What kind of virus is this? (computer)

I am already doing a manual backup of files in Safe Mode because the darn whatzit acts up in regular mode. (Windows Easy Transfer does not work in Safe Mode).

Even though I am doing a system recovery I am still baffled by what this is. I have worded the question every which way for Google but it just doesn't understand. ;)

I had some old files I was sorting. They are from a free data recovery program that I used several years ago - everything was sorted into 600+ folders.

I was down to under 200 - yay! - then, as I had done with others, I clicked on one jpg thumbnail to see if it was a real pic or a stock photo. It opened - and kept opening and opening and opening, would not close...yikes! Shut down, got into Safe Mode (had to look SM for Win8 method up on this laptop) and ran scans. Nothing found - but the bug was still there.

Rootkit?

Any ideas?

Thanks!

(I ran trend rootkit buster - scanned VERY quickly and found nothing. Will try it again after the recovery process is done.)

I've run into this before, spybot and malwarebytes (had to use both, one didn't completely get it, and on reboot it reached out to the web and found the file again) while in safe mode with NO networking.

Thanks. I'm on my second reformat and reinstall of Win8 upgrade.

The first time AVG found a Trojan horse Agent4.AOLZ. It was stuck in a dll file. I downloaded and ran the AVG Rescue disc(boot disc) at AVG's suggestion as apparently the program couldn't remove it from that file. Safe mode and MWB and SB found nothing.

Burned the disc, ran it....did a command line scan and took HOURS...and found nothing.... (we need a hair-tearing-out icon here!).

Fired up the computer this morning ready to do it all again with Windows Easy Transfer this time. AVG ran its scan and removed TWO of those Agent4.AOLZ Yes, the ones it couldn't remove yesterday...

I reformatted anyway, and am running the reinstall of 8 as I type this.

It's nice to be back...for now! :D

That sounds like a virus we got at work in 2009. It was emailed with the subject line "Here you have" or something like that. It basically was an email repeater; didn't do direct damage to hard drive but tied of resources by emailing itself to everyone on your mailing list. Basically an email DDOS.

I just have to say you all are speaking Greek to me.

Actually, this one seems to have pounced out of a jpg or other image in the folders I was working on. A number of those folders sat in a folder for quite a long time, untouched - and every so often AVG would find a virus in there and remove it.

I figure some pics were originally downloaded from the net by the original owner...maybe that's where the trouble was.

Anyway, all is well now. :D

PM - I am sorry. I've only been at this three years or so. I look at what I type sometimes when discussing a topic and holy smokes! It's way more technical than I would ever have guessed!

I knew there were a couple of folks on here (thanks LH and smokey) that would understand. It's all good!:)

Thanks again. :)

The use of .jpg files to transmit viruses has become common, so it's not surprising at all. Take one pixel, insert a short bit of code to call up a website. There are other uses for that little trick as well, right uncle sam?

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Originally Posted by Pinot's Mom

I just have to say you all are speaking Greek to me.

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Glad I'm not the only one.............

We're not speaking greek, just geek! :p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lady's human

we're not speaking greek, just geek! :p

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lol! :d