you should immediately download, install and then update malwarebytes free then run full scan. I will give you some guidance for that.
Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware the program you want is malwarebytes free.

please download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware to your desktop.

* Double-click mbam-setup.exe and follow the prompts to install the program.
* At the end, be sure a checkmark is placed next to Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, then click Finish.
* If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
* Once the program has loaded, select Perform full scan, then click Scan.
* When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
* Be sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected.
* When completed, a log will open in Notepad. Please save it to a convenient location. The log can also be found here: C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Application Data\Malwarebytes\Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware\Logs\log-date.txt
* Please post contents of that file in your next reply.

once that is done we can see if you need to go to another forum for further help.

Hi Ravencajun. Thank you for the advice. I'll try it when I get home tonight. Hopefully it will allow me to get through that process since it's been locking up.

I tried to find a phone number on McAfee's site and it appears I need to pay to talk with someone. I did send them an email questioning the full scan problem.

I've been hearing McAfee doesn't do a great job with the spyware/adware so I'm assuming downloading this will fix that?

Go to Panda & do a scan. You want to register so that it will remove what it can. Once you are done with that, you want to install Avast Free antivirus. I have it on 3 (2 are kids) computers here, it does a great job.

Get rid of Mcafee.. total garbage. I used to use Norton but haven't in a while.

You also want zonealarm free firewall.

I'm pretty sure I know what you saw last night; wish I could remember the name of the program. It's notorious for doing that.

Thanks for the reply Roselvr! I'm going to attempt what Ravencajun suggested first and go from there. I'm pretty sure Panda is what my Dad had on his computer? Maybe not. Sounds like with the other stuff you said to add it should be pretty safe.

I'll be back later! Thanks again!

By all means do what Ravencajun suggested first. Then, once you have your problem cleared up, you can get rid of McAfee if you wish and try AVAST. I use it and find it is great. However, an antivirus program may not find the malware that has infected your machine. For that you need the run the scan that RC suggested. There are other good programs for malware protection and firewalls, but you need to get your machine cleaned up first.

lets do one thing at a time we need to get you cleaned up first and foremost so doing the malwarebytes scan and letting it remove your infection is number one.

You only ever want one antivirus program on your pc, you can have other antispyware programs but only one antivirus.
So should you later decide to change from McAfee we will need to address that, McAfee can be very difficult to remove but it can be done and I will be happy to guide you, I have done it on mine a few times, they do provide a special removal tool to aid in the full removal of the product.

I also use AVAST free and highly recommend it. But we must first clean up, and before you can install AVAST you have to get McAfee fully removed if you want to do that.

There are several good free antivirus and firewall programs to choose from, I happen to use zonealarm pro as my firewall, the free one is good however you must be certain to get the proper link so you do get the free version and not the trial version of the pro. Also unfortunately now zonelarm is guilty of having some added items pre checked during installation so it is important to pay attention so you do not install extra toolbars and such, just the firewall is what you want.

Once we have the results from malwarebytes scan we can proceed.
what you got was one of the variations on the fake antivirus infections, there are many of them out there and depending on which one you got that will determine how to proceed with clean up, some actually install a rootkit on the pc which is serious stuff. With those infections even clicking on the x to close is actually telling it to install, they put a button saying one thing but beneath the surface the click of that button activates an install, the best way to get away from that type of pop up is to either do control alt delete and close out your browser or just shut down the pc, do not click anywhere.
Very nasty malware, and they of course want you to fall for it and give them your credit card info so they can really get you.
as for other scans we may have you do that but for right now lets just do the malwarebytes so we can see exactly what we are dealing with and how to proceed.

for future reference the online scan I prefer and recommend is
ESET Online Scanner
unlike some you will not have to register and will never get any email or spam from them.
this is info about eset online scanner
"Which web browsers are compatible with ESET Online Scanner?
ESET Online Scanner implemented as an ActiveX control, so the optimum is to run it on Internet Explorer 5.0 or later.
However, as a new feature, the compatibility with other browsers (Firefox, Opera, Netscape, etc.) was added. The only thing you have to do is to agree to the installation of ESET Smart Installer, an application, which will install and launch ESET Online Scanner in a new browser window."

