Multiple issues/virus? HELP!!!

[Flaccid93]

Hi guys,

Needed advice on a problem im experiencing on my Asus k55v laptop with Windows 8 at the mo. Started the day with the laptop being sluggish and pretty slow. So i initiated a full scan with McAfee security centre that i have, whilst that was going i started optimizing my drives however this seemed to be not doing anything so i cancelled this process to save resources and divert them all to the full scan by McAfee. (note at this time my internet access was working) Then when the scan reached 46% a message came up saying "an error occurred, try going back to the home screen and restarting the scan" as this came up windows action centre came up with a notification saying that there was an error in the drives and i needed to restart to fix this error. I was more concerned with the McAfee problem so i ran the McAfee virtual technician which then stated that the 'DAT' was out of date and a service wasn't running in the virus section and that a service wasn't running in the firewall section.

I then restarted my laptop to fix the drives and the McAfee problem. After resarting the computers speed was vastly improved but the McAfee was now telling me that the real-time scanning wasn't turned on and everytime the i tried to turn it on it would turn off immediately, this problem also was occurring in the firewall setting. Also my internet access cut off. the laptop was connected to the modem but it said limited access. When a browser was opened it said there was a DNS failure. After multiple restarting off both laptop and modem there was no change in both the internet status and the McAfee problem. I then thought the problem might be the modem malfunctioning so i reset the modem at the back but now no one in my household can access the internet ("limited access").

I then decided to go to my university which has wireless functionality (similar to a hotspot) and test my laptop, however the limited access problem is still occurring as well as the McAfee problem. I then just opened the services and found that McAfee Firewall service was stopped as well as windows firewall and neither could be started i then went back to the Base Filtering Engine and found that it wasn't working either and couldn't be started due to "the module not being found". I'm not overly techy with computers but this is all i could think off doing and now i'm stuck with the modem not working at home and my laptop not connecting to the internet and the firewall down with no way of getting it up. Also i can't run a scan with McAfee as it says that an "error occurred". Sorry bout the wordy essay of a problem but can anyone help?

Thanks

 

[Kotomi W]

1) McAfee is terrible. Get rid of it (uninstall).
It's probably blocking access to your internet due to some configuration error or something before.
Follow this to uninstall it:
http/service.mcafee.com/FAQDocument.aspx?id=TS101331
Don't reinstall it, and restart your laptop afterwards.
An anti-virus that I recommend is Avast - but do that later when your home internet works again and you can confirm it using your laptop.

2) Did you reset all the settings in your modem (usually a pinhole)?
If so, using a working device, you have to enter your internet settings again that you wiped.
If you don't know how, look up your modem's brand and model number, it's manual, and call up your internet service provider for the settings you need.

 

[mosedavid1]

If I were you, and you have access to another computer and the internet, head over to Malwarebytes forum. They have 'helpers' that take on clients in a one-to-one basis. It's the type of service you would normally pay quite a bit for but it's free although you can donate via paypal and of course buy their Malwarebytes pro program. I had a potential malware problem recently and they were (MrCharlie) fantastic. They will guide you step by step though cleaning an infected machine. Unlike normal forum posts, there it's one to one, clear instructions not just random differing opinions like normal forums.

 

[Flaccid93]

ok i've uninstalled McAfee and haven't configured the router at home as i'm not there, but thats easy enough to do. Now i'm just trying to get the windows firewall up just for some basic protection but i can't get it to work it keeps coming up with an error code "0x8007042c" and i can't even connect to the hotspot i'm at still saying a DNS lookup failure. I've got windows defender running a full scan to see if i might have a trojan or something.. and i've just checked to see if the Base Filtering Engine in services could be started but it can't so that might explain the firewall not being able to as it is dependent on it.. any ideas??

Thanks

 

[Flaccid93]

If I were you, and you have access to another computer and the internet, head over to Malwarebytes forum. They have 'helpers' that take on clients in a one-to-one basis. It's the type of service you would normally pay quite a bit for but it's free although you can donate via paypal and of course buy their Malwarebytes pro program. I had a potential malware problem recently and they were (MrCharlie) fantastic. They will guide you step by step though cleaning an infected machine. Unlike normal forum posts, there it's one to one, clear instructions not just random differing opinions like normal forums.

Thanks i'll give this a go!!

 

[Kotomi W]

Ok. Let's get the firewall working:

Open Notepad
Copy and paste the following into Notepad:
sc config MpsSvc start= auto
sc config KeyIso start= auto
sc config BFE start= auto
sc config FwcAgent start= auto
net stop MpsSvc
net start MpsSvc
net stop KeyIso
net start KeyIso
net start Wlansvc
net start dot3svc
net start EapHostnet
net stop BFE
net start BFE
net start PolicyAgent
net start MpsSvc
net start IKEEXT
net start DcaSvcnet
net stop FwcAgent
net start FwcAgent

In Notepad, Click File, click Save As, and then type "Repair.bat" in the File name box
Click the Save as type box, and then click All Files (*.*).
In the left pane, click Desktop, and then click Save.
On your desktop, right-click the Repair.bat file that you saved in step 5, and then click Run as administrator.

If you are prompted for confirmation to stop a service, press Y on the keyboard, and then press Enter.
Try to start Windows Firewall again. If you can start Windows Firewall, delete the Repair.bat file.

For the DNS: - Check your DNS settings:
Go to Command Prompt
Type in:
ipconfig /all
and press enter

Write down what you get under your wireless adapter.

