Preparation Guide For Use Before Requesting Help

Preparation Guide For Use Before Requesting Help - Printable Version

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+--- Thread: Preparation Guide For Use Before Requesting Help (/showthread.php?tid=534)

Preparation Guide For Use Before Requesting Help - Sneakyone - 09-06-2024

Preparation Guide: What to Do Before Requesting Help

Welcome to the WildlandsTech Malware Removal Forum! If you've found your way to this article, it's likely you're seeking a solution to a potential malware infection on your computer. We're here to help. To assist us in analyzing your computer's configuration, we kindly ask that you follow the detailed steps outlined below.
While these instructions may seem lengthy or complex at first glance, rest assured that the process is straightforward. We've broken it down into several steps to ensure clarity and precision, so you can easily follow along.

Before you begin, we recommend checking to see if there is a self-help guide available for your specific infection. You can find those resources here: Malware Removal Guides.
By carefully following the steps, you'll provide us with the information needed to effectively diagnose and address the issue.

If a self-help guide is available, you may want to try following it first. If you believe your computer is still infected afterward, you can proceed with the steps outlined here.

1.) Backup your data!

Whether or not your computer is currently infected with malware, regularly backing up your data is an essential habit for every computer user. Hard drive failures or malware infections can render your computer unusable, and losing important files, photos, emails, or music can be devastating.

Before proceeding with the malware removal process, we highly recommend that you back up your data to a secure location. This could be an external hard drive, a burnable DVD, or even another computer. Below, we've listed free backup software options that can help you get started:

https://www.aomeitech.com/ab/standard.html
https://www.perfect-backup.com/

2.) - Create a free account

To submit a malware removal log, you must be logged into the forums with a registered account. Registration is free and helps us identify individual users. To create your account, simply click the link below:

Create a Free Account Link

After clicking the link, you’ll be directed to a registration page where you’ll need to fill in some basic details. Please provide a login name, a display name (which will be your public nickname), a password, and a valid email address that you check regularly. It's important to use a valid email address since you'll receive notifications when someone replies to your posts.

You may also provide optional information if you wish. Once you've completed all the required fields, enter the security code from the image and click the Submit my registration button.

After submitting, you’ll receive an email containing a validation link. Clicking this link completes your registration. Once validated, you’ll be able to post in all WildlandsTech forums.

3.) - Download and Run Farbar Recovery Scan Tool (FRST) which will create a log of various information from your computer.

Download the Farbar Recovery Scan Tool (FRST) from this link: FRST Download Link

After clicking the link, you will be directed to the download page. Select either Download Now 32-bit version or Download Now 64-bit version, depending on your Windows version. If you're unsure which version you have, refer to this guide: [How to Tell if You're Running Windows 32-bit or 64-bit Link].

Once you've clicked the correct download button, the download will start automatically. If prompted with the option to Run or Save the file, choose Save and save it to your desktop.

Your browser will now download FRST. When it is done downloading you will need to navigate to your downloads folder and find FRST.exe or FRST64.exe depending on which version your system requires.

Either copy and paste FRST to your desktop or drag FRST onto your desktop screen and you will find an icon on your desktop that looks like below.

Now, double-click the FRST.exe or FRST64.exe icon, depending on the version you downloaded, to launch the program. When you do so, you may see a User Account Control (UAC) prompt asking for confirmation to run the program. This prompt is displayed below.

[Image: FRST-Microsoft-Defender-Smartscreen-1.png]

Click Run Anyway and when you do so, you may see a second screen for a User Account Control (UAC) prompt asking for confirmation to run the program. This prompt is displayed below.

Click on the Yes button to allow FRST to start. If no warning appeared, as shown above, then you should just continue reading.

FRST will now open and you will be presented with the main window as shown below.

At this stage, leave all options as they are and simply click the Scan button to start the scan and generate the report, as illustrated below.

The scanning process may take some time, so please be patient while FRST scans your computer and generates a report for our team to review. Once the scan is complete, FRST will create two reports, FRST.txt and Addition.txt, in the same location where you downloaded and ran the tool. For example, if you ran it from your desktop, the reports will appear there. Afterward, the program will display a prompt indicating that the scan is finished, as shown below.

Please click on the OK button and FRST will display the FRST.txt log in a Notepad window as shown below.

FRST will then display another prompt that states the second log, Addition.txt, is about to be shown as well. Press the OK button and a Notepad window will open that displays the Addition.txt log as shown below.

You are welcome to review the logs, and once finished, close both Notepad windows along with the FRST program. However, make sure not to delete the FRST.txt and Addition.txt files, as they will be required in the next section.

If you encounter any issues running FRST or generating the logs, please move on to the next step and mention the specific problems you faced when creating your malware assistance topic.

4.) Create a new topic in Malware, Virus, Trojan, Ransomware, etc. Removal Help and post the FRST logs

Click the following link to open a new browser window where you can create a new thread in the Malware, Virus, Trojan, Ransomware, etc. Removal Help forum.

In the new window, you'll see a form asking for various details. For the Thread Subject, provide a brief description of your issue, including the infection name or a specific detail related to the problem. For example, if you're dealing with a particular worm, include the name of the worm in the title. If you're infected with something like Virut or Ransomware, make sure to mention that. Providing specific and detailed information about your infection can help speed up the cleanup process, as it allows the helper to be better prepared.

The next part that you must fill out is the actual message of the post.

In the message area, as shown above, write a detailed description of your issue and press the Enter key. Next, copy and paste the contents of the FRST.txt log, which should be located on your desktop. To do this, go to your desktop and double-click on the FRST.txt file to open it. Once it’s open in Notepad, right-click inside the Notepad window, select Select All, then right-click again and choose Copy. Return to the forum post, right-click in the message area, and select Paste to insert the contents of the FRST.txt log. Repeat this process with the Addition.txt file.

When you're finished, your post should contain a detailed description of your problem along with the contents of the FRST.txt and Addition.txt log files. The more specific information you can provide, the easier and quicker it will be for our helpers to assist you. For example, instead of posting something vague like "Help, I get a blue screen when I start my computer," include the exact error message you’re seeing, word for word.

After entering your information, scroll down and click the Post Thread button to submit your thread to the forum. If you receive a message stating that your post is too large, remove the Addition.txt log and try posting again. If this works, you can then reply to your new thread and add the Addition.txt file as a separate post.

5.) - What to expect now that you have created your thread.

Now that your thread is posted, please be patient and wait for a volunteer to review your log and provide guidance on the next steps. Keep in mind that everyone on this site is a volunteer.

While you wait, please refrain from doing the following, as it may impact the assistance you receive:

Do not attempt to fix any issues you find within the logs yourself. Doing so could potentially harm your computer's configuration. Helpers in this forum are trained to interpret these logs, and removing entries based on incorrect information found online could result in removing legitimate programs.
Do not seek help from another site for the same problem unless you have asked us to close your topic here. If we discover that you've requested help elsewhere for the same issue, we will need to close your topic to avoid conflicting advice from different sources, which can complicate the process.

Lastly, please remain patient. We understand how stressful a potential malware infection can be, but it may take some time before we can get to your topic. Rest assured, we will address your issue and work to resolve it to the best of our ability.

Thank you for your understanding, and have a great day!

- Sneakyone