Be Excellent To Each Other

I downloaded episode 3 of hereos and it said I needed a new codec, it suggested the one I needed, I downloaded it, my virus checked said it was ok (Avast) so I installed it. It took me to some porn vid, and now ie does not work (not that I use it).

Currently doing a full check on my hd with avast, but I don't know if that will get it. I'll do my own research, but any suggestions for a quick solution?

Malc

Don't download dodgy "codecs".

Run a scan with something like Kaspersky's online checker, and the usual Spybot/A Squared.

Personally I'd nuke the Windows install and reformat, as once it's been infected all bets are off. It's the only way to be sure.

Avast just found something.

I've deleted it.

Malc

Watch the porn? Other than than that, it looks like you;ve got this: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/12 ... fake_tool/

I can't believe I installed this. I'm normally quite careful about this sort of thing. I assumed my virus checker, and antispyware stuff would protect me, and I got sloppy.

FFS.

Malc

Videolan. Videolan is your friend.

You should have a Mac LOL

They never break. Much.

Wouldn't have helped here, I've seen this before. The file Malc downloaded would actually be corrupted on purpose, and have a text file that says "you need XYZ codec to watch this, you can download it from blah". Videolan won't work because XYZ codec doesn't exist, see. I've seen variants of this where the supposed video file is compressed in an archive with some special unarchiver program which (of course) turns out to be trojan.

Malc -- be careful if you don't uninstall Windows. I had a PC get trojaned under me once; not sure how. I didn't find out for ages afterward when I got a bollocking from my ISP for sending spam; I ran a check on the PC and it had active SMTP connections to half the internet. The machine looked fine though, and had passed a (clearly bollocks) virus scan of some description.

Top tip -- if you can play them back, get HD 720p MKV rips of TV programs. The scammers don't seem to bother with them (fewer downloaders and more bandwidth needed). I've yet to see any fakes or scams downloading those.

MKV is aces.

It does amuse me when my girlfriend uses my computer, sees something "suspicous" on the internet (she's pretty well trained at spotting dodgy things) and asks me "How do you run an antivirus scan on your computer?" only to remember it's not Windows, and isn't much likely to get infected by anything.

Actually it's not, because device support for it is piss poor and its technical advantages over MP4 (menus, chapters) aren't used by anything I have ever come across. I want it to go away and be replaced with MP4s that will play on my PS3 etc without me having to mess about.

I know you're going to get cross now Sheepeh, because you are me, but five years ago.

Well you need the remaining piece of info.

If Videolan doesn't play it, it's not a real file.

True dat.

I don't understand why these viruses have to trick people into watching pornography - surely THE most watched thing on all of the internet.

They're tricking you into thinking the payload is the porn, whereas in actual fact it's the app running as an SMTP relay.

Yeah, looks like this pc is toast.

If I try and do almost anything I get a bogus window coming up which loads some website sc.videofreeforonline.com/id/4912933/4/1/ (don't click) which pretends it's scanning my pc for viruses.

FFS

gutted.

Malc

Er, both my phone (c500 Smartphone) and my MP3 player (Archos 402) are quite capable of playing MKV.

I'm not particuarly fussed what format I download stuff in as long as it works, and MPLayer and win32codecs can pretty much play anything that needs playing.

Oh, and my PC can transcode to stream to the 360 on the fly without adjusting the original, so it does that too. But I set that up mainly because I've got a complete hodgepodge of formats of things and I can't be bothered to standardise them.

I haven't had crashes as spectacular or random since the days of the Amiga. It brings a tear to your eye.

Videolan OR CCCP with both Real and Quicktime Alternative Lites

Anything else is dafto!

So you illegally downloaded software and get a bit miffed when it fucks your computer up?

In his defence he only illegally downloaded a video

I illegally downloaded a video which told me to download some other software which I did, that fucked my computer up.

But hey, if I was speeding along the road on a motorcycle and fell off I'd still (if I wasn't dead) feel pretty crap about my broken leg even if it was my own fault.

Malc