Hi all,This annoying message starts popping up on my screen when I switch on the computer for the first time. Does not recur when I play FS or restart the computer....... but recurs when I shut down and open up the system again.Please help me get rid of it.Thanks.JineshIt looks like this...http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/127375.jpg

Hi Jinesh, it looks like it's something Pacific Fighters (yahoo). Do you have PF? Good luck and kind regards Jaap

Hi JaapThankyou very much for the reply.I have PF...... but I noticed it only yesterday on my system. What is it? Is it a virus? My e-mail id is from yahoo, anyway. But I don't know what it is nor have I ever used it.The funny thing is that after I had posted for the help.... the nuisance just disappeared on its own.... I don't understand how..... but I now have a new file in the same folder called svchostss.exe (WHICH I AM UNABLE TO DELETE) Is the present problem a virus?You can see it from the screenshot belowhttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/127424.jpgThanks very much again,Kind regards,Jinesh

Hi Jinesh, hmmm, weird... Did I properly understand you have Pacific Fighters? Normally, 'svchost' is a operating system file and it shouldn't be deleted. However, I'm unaware of such a file ending with a single or double 'S'. I can also imagine it shouldn't be located in the Documents and Settings folder. Maybe somebody with more insight can help? Good luck and kind regards Jaap

I mean I have the .exe file called pf in my documents and settings folder. I have never opened this file and I don't know for sure whether pf stands for Pacific Fighter. But this pf.exe file is deletable and can be moved to the recycle bin.However I did a search for this thing at google and came across this link......http://www.tasklist.org/task_svchostss_exe_5963.htmlFrom what I understood from the link above, it seems to be a virus....BAD for me..... but I DO NOT HAVE THE ANNOYING POPUP ANYMORE WHEN I START MY SYSTEM. I wonder how it got automatically cured!!Thanks for you help JaapKind regards,Jinesh

Hi Jinesh, sorry to hear. To me, it looks like bad news and that 'svchostss' isn't a virus but a worm. I doubt your computer cured itself unless you have certain measures in place. If you don't have the combat flightsim Pacific Fighters (by Ubisoft), which's executable is 'pf.exe', the 'pf' you discovered might also be malicious software? As you probably know, there are various manners to protect your computer, either hardware and/or software or both. And I must also say that I'm not a specialist in this field. All I do know, is, there are online services which will do a port-scan for you and tell you which ports are open (i.e. ports 139 and/or 445 seem to be open on your end). I hope somebody else with more experience can jump in and otherwise, you might have to consult other specialized boards. Good luck and kind regards Jaap

Thanks for the reply, Jaap!"You might have to consult other specialized boards. " - Can you help me with a link?What is the difference between a worm and a virus?Will reinstalling Windows XP put me safe?Should I delete the pf.exe file permanently from the recycle bin?Hope the experts enlighten me in this area.Thanks very much again.....AS OF NOW, I AM NOT GETTING THE POP UP ANY MORE. I DO NOT KNOW WHY AND I HAVE NOT MADE ANY ALTERNATIONS TO THE SYSTEM..... ALL I DO KNOW IS THAT THE POP DOES NOT SHOW UP AT START UP...... BUT I AM WORRIED ABOUT WHETHER SOMETHING IS EATING UP THE SYSTEM. AS OF NOW, I AM NOT HAVING ANY HANG UPS OR CRASHES.Thanks very much again.Jinesh

>>"You might have to consult other specialized boards. " - Can you help me with a link?<< I.e. via the link you posted; clicking on 'RBOT' will take you to Computer Associates. Or try symantec.com to start the quest. >>What is the difference between a worm and a virus?<>Will reinstalling Windows XP put me safe?<< Not if you don't eradicate the cause of the current status. >>Should I delete the pf.exe file permanently from the recycle bin?<>.... AS OF NOW, I AM NOT HAVING ANY HANG UPS OR CRASHES.<< Not having troubles doesn't signify the malware isn't active anymore. On the contrary, they try to and do a good job at hiding themselves, so you don't notice when you're revealing your passwords etc. These kind of programs are very interested in your banking or credit card details, etc. All in all and sorry to say, Jinesh, this is a serious issue which requires a couple of thoughts. Getting rid of the probs is one, keeping them out another. And it depends what you need to run. I for one, don't use MS Outlook and do email online. I also don't use P2P networks like Kazzaa etc. And the only dodgy site I visit is Avsim! :-) No, seriously, a decent DSL modem with inbuilt security features like NAT and SPI (case you don't know what this is, do a yahoo/google), a 'defensive browser', an upto date OS, an anti-virus and firewall software should keep you pretty safe. And last but not least it might be useful to think about a backup strategy (as hardware can also go south). Hope this adds to thoughts, good luck an kind regards Jaap PS and on a sidenote, that's a lot of big letters. I don't know whether you're aware that the use of many capital letters is considered shouting on the net?

Wow Jaap! Thanks for all that help..... you make all complicated things simple.As for the capital letters, my apologies...... I wanted to make them bold (darker) to highlight the stuff. I don't know how to do that and so I wrote them in capital letters. Sorry if I offened anyone.Thanks everyone.Regards,Jinesh