Help! My modem is randomly dialing area funeral homes!

[grannylib]

It does it unless I reboot every time I want to go online...
WTF??? They keep calling me back to see if I need their services!
Yikes!
Tech support at my ISP knows nothing...and Norton can't find any viruses! HELP!!

thanks!

[Misunderestimator]

1. More than one funeral home? That's really, really weird.

[Parche]

2. how morbid

Sounds like your server is coffin up computer balls

[grannylib]

12. *lol* Or maybe it blew a casket, hee hee!

[Blue-Jay]

3. I'm sorry you're having that problem, but.

Baaahahahahahahahaha!

A funeral home?

<snort>

OK... Have you tried uninstalling / reinstalling your ISP connection software? That might work.

heh heh heh

[grannylib]

9. Yeppers, no luck.

[Maple]

4. Sounds like an 'inside job'

Who else has been on your computer?

[grannylib]

10. Just my daughter, and she is not the kind to do that. Not sure if she

could anyhow. I did ask her, though, and I believe her when she claims ignorance...

[gardenista]

5. It's probably the EVIL AVATAR at work! Beware!

[flyingfysh]

6. you have malware on your system

One solution is to go to www.lavasoftusa.com, download the free version of the program Ad-Aware, and run a scan on your system.

[Dookus]

7. hrmm...

maybe your modem knows something you don't.

Stay safe.

[George W. Dunce]

8. Consider yourself lucky it was local

I know people who have had dialers installed and they turn off your modem speaker and dial Africa. Nasty stuff out there use Hijackthis, Addaware6, CWShredder, SpyBot search and destroy and BHODemon.

[grannylib]

11. Yeah this has been mostly local - within a 40 mile or so radius of where

I live.
I have had SpyBot check, and Norton, and holy shit...
What's REALLY weird is the first time it happened was the day before we buried my Dad...
But I have never contacted the funeral home on my PC, I always called or we met in person to discuss arrangements and all.
Damn, this is pissing me off!
Am I getting charged for these calls if they are long distance???

[Bossy Monkey]

13. Somebody (besides you) posted about this a week or so ago

and somebody else posted which Trojan it is and how to get it off the machine. Unfortunately, that thread is in the archives from before when elad backed them up and wiped them. (Your previous thread is still up, but nobody offered anything helpful on that one.) I'll try to see what I can hunt up via Google, and maybe that helpful person will turn up again in the meantime.

As to whether you'd be charged for long distance calls the modem might make, yes you would be. Best to unhook the phone line when you aren't actively online, or turn the computer off.

[Berserker]

14. What OS do you use?

Do you have a firewall?
Do you have Spybot S&D Installed?
Do you have Ad-Aware Installed?

[grannylib]

16. Windows 98. Yes, have SpyBot and AdAware and Norton antivirus.

Can't find anything with any of them.

[grannylib]

15. Hey, thanks for the info! Appreciate it!

[Bossy Monkey]

18. I couldn't find poop, unfortunately

SaidFred's advice is good. You should also get Zone Alarm, a firewall, which is also free. It should prevent programs from phoning out without your express permission.

There's also of course the ever-popular Ctrl + Alt + Del trick; write down everything that comes up in the Close Program dialogue and google anything that looks unfamiliar. You probably won't find anything weird, but it might be worth a try.

[Red State Rebel]

17. This should help.....

There is a program called HiJackthis - it is free and can be downloaded several places included www.download.com. If you go to the website www.cybertechhelp.com, they will explain to you how to operate this program so you can post what is disrupting your computer on their site. They will then tell you what you need to do to fix it. I have done this twice in the past when I had trojan problems and they are very nice.

They don't charge a thing - just help everyone out.

Good luck!!

[Berserker]

19. grannylib

If you do download Hijackthis DO NOT do anything with it until you have been helped by someone who knows what they are doing. (Or you will crash your computer like never before) Here is another very good free computer help forum that will help you.
http://forums.techguy.org/ I recommend this site to anyone that has a computer it's the biggest and the best on the internet.

[politicat]

20. Mr. Pcat the tech says: Back up data, wipe and reload. DL any Svc Packs

and burn to disk before you wipe and reload. DO NOT GO ONLINE until after you're reinstalled and up to date on service packs. (They just went through this at work, he says.) You have a "zombie machine"; it's been taken over by someone or thing.

Also, check your update from Norton. Several viri block Norton's updates. Lovely, huh?

Back up data that you created or that you trust. Try not to keep everything; that will just let you replicate the problem easily.

Sorry, gran. If you can't handle this, most computer shops can handle it.

Pcat

[K. F. Gibbons]

21. What are you doing with a modem grandpa?

How about joining the freaking 21st century and getting cable or dsl.
I haven't even heard the word modem in three years.

By the may, this could be a great start for a script.

[Berserker]

22. Contrary to popular beliefs

(K. F. Gibbons) some people can not get cable they live in areas that don't have it. They have to use dial up. Also some people can not afford cable or satellite.