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jholsenback
3 Posts
0
4234
April 12th, 2005 12:00
missing files
When I start my computer, i get a message "windows cannot find smsse.exec". I know that system32 has been quarantined because of the Trojan Horse virus. Anybody know what I should do next? I also get a series of messages the "you or a program you are using has requested information from......" and asking which program to use to access the internet.
- moon,just some friendly advice.... hope you don't mind:there are all levels of people asking for help in these forums, from complete newbies, to highly-advanced/competent individuals. unless we know for a fact that someone is technically fluent in computer usage, it's probably for the best to keep things low(er) level --- for example (from this, as well as other threads I see you've entered):not everyone knows about 'start-up' lists... if you want to specify MSCONFIG, or some other such program, please be explicit... with detailed instructions on usage. also, the people should be urged to proceed with (at least some) caution here.not everyone is capable of recognizing 'suspicious entries'... either you want to avoid such a vague term, or perhaps point the individual to some of the standard online start-up lists (like PacMan's Portal).when you suggest running in safe-mode, you should indicate the procedure to boot up with F8when you determine that (smsse.exe , for example) is a virus, it wouldn't hurt to at least name/identify the virus, in case the person wants to read/learn more about it... maybe even give them the URL(s) for your info.editing the registry is only for the experienced user... improper 'editing' can have severe negative consequences... so i wouldn't recommend this "in general"as you noted, suggesting a person switch to Linux is indeed a "radical step", and so i personally wouldn't advise it. (would their 'old' programs still run? --- or would they have to buy new linux versions? can they have a single pc, with the option/ability to boot either windows or linux? &etc.)finally, keep in mind that newbies need not only simplicity, but also consensus of opinion. it can be confusing if they're bombarded with potentially conflicting advice. I know we all want to be of help. But, once someone has offered concrete/specific advice/suggestions, why not give the individual a chance to try things out first, before you offer an alternative? (unless, of course, you feel the advice offered would be harmful, in which case, by all means, feel free to jump in)i hope you consider all this, in the spirit that it was offered. we need more workers here.
KY331: I read your friendly advice on the Missing Files thread and thanks for understanding that some of us, especially me, are not technically flunt in computer usage. Your advice was "right on the money". Thanks for being such a great help to me in the past and probably in the future. T Morris
jholsenback
3 Posts
316
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Posted April 14th, 2005 13:00
Thanks to moon and ky331 both. I will proceed gingerly and let you know how it comes out.Russ Holmes
2 Posts
316
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Posted May 3rd, 2005 06:00
I had this problem, running virus scanner or adware removal seems to get rid of the problem file, but does not remove the entry in the registry which makes the call to the exe at system startup. To get rid of this edit registry key "shell" in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Remove any reference to smsse.exe - I had "Explorer.exe smsse.exe" so I changed it to just "Explorer.exe" and everything seems to work properly now.
- hmm... time is in short supply here. I haven't had much spare time until now...
I see what you mean, and I understand. Usually I try to water down what I say, but keep in mind this... It was quite late when i wrote it... I wanted not only to help the people I tried to help, but also to get finished and go to bed.
Anyways, I appreciate what your telling me, and I might come by every once in a while, but I'm afraid that helping people (or trying to) is quite time consuming. Therefore, mostly I don't think I will be coming here often.
On another note, I'm proudly running a spyware scan, which is coming up with 0 results, despite going a month or two without running a type of scan whatsoever. Currently ran Spybot, Adaware, spysweeper, planning on running M$ antispyware and counterspy, both allegedly leaders in the field. Spysweeper is my choice, though I heard that counterspy's pretty good. - moon,yes, posting here can indeed be very time consuming... even to the point of it becoming an obsession. but, in order to be able to give good advice ---- AND to be able to follow-up on anything you've started ---- i don't see that there's any viable "short-cut" alternative.for you, or anyone else interested, i just wanted to point out that Microsoft's anti-spyware beta, as well as Sunbelt's CounterSpy, are both legitimate licensed clones of Giant's antispyware.... if you simply glance at their appearance/interface, they look like copies of each other. as i understand the history here, Sunbelt obtained a licensing agreement from Giant.... and afterwards, Microsoft bought out Giant completely. so both shared the technology/appearance to that point. meaning, you have to wonder how much a person will gain by running both of these. however, as time goes by, and each company continues to update their databases, and make improvements, there may be more discernible differences between the programs.
moon_utt
17 Posts
316
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Posted April 13th, 2005 12:00
SMSS.exe is a system file
SMSSE.exe is a virus. Delete it if possible, get rid of it's registry stuff, etc. etc.
The best thing to do is manually search for the file, as they sometimes will stick themselves in other folders. Do this in safe mode for best results. Also, take a look at your startup list, and look for SMSSE.exe somewhere. Delete it if you find it.