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General discussion

Cant logon to WindowsXP, deleted some registry keys

Sep 14, 2010 3:25AM PDT

I use Malwarebytes Antimalware regularly

http://www.malwarebytes.org/mba
m
and havent had an infection found

in about a year.
Yesterday i scanned after about a month and i saw 12 infections !

MBAM said it could not clean a few infections:

==============
Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware 1.44
Database version: 3510
Windows 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2
Internet Explorer Unknown

9/11/2010 11:19:49 PM
mbam-log-2010-09-11 (23-19-49).txt

Scan type: Quick Scan
Objects scanned: 94917
Time elapsed: 2 minute(s), 49 second(s)

Memory Processes Infected: 0
Memory Modules Infected: 0
Registry Keys Infected: 2
Registry Values Infected: 2
Registry Data Items Infected: 3
Folders Infected: 1
Files Infected: 4

Memory Processes Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Memory Modules Infected:
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Keys Infected:
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\{43bf8cd1-c5d5-2230-7bb2-98f22c2b7dc6}

(Backdoor.Bot) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully.
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-18\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\{43bf8cd1-c5d5-2230-7bb2-98f22c2b7dc6}

(Backdoor.Bot) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully.

Registry Values Infected:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\mp3_audio_codec (Spyware.Zbot) -> Quarantined and

deleted successfully.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Network\uid (Malware.Trace) -> Quarantined and

deleted successfully.

Registry Data Items Infected:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Userinit (Spyware.Zbot) -> Data: c:

\windows\system32\sdra64.exe -> Delete on reboot.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Userinit (Spyware.Zbot) -> Data:

system32\sdra64.exe -> Delete on reboot.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Userinit (Hijack.Userinit) -> Bad: (C:

\WINDOWS\system32\userinit.exe,C:\WINDOWS\system32\sdra64.exe,) Good: (Userinit.exe) -> Quarantined and deleted

successfully.

Folders Infected:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lowsec (Stolen.data) -> Delete on reboot.

Files Infected:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lowsec\local.ds (Stolen.data) -> Delete on reboot.
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lowsec\user.ds (Stolen.data) -> Delete on reboot.
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lowsec\user.ds.lll (Stolen.data) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully.
C:\WINDOWS\system32\sdra64.exe (Spyware.Zbot) -> Delete on reboot.
=======================

So i thought of manually removing the infected Registry keys. (Something i've done many times before)

While I was at
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\
I saw a key named 'Special Accounts', it looked fishy to my paranoid eyes. Had some 'strange' values in it, None

corresponding to my Username (Administrator) or Guest. 3 were somewhat random letters with a ~, and one was '

search assistant'. Looked like malware remains of some kind, so, i deleted them all.

After that i rebooted, the welcome screen showed up (usually straightaway shows me desktop since there is just one

user 'Administrator') with the only user 'Administrator'. When i click it, it shows 'loading your personal

settings' for a second. Then it reads 'saving your settings' and stays at the logon screen. Repeated it for 10

times. Restarted and repeated. Shut Down and repeated. Always same result.

Then i tried the 'Last Know good configuration' in statup options. Still same result.
Tried 'Safe Mode' starts loading then breaks at 'unable to load NTFS.dll'
'Safe mode with networking' same logon screen and same one second login and return to logon screen.

I dont know how to login. Can someone please help. Is there a way to remotely add the keys back to my registry. Or

some way to correct this problem?

Thanks and Regards

guptavis

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
"Though the trojan has been identified and can be killed,
Sep 20, 2010 3:46AM PDT

"Though the trojan has been identified and can be killed, because of it's backdoor functionality, your PC is very likely compromised and there is no way to be sure your computer can ever again be trusted. Many experts in the security community believe that once infected with this type of trojan, the best course of action would be a reformat and reinstall of the OS. Please read"
More at http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic346102.html

Since the OS is now dead, we look to save our files or forget that or pop in a NEW HARD DRIVE to install the OS to then add the old drive to reclaim our files. OR then again if we have a backup, we restore from backup.
Bob

- Collapse -
If this really is a windows XP problem
Sep 21, 2010 6:56AM PDT

as described in the title to your original posting, you could try reading the Microsoft Document Q307545 entitled "How to recover from a corrupt registry that prevents windows XP from starting".
I have used it many times to recover XP systems don't know if it works in Vista.
HTH