Have my first virus (Luke Filewalker)

[giddyup]

Have managed to get my first virus on my relatively new Lenovo all-in-one, never had a problem in 5 years on my laptop now I have things I can't seem to remove. I have a small box in the middle of my screen that just has the words Luke Filewalker inside, that won't close, also when I open new windows I get a redirect to a Plus! search engine. I have looked everywhere, run scans but I can't remove any of the offending sites. Please help!

[chiang mai]

Lots of easy options here:

 

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/622931/avira-av-keeps-giving-me-security-alerts-with-new-virus/

 

Malwarebytes is probably the easiest.

Edited December 22, 2016 by chiang mai

[chrisinth]

giddyup, are you using Avira anti-virus?

 

I believe Luke Filewalker is part of the anti-virus engine in Avira and not an actual virus. If you are using Avira, try this:

 

Luke Filewalker of Avira disable

First of all, open the antivirus "Avira AntiVir".
Then click on the menu item "administration".
Next, click on the sub-item "planner"to the window with the automatic search to open.
Finally, remove the check mark in the "Full system scan" and the automatic scan of the Luke Filewalker belongs to the past.

 

If this is your problem, I would uninstall Avira and try one of the many other free anti-virus programs that are available out there.

[giddyup]

33 minutes ago, chrisinth said:

giddyup, are you using Avira anti-virus?

 

I believe Luke Filewalker is part of the anti-virus engine in Avira and not an actual virus. If you are using Avira, try this:

 

Luke Filewalker of Avira disable

First of all, open the antivirus "Avira AntiVir".
Then click on the menu item "administration".
Next, click on the sub-item "planner"to the window with the automatic search to open.
Finally, remove the check mark in the "Full system scan" and the automatic scan of the Luke Filewalker belongs to the past.

 

If this is your problem, I would uninstall Avira and try one of the many other free anti-virus programs that are available out there.

Yes, I only downloaded Avira a couple of days ago. What other free anti virus would you recommend? I have McCafee free pre-installed with Lenovo and I have added CCleaner as well. BTW, when I open Avira I don't have a sub section "Planner", only "Schedule" and that doesn't have Full Scan ticked.

Edited December 22, 2016 by giddyup

[chrisinth]

5 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Yes, I only downloaded Avira a couple of days ago. What other free anti virus would you recommend? I have McCafee free pre-installed with Lenovo and I have added CCleaner as well.

 

Here is a link to the best free anti virus programs for 2016 from PC magazine. I can't really recommend one as i use a paid service. Along with the anti-virus, you want to look at a good anti-malware function of the program you try.

 

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388652,00.asp 

 

NOTE: You actually may have a bit of a conflict if you are running both McAfee & Avira at the same time; usually, unless it is a specialized software that allows multi anti-virus programs (like GFI for instance) you may well have conflicts between the different scans. If you are going to chose another anti-virus program to try, delete both McAfee & Avira before installing it.

 

Best of luck....................

[Gary A]

I'm a big fan of Malware bytes. It is free and has gotten rid of junk that my antivirus program could not find. The paid version works automatically but I use the free version and scan every couple of weeks.

[Rob13]

Malware bytes, and SuperAntiSpyware both have free versions that are very good. If neither of those work try ADWCleaner, another free one that works good.

Edited December 22, 2016 by Rob13

[giddyup]

I have installed Malware bytes but am still getting redirects when I open a new window, either to another search engine or to advertising like Lazada.

[Rob13]

Redirects sound like adware, try the ADW Cleaner. It's good for that.

[KittenKong]

2 hours ago, chrisinth said:

I believe Luke Filewalker is part of the anti-virus engine in Avira and not an actual virus.

 

It is indeed. The name being a Star Wars joke.

 

But what is the OP's problem? This box is just the antivirus doing its job. Why doesnt he just leave the thing alone and stop fiddling with it? Avira is a perfectly good free antivirus and does the job.

[Rob13]

5 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

But what is the OP's problem?

 

27 minutes ago, giddyup said:

when I open a new window, either to another search engine or to advertising like Lazada.

 

 

I don't think he likes the redirects.

[giddyup]

3 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

 

It is indeed. The name being a Star Wars joke.

 

But what is the OP's problem? This box is just the antivirus doing its job. Why doesnt he just leave the thing alone and stop fiddling with it? Avira is a perfectly good free antivirus and does the job.

I wasn't aware that Filewalker was part of Avira otherwise I wouldn't have asked, and I wasn't "fiddling" with it. That was not my only problem, as I pointed out that I was also getting constant redirects as well.

[giddyup]

Just now, Rob13 said:

 

 

 

I don't think he likes the redirects.

No, who would?

[Rob13]

Just now, giddyup said:

No, who would?

 

 

Not me, did you try the  ADwCleaner?

[giddyup]

8 minutes ago, Rob13 said:

 

 

Not me, did you try the  ADwCleaner?

Yes I did thanks. It found over 30 malicious threats!

[KittenKong]

7 minutes ago, giddyup said:

I wasn't aware that Filewalker was part of Avira otherwise I wouldn't have asked, and I wasn't "fiddling" with it. That was not my only problem, as I pointed out that I was also getting constant redirects as well.

 

In my book installing all these antiviruses and cleaners and blockers is indeed fiddling.

 

Your redirection problem probably stems from some "free" software that you have downloaded. Stop doing it.

