Is this a virus???

Anyone able to offer any help on the following...

Shortly after booting up, a dialoag appears stating that there’s a problem with the Services Controller app (services.exe). When I close the dialog, another dialog appears stating that Windows will shut down in a minute.

It sounds like a virus – notably Blaster or Sasser – but I’ve run Symantec’s detection and removal tools for both of those and the system has come up clean. I’m using XP Pro sp1 (had sp2 and uninstalled it to see if that was the problem) along with Zone Alarm and Norton Anti-Virus with Live Update (which is claiming to be fully up to date).

I can prevent the shutdown by running the command shutdown –a in a dos prompt, but it doesn’t really help as the fact that services aren’t running properly means half my software isn’t working anyway, plus I don’t really want to be doing too much if it IS a virus.

Tearing my hair out now – any suggestions?

 

Hi there, can you please follow the steps located here, just use your Anti-virus instead of Nod32.

The steps there should fairly well tell if your system is clean...

Lets us know how you go...

Cheers

 

Thanks for that. Tried it all, found a few viruses along the way, but it doesn't seem to have solved the problem.

Might it just be that services.exe has been corrupted?

I know this might be drifting away from the realm of AV, but I could do with the advice if anyone can offer it.

 

Is your system fully patched, as in Windows right up to date?

Have you run a Hijack This Log and posted it on one of the forums mentioned below it in the link I posted?

Cheers