizmac, it is important to install an anti-virus program that has "active" protection. If you installed the free version of Malwarebytes this does not include active or real-time protection. Only the Pro (paid) version will protect your computer in real-time. The free version makes a great "on-demand" scanner/removal tool though. If you're short on funds there are free anti-virus programs that you can use that will provide you with active protection. Panda Cloud AV would be a good one to use. It's easy to configure, updates itself automatically, usually gets good malware test results and it's free. I would keep Malwarebytes installed as an additional scanning tool too.

 

The McAffee SiteAdvisor is a browser extension that can warn you of malicious web sites. It wouldn't hurt to keep that but you can uninstall it if you wish. The Security Scan Plus is only a diagnostic tool for checking the security status of your PC. Again, it's up to you if you wish to delete this if you feel it's not needed.

 

I hope this info helps some.

Best wishes, Ritchie...

[lizmac]

thanks for the reply, i also installed microsoft security essentials and this has a real-time protection and virus and spyware definitions. is this just as good as the pro malwarebytes? 

 

thanks for helping me understand the McAfee stuff

 

Liz

[malwareavg]

Nothing will be as good as MBAM (MalwareBytes Anti-Malware) when it comes to scanning for, and rooting out, malware, as far as I'm concerned! What is recommended is a multi-layered defense, so using MBAM and MES should give ya a cool protection screen.

 Sounds good to this amateur!

[Wide_Glide]

Hello Iimac ,

 

AdwCleaner and combo fix are two tools that should not be used without having the proper Training and following certain rules on their use.  Letting a EXPERT

assist you would be the better choice.    Certain steps have to be taken before running those as preventive measures,  in case of a oops.   In malware removal there is no guarantee of a successful removal. .

 

Concerning using Malwarebytes':

 

 

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is not meant to be a replacement for antivirus software. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a complementary but essential program which detects and removes zero-day malware and "Malware in the Wild". This includes malicious programs and files, such as virus droppers, worms, trojans, rootkits, dialers, spyware, and rogue applications that many antivirus programs do not detect or cannot fully remove. That being said, there are many infections that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware does not detect or remove which any antivirus software will, such as file infectors. It is important to note that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware works well and should run alongside antivirus software without conflicts. In some rare instances, exclusions may need to be set for your specific antivirus product to achieve the best possible system performance.

 

 

Malwarebytes' KnowledgeBase

[Scoop]

  lizmac

 

The general recommendation for many PC users is to have one AV product running real-time, such as MSE, Norton, Kaspersky, MacAfee, etc,  and also have a "2nd-opinion" tool available that specializes in malware detection, adware, PUP's ,etc.

 

Since I began my home 'net surfing in 2004, I've used 3 AV products.  I'm currently using Norton AV with good results thus far.  I'm coming up on the 1st year with Norton and MBAM Pro running simultaneously with no problems thus far.

 

Prior to switching to Norton last December, I had used "Trend Micro" and "ESET" AV's with mixed results.  Basically, neither tool was able to block numerous attacks from my PC over the years.

 

What's important to realize, when shopping/researching for AV tools, is that there's no one product available that can guarantee 100% protection against malware/virus intrusions into your PC.

 

This is why many of us like to run a "2nd-opinion" tool such as MBAM to compliment your AV tool.

 

The big debate (over at the Norton forum) is the question about running MBAM (or another anti-malware-specific real-time tools) simultaneously with Norton AV.

 

I've been running both tools in real-time scanning mode with no issues for about 1 year.

 

Bottom line is that it's recommended to run a major-name AV product as well as your choice of a free or "Pro" version of an anti-malware tool.

 

As you read online about AV's, you'll find that point of views with this subject are diverse, to say the least

 

After some research last year, I decided on Norton for my current AV protection.  So far, so good for me.  It's performed better than my previous 2 AV's.

 

My best advice is to also start and maintain a backup plan for your PC.  I prefer 2 approaches, 1) Maintain a complete HDD replacement plan and 2) set up and run some kind of unattended scheduled backup tool that will back up your most important data, the items that get edited/updated daily or frequently.

