Firefox 2.0.0.11 messed up!

[mito]

Using Firefox 2.0.0.11 in my work laptop since last upgrade, no problems at all. Yesterday I turned laptop off.


This morning I turned it on as usual, click the Firefox icon and a pop-up message says: "You're running an older version of Firefox, please update".

wtf.

So I go to www.getfirefox.com and download the latest version, which is 2.0.0.11.

It simply won't install. It extracts the files and nothing happens. Another wtf.

So I restart XP in Safe Mode and redownload firefox from its site. It installs and opens. It's working. Fine.

So I restart XP again in normal mode. Click ff icon. The same pop-up message appears. Third wtf.

ok. Let's remove Firefox altogether and reinstall. It simply won't install. File extraction and nothing.

I downloaded FF 3 beta, it also won't install. It does nothing after file extraction.

So now I'm using IE6, and it's much slower!!!!!!!!!! The interface is awkward. Firefox, please come back!

 

[mito]

now IE7 won't install either.

it extracts the files but nothing happens after that.

no error message.


the Windows Installer service is running.


was I hit by a trojan or something?

no good.

 

[Bludd]

Sounds like something fishy is going on. I would fire up processexplorer to see if there are any strange processes running and do an autoruns scan to see what starts up when Windows starts.

Also, running Spybot Search&Destroy and maybe Ad-Aware (though I hate the new version, so I reinstalled SE) too.

 

[mito]

I managed to extract the files manually using winrar. I ran setup from the folder to which I extracted the files.

The initial setup screen appears, but before I have a chance to click on next the windows closes!!!!

the same is happening with FF 3 beta and Ie7!!!!

however, setup.exe for other programs work fine (spybot for instance).

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

My Firefox updated itself to .11 over the last day on two different machine, and they both worked without problems. Maybe you have some other kind of issue that arrived at about the same time? What does your virus scanner say?

 

[mito]

My Firefox updated itself to .11 over the last day on two different machine, and they both worked without problems. Maybe you have some other kind of issue that arrived at about the same time? What does your virus scanner say?

using symantec antivirus and firewall, updated daily.

nothing they say.

 

[mito]

I just killed a process caled unsvc.exe, can't remember the exact name.

now it's installing.

:|

 

[mito]

unsrvc.exe --> winsrvc.exe

unsrvc.exe ----> Identified by Kaspersky Anti-Virus as a variant of the Trojan.Win32.VB.bkz Trojan.

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

unsrvc.exe --> winsrvc.exe

unsrvc.exe ----> Identified by Kaspersky Anti-Virus as a variant of the Trojan.Win32.VB.bkz Trojan.

Symantic is not that great. You should download the demo of Kaspersky Internet Security to replace it and if you like it, they have some good deals on licences at the moment.

 

[Bludd]

Symantec AV Corporate Ed. is great.

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Symantec AV Corporate Ed. is great.

And yet it seems that Mito's Symantec firewall and AV got owned by this virus. YMMV.

 

[Bludd]

And yet it seems that Mito's Symantic firewall and AV got owned by this virus. YMMV.

You've misspelled Symantec twice. Is it unintentional or does it have some kind of meaning like writing Micro$oft instead of Microsoft?

 

[Mize]

Like Symmantec is a word most people should know how to spell?
Norton AV sucks (IMHO), Trend and Kaspersky (and ZoneAlarm which uses the Kaspersky engine) are much better.

 

[Mize]

BTW, if you look at first detection rates, everybody gets owned at some point - Norton, Kaspersky, Sophos, Trend, etc. have all missed new viruses/trojans for days or weeks at times. Surprisingly ClamAV (free) tends to do as well or better than most. One of the main reasons I don't like to surf/email from a win partition (unless it's a VM install)

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

You've misspelled Symantec twice. Is it unintentional or does it have some kind of meaning like writing Micro$oft instead of Microsoft?

No, just my misspelling. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

 

[Bludd]

No, just my misspelling. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Thanks for clearing it up. I just found it strange that it happened after I had correctly spelled it in the post you quoted.

I dislike Norton AV, but I like the no-nonsense Symantec AV Corporate Edition. Also, the version I have has tamper protection and other neat stuff. I also use Outpost Firewall 4 Pro which is probably the most comprehensive personal firewall for Windows when it comes to process management (anti-leak, OS firewall).

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

BTW, if you look at first detection rates, everybody gets owned at some point - Norton, Kaspersky, Sophos, Trend, etc. have all missed new viruses/trojans for days or weeks at times. Surprisingly ClamAV (free) tends to do as well or better than most. One of the main reasons I don't like to surf/email from a win partition (unless it's a VM install)

That's why newer virus scanners don't just rely on signatures. Kaspersky is very good at heuristics and picking up virus behaviour in addition to signatures. Interesting article, though as always, the testing methodology can be pulled apart (if we knew what it was).

 

[epicstruggle]

the latest version of FF seems to have a bigger cpu/mem usage than previous versions. Anyone else notice that it went from bad to worse?

 

[hoom]

I wouldn't say it went from bad to worse but it does seem less good.

It also throws some hissy fits over having many tabs open, or at least it gets into the hissy fit more easily than earlier 2.0.x versions.

As for Symantec/Norton, the number of customers who call with 'I can't access secure websites' which is because they have expired Norton drives me batty.
The stupidest thing is that the method for renewing the license is to use the Norton secure website which they don't even have an exception for...

 

[Bludd]

Are you saying that an expired copy of Norton AV doesn't allow you to view https? Or are you talking about the firewall?