1. Virus Blocking Web Sites
2. Unable to download Antivirus software
3. Unable to update Antivirus software
4. Unable to Install Antivirus / Antispyware Software

IMPORTANT UPDATE! - The virus described in the instructions below is believed to be very sophistocated and very hard to remove. ASG has found a new Antivirus Site called Surf Right that offers an Antivirus called Hitman Pro. It can remove this type of Virus very easily in most cases. ASG has finished testing Hitman Pro and considers it to be a new first step in Virus Removal . Click here to go to the Download Page and download Hitman Pro, its a 30 day trial but it will remove viruses that are found.

If the it fails to remove the virus, please continue with the steps below on trying to remove the virus from your system. If you cannot reach Hitman Pros website because you think the virus is blocking it, continue with the steps below.



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Either one of 2 things is happening to you. Either you cannot reach any websites at all, or you can go to any website you want except ones that have Antivirus or Antispyware.

Both of these issues can be caused by a virus. Start with the option below that matches what is happening to you.

OPTION 1 - If you cannot reach any websites at all. Then you should start by checking your Proxy Settings. The steps for checking that is below. If the steps below do not work, continue to follow the rest of the steps on this page.

• For Internet Explorer:
  Open Internet Explorer. Click on tools, choose internet options, choose the connection tab, click the "lan settings" button. Then look down the list and if anything is checked, uncheck it.
  Then make sure the check box at the top that says "automatically detect settings" has a check in it. If it doesnt, check it. Click OK to apply the settings. Restart Opera and try to surf the web again.

• For Firefox:
  Open Firefox. Click on tools, choose options, choose the Advanced tab, then choose the Network tab, click the Settings button, no choose "no proxy" and choose OK to apply the settings. Restart Firefox and try to surf the web again.

• For Opera:
  Open Opera. Click on tools, choose preferences, choose the Advanced tab, then choose Network from the menu on the left hand side, click the Proxy Servers button, uncheck everything in the Proxy Servers window. Click OK to apply the settings. Restart Opera and try to surf the web again.
  

OPTION 2 - If you can reach most websites, except Antivirus or Antispyware. You will need to start with the steps below.

A virus is blocking websites or blocking Antivirus and Antispyware updates. This is a big problem that has seemed to get out of hand pretty quickly. People are getting hit with viruses that tend to block Antivirus and Antispyware sites. They block the sites in order to prevent you from downloading or updating something you can use to remove the Malware.

Continue with the steps below in order to fix the issue, so that you can download and update your programs again.

- First thing you should check is your hosts file

   Below are instructions on how to do this.

Windows XP and Vista host file location:

Download new hosts file -  XP and Vista only - rename the file to hosts instead of hosts.zip and then replace your current hosts file. If you cannot download the hosts file, just delete your current one. After rebooting a new one will be created. The default path to put it in is: c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc

After downloading the hosts.zip and renaming it to hosts you will need to copy the file and replace your current hosts file with this one.

Just open the c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc folder and paste the hosts file into that folder. Now close and reopen your web browser.

MAC OSX 10.2 and later host file location:

For Macs you will need to manually edit the hosts file and remove any items that are not default. You can also just create a new one after deleting the old one. The location of the hosts file is: /private/etc/hosts

If you want to edit the hosts file and are not that computer savvy. ASG recommends using HostsWidget. Its completely free and is very easy to use. You can view you MAC hosts file then add, edit and disable entries. (Must have Mac OSX 10.4 and later) Read more about HostWidget

- Second thing you should check is your DNS

• For Windows XP - Go to Start, then click Run, then type cmd and hit enter
  
• For Windows Vista and Windows 7 - Go to Start, then type cmd into your search box on the start menu and hit enter
  

This will open the command prompt(a mostly black screen). Then type "net stop dnscache" without the qoutes. You should get a message saying that the service was stopped, then try to reach an antivirus site again. Some viruses will use your DNS to block you, by doing these steps this will get around that.

If you get this error when you try the steps above "System error 5 has occured. Access is denied". Then click here for how to fix that error.





