C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\JDFJNL9R\setup[1].htm: Exploit.VBS.Phel.A FOUND
C:\RECYCLER\NPROTECT\00010137.EXE: Adware.WhenU-3 FOUND
C:\WINDOWS\Downloaded Program Files\SbCIe026.dll: Adware.Agent-1426 FOUND

----------- SCAN SUMMARY -----------
Known viruses: 264567
Engine version: 0.93
Scanned directories: 6461
Scanned files: 68324
Infected files: 3
Data scanned: 11628.09 MB
Time: 15627.611 sec (260 m 27 s)


So, I'm in idiot with computers and I am a clamwin/any anti-virus software managing newbie. I want to make sure I have this right. I just completed the above scan. and I have my preferences set at report only. So, this means clamwin isn't doing anything with these "infected" files. according to my research my next step would be to locate and find these files and upload them to either www.virustotal.com or www.virusscan.jotti.org. Which one should I upload these to? I'm guessing the site will tell me how to do that? and then if the other website says it is infected then I should delete the files. Otherwise, I need to report them as something called a false positive virus...or something. And then what do I do for future scans...figure out how to block these so they don't come up again?

Ok, next question...there seems to be a million different anti-virus and computer cleaning up downloads available through the clamwin website. I want to make my computer faster and know that it is being kept clean. I downloaded clamwin.93 but see many other things to download. I also have spysweeper from msn. So, how do I know which ones I should/could use?

Dead on, thank you for searching the forum prior to asking! Either one is fine, they both use the same scanners. Both sites really just have a "browse button" which you click and then it gives you a file selection dialog in which you can navigate to the file and select it. Then click the upload/submit button, whichever.

The point in doing this is to see if other AV scanners detect these files, if several do, they are most likely malicious and should be deleted. Being that ClamAV and ClamWin are both essentially volunteer supported organizations, they don't have teams of quality assurance people to help prevent false positives which do occur occasionally.

The "million" other ones you are encountering are most likely "contextual advertisements" on the right hand side of the webpage. Unfortunately, it isn't always easy to differentiate those from the actual content on the website. I would recommend ignoring those.


If you're looking for free security stuff to use, you're using one of them already. The other main alternatives out there are PC Tools antivirus and the ones listed at https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1864601,00.asp https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1864601,00.asp.

ClamWin has a link on the main page to some antimalware resources--primarily for people who need free/self help in getting rid of malware, but some of the sites referenced have good information about security for your computer as well.

For information/recommendations for security software, also check out the Sunbelt blog at https://sunbeltblog.blogspot.com/2005/08/security-on-cheap.html on the web.

Regards,

To keep yr. PC clean, or at least to strenghten yr. security level (especially if you surf the web a lot) I would recommend to:

-Update Clamwin virus database regularly (you can do it manually right clicking on the tray icon with the command 'Download Virus Databse Update' or Set the update frequency on the 'Internet Updates' tab on Preferences, which can be even hourly).
-Scan files before you open them (unless you are using an antivirus tool with 'on access' feature;presently Clamwin is only a on demand scanner so you have to manually scan a file before opening it); this is-I guess- the safer way to prevent to be infected from malware.
-Make regular or scheduled scans of yr. hard drive (or at least to scan directories which are most likely to harbour malware. My suggestions, on C: would be Documents and Settings and Windows directories).
-To reduce scan time on Clamwin you could set the 'Filters' tab in order to include the most frequent dangerous file extensions (a list of which can be found for instance at https://www.lancs.ac.uk/iss/a-virus/banned.htm).

Personally on my PC I use both an AV tool with real time scanner and Clamwin as backup scanner (they normally won't conflict, since Clamwin has no real time scan module).
Occasionally I also do a Pc scan with an online Antivirus scanner. Most part of AV vendor offer this kind of service (more references can be found on the Anti Malware Resources section of the Clamwin website).

Hope this helps.

Threatfire (available from PC Tools in a free version) also provides good protection against malware. You get an added benefit when it is paired with Clamwin because ClamWin is signature based, while Threatfire is a real-time/on access behavior blocker. When used together, the two programs effectively give you multiple antimalware engines--a technique used by some expensive gateway antivirus programs. Threatfire is also recognized by the Windows Security Center. It used to be called Cyberhawk, but they were bought out by PC Tools late last year. The free version now includes an on-demand file scanner, but you've already got ClamWin!

Regards,