This excellent article by Jesper details the type of infection we are talking about.
Anatomy of a malware scam

I will watch for your malwarebytes results

Hi Guys! I downloaded the Anti Malware. I picked full scan. It did bring up 4 drives with boxes. Only two were checked so I went ahead and also checked the other two (think they were D and G?) Anyhow, the scan appears to be stuck. It's not doing anything. Says

Scan in progres (scan type: full scan)
your computer is currently being scanned blah, blah

Objects Scanned 21,464
Objects infected 0
Time elapsed 3 min., 3 sec.

currently scanning
C:/Acer/gamezoneconsole/GameBuilds/Acer_Setups_Spanish_Vista_Desktop_11_21_2007.exe

It's been like that for at least 20 min. Is it still scanning? This isn't making me feel real great!

I'm at my parents house typing this because I didn't want to mess with mine. They're close by. I'll keep checking this tonight. Not sure what to do. I need to go to bed in a couple of hours though.. .

Thanks for all the help so far. I really appreciate it!

Update already. I guess I need to learn to be patient..:) My husband just called and said it's scanning like crazy again. We're up to 57,000 objects scanned.

I'll be back later to post the results. Hopefully it finishes the scan in under 4 hours.

It finished. 1 item was found. My McAfee protection shut off at one point. I don't know if the Anti-Malware did it or not to finish the scan? I just left it go. Here's what the notes said.

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware 1.40
Database version: 2707
Windows 6.0.6001 Service Pack 1

8/27/2009 10:48:13 PM
mbam-log-2009-08-27 (22-48-13).txt

Scan type: Full Scan (C:\:D:\:F:\:G:\:)
Objects scanned: 239140
Time elapsed: 3 hour(s), 3 minute(s), 0 second(s)

Memory Processes Infected: 0
Memory Modules Infected: 0
Registry Keys Infected: 0
Registry Values Infected: 0
Registry Data Items Infected: 1
Folders Infected: 0
Files Infected: 0

Memory Processes Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Memory Modules Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Keys Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Values Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Data Items Infected:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoActiveDesktopChanges (Hijack.DisplayProperties) -> Bad: (1) Good: (0) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully.

Folders Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Files Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Good. You now need to turn your McAfee back on to protect yourself. By rights it should automatically start with a reboot.

Also click Start, click Control panel, click Security and somewhere there is the opportunity to see if all your protection is turned on and functioning correctly. (Forget the exact spot, not a Vista user) You should have your Windows firewall and Windows Defender both running and showing green indicating everything is good.

ok, just keep the malwarebytes and update it and run the scan about once a week to make sure nothing gets missed.

If you decide to change any of your programs just ask we can lead you to the McAfee removal directions and tool.

learn to be patient especially when running scans doing all the pulling the plug and rebooting stuff is not a good idea you can end up corrupting something important. Always shut down in the proper manner.

Once I rebooted like it asked me to, McAfee did turn back on.

So that's it? I'm good for now? Lesson learned about clicking things.

Owbist- I'll check tonight when I get home. Thanks! Didn't know that was there.

Are those two thing enough? (Malwarebytes & McAfee) I've been hearing from people McAfee was a better programs years ago? I know I still have 7 months left that I paid for with McAfee but if something else will better protect my computer I'd like to be covered. Does Malwarebytes update automatically? I didn't really look around in there to see how it was set up.

I honestly didn't realize scans looked like they stop at times. Growing up at home my Dad would always run the scans and stuff, usually at night, and I never really watched them. Now that I know it is in fact doing something I won't mess with them anymore. Can you do other things while running scans or is it best to run them when you're not on?

Last night after rebooting, I was trying to post on here and my computer was very slow for the preview and submit. It stopped responding at one point. I clicked alt ctrl delete after awhile and the screen went black and I could only see the white arrow (like it did the other night) after waiting it finally said .. I forget, something had failed and I clicked ok. It brought me back to the previous screen and eventually started responding again. So my question is will things eventually always respond and do something? Pulling the plug = bad but what if you can't get it to shut down?