- ALWAYS check for Malware, if the above options failed. You need to remove the virus. The instructions below will help you with doing that.

If you have already checked and made sure that your hosts file is not corrupted by the Malware. (Malware, is another word for Virus or Spyware) You will have to find the Malware by using Antivirus and Antispyware programs.

1. First try to Run the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool. You can run it by going to start, run, then type Mrt.exe and hit enter. (Go ahead and update it if you are prompted then reopen it) After opening the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool, click next, then choose"Full Scan" and hit next to start the Scan. Let it run until it completes and follow any instructions it gives you. Once the scan completes you can continue with the steps below if the virus is still on your computer. (If you are having trouble opening the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool, you can go to your System32 folder and find it and open it from there. Just double click on Mrt.exe in the system32 folder and it will open. The default location of Mrt.exe is in c:\windows\system32\Mrt.exe)
2. Second, try to get a good antivirus or antispyware installed and running. The easiest thing to do is download the antivirus or antispyware software on another computer, then copy it to a CD or a Flash drive in order to move it to your computer. If you don't have a blank CD or Flash Drive to transfer files with, then download the Antivirus or Antispyware to another computer, then use SendSpace.com to upload the program you want to your email. Then log into your email on the infected computer and download the Antivirus or Antispyware you uploaded.(REMEMBER to change you email address password afterwards, you don't want spyware handing out your password to anyone) If you don't have access to another computer, then try the other steps below.
• You can try to download the Antivirus or Antispyware program you want using the run prompt. To do this Click your Start button, then click Run. Now copy and paste the exact URL into the run prompt and Hit Enter to download that program. (Example of a download URL would be: http://www.avg.com/filedir/inst/avg_free_stf_en_85_339a1525.exe)
• Try to find a working download on another website. You can try the links to ASG Antivirus and ASG Antispyware first. If all of the links on ASG are blocked then there are lots of other websites that you can download your program from that will not be blocked. For instance, you can Download AVG Antivirus from Cnet.com, FileHippo.com, SnapFiles.com and many other websites. So try searching Google for the Antivirus or Antispyware you want to download. For instance, search Google for "AVG Antivirus download" and go to a different website to download the Antivirus you want instead of going to www.avg.com - More search examples are below. Just keep looking until you find a working download link. (Make sure you trust the website your downloading from)

• Trying searching for "A Squared Antimalware download"
• Trying searching for "Superantispyware download"
• Trying searching for "Adaware Antispyware download"
• Trying searching for "Avast Antivirus download"
• Trying searching for "Avg Antivirus download"
• Trying searching for "Malwarebytes download"
• Trying searching for "SpywareTerminator download"
  

Third, Try to run the TDSS rootkit Removal Tool. This tool is designed to find and remove all variants of the TDSS Rootkit. The TDSS rootkit virus has been hiding from all antivirus programs and there is a big chance its the exact virus your trying to remove. ASG recommends using this before proceeding with more advanced options like the ones shown below. Keep in mind, this tool will be reported as a virus itself, although ASG has tested this tool and gaurantees that it is not a virus that will harm your computer. Its just a program that uses techniques similar to a virus in order to remove the virus itself. The company that offers the tool is called Esage Labs. You can download the tool here along with more information about it.




If you need more Help removing the Virus or Spyware from your computer, click on the link below that includes additional steps for removing Malware from your computer.

ASG - How to Remove Malware


ADVANCED USERS ONLY - The link below is for Anti Rootkit Programs. Anti Rootkit programs can help in finding and removing stealthly malware from your computer. ASG recommends that only Advanceded users attempt the use of Anti Rootkit programs. The reason is that Anti Rootkit programs sometimes give you a 1 click link to delete files from your computer that can severly damage your computer if you do not know what your doing.

ASG Anti Rootkit Programs

ATTENTION: Keep in mind that Antivirus and Antispyware companies need money to survive. Even if you donate a small amount it will go a long way. You can either buy 1 program out of the bunch or just donate money to a free one. For a list of companies you can visit here for a list of antivirus companies and here for a list of antispyware companies to buy from or donate money to.