Help! I can't get rid of Linkmedia adware

[lissa474]

Hello Everyone, I am having a very difficult time trying to get rid of a Linkmedia virus. I can't seem to get rid of this adware virus no matter what I do. I am almost to the point of reformatting my hard-drive to get rid of it but I will only do that as a last resort. I download Spysweeper and it detected it as a spyware called linkmedia, but I only had the trial version of spysweeper so it wouldn't remove it. I then got Norton antivirus which also detected it as linkmedia and it said it removed it but I still kept getting the same popups. Then I scanned again, and it said it removed it again but it still wasn't gone. I then downloaded Ad-aware but it didn't detect it. Then, I went to the Norton website and tried to manually remove it from the registry which told me to delete the following keys:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\LinkMedia
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
\Uninstall\[CHINESE CHARACTERS]
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\Root\LEGACY_IPRIP
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\Root\LEGACY_NWSAPAGENT
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\IPRIP
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Nwsapagent
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\Root\LEGACY_IPRIP
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\Root\LEGACY_NWSAPAGENT
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\IPRIP
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Nwsapagent

However, when trying to delete 2 of  the keys above (the one's in red highlight), I got the following error, "CANNOT DELETE LEGACY_NWSAPAGENT: Error while deleting key." It does have a subkey which is "0000". I tried to delete it again while in safe mode like the Norton website advised and also did another scan which of course didn't work again. Finally I downloaded HijackThis and I found a hidden adware.bde file while scanning the log file which hadn't been found by anything else. I deleted it but I still have the adware. I don't know what else to do. Here is the latest log file from HijackThis:

Logfile of HijackThis v1.99.1
Scan saved at 8:33:50 PM, on 2/9/2007
Platform: Windows XP SP1 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP1 (6.00.2800.1106)

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccSvcHst.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\AppCore\AppSvc32.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\Program Files\Symantec\LiveUpdate\ALUSchedulerSvc.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccSvcHst.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\nvsvc32.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\Program Files\Webroot\Spy Sweeper\SpySweeper.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Mixer.exe
C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunesHelper.exe
C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_10\bin\jusched.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\RUNDLL32.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\System32\rundll32.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\chkdisk.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccApp.exe
C:\Documents and Settings\Melissa\Desktop\ryan2\Datel\ZDWlan.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\Program Files\iPod\bin\iPodService.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\CCPD-LC\symlcsvc.exe
C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe
C:\Program Files\Webroot\Spy Sweeper\SpySweeperUI.exe
C:\Program Files\Webroot\Spy Sweeper\SSU.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\regedit.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\wuauclt.exe
C:\Downloaded Software\hijackthis\HijackThis.exe

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Window Title = Internet Explorer Provided by Cox High Speed Internet
O2 - BHO: Adobe PDF Reader Link Helper - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: SSVHelper Class - {761497BB-D6F0-462C-B6EB-D4DAF1D92D43} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_10\bin\ssv.dll
O3 - Toolbar: &Radio - {8E718888-423F-11D2-876E-00A0C9082467} - C:\WINDOWS\System32\msdxm.ocx
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvCplDaemon] "RUNDLL32.EXE" C:\WINDOWS\System32\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [nwiz] "nwiz.exe" /install
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [C-Media Mixer] Mixer.exe /startup
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [iTunesHelper] "C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunesHelper.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunJavaUpdateSched] "C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_10\bin\jusched.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvMediaCenter] "RUNDLL32.EXE" C:\WINDOWS\System32\NvMcTray.dll,NvTaskbarInit
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [UninstalTime] chkdisk.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ccApp] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccApp.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [osCheck] "C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\osCheck.exe"
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [updateMgr] "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Reader\AdobeUpdateManager.exe" AcRdB7_0_9 -reboot 1
O4 - Global Startup: Adobe Gamma Loader.lnk = C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Calibration\Adobe Gamma Loader.exe
O4 - Global Startup: Adobe Reader Speed Launch.lnk = C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Reader\reader_sl.exe
O4 - Global Startup: Microsoft Office.lnk = C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\OSA.EXE
O4 - Global Startup: ZDWLan Utility.lnk = C:\Documents and Settings\Melissa\Desktop\ryan2\Datel\ZDWlan.exe
O8 - Extra context menu item: E&xport to Microsoft Excel - res://C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\Office10\EXCEL.EXE/3000
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_10\bin\ssv.dll
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Sun Java Console - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_10\bin\ssv.dll
O9 - Extra button: Related - {c95fe080-8f5d-11d2-a20b-00aa003c157a} - C:\WINDOWS\web\related.htm
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Show &Related Links - {c95fe080-8f5d-11d2-a20b-00aa003c157a} - C:\WINDOWS\web\related.htm
O20 - Winlogon Notify: WRNotifier - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\WRLogonNTF.dll
O23 - Service: Automatic LiveUpdate Scheduler - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Symantec\LiveUpdate\ALUSchedulerSvc.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec Event Manager (ccEvtMgr) - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccSvcHst.exe" /h ccCommon (file missing)
O23 - Service: Symantec Settings Manager (ccSetMgr) - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccSvcHst.exe" /h ccCommon (file missing)
O23 - Service: Symantec Lic NetConnect service (CLTNetCnService) - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccSvcHst.exe" /h cltCommon (file missing)
O23 - Service: Google Updater Service (gusvc) - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\Google\Common\Google Updater\GoogleUpdaterService.exe (file missing)
O23 - Service: iPod Service - Apple Computer, Inc. - C:\Program Files\iPod\bin\iPodService.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec IS Password Validation (ISPwdSvc) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\isPwdSvc.exe
O23 - Service: LiveUpdate - Symantec Corporation - C:\PROGRA~1\Symantec\LIVEUP~1\LUCOMS~1.EXE
O23 - Service: NVIDIA Display Driver Service (NVSvc) - NVIDIA Corporation - C:\WINDOWS\System32\nvsvc32.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec Core LC - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\CCPD-LC\symlcsvc.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec AppCore Service (SymAppCore) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\AppCore\AppSvc32.exe
O23 - Service: Webroot Spy Sweeper Engine (WebrootSpySweeperService) - Webroot Software, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Webroot\Spy Sweeper\SpySweeper.exe

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[lissa474]

Nevermind, I figured it out. I just had to reset the permissions for the registry keys to allow full control and then I was able to delete them. I rescanned my system with Spysweeper and Norton and no traces of spyware or adware were found   Adware is such a pain...

[GTO]

Hi lissa474. Welcome to the 2-Spyware.com forums!

Your system is still infected. There is one parasite left. Please do this:

1. Download Pocket KillBox or KillBox utility.

2. Use HijackThis to fix the following entry:
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [UninstalTime] chkdisk.exe

3. Then use either Pocket KillBox or KillBox to delete this file:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\chkdisk.exe

[lissa474]

You were right, I did still have it. I can't believe that both Norton and Spysweeper missed that. That's very strange, but thanks to you I am now rid of it. Thank you for all your help, I really appreciate it