Randomly Loosing wired internet connection, but wireless works fine!!!???

[indytoo]

Running  windows xp on a pc.....
We have been experiencing random drop offs on the wired connection to the desktop which is wired directly into the cable modem.  We also have a d-link router connected to the modem and the wireless connection HAS NO PROBLEMS...
Called Comcast, we have no signal problems, which is evident with the wireless working.
This, to not so computer savvy me, means its a desk top problem....
I can always reconnect the desk top to the internet after a drop off by clicking on control panel, clicking network connections, disabling the internet connection and the enabling it again, But doing this every 2-10 minutes doesn't let you get anything accomplished!

One questionably important tidbit...We have a "warning" that is popping up from microsoft that we may be the victim of counterfit software, as we had to reformat our hard drive several months ago, and our computer came pre-installed with the XP and we were not provided a disc....You get the picture.  I don't know if this may be the issues or not.

Also, There was No virus protection on the desktop!!!??? So I have run Malwarebytes Anti-malware, and cleaned up a few problems, also installed McAfee and run a complete scan, cleaned up a little more.
Been reading though a few similar posts and ran HijackThis and Remove It Pro
Restarted a hundred times
But I must admit, with hijack this, I didn't know what items were valid and what were not, so I did not "fix" file information it produced.

Currently running another complete McAfee scan to see what it turns up....
I would appreciate any help that anyone could provide, with no virus protection for so long there is just no telling what may have been picked up....and this could be the problem, and then again maybe it's not!
Thank you in advance for any ideas!

[Allan]

One questionably important tidbit...We have a "warning" that is popping up from microsoft that we may be the victim of counterfit software, as we had to reformat our hard drive several months ago, and our computer came pre-installed with the XP and we were not provided a disc....You get the picture.  I don't know if this may be the issues or not.

Also, There was No virus protection on the desktop!!!???

Let's see - no AV protection and a pirated version of the OS. Hmmmm. Yeah, I think we can guess your problem.

[indytoo]

Please don't be rude....
I am having a serious problem....
There REALLY is NO FUNNY business going on here. 
Yes... I do not have a legal copy of my OS, because when we legally purchased our computer, a high end graphics computer, We did not get a copy of the software on disc, it was already installed.  And quite frankly, it just didn't occur to me that we didn't have one until the hard drive crashed in Jan.
I have read that several other people on this site also have had similar no disc issues when they purchased their computers.
The reason there was no virus protection on the computer was probably oversite.  My husband is an artist and he has all the adobe packages (LEGALLY!!)  He didn't even realize that there was no virus software on the computer until we started looking into this problem.

When our desktop computer crashed at the beginning of the year, and we had to redo the hard drive we realized we didn't have an XP disc.  We were also in the midst of changing internet/phone/cable companies.  When we got Comcast instead of RCN we also changed Security Services.  With all of the other things that had to be replaced he just never downloaded the new McAfee.
I have a Legal copy of XP on my personal laptop, but the XP disc's branding will not allow us to put it on any computer but a toshiba. AND I even have had the McAffee installed since January.

So please don't make a judgement about our situation, which is not how it may seem, and help us resolve our problem.
 If there is someone out there with constructive assistance ideas to help us resolve our problem, it would be more than appreciated.

[Allan]

You're right - my post was unnecessarily sarcastic. So let me attempt to explain politely:

1) Unless I am completely misunderstanding your two posts, you've installed a pirated version of the OS (and the fact that others on this site are also violating the law doesn't make it right). Regardless of the reason or "justification", the fact is that it is not a retail version. The likelihood of problems arising as a result is not insignificant.

2) You were running your system without an AV. The likelihood of problems arising as a result is enormous.

3) McAfee is at the bottom of the list of software providers. Their products are, at best, not good.

How to address your problems?

1) Download a good AV utility (paid or free, your choice). Paid: Kaspersky, Nod, Norton/Symantec. Free: Avira, Avast, AVG
2) Uninstall McAFee and install the new AV. Update it and run a full scan
3) Download and run a full scan with Super AntiSpyware
4) Either purchase a retail version of XP and do a repair install or contact your computer provider and ask them for a copy of XP and do a repair install. Each copy of XP is licensed to one compter.

