[Silent Bob]

Got this file psvhbdnqlc.exe in my processes and can't get rid of it permanently - it reappears on reboot after ending the process tree and I think its responsible for making new Explorer or Firefox windows open, normally to shopping type sites and its bloody annoying.

Now I had a few of these spurious files on the old XP computer which I was able to get rid of by finding where it was located (via properties) and deleting it, but when querying this one and open the folder it's not there. No search will find it even though "show hidden files and folders" is on.

Can't find anything about it on the net.

Any ideas or programs that will kill it?

Forgot to say I'm using Vista.

[TheReverend]

Sounds more like spyware than a virus so you could try Lvasoft Ad-aware if there's a vista compatible version. Google doesn't bring up any results for the exe which is strange for an unwanted process, there's usually loads of hits

[Silent Bob]

Does the process need to be running for Ad-Aware to find it?

Already got Ad-aware 2007 free version installed.

[lymmguineas]

Wouldn't have thought it needs to be running, but try getting latest adaware updates and then run adaware while the dodgy exe is running.

[Silent Bob]

Found nothing with AdAware or Spybot when it's not running - cant be bothered to reboot now. AVG finds it in the Windows/System32 folder but with a read error and when I go to the folder its not there. Will try again tomorrow if its running. Most odd.

[maxtweenie]

Originally Posted by Silent Bob

Found nothing with AdAware or Spybot when it's not running - cant be bothered to reboot now. AVG finds it in the Windows/System32 folder but with a read error and when I go to the folder its not there. Will try again tomorrow if its running. Most odd.

Is it in system restore? You may need to switch that off, then reboot, and switch it on again,then reboot again to clear it out.

Have you got Spybot S&D? If you have, you can use the advanced version to stop programs running on startup.

Or go to majorgeeks.com and see if they've got a suitable registry cleaner.

[Silent Bob]

I've run "Hijackthis" and generated a log and this is the dodgy line:-

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [psvhbdnqlc] c:\users\neil\appdata\local\microsoft\psvhbdnqlc.e xe psvhbdnqlc

highlighted it and asked it to "fix it". Until I reboot I won't know if its killed it.

Security programs installed and all upto date are:-

Zone Alarm, AVG, Spybot S&D, Spywareblaster and AdAware as well as Vista's own inbuilt stuff.

[Silent Bob]

Hijack this seems to have killed it as it wasn't reappering after a reboot. AVG no longer finds it either.

[maxtweenie]

Originally Posted by Silent Bob

Hijack this seems to have killed it as it wasn't reappering after a reboot. AVG no longer finds it either.

Good. Strange file though. I can't find any details of it on any "techie" sites.