 

That way, you'll be protected against just about any virus/malware intrusion scenario since you can remove your infected HDD and install your shelf-ready full HDD with everything safetly restored in minutes, including your OS and every item on the HDD.

[Firefox]

As Wide Glide has already stated above, Malwarebytes is not an antivirus program, you still need one, and you installed MSE to go along with it.

Now as far as McAfee not being good enough as your computer guy stated..... Well I think its a matter of opinions when it comes to choosing an antivirus program. Here is the thing, put 10 computer guys in a room and you will get 10 different answers as to which ones are good and which ones are bad.

I have McAfee installed on the computer I am one now, and have no issues with it, granted mine is a corporate edition so it has different features than the consumer version. I also have other computers and they use different AV programs. Some of them have Symantec products, others have MSE and I have one with Avast. You may ask why not only use one product. Well I do this for testing purposes but to be honest, none of the ones I have used have failed me yet, although they may have let something sneak by, my Malwarebytes Pro was there to catch it.

In my opinion, McAfee (if you still have a current license) would be better that MSE.

Hope this helps

[Somethngcreative]

My question is i still have a McAfee siteadvisor and McAfee security scan plus in my computer, do i remove these? and i also did come malware AdwCleaner and combo fix, is it safe to do all of these, kinda hoping so since i've already done it, which ones do i want? 

 

 

Mcafee siteadvisor and security scan plus isn't all that bad. Although, if you really want to remove them, like I did. Consider downloading a program called Revo Uninstaller, it gives you a free 30 day trial to uninstall anything you don't want in your computer pretty thoroughly. Also, Do not use AdwCleaner and ComboFix without having professional help. ComboFix in particular can absolutely kill your machine if you don't use it correctly.

 

In addition, I like MSE but it doesn't come with a firewall. I would suggest using that you use it for now and buy an internet security suite when you have money later. Although, I would absolutely buy Malwarebytes Pro to combine with your MSE. Malwarebytes Pro is only $25 and it's a lifetime license, meaning you'll never have to pay again. If you go to retailmenot.com you might even be able to find a coupon code and get it for $20.

 

Here's the link for the coupon codes:

 

http://www.retailmenot.com/view/malwarebytes.org

 

 

 

Also, I would suggest you download Secunia PSI to make sure all your programs are up to date. Basically what it does is scan your computer and it tells you if any of your program (i.e. Adobe Flash, Java, Itunes) need to be updated.

 

Secunia PSI can be downloaded here:

 

http://secunia.com/products/consumer/psi/sys_req/

 

Finally, I would switch to Mozilla Firefox if you're still using Internet Explorer. I've noticed that Firefox is more secure than IE and you can install add-ons to help secure your computer even further. Such add ons include Adblock and Noscript.

[lizmac]

thanks so much for all the info!!   and the links!!!! i did add the PSI and i will buy the Malwarebytes Pro!  i removed the adwcleaner and the combofix,used the Revo Uninstaller. i only used them the one time, i'm hoping i got the virus that was in my computer!  and i use Google Chrome, not anything else, i have internet explore in my computer for a just in case. again thanks so much for info and your time

 

liz

[Somethngcreative]

thanks so much for all the info!!   and the links!!!! i did add the PSI and i will buy the Malwarebytes Pro!  i removed the adwcleaner and the combofix,used the Revo Uninstaller. i only used them the one time, i'm hoping i got the virus that was in my computer!  and i use Google Chrome, not anything else, i have internet explore in my computer for a just in case. again thanks so much for info and your time

 

liz

 

 

No prob just returning the favor cause people here taught me all that stuff hehe. Also, if you want you can have people here in the forums help you clean your computer for free. They've helped me remove some of the nastiest viruses on my laptop years ago, including a backdoor virus that locked up my laptop.

 

To do that, go the malware removal help section here on the forums (https://forums.malwarebytes.org/index.php?showforum=7) and click on "I'm infected-what do I do now?" Follow directions and make a new post there.

 

Oh, and I forgot. Yup, don't delete internet explorer you actually need that for some stuff. I would use Mozilla Firefox for surfing though.

 

Good luck!