[indytoo]

Thank you for your apology...I have not intentionally created these problems, and as I said in the other posts, the desk top is totally my husband's territory.

This has been really frustrating and I am really not a "computer" person. 
I just have way more patience than he does to try to resolve these problems once they have occurred....

As far as not having the AV installed, I was screaming at him about it not being on his computer too, especially since we have so much personal information on it.

The XP issue is being worked on, I already have a call in to the retailer....

I guess there is no other way to find out the original information from the desk top since we reformatted it in January....correct?

I will follow through with the the AV providers, I had no idea that McAfee "sucked", so I will uninstall it and choose one of the other providers you suggest. 

I was already following the steps for removing malware from another part of this site, which included scanning with hijackthis and Super Spyware etc, from evilfantasy.

I will work on these issues and post a result asap.....

Thank you for your help I realize that this problem has been created by our misguided attempts to fix our last issue, but I really hope that THIS time we can fix it correctly.

Most of all, have PATIENCE with all of us out there who find these electronic contraptions fun to email, shop and play around with but haven't the slightest clue what to do when things hit the fan.....

[smeezekitty]

you need to argue with the computer manuafurer to get a licence key
and xp without an antivirus is like going  in space without a space suit

[indytoo]

Spent most of the day doing that exact thing.... THEY CLAIM IT WAS AN OVERSITE.....SURE!!!
They are sending me a new copy by FedEX!!!!
Yeah for me.....
Sometimes the little guy wins!!!!

In addition, I ran all kinds of virus scans all day,
we've got the following:
Trojan horse Dropper.generic.AVZD.......in several places
Trojan horse Dropper.generic.AWAO
Trojan horse downloader.generic8.BKAT
Trojan Horse Nakgo.A
and last but I'm sure not least.....
Backdoor.Bot


Now I do not know what to do with these files, I can't seem to find a place on the internet to tell me how to "clean them out"? but I'm still looking.
Right now they are just sitting in a quarantined folder of some sort.
What do I do with them know?
What if I need that part of the file they are attached to if I can't get rid of the Trojan?
That is why I am afraid to just delete them....

But you should all be very proud of me, I actually was not having a problem caused by these little Trojans, (I think)....
I noticed, as I stated in my initial post, that if I kept disabling our internet connection icon in the network connections, (even though it always said there was an internet connection when windows said there was not), it kept identifying the connection as Nvidia network something.  Somehow, I remembered that my husband just updated Internet Explorer and I wondered if the drivers for the Nvidia whatever were compatible with the new Explorer.....
So I went to the nvidia site and downloaded all new drivers for all the hardware we had and sure enough after a restart......We have had a internet connection ever since !  So far it has stayed on....
I may be actually learning something by reading all of these posts afteralll!!!!

I'll keep you all posted, but, so far, we're up and running.
Now if someone can just let me know what to do with all these messed up files without causing any more problems, I'll feel like a genius!!!
Thanks to all who helped with out even knowing it.......
If you read enough posts, your dreams just may come true!!!!

[patio]

I would copy and burn any data you need from that machine and once the CD's arrive format and do a clean install of XP...

[Allan]

I would copy and burn any data you need from that machine and once the CD's arrive format and do a clean install of XP...

That would have been my next suggestion too.

[indytoo]

But by copying everything I need from the desktop won't i just wind up copying some of the trojans/viruses with the other files?
I thought I should clean them out from all of the files then copy over my file and reformat once the disc comes tomorrow.....
Please advise....
Thanks

[patio]

Scan the files with all your protection packages before burning them...

[indytoo]

Yes yes, I understand that, but the files that have been identified as having trojans are not "cleanable" and they are sitting in a special virus file, can I just erase them or can they be files I actual will need.....
I'm a little lost now as to what to do with the identified files

[patio]

Then ignore them if they are infected...not sure why you would want them in the first place...