HELP cannot remove spyware (Antivirus 2008 spyware removal)

[ABH83]

My father who uses Windows XP Pro SP2 somehow managed to install the Spyware parasite known as Antivirus 2008.

I've tried several application but non of them manage to detect or remove it.

I've used AVG Free, Lavasoft Adaware 2008 Free, Spybot - Search and Destroy. I also tried using Spyware Doctor and SpyHunter but they only scan your computer for free, in order to remove the spyware you have to register and buy the product.

Anything else i can try?

Help is greatly appreciated!

[jennifermayers]

you could also try manual removal. i know it sounds complicated, but when you follow removal guide step by step it's not that difficult. if you want to give it a try, here's antivirus 2008 removal. good luck

[wirelessguy]

I come across that peice daily at the local computer store I manage. I generally run trojan remover first then spyware doctor. Generally between those 2 programs....I can get rid of those type of problems.

[jennifermayers]

two is better than one in this case

[ScottW]

trojan remover worked for me

[zepper]

MajorGeeks.com hosts most of the free malware tools and update files. They also offer a great guide for handling malware problems in the forums which you can read without signing up, but it's free to register and then you can post questions. Be sure to read the appropriate stickie(s) before posting a question that is already addressed in one of the stickies.

.bh.

[tadasops]

It's probably best to use the manual method if you want to take care of it entirelly:

Antivirus 2008 - how to remove

Reportedly Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Spyware Doctor also do the trick

[Martoch]

Malwarebytes does indeed remove AV 2008 and AV 2009.



Disable system restore until you get the malware cleaned out.
How to turn off and turn on System Restore in Windows XP

Next, clear out your temp/junk files with CCleaner.
Run CCleaner: CCleaner - Home (NOTE: during the install, one of the windows will have several boxes you can uncheck...at the very least, uncheck the Yahoo toolbar installation)
Tweak your startup with CCleaner as well...click the 'tools' button and click 'startup', I'm sure you can disable a ton of stuff in there (you can Google entries that you're not sure about or ask us). Also, run the registry cleaner (it's safe).

Run a few antispyware programs in safe mode...tap F8 as your computer boots and select safe mode after you install/update the programs listed below...remove everything they find.
Malwarebytes: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware - Free software downloads and reviews - CNET Download.com
A-squared free: A-squared Free - Free software downloads and reviews - CNET Download.com
SuperAntiSpyware Free: SuperAntiSpyware.com/download.html" target="_blank">SuperAntiSpyware.com - Downloads

[TGS-McDss]

Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware are good choice indeed.

[maximus01can]

In the end it kept coming back even after all the nastyness so I just reformatted and nuked everything..........I spent more time getting rid of it than just nuking the whole drive and starting over.

Cheers,
Max