Virus

Recently we came across a virus in one of our customers computers. The system was brought in with the complaint that it was running very slow and internet access was too slow to be of any use. We scanned the system with AVG and as was expected found a slew of viruses which AVG removed successfully after a complete scan. All but one - a file named startdrv.exe located at C:\Windows\Temp\startdrv.exe. AVG could not delete the file, neither could we delete it manually from Windows.

This is another common worm that infects computers and spreads from an infected system to another using Windows APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), emails, file-sharing networks and network shares.

Mircosoftpowerpoint.exe is a file that is created by a virus named w32.USBWorm. This virus is an epidemic and spreads very rapidly through USB drives. When a USB drive is connected to a computer which is already affected by this virus, it gets affected. The virus in the computer will transfer all its files into the drive. When this USB drive is connected to another unaffected computer, it will transfer all the required files to the computer's hard drive.

One of the most common support requests we receive from our customers is for clearing their computers of viruses. Most of the infections that we see are by viruses that spread by capitalizing on the ignorance of the users. A few smart steps, if taken by the users, could easily prevent infection from some of the more common viruses that float around in the cyber-universe.