Source: malwaretips.com

This is a comprehensive guide to removing a lot of malware infections. Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any question or doubt at any point STOP and ask us for our assistance in our Malware Removal Assistance forum.

STEP 1 : Start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking

1. Remove all floppy disks, CDs, and DVDs from your computer, and then restart your computer.
2. Do one of the following:
• If your computer has a single operating system installed, press and hold the F8 key as your computer restarts. You need to press F8 before the Windows logo appears. If the Windows logo appears, you will need to try again by waiting until the Windows logon prompt appears, and then shutting down and restarting your computer.
• If your computer has more than one operating system, use the arrow keys to highlight the operating system you want to start in safe mode, and then press F8.
3. On the Advanced Boot Options screen, use the arrow keys to highlight Safe Mode with Networking , and then press ENTER. For more information about options, see Advanced startup options (including safe mode).
4. Log on to your computer with a user account that has administrator rights.

 

STEP 2: Check your internet connection for proxy servers
This infection may add a proxy server which prevents the user from accessing the internet,follow the below instructions to remove the proxy.

1. Open Internet Explorer.
• For Internet Explorer 9 : Click on the gear icon at the top (far right) and click again on Internet Options.
• For Internet Explorer 8 : Click on Tools, select Internet Options.

1. Go to the tab Connections.At the bottom, click on LAN settings
2. Uncheck the option Use a proxy server for your LAN. This will remove the proxy server and allow you to use the internet again.

For Firefox users, go to Tools > Options > Advanced tab > Network > Settings > Select No Proxy

STEP 3: Download and scan with Kaspersky TDSSKiller

Kaspersky TDSSKiller is a utility that was created in order to provide you with a simple means of disinfecting any system that suffers a rootkit infection.A rootkit is a program or a set of programs designed to obscure the fact that a system has been compromised.

1. Please download the latest official version of Kaspersky TDSSKiller.
2. Before you can run Kaspersky TDSSKiller, you first need to rename it so that
   you can get it to run. To do this, right-click on the TDSSKiller.exe icon that should now be on your Desktop and select Rename. You can now edit the name of the file and should name it to iexplore.exe

Code:

iexplore.exe

 

1. Once the file is renamed, double-click on it to launch it.
2. Kaspersky TDSSKiller will now start and display the welcome screen as shown below.In order to start a system scan , press the 'Start Scan' button.
3. Kaspersky TDSSKiller will now scan your computer for AV Security Essentials related malicous files.
4. When the scan has finished it will display a result screen stating whether or not the infection was found on your computer. If it was found it will display a screen similar to the one below.
5. If a suspicious object is detected, the default action will be Skip (If it saids TDL4/TDSS file system, select delete)
6. If malicious objects are found, ensure Cure (default) is selected, then click Continue and Reboot now to finish the cleaning process.

WARNING: After you have rebooted your computer,please start again in 'Safe Mode with Networking' before proceeding to the next step.You can find details on how to start in 'Safe Mode with Networking' in Step 1.

STEP 4 : Download and scan with RKill to terminate known malware processes.

RKill is a program that attempts to terminate known malware processes so that your normal security software can then run and clean your computer of infections. When RKill runs it will kill malware processes and then import a Registry file that removes incorrect file associations and fixes policies that stop us from using certain tools.

As RKill only terminates a program's running process, and does not delete any files, after running it you should not reboot your computer as any malware processes that are configured to start automatically will just be started again.

RKill is a program that attempts to terminate known malware processes so that your normal security software can then run and clean your computer of infections. When RKill runs it will kill malware processes and then import a Registry file that removes incorrect file associations and fixes policies that stop us from using certain tools.

As RKill only terminates a program's running process, and does not delete any files, after running it you should not reboot your computer as any malware processes that are configured to start automatically will just be started again.

1. After you have started your computer in Safe Mode with Networking , please download the latest official version of rKill. 
2. Double-click on the RKill icon in order to automatically attempt to stop any processes associated with this rouge.
3. Now RKill will start working in the background, please be patient while the program looks for various malware programs and tries to ends them.
• If you receive a message that RKill is an infection, that is a fake warning given by the rogue. As a possible solution we advise you to leave the warning on the screen and then try to run RKill again.Run RKill until the fake program is not visible but not more than ten times.
• If you continue having problems running RKill, you can download the other renamed versions of RKill from here.
4. When Rkill has completed its task, it will generate a log. You can then proceed with the rest of the guide.

WARNING: Do not reboot your computer after running RKill as the malware process will start again , preventing you from properly performing the next step.

STEP 5: Download and scan with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

1. Please download the latest official version of Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware Free. 
2. Install Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware by double clicking on mbam-setup.
3. When the installation begins, keep following the prompts in order to continue with the installation process. Do not make any changes to default settings and when the program has finished installing, make sure you leave both the Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware checked. Then click on the Finish button. If Malwarebytes' prompts you to reboot, please do not do so.
4. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start and you'll be prompted to start a trial period , please select 'Decline' as we just want to use the on-demand scanner.
5. On the Scanner tab,please select Perform full scan and then click on the Scan button to start scanning your computer for any possible infections.
6. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer for AV Security Essentials malicious files as shown below.
7. When the scan is finished a message box will appear, click OK to continue.
8. You will now be presented with a screen showing you the malware infections that ]Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware has detected.Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image.
   Make sure that everything is Checked (ticked) and click on Remove Selected button.
9. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware will now start removing the malicious files. 
   If during the removal process Malwarebytes will display a message stating that it needs to reboot, please allow this request.

