The problem is that getting rid of the virus is one thing, getting Windows back to running in an optimal manner is quite another. I've worked on systems where I've removed malware only to have to reinstall Windows anyway because the OS was so badly corrupted that removing the malware made little to no difference in its operation. In that respect, I agree with Steven_G.

4GiB RAM is plenty unless someone is running a CAD program and a lot of open Windows.

Even with no virus, an optimal Windows is a oxymoron. :-)

Windows is O.K. for those with no more ambition than just turning on their computer, surfing the net, and creating some documents.

I will know how the disinfection went after tomorrow.

I will post what I find.

He's a gamer so once you throw in anti-malware* ( also an oxymoron) and malware™,,, it's like firing up my Apple IIe... s-l-o-w.

Well personally I don't agree w/ the MS policy of not recovering data. That's a whole other story. I know why they do it. They did a cost / benefit analysis and decided that the risk to the network and the cost of the tech's salary was not worth the return. They tell you to keep back ups. If you lose your data it's your fault.

But, personally I can generally recover about 98 percent plus of someone's data and clean it. A few docs, pics, and vids are always too corrupted to get back. But getting data back is a whole other story than "fixing" an infected doze install. The OS is trash at that point. Besides, it's doze, it's just gonna get infected again.

Before I'll touch one for family (the only ones I do any more) I try to talk them in to *nix (my grandma likes ubuntu). If that's a no go I ask if they have the disk that came with it. And of course lots of systems don't come w/ a disk any more. So it's "impossible" to fix and you just switched OSes!

And if they do have an install disk I set up back ups and tell them that if they want me to fix it when, not if, it breaks again then they better back up on a regular basis and keep several incremental back ups like I showed them how to do.

I have Windows for over 10 years.

I have had some infections, but was always able to recover fully with no data loss.

Most infections are from some folks visiting site they know they shouldn't. Porn, etc

Or like morons, they open attachments from unknown sources.

There are only 2 ways of getting infected.

1. Internet
2. From a flash drive that is infected

Only a few of my friends make backups.

Which is so stupid because it is so easy to do.

If I can not get the friend's computer disinfected, I will boot up with a Linux flash drive and save whatever she wants to keep. :-)

The "special tool" was linked in that statement. http://botcrawl.com/how-to-remove-ytdownloader-malware/ YTDownloader buries itself many fathoms deep.

It's not particularly malicious in the great scheme of things, but it is extremely nasty, sort of like a non-lethal itchy rash that resists all treatments.

This particular Windows user, an older lady, seems to attract malware like a blue serge suit attracts lint. I know that she is not visiting hinky websites, at least not intentionally. She mostly just surfs the web for news and information and does email (she uses her ISP's webmail--she does not even use an email client--and it's the same ISP I use, so I know they do a pretty good job of spam-filtering), but she gets infected constantly.

Frankly, I am ready to wash my hands of her.

I told my nephew (@11) he will be reinstalling next time, not me.

I would insist she get a image-based backup program. Macrium Reflect is what I use.

She can read this:

http://searchdatabackup.techtarget.c...e-based-backup

If not, don't come back.

I have found it necessary to set boundaries for people.

Fixit7, I appreciate the suggestion, but I fear it would be beyond her ken. She doesn't remember to run a Malwarebytes scan every week.

She's a nice and kind lady, but, if there were a drivers' exam for computers, she would not get a license. I suggested that she find a nice local computer shop to help her out and advised her against using the "Geek Squad."

I've been on doze for 24 years now. And I used to own my own small computer shop back when rocks were still soft and the only pre-built PC systems in a box you could buy were $5k business systems from HP and IBM.

I've done several hundred virus recoveries.

Gutting the virus often does more damage than the virus did.

And you have to consider how much time you are going to spend trying to prop up and duct tape stuff that's not working right any way before you just give up and wipe it.

Recovering data and fixing an OS ain't the same thing. Recovering data from a drive that is neither encrypted nor physically failing is trivial. *Cleaning* the recovered data is a whole different story.

And I'd be willing to be you $100 that I could take any 10 systems you've "cleaned" and find that there is still malware on at least 6 of them, simply b/c you claim "100 percent data recovery". There are are almost always "seeds" left in the data to re-germinate the virus.

I could not find any virus or malware.

The programs deleted some registry entries, but that was it ?

Her symptoms appeared when she visited a city website.

She talked with them and they were not surprised.

She was running Vista with only 1.4 Gb of ram.

It ran slower than a 3-legged turtle. :-(

Even with the tools you used? Rather strange.

No idea, I'm not sitting in front of her system.

Did they give a reason why they weren't surprised? That could be bad. Very bad.

I would surmise that this is, at least, part of the problem. Vista needs at least 2 GB's to run decently, preferably more. What is brand and model (and model number) of her system? Perhaps she can upgrade it to at least 4 or 8 GB's.

Regards...

My Apple IIe may run faster...

I told her that a RAM upgrade would only be about $40 for 2 Gb RAM.

I also suggested she buy an external backup drive, they are only $50 for 1 Terabytes.

I don't think she will follow any of my suggestions. All I can do is try. :-)

If it had not been so slow, I would have stayed longer and tuned her system.

Many people have too many programs starting up and unnecessary services running.

I forgot what Gateway she had, but it had a Pentium Dual Core.

But another friend is interested in trying Linux.

He liked the idea of internet speeds being faster than Windows and it not needing defragging or updates, etc.