Cheat Engine

[Sora]

Credits to: www.bleepingcomputer.com

Table of Contents:


1. Introduction
2. How to download ComboFix.
3. Forums to receive help analyzing ComboFix logs
4. Manually restoring the Internet connection

Introduction:

ComboFix is a program, created by sUBs, that scans your computer for known malware, and when found, attempts to clean these infections automatically. In addition to being able to remove a large amount of the most common and current malware, ComboFix also displays a log when it is finished that contains a great deal of information that an experienced helper can use to diagnose, retrieve samples of, and remove infections that are not automatically removed.

Due to the power of this tool it is strongly advised that you do not attempt to act upon any of the information displayed by ComboFix without supervision from someone who has been properly trained. If you do so, it may lead to problems with the normal functionality of your computer.

Please note that this guide is the only authorized guide for the use of ComboFix and cannot be copied without permissions from BleepingComputer.com and sUBs. It is also understood that the use of ComboFix is done at your own risk.



If you are using Internet Explorer, you will see a prompt similar to the figure below.


Click on the save button and then when it asks you where to save it, make sure you save it directly to your Windows Desktop. An image is showing this below.


When you have the Save as screen configured to save ComboFix.exe to the Desktop, click on the Save button. ComboFix will now start downloading to your computer. If you are on a dialup, this may take a few minutes. When ComboFix has finished downloading you will now see an icon on your desktop similar to the one below.


For now, do not start ComboFix as there are a few more steps that need to be done first.

You should now install the Windows Recovery Console. The Windows recovery console will allow you to boot up into a special recovery mode that allows us to help you in the case that your computer has a problem after an attempted removal of malware. If you use Windows XP and have a Windows CD, then you can follow the instructions found in the tutorial listed below.
How to install and use the Windows XP Recovery Console.

Windows Vista users can use their Windows DVD to boot up into the Vista Recovery Environment.

If you use Windows XP and do not have the Windows CD, ComboFix includes a method of installing the Windows Recovery console by downloading a file from Microsoft. To install the Windows Recovery Console when you do not have the Windows XP CD, please follow these instructions:

1. Click on the following link to go to Microsoft's Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310994

2. At that page, scroll down and click on the appropriate download for your version of Windows XP (Home or Professional) and the service pack level that you have installed. When you click on the link to download the file, make sure you save it directly to your desktop. If you are using Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3), then select the Service Pack 2 download. If you are using Windows XP Media Center, then you should select the Windows XP Pro Service Pack 2 download. If you are unsure what version of Windows you have and what Service Pack is installed, you can follow these instructions to gain that information.

1. Click on the Start button.
2. Click on the Run menu option.
3. In the Open: field type the following: sysdm.cpl and then click on the OK button.
4. A screen will appear showing information about your installation. Under the System: category you should see your Windows version and the installed Service Pack. When you are done determining this information continue with Step 2.

3. Once the Microsoft file has finished downloading, you should drag it on top of the ComboFix icon and let your mouse button go. This is shown in the following image.


4. ComboFix will now automatically install the Windows Recovery Console onto your computer, which will show up as a new option when booting up your computer. Do not select the Windows Recovery Console option when you start your computer unless requested to by a helper.

Once the Windows Recovery Console has finished installed, ComboFix will open a prompt stating that it was installed and asking if you would like to proceed with scanning your computer. If you wish to continue, press the Yes button.
We are almost ready to start ComboFix, but before we do so, we need to take some preventative measures so that there are no conflicts with other programs when running ComboFix. At this point you should do the following:

* Close all open Windows including this one.
* Close or disable all running Antivirus, Antispyware, and Firewall programs as they may interfere with the proper running of ComboFix. Instructions on disabling these type of programs can be found in this topic.

Once these two steps have been completed, double-click on the ComboFix icon found on your desktop. Please note, that once you start ComboFix you should not click anywhere on the ComboFix window as it can cause the program to stall. In fact, when ComboFix is running, do not touch your computer at all and just take a break as it may take a while for it to complete.

Once you double-click on the icon, you may see a screen similar to the one below.


Windows is issuing this prompt because ComboFix does not have a digital signature. This is perfectly normal and safe and you can click on the Run button to continue. If you are using Windows Vista, and receive UAC prompt asking if you would like to continue running the program, you should press the Continue button.

You will now see the first ComboFix screen as shown below.


ComboFix is now preparing to run and when it has finished you will see the Disclaimer screen shown below.