Also do you leave your computers on all the time? I've heard turning them on and off everyday (which we're guilty of) isn't great for the machine. Do you use the sleep mode at night?

Not real computer savvy here!

Thank you for all your help. I really do appreciate it.

Also with McAfee or any virus protection program..does it normally turn off the protection mode while running the malwarebytes? Is this ok? I didn't know if I could turn it back on or not in the middle. Also, McAfee brought up a yellow box at one point towards the end saying registry settings or something was being changed or messed with?

I personally like to run my scans when I will not be using the computer so if it is one I can schedule I do so for late at night, my computers stay on at all times unless there is bad weather. My laptop does hibernate.
McAfee in my opinion caused many problems on my computers and when I removed it the problems went away also, it is a very large program and can slow down the machine, I would only run the scan when nothing else is running. I chose to remove McAfee from all of my computers, I can have it free from my ISP but instead I use AVAST free which is a great program and is not as bloated, it can be set up to run the scan while the screen saver is on so anytime you are not using the pc and the screen saver would come on it would be scanning, then start back up where it left off the last time etc, I like that feature, however AVAST is a constant scanner it does scan every thing as you work so doing a separate scan is really not called for.

To remove McAfee you will have to go through a set of directions and use a specific removal tool, and even then you may find files still on the pc. I have done the removal a few times now and was successful.

If you are not able to get the pc to shut down by hitting the start button then the shut down button you can do control alt delete repeatedly to shut down, if those do not work then push the power button on the front of the tower to shut down, it is definitely NOT advised to pull the plug on it while it is still in windows this can cause corruptions of the operating system and registry which would require you to re-install.

scans look like they are stopped but they may be simply scanning a very large section all scans take time some much more than others and since you have what appears to be either multiple partitions or hard drives and you scan them all it will definitely take a long time.
What are all of those? do you have more than one hard drive? do you have other partitions ? It shows c d f and g on your scan, one could be a recovery partition but what are the other 2?

I think you said you had the mcafee suite if so that has a firewall in it also which would mean if you get rid of that you will need to have a firewall also, this is a vista machine right? if so you can just turn on the built in firewall that is in vista it is a fairly decent firewall. But do not have 2 firewalls running at the same time wait till you have mcafee removed.

seeing the warning about registry changes is normal when you are adding a new program or using one that will be accessing or changing the registry, if you see that happen when you are not using a program or doing a scan, just out of the blue then it can be malware.

keep the malwarebytes since you have the free version you can not schedule a scan and it is not active, if you want to purchase it you can do that for a minmal price which gives you a lifetime subscription I do believe, and then it enables the features that allow it to do automatic updates and you can schedule scans. Other wise each time you open it you MUST get the updates prior to running the scan and then select to run the full scan and use the directions I gave you in the earlier post.

So about the leaving the pc on at all times I have always done it and my computers have never had problems with it, I do not let my regular computers sleep or hibernate it is disabled on them, my laptop does hibernate for the time being that might change too.
I only reboot them when I have to or I am experiencing some type of issue that I think a reboot might fix.

Sorry I'm just now getting back to this.

Ravencajun - Thank you for all the explaining. I've been following your advice.

Will the AVAST slow my computer down? I'm not sure even what I'm running on here. Looking at the side of the tower it reads..
8400 AMD Phenom 4GB DDR2 Memory 320 GB Sata Hard Disk Super Multi Drive.. there's some other jazz printed there too.

"What are all of those? do you have more than one hard drive? do you have other partitions ? It shows c d f and g on your scan, one could be a recovery partition but what are the other 2? "

Hmm... C says Acer, D says Data, F is my DVD RW drive and G says removable disk. Only C and D were checked before I did the scan. I clicked the other two because I wasn't sure if I should or not and figured it wouldn't hurt.

I'm still not sure what I want to do about McAfee. I'm concerned about being able to follow the directions and the other part of me is remembering how I paid for a year. ha. Any idea why sometimes I'll have a notice from McAfee saying my computer isn't protect right now, click fix now. I do and all is well again. ? This has only happened twice but still. Probably should get rid of it.

