Antiviruses screwing up computer?

Macnh3

Estimable
Mar 11, 2015
2
0
4,510
Hi, I've been currently for the past couple days been trying to cleanse my computer of any malware, viruses, potentially bad programs, pretty much anything that could damage my computer and what not.

In order for me to thoroughly (in my terms) cleanse my computer, i've tried to use Avast, MalwareByte, and McAfee to find anything i missed, but the thing is, whenever I use one or all three anti-malware programs, they all stop (Avast doesn't even start) at a certain point in the middle of their scanning and I'm unable to open anything, while I'm able to close programs. Also, I cannot Ctrl-Alt-Delete to open Task Manager, and I cannot Shut Down nor Restart my computer. The only ways to turn off my computer are by using the power button or by stopping it from charging and dieing.

I have waited hours on multiple occasions to wait for any progress on anything at all, but nothing new happens. How am I supposed to make it so I can safely scan my computer without fear of it becoming irresponsive, and if there are programs halting my computer how am I supposed to find them?

 
Solution
The symptoms that you are describing seems to be like what happened to my computer. Its virus was so bad that if I tried to open anything that was program related--Add or Remove Programs, System Restore, Control Panel, and even Task Manager, it would reboot the system. I couldn't start Safe Mode either. You could try what we did.

The solution I used is to take the hard drive out of computer, change the jumper to the Slave position, and then connect it to another computer as the slave. Then find whatever it is and delete it. I would caution you, though, to make a backup of your other computer BEFORE you do this and then, just to be on the safe side, run a recovery AFTER you are finished.

PaulLMancuso

Estimable
Feb 2, 2015
15
0
4,570
The symptoms that you are describing seems to be like what happened to my computer. Its virus was so bad that if I tried to open anything that was program related--Add or Remove Programs, System Restore, Control Panel, and even Task Manager, it would reboot the system. I couldn't start Safe Mode either. You could try what we did.

The solution I used is to take the hard drive out of computer, change the jumper to the Slave position, and then connect it to another computer as the slave. Then find whatever it is and delete it. I would caution you, though, to make a backup of your other computer BEFORE you do this and then, just to be on the safe side, run a recovery AFTER you are finished.
 
Solution

htnakirs

Estimable
Jul 14, 2014
5
0
4,520
What are the odds that the hard disk could be failing due to which the system turns unresponsive when a particular area on the disk is accessed? Check with HDTune first.
 

Skylyne

Estimable
Sep 7, 2014
405
0
5,010
The problem you are running into has to do with the way AV software does its job. AV software uses 'filter drivers' to help with scanning. When you install multiple AV wares, you end up installing multiple filter drivers, which causes a lot of unnecessary extra processing power to do scans, and so on. When you run multiple AV programs at once, you're literally running each filter driver simultaneously, which slows everything down to a crawl. What you are doing is creating a very difficult environment for AV software to perform properly, and thereby creating the exact situation you are seeing. There's a reason I always say, "Find one AV software you like, and stick with it."

In all honesty, though, there is not one single AV software you can use that will give you complete protection. As far as malware, the same goes for that too. In fact, there was a study conducted with companies, which showed that the majority of malware infections are found by their IT professionals, and not their malware software. As far as virus infections goes, those can be just as difficult for AV software to spot. If you want a quality AV software to use, my personal recommendation is BitDefender. They offer a free AV program, and their security suite is pretty affordable for most people (in the neighborhood of $50-100 per year, depending on what you buy).

As far as getting your computer to run properly right now, there are a few ways you could do it, but all of them will take a fair amount of time. First off, removing McAfee completely will be a huge help, as that program is relatively poor in testing labs to begin with. If you want to switch over to BitDefender, I'd highly recommend doing the same thorough removal of Avast, to prevent having extra filter drivers installed, which can not only lead to slow downs, but can also potentially cause false alarms and various other issues. For thorough uninstallations of AV software, using a software like IOBit Uninstaller will do the job (as long as you pick the option to scan the registry, and remove everything related to the software you are uninstalling).

You can use whatever AV software you like, in conjunction with MBAM, and you'll be protected as much as possible with commercial software. Unfortunately, and I hate to admit this, that will only stop a majority of infections; there are still going to be ones that haven't been noted in the community, are related to OS weaknesses that can only be patched through updates, and so on. Keep your computer updated regularly, make sure you exercise somewhat paranoid internet browsing practices, and stick with one AV software. That's about as much as you can do.
 

Macnh3

Estimable
Mar 11, 2015
2
0
4,510


Thanks for helping me on the program problem, that helps in the future, but i think it might be beyond the programs power. I've started up my computer today and on multiple occasions have lost my ability to control any programs, opening or closing, and i lose connection to the internet. Whatever virus this is, it's getting worse. I know it's possibly a virus because i have a feeling that I've had it for a while. Over the past couple of months (I got my laptop around January, but the computer has been in use for around 8 or so years) I've been having my computer randomly crash with a blue screen with problems about the hard drive and such. I'm not much of a techy person, but i know for sure that it's not normal. When i was trying to cleanse my computer, i discovered two separate suspects for the cause, both i cannot remove from my computer, saying i don't have authority or something like that. Red Adblocker/Remover, and cssrs.exe ( I think thats what their called, but i'm a little scared to go into task manager to see what their actually called due to Task Manager being a major copmuter controlling program. )

I've done research about the two, and Red Adblocker doesn't really seem like the source of the problem, whereas cssrs.exe really seems nail-biting. As I said before, i'm not a techy, so I'm not very educated in computer parts, tasks, codes, whatnot, so if possible, is there an answer that can resolve the previously stated? The anti-virus software i don't think reign the biggest threat over me currently.
 

Skylyne

Estimable
Sep 7, 2014
405
0
5,010
Have you tried running a live CD? You should be able to download a live CD image, burn it, and use that to run at least one AV without actually booting up your computer. I'd recommend doing two different AV's live CDs, just in case one of them doesn't turn up anything. If nothing happens (ie: computer comes up clean), then I could possibly walk you through a different method of cleaning. Until I know you've at least done one live CD, in attempt to fix this problem, I can't say there is much else to go off of, from your post.

If you open up the Task Manager, and right-click on cssrs.exe, then click on "Open File Location", where is it located? I might be able to help out, with that information...

Worst case, you can perform a full wipe of the HDD, and re-install Windows. Depending on what you can do, and what you find, this might be your best option. Just FYI.