 

STEP 6: Download and scan with Emsisoft Emergency Kit

1. Please download the latest official version of Emsisoft Emergency Kit. 
2. After the download process will finish , you'll need to unpack EmsisoftEmergencyKit.zip
3. Open the Emsisoft Emergency Kit Folder and double click EmergencyKitScanner.bat
4. A pop-up will prompt you to update Emsisoft Emergency Kit , please click the "Yes" button.
   
   
   
   
5. After the Update process has completed , put the mouse cursor over the "Menu" tab on the left and click-on "Scan PC".
6. Select "Deep scan" and click-on the below "SCAN" button.
7. Emsisoft Emergency Kit will now start scanning your computer for malicious files as shown below.
8. When the scan will be completed , you will be presented with a screen showing you the malware infections that Emsisoft Emergency Kit has detected.Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image.
   Make sure that everything is Checked (ticked) and click on the 'Quarantine selected objects' button.
9. Emsisoft Emergency Kit will now start removing the malicious files. 
   If during the removal process Emsisoft will display a message stating that it needs to reboot, please allow this request.

As an addition step it's recommended that you download other free anti-malware software from the list below and run a full system scan :

• Microsoft Safety Scanner
• ESET Online Scanner
• SuperAntiSpyware Free

Removing the residual damage from ZeroAccess rookit

STEP 3 : Check yourDNS settings

Check Windows 7 DNS

1. On your Start menu, open the Control Panel.
2. Under the Network and Internet section, click View network status and tasks.
3. In the View your active networks section, click the item to the right of Connections:
4. On the General tab of the Connection Status window, click Properties.
5. On the General tab of the Connection Properties window, scroll down and select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), then click Properties.
6. On the General tab of the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties window, in the lower section, select Obtain DNS server address automatically.
7. Click OK and exit all the windows.

Check Windows Vista DNS

1. On your Start menu, open the Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel window, click Network and Sharing Center.
3. In the Network section, select View Status of each connection.
4. On the General tab of the Connection Status window, click Properties.
5. On the General tab of the Connection Properties, scroll down and select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), then click Properties.
6. On the General tab of the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties window, in the lower section, select Obtain DNS server address automatically.
7. Click OK and exit all the windows.

Check Windows XP DNS

1. On your Start menu, open the Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel window, click Network Connections and choose your current connection.
3. On the General tab of the Connection Status window, click Properties.
4. On the General tab of the Connection Properties window, scroll down and select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), then click Properties.
5. On the General tab of the Internet Protocol Version (TCP/IP) Properties window, in the lower section, select Obtain DNS server address automatically.
6. Click OK and exit all the windows.

 

STEP 4 : Check your Windows HOSTS file
The hosts file is one of several system facilities to assist in addressing network nodes in a computer network. It is a common part in an operating system's Internet Protocol (IP) implementation, and serves the function of translating human-friendly hostnames into numeric protocol addresses, called IP addresses, that identify and locate a host in an IP network.
Because of its role in local name resolution, the hosts file represents an attack vector for malicious software. The file may be hijacked, for example, by adware, computer viruses, trojan horse software, and may be modified to redirect traffic from the intended destination to sites hosting content that may be offensive or intrusive to the user or the user’s computer system.

1. Go to > C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc.
2. Double-click “hosts” file to open it.You can open this file with Notepad.
3. The “hosts” file should look the same as our below code boxes. There should be only one line: 127.0.0.1 localhost in Windows XP and 127.0.0.1 localhost ::1 in Windows Vista/7. If there are more, then remove them and save changes.
   
   Default Host file for Windows XP

Code:

# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
#      102.54.94.97     rhino.acme.com          # source server
#       38.25.63.10     x.acme.com              # x client host

127.0.0.1       localhost

Default Host file Windows Vista

Code:

# Copyright (c) 1993-2006 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
#      102.54.94.97     rhino.acme.com          # source server
#       38.25.63.10     x.acme.com              # x client host

127.0.0.1       localhost
::1             localhost

Default Host file for Windows 7

Code:

# Copyright (c) 1993-2006 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
#      102.54.94.97     rhino.acme.com          # source server
#       38.25.63.10     x.acme.com              # x client host

# localhost name resolution is handle within DNS itself.
#       127.0.0.1       localhost
#       ::1             localhost

You can find more details on how to reset your host file at Microsoft Support Center.

STEP 3 : Remove the residual damage 

If you still are experiencing residual damage after removing this infection, you can download and use the Windows Repair tool from tweaking.com to fix the problems.
Windows Repair is an all-in-one repair tool to help fix a large majority of known Windows problems including registry errors and file permissions as well as issues with Internet Explorer, Windows Update, Windows Firewall and more. Malware and installed programs can modify your default settings. With Tweaking.com - Windows Repair you can restore Windows original settings.
Use the bellow button to download Windows Repair (All In One) :




If you are still experiencing problems on your machine, please start a new thread here.