I read this forum quite regularly, but rarely post here...But sometimes....
I just gotta say it.....
You people are nuts......
I am quite used to people telling me I am nuts and have no idea what I am talking about when it comes to such matters, BUT since I am never, make that NEVER the one who has neither virus/malware issues and problems and NEVER have spent even a dime nor any time on such matters, the reality of the situation is that I and the few other Linux users here are really the only ones who have any idea what they are talking about when it comes to PC Operating Systems and PC "security"....
A whole forum of "what should I get","what's wrong" "I bought/installed and/but" "what should I do".
Soon many reading this will be thinking "Oh he's just one of those Linux nutscases"
But, ask yourself, does he "Buy this", "get this", "do this"......Oh yeah, and then ask yourself if your system can match mine on safety, security, performance.
I have yet to have either of these boxes contract a virus or a worm or a root-kit nor any other form of malware, not bad for systems running zero AV/security software.....
I very rarely ever disconnect from the W3 and rarely ever even turn either of these things off. I have 4 browsers running right now and my email account has been open for days. Other than an outgoing firewall, I am currently running absolutely zero "security" software of any kind. And no reformatting, no scans, no defrags, no registry anythings.
I watch videos, play music, redo photo's, make phone calls and do all sorts of other sometimes fun stuff with neither and never a worry nor a care. And my total investment in Operating Systems and software on both boxes equals zero dollars and zero cents. And all my upgrades/dates are free too.....

Do yourselves a big favor and go to distrowatch.com, read about the different flavors of Linux and pick yourself out a few LiveCD versions to trial.

Or you can always just wait for MSWin7 to be released and start buying all sorts of new software to go along with your already penetrated and compromised, outdated and obsolete brand new high dollar Operating System.

Some of the new Linus distro's are so simple to install and use that my best friends 59 y.o.wife has installed several different versions on the same hard-drive and has figured out how to use them all with little more than dang near no assistance from any body. She has even figured out how to use Knoppix6 full time and save everything she does/wants to a persistant image. Oh yeah, she is really good at kids and cooking and sewing and fishing and growing things and all sorts of DIY stuff, but, when it comes to computers, she has the techno-savvy and training of your average box of rocks.....
Dang folks....even my daughter, whose "technotude" is somewhat close to absolutely zero has installed and has everything running and learned the ins and outs of both SimplyMepis and VectorLinux on her PC all by her little ol' self. And while her friends are having regular issues after frequenting such mandatory malware magnet sites as YouTube, and MySpace she has nothing of the sort, ever....
But, if you wanna believe that you must MUST have MSWin-something, feel free to spend way too much for way too little, and want to keep spending and installing/scanning/removing/etc for no other reason than you insist on running something as shaky and insecure as Vista1, hurry up and buy the fix for Vista1, Vista2, otherwise known as MSWin7, that's certainly your right....

Well, let's see...I may have exaggerated things a bit by stating the "free" thing........Getting Linux will cost you somewhere around $.125 for a blank CD-R, or the current cost of a blank DVD-R....

HAGD

Here is a link that might be useful: better than MSWindows, IMHO it is anyway

well most people here know that I am a linux user also, I love linux and I do try to get people to get one of the live cd's to keep handy just incase they need one to recover files from a borked windows machine. I would love to see more people go to linux, but the reality is that it just won't happen for a lot of people. I too was in my 50's when I really got into linux, had messed with it but went heavy linux, my choice is Simply Mepis the distro that just works.

I hear ya I really do and I do agree but for those that do have windows we need to keep on helping because the more we can keep infections to the minimum the more we all benefit.
The fact that so many great companies have created free security programs for us is wonderful and really helps the good fight.

I do urge everyone to have at the very least one linux live cd in their possession because you never know when you will need it. They come free in most linux magazines on the booksellers shelves and you can order them for totally free too don't even have to pay for the cd or postage.
Requesting CDs from ShipIt
there is the link to get a free copy of Kubuntu live cd