Stopping XP from booting a virus
May 21, 2004 12:17 PM Subscribe
Stupid computer question. How do you stop XP from calling a program when it starts up? [mi]
Last week, my computer was infected by dust.exe. I followed the steps for removing it, and have essentially got it off my computer (ok, there's a version hiding in system restore, but I'm only worried about that if I have to restore), but I can't get XP to stop calling it when the computer boots up.
I tried System.ini but there's no mention of
[boot]
dust.exe
also, I brought up the registry editor and searched for dust.exe, and deleted any mentions, but it still comes up.
I miss the days of DOS.
Last week, my computer was infected by dust.exe. I followed the steps for removing it, and have essentially got it off my computer (ok, there's a version hiding in system restore, but I'm only worried about that if I have to restore), but I can't get XP to stop calling it when the computer boots up.
I tried System.ini but there's no mention of
[boot]
dust.exe
also, I brought up the registry editor and searched for dust.exe, and deleted any mentions, but it still comes up.
I miss the days of DOS.
> I miss the days of DOS.
Another thing duster does is add itself to AUTOEXEC.BAT. Did you look there?
posted by jfuller at 12:34 PM on May 21, 2004
Another thing duster does is add itself to AUTOEXEC.BAT. Did you look there?
posted by jfuller at 12:34 PM on May 21, 2004
Delete anything you don't like from those /Run* keys.
Oh my god, thank you. I could have just done a google search for that, but never got around to it.
I miss the days of DOS.
I dunno. I hope for a world where insanity-preventing things like this are easy for beginners to discover on their own, and advanced users can still do what they want. As bad at XP is, DOS is still a step backwards in this regard.
posted by jragon at 2:47 PM on May 21, 2004
Oh my god, thank you. I could have just done a google search for that, but never got around to it.
I miss the days of DOS.
I dunno. I hope for a world where insanity-preventing things like this are easy for beginners to discover on their own, and advanced users can still do what they want. As bad at XP is, DOS is still a step backwards in this regard.
posted by jragon at 2:47 PM on May 21, 2004
As Ryvar said about entering "msconfig" in run... this problem should be fixable without going into the registry or any of that complicated stuff.
Just go to the startup tab in msconfig, find the program, uncheck it, and hit apply.
posted by whoshotwho at 3:20 PM on May 21, 2004
Just go to the startup tab in msconfig, find the program, uncheck it, and hit apply.
posted by whoshotwho at 3:20 PM on May 21, 2004
I dunno. I hope for a world where insanity-preventing things like this are easy for beginners to discover on their own, and advanced users can still do what they want. As bad at XP is, DOS is still a step backwards in this regard.
It's called Macintosh OS X. And it's here.
posted by xmutex at 3:27 PM on May 21, 2004
It's called Macintosh OS X. And it's here.
posted by xmutex at 3:27 PM on May 21, 2004
> It's called Macintosh OS X. And it's here.
So's Linux/freeBSD, and I can build an IBM clone that runs one of these without using any IBM-brand parts but I can't build a hackentosh without using any Apple-brand parts. Also, if I find myself in someone's living room that is decorated in a style echoing the Mac's (or the iPod's, come to that) I excuse myself and do not return. (Sorry, don't mind me, I'm just an old fart who misses his utterly-unMaclike Apple ][.)
posted by jfuller at 4:10 PM on May 21, 2004
So's Linux/freeBSD, and I can build an IBM clone that runs one of these without using any IBM-brand parts but I can't build a hackentosh without using any Apple-brand parts. Also, if I find myself in someone's living room that is decorated in a style echoing the Mac's (or the iPod's, come to that) I excuse myself and do not return. (Sorry, don't mind me, I'm just an old fart who misses his utterly-unMaclike Apple ][.)
posted by jfuller at 4:10 PM on May 21, 2004
Check out Login Control Panel (which lets you pick/choose what starts up) and StartupMonitor (which warns you when a program has registered itself to launch at startup). Both are by Mike Lin and are excellent. These are the first two utilities I download and install on any new Windows installation.
These are GREAT for dealing with things like RealPlayer, QuickTime and various other stuff that install "Helpers" that are always running or SysTray icons with no obvious "turn off" function.
posted by treebjen at 4:26 PM on May 21, 2004
These are GREAT for dealing with things like RealPlayer, QuickTime and various other stuff that install "Helpers" that are always running or SysTray icons with no obvious "turn off" function.
posted by treebjen at 4:26 PM on May 21, 2004
> QuickTime and various other stuff that install "Helpers" that
> are always running or SysTray icons with no obvious "turn
> off" function.
Quicktime, reason #2 to hate Apple. (Reason #1 being it's run by Jobs instead of Woz.) Put qttask.exe back in my system tray at work for three days running (and back in the registry too, may I add) after I politely dis-enabled it three times. Today I searched for and found the executable itself and renamed it qttask.exe.bites. Problem solved. (Note evenhandedness, I wouldn't touch realplayer with a dirty shitfork either.)
P.S. here's another place duster can hide.
posted by jfuller at 5:43 PM on May 21, 2004
> are always running or SysTray icons with no obvious "turn
> off" function.
Quicktime, reason #2 to hate Apple. (Reason #1 being it's run by Jobs instead of Woz.) Put qttask.exe back in my system tray at work for three days running (and back in the registry too, may I add) after I politely dis-enabled it three times. Today I searched for and found the executable itself and renamed it qttask.exe.bites. Problem solved. (Note evenhandedness, I wouldn't touch realplayer with a dirty shitfork either.)
P.S. here's another place duster can hide.
posted by jfuller at 5:43 PM on May 21, 2004
This thread is closed to new comments.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
/SOFTWARE
/Microsoft
/Windows
/CurrentVersion
/Run, /RunOnce, /RunOnceEx
Delete anything you don't like from those /Run* keys.
posted by jfuller at 12:26 PM on May 21, 2004