Rootkit Virus?

Borg 386 · 04 Aug 2016

Gelbs said:

Surely if it was something bad, then MRT, Windows Defender & Malwarebytes would detect it or something also??

You would think so. If you ran all the other tools & nothing showed & the only thing getting hits is AVG, then it's likely its an AVG problem. But just to be safe, but sure to scan your personal files before introducing them back into the system. Here are a couple articles to erase the HDD if you decide you want to take that course of action.

2015: How to securely erase hard drives (HDDs) and solid state drives (SSDs) | ZDNet

How to securely erase your hard drive | PCWorld

http://www.howtogeek.com/213295/how-...-selling-them/

Gelbs · 04 Aug 2016

Yeah I sometimes do! Cheers for advice. I read too that someone from a few years ago had a similar problem, and was still all clear. It could just be that AVG is detecting a kind of 'root kit' behaviour because of the Windows update or something, or because they haven't updated things from their end. It's hard to see it's a virus etc though. I haven't done anything on my computer, and all AVG scans were fine prior til yesterday. Fingers crossed, lol. If my computer starts behaving bad or weird etc, then I will start worrying!

Borg 386 · 05 Aug 2016

Hope you have it sorted, keep a close eye on things.

Gelbs · 05 Aug 2016

It had come back again. But now today, this morning. I've done numerous AVG scans, and nothing is detected. Hopefully it's corrected itself!

Borg 386 · 05 Aug 2016

Try to discern if there is a pattern to it's appearances. Does it only happen at certain times, with certain programs, etc.? Does it show up after you put a file back on the system or run a certain program? If there is any pattern to it, maybe you can find the source. Otherwise, if it keeps showing up occasionally, wipe the drive & start from scratch.

Once you got this sorted there is something that can help you down the road. Make a system image on an external drive, make images on a regular basis and make sure the external drive is not always plugged into the system. This way if something happens, you can restore the OS with little trouble. Keep 3 or 4 older images on the drive in case you inadvertently make one with a virus/malware, that way you have something to fall back on. A system image will also be a lifesaver should ransomware strike.

System Image - Create in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

A system image is an exact copy of all system disks which can be used to restore your PC to the state it was in at the time the image was made. By default, a system image only includes the drives that Windows requires to run, including Windows 10 itself, your system settings, programs, and files. You may also include any other drive in the image if you wish. When you restore your computer from a system image it is a complete restoration, you cannot choose individual items to restore and all of your current programs, system settings, and files are replaced with the contents of the system image.