 

[Flaccid93]

Ok. Let's get the firewall working:

Open Notepad
Copy and paste the following into Notepad:
sc config MpsSvc start= auto
sc config KeyIso start= auto
sc config BFE start= auto
sc config FwcAgent start= auto
net stop MpsSvc
net start MpsSvc
net stop KeyIso
net start KeyIso
net start Wlansvc
net start dot3svc
net start EapHostnet
net stop BFE
net start BFE
net start PolicyAgent
net start MpsSvc
net start IKEEXT
net start DcaSvcnet
net stop FwcAgent
net start FwcAgent

In Notepad, Click File, click Save As, and then type "Repair.bat" in the File name box
Click the Save as type box, and then click All Files (*.*).
In the left pane, click Desktop, and then click Save.
On your desktop, right-click the Repair.bat file that you saved in step 5, and then click Run as administrator.

If you are prompted for confirmation to stop a service, press Y on the keyboard, and then press Enter.
Try to start Windows Firewall again. If you can start Windows Firewall, delete the Repair.bat file.

For the DNS: - Check your DNS settings:
Go to Command Prompt
Type in:
ipconfig /all
and press enter

Write down what you get under your wireless adapter.

ok i did the repair sequence and had to type y and enter in cmd however did it's thang and closed i then tried to make the firewall work but it still came up saying that the firewall couldn't be started and has the same error code "0x8007042c". As for the DNS i tried the ipconfig /all and it came up with "the program can't start because the DNSAPl.dll is missing from your computer. try reinstalling the program to fix this problem" I have not one clue what that means any ideas?

Thanks

 

[mosedavid1]

really,... just head over to malwarebytes and wait your turn. Having multiple people try and fix your pc will most likely make things worse, that is unless Kotomi W is going to hang around for the duration (No offense Kotomi W - I just know how bad it is when your pc goes tits up like this and just wanna help)

 

[Kotomi W]

I'll stick around, don't worry

It's been determined that it is not the virus/malware (if it's there) that is causing the problem as before running the scans it was fine, albeit slow.

DNSAPI.dll is why it doesn't want to connect to the internet, why you are getting a DNS failure. What I'm thinking is that either mcafee/optimising the drives somehow screwed up the dll file responsible for DNS.
I think it might be either:
- Mcafee detected DNSAPI.dll as a virus and quarantined it.
- Cancelling optimising the drives forcefully.
- Malware infected it and Mcafee failed to clean it and corrupted it instead.

Make sure you can see hidden files and folders. (http/www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/show-hidden-files-in-windows-8/)
Check if DNSAPI.dll exists in C:\WINDOWS\system32

Try a scandisk on drive C:
My Computer, Click on drive C
Right-Click, Properties, and then click Tools.
In Error-checking, click Check Now.

It'll probably ask you for a restart in which it will check your disk. This will take quite a while depending on how big your hard disk is (~30 mins+)

If these fail, you need a Windows 8 DVD to restore that file.
EDIT: Use Option 1: http/www.eightforums.com/tutorials/3047-sfc-scannow-command-run-windows-8-a.html
This asks Windows to check all your Windows' files integrity and replaces them if they are bad.

Brb. Going to sleep. I'll be back in ~8hrs.

 

[Flaccid93]

I'll stick around, don't worry

It's been determined that it is not the virus/malware (if it's there) that is causing the problem as before running the scans it was fine, albeit slow.

DNSAPI.dll is why it doesn't want to connect to the internet, why you are getting a DNS failure. What I'm thinking is that either mcafee/optimising the drives somehow screwed up the dll file responsible for DNS.
I think it might be either:
- Mcafee detected DNSAPI.dll as a virus and quarantined it.
- Cancelling optimising the drives forcefully.
- Malware infected it and Mcafee failed to clean it and corrupted it instead.

Make sure you can see hidden files and folders. (http/www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/show-hidden-files-in-windows-8/)
Check if DNSAPI.dll exists in C:\WINDOWS\system32

Try a scandisk on drive C:
My Computer, Click on drive C
Right-Click, Properties, and then click Tools.
In Error-checking, click Check Now.

It'll probably ask you for a restart in which it will check your disk. This will take quite a while depending on how big your hard disk is (~30 mins+)

If these fail, you need a Windows 8 DVD to restore that file.
EDIT: Use Option 1: http/www.eightforums.com/tutorials/3047-sfc-scannow-command-run-windows-8-a.html
This asks Windows to check all your Windows' files integrity and replaces them if they are bad.

Brb. Going to sleep. I'll be back in ~8hrs.

You sir are a lifesaver!! Thanks soo much for your help and logic!!!
Ok so after looking for the file in the hidden parts of the C: i found the DNSAPI.dll file and I also did the scandisk on the C: but it found no errors on it. After that I followed the above website for option 1 (had to look up how to on a few things) however only diff was that I put in the command a little differently (worked out that my laptop had multiple drives and no "system partition" like the ones labelled in the tutorial, so worked out how to do with the instructions from the command prompt...) and then a message came up saying "windows found the file to be corrupt and has repaired the file" or something like that (was a bit too excited to read it properly) then after a restart and my laptop is 100% aok. connected to the modem instantly windows firewall is up and now im thinking bout the anti-virus software Avast

P.s thought i'd put in how i done it for others that might have the same issue

Thanks again dude

 

[Kotomi W]

There you go =D

Yup, I'd recommend the free version, which is just the antivirus. Windows Firewall is actually not that bad.
I'd also recommend Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (again, free version), just to make sure your PC is clean.