4/06; 0406, 406 GB

Day before yesterday, I checked the fragmentation of my C drive and was shocked and horrified to learn that my C drive was nearly full, when only the day before, it was nearly empty.

Using Defraggler, i was able to get a suspect file name and so by poking around a bit found a temp folder that contained 406 GB, I didn't check to see how many files were in the folder, but there were many and they were all the same size.

I was in such a hurry to delete the file that I didn't research it very much and I didn't open any files, but I did notice that the file was initiated on 4/6 and 0406 and that the folder contained 406 GB.

I deleted the files, but those numbers haunted me, so today I call Comcast who was less than helpful, to see if my bandwith indicated that such a file was downlaoded when it said it was.

It occurred to me that the file might have been small, but that it may have replicated itself many times.

It doesn't seem like a coincidence that those numbers were all related, but I haven't seen anymore reports of such an attack.

I have seen reports of full HDs overnight, but never a serious discussion of the case, although people suggest software to remove the offending files. Fortunately, I was able to delete the files myself.

Anyone heard of such a thing?

reminds me of p2p programs doing that
not saying that's what it was though

Sounds like W32.Leech.

I would suggest getting Avira Antivir and Malwarebytes Anti-malware. They're both free and as good (and in a lot of cases better) than the stuff you have to pay for.

Good luck, and let us know how things turn out.


TheAssoc.

reply to post by TheAssociate



Thanks. I already have Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 1.45, SUPERAntiSpyware, McAfee, and others.

Nothing has shown up since and I ditched the Norton program from Comcast because the firewall kept failing Symantec's own firewall checker because port 80 was open.

I didn't get a notice that my HD was full, but it was pretty close.

The virus you mentioned does sound like the culprit, though.


[edit on 2010/4/14 by GradyPhilpott]

Well, I followed the instructions on that website and it wiped most of my music files.

I don't think that's what I was looking for.

Fortunately, I have them backed up, but I'll have to reinstall Norton to retrieve them.

[edit on 2010/4/14 by GradyPhilpott]

reply to post by TheAssociate


I was fortunate to have my music files backed up, so I didn't lose anything by following the advice in the above post, but I would dissuade anyone else from doing so.

And by the way, I get my music from legitimate sources like Amazon, in fact, almost exclusively Amazon.

I thought it looked suspicious, but felt I was covered, which I was.

The article is apparently written by someone who doesn't like P2P users.

I will assume that TheAssociate was acting in good faith, but posting prank computer fixes in Computer Help isn't cool or funny.


[edit on 2010/4/14 by GradyPhilpott]

reply to post by GradyPhilpott


Sorry.

I didn't read or mean for you to follow the instructions on the site, I just posted it to describe the virus I thought you had. I just meant for you to try removing it with MBAM or Avira.

Again, apologies for the mixup and any damage.


TheAssoc.

No damage.

I followed instructions I thought sounded suspicious, but knew it would only involve an inconvenience if it didn't work out.

Reading the article later, it was clear it is a satire piece.

However, people looking for relief from computer problems are not looking for satire, only results.

I just want to make it clear that no one should follow those instructions.

Even the geekiest of geeks has an off day, now and then. I should've been more thorough in my research. Apologies again.

The problem when it comes to Windoze and viruses, is that the best advice you're gonna find is still just educated guesswork. There's just so many types of infections out there, and so many being created daily that it's next to impossible to keep up with all of them.

If at all possible, you should give Linux a try. Ubuntu is a popular and easy to use distribution, and there's a live CD available, so you wouldn't even have to create a dual-boot setup to test drive it.

Linux isn't perfect, but the odds of something like the problem you're currently facing happening in a *nix OS are slim to nil.

Good luck, apologies again, and feel free to throw a few insults at me for dropping the ball.


TheAssoc.