If you do not agree to the disclaimer, then press the number 2 key on your keyboard and then press enter to exit the program. Otherwise, to continue you should press the number 1 key and then press the enter key to continue. If you decided to continue, then ComboFix will create a System Restore point so that if any problems occur while using the program you can restore back to your previous configuration. When ComboFix has finished creating the restore point, it will then backup your Windows Registry as shown in the image below.


Once the Windows Registry has finished being backed up, you may now see the below message box.


If you see this box, please click on the Yes button in order for ComboFix to continue. ComboFix will now complete the Recovery Console process and then display a message box stating that you need to press Yes at the next screen. Press the OK button to continue and then at the next screen, which contains a license screen, press the Yes button and a new screen will appear.


Now that the Recovery Console has finished installing, press the Yes button to continue. ComboFix will now disconnect your computer from the Internet. Therefore, do not be surprised or concerned if you receive any warnings stating that you are no longer on the Internet as your connection will be completely restored at a later stage in the program.

ComboFix will now start scanning your computer for known infections. This procedure can take some time, so please be patient.




While the program is scanning your computer, it will change your clock format, so do not be concerned when you see this happen. When ComboFix is finished it will restore your clock settings to what they were previously. You will also see the text in the ComboFix window being updated as it goes through the various stages of its scan. An example of this can be seen below.


At the time of this writing there are a total of 41 stages as shown in the image below, so please be patient. The amount of stages will go up as time goes on, so if the amount of stages is different when you run it, please do not be concerned.


When ComboFix has finished running, you will see a screen stating that it is preparing the log report as shown below.


This can take a while, so please be patient. If you see your Windows desktop disappear, do not worry. This is normal and ComboFix will restore your desktop before it is finished. Eventually you will see a new screen that states the program is almost finished and telling you the programs log file, or report, will be located at C:\ComboFix.txt. This can be seen in the image below.


When ComboFix has finished, it will automatically close the program and change your clock back to its original format. It will then display the log file automatically for you as shown below.


You should now post this log as a reply to the topic where you were asked to run combofix. Your helper will now analyze this log and let you know what they would like you to do next. If you having problems connecting to the Internet after running Combofix, then please see this this section.
Forums to receive help analyzing ComboFix logs

Below is a list of forums where there are authorized helpers who understand and can analyzing ComboFix logs. We have categorized the forums by language as ComboFix is used internationally.


English Forums

Bleeping Computer Tech Support Forum
CastleCops GeeksToGo
SpywareInfo SpywareWarrior
Dell Community SpyKiller
DSLReports Safer-Networking
WhatTheTech Tech Support Guy
D-A-L SpyWare BeWare
PCPitstop CyberTechHelp
Security Forums ThatComputerGuy
MalwareRemoval Webuser
Newbie.org
Atribune
Gladiator Security MajorGeeks
BFC Computer Help Aumha
TeMerc Internet Countermeasures Security Cadets
Cexx


Dutch Forums

German Forums

Blue Medicine HijackThis.de
AntiSpywareOffensief PCMasters
HijackThis.nl CastleCops

Spanish Forums

Portuguese Forums

InfoSpyware Forum Clube do Hardware

French Forums

Danish

Malekal Spywarefri
Zebulon

Finnish Forum


Virustorjunta

Manually restoring the Internet connection

If, by some chance, you no longer have access to your Internet connection after running ComboFix then the first thing to try is to reboot your computer. This step alone should fix the vast majority of issues with no Internet connection after running ComboFix. If you still do not have an Internet connection after rebooting then please perform the following steps:

1. Click on the Start button.
2. Click on the Settings menu option.
3. Click on the Control Panel option.
4. When the Control Panel opens, double-click on the Network Connections icon. If your Control Panel is set to Category View, then double-click on Network and Internet Connections and then click on Network Connections at the bottom.
5. You will now see a list of available network connections. Locate the connection for your Wireless or Lan adapter and right-click on it.
6. You will now see a menu similar to the image below. Simply click on the Repair menu option.



7. Let the repair process perform its tasks and when it has finished, your Internet connection should be working again.

Alternatively, if your network icon also appears on the Windows taskbar, then you can repair it by right-clicking on the icon and selecting Repair as shown below.


If you still do not have an Internet connection after performing these two tasks, then you may want to ask for help in bleepingcomputer's forums.

Make sure you know what you are doing before you download ComboFix.

[Humper]

Great tutorial, I recommend a save a backup first.