 

If you want to solve that problem first say whether it affects all browsers or not and, if not, which browser(s) you use.

 

If it doesnt then it's probably just that your home page has been reset. Put it back to whatever you want in the browser options. If that doesnt work then you have probably managed to install a browser extension. Remove it from the extensions section of the browser options.

 

If the problem affects all browsers then it is a different matter.

[giddyup]

2 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

 

In my book installing all these antiviruses and cleaners and blockers is indeed fiddling.

 

Your redirection problem probably stems from some "free" software that you have downloaded. Stop doing it.

 

If you want to solve that problem first say whether it affects all browsers or not and, if not, which browser(s) you use.

 

If it doesnt then it's probably just that your home page has been reset. Put it back to whatever you want in the browser options. If that doesnt work then you have probably managed to install a browser extension. Remove it from the extensions section of the browser options.

 

If the problem affects all browsers then it is a different matter.

It affects all browsers. Are you saying that there is no reason to install any anti virus, adblock kind of software?

[Rob13]

7 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Yes I did thanks. It found over 30 malicious threats!

 

 

And you're still getting redirected?

[giddyup]

Just now, Rob13 said:

 

 

And you're still getting redirected?

Yes, but not every time I open a new window.

[KittenKong]

10 minutes ago, giddyup said:

It affects all browsers. Are you saying that there is no reason to install any anti virus, adblock kind of software?

 

Which browsers? When exactly did the problem start? Put the list of installed programmes into date order and see what, if anything, was installed around that time.

 

No, I'm saying that one antivirus tool should be enough. What you dont want to be doing is downloading and installing many so-called "free" bits of software. There's often a reason they are "free".

[SunsetT]

3 hours ago, chrisinth said:

giddyup, are you using Avira anti-virus?

 

I believe Luke Filewalker is part of the anti-virus engine in Avira and not an actual virus. If you are using Avira, try this:

 

Luke Filewalker of Avira disable

First of all, open the antivirus "Avira AntiVir".
Then click on the menu item "administration".
Next, click on the sub-item "planner"to the window with the automatic search to open.
Finally, remove the check mark in the "Full system scan" and the automatic scan of the Luke Filewalker belongs to the past.

 

If this is your problem, I would uninstall Avira and try one of the many other free anti-virus programs that are available out there.

Avast is free, and seems efficient as Ive never had a virus or they've removed any I've had. Doesnt seem to slow my system down either which AVG began to do before I switched to Avast....Many years ago mind, so AVG might be OK again now.

 

[giddyup]

2 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

 

Which browsers? When exactly did the problem start? Put the list of installed programmes into date order and see what, if anything, was installed around that time.

 

No, I'm saying that one antivirus tool should be enough. What you dont want to be doing is downloading and installing many so-called "free" bits of software. There's often a reason they are "free".

Firefox, Google, Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. I have removed all programs that I installed in the last 3 days.

[Rob13]

1 hour ago, giddyup said:

Yes, but not every time I open a new window.

 

 

Sometimes you have to run it a couple up times to get everything.

[Chicog]

2 hours ago, giddyup said:

Firefox, Google, Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. I have removed all programs that I installed in the last 3 days.

 

Unfortunately that doesn't mean you've removed all the crap that may have sneaked in with them.

Get a bootable antivirus ISO and burn it to a USB. Boot and Scan.

 

https://www.lifewire.com/free-bootable-antivirus-tools-2625785

[giddyup]

The one I'm having problems removing is a Search redirect ozipcompression.com. How do I remove it? I have run a couple of virus scans and it's still there.

[Chicog]

38 minutes ago, giddyup said:

The one I'm having problems removing is a Search redirect ozipcompression.com. How do I remove it? I have run a couple of virus scans and it's still there.

 

See post 24.  If a virus is sophisticated enough (and many are nowadays), it can hide itself from antivirus software and simply repopulate.

 

 

[xylophone]

58 minutes ago, giddyup said:

The one I'm having problems removing is a Search redirect ozipcompression.com. How do I remove it? I have run a couple of virus scans and it's still there.

 

If you Google it you will get the web page and at the bottom there is an uninstall tool........have you tried that avenue?

[KittenKong]

57 minutes ago, giddyup said:

The one I'm having problems removing is a Search redirect ozipcompression.com. How do I remove it? I have run a couple of virus scans and it's still there.

Waste of time running virus scans as this is not a virus. It's software that you have installed along with some downloaded free software. STOP DOWNLOADING "FREE" SOFTWARE.

 

You should be able to remove all instances of this via the browser extensions options and home page and search engine options of those browsers. I also suggest that you go back further in the installed programmes list and remove all downloaded free programmes.

 

If that fails, backup your data and reset the PC to factory condition and start again but DONT DOWNLOAD ANY FREE SOFTWARE. These problems have only arisen because you downloaded and installed dodgy free software. So just dont do it unless you know for certain that the "free" software you are downloading is respectable. Hint: most of it isn't. Exceptions are well-known programmes like LibreOffice, famous antiviruses etc

 

[giddyup]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions, hopefully I'm getting it under control.

[Chicog]

There is nothing wrong with free software as long as you know for certain it is clean. That means you got it from the software's author and they are trustworthy.

If in doubt ask here. Many people in this forum have done the heavy lifting and will be able to advise you what's good and what isn't.