Solve : When is it OK to execute the procedure in "Malware Help"??

Is it OK to execute the procedure described in "Read This Before Requesting Malware Help" when one does not have outward symptoms of a malware infection? I think one of my computers was attacked by malware but I may have foiled it by not executing any of the stuff it wanted to execute, turning the computer off, then booting it up under a recovery disk and doing a full system restore to a point before all this occurred.

Computer is an Acer laptop with AMD dual core processor, Windows Vista Home Premium with SP2, and Norton Internet Security. After I did the system restore I ran Norton LIveUpdate and then did a full system scan under Norton. None of this showed a problem but I'm not terribly impressed with Norton's ability to stop and detect malware.

I would like to execute the procedures described under "Read This Before Requesting Malware Help" as I have done this in the past and it seems to be more effective than Norton. I wonder, though, if this is advisable. Sort of like it's not a good idea to take medicine if you're not sick. One idea I've had is to run HijackThis in logging mode only and then use the tool on this site to scan the log.

Words of wisdom would be appreciated. Thanks for your help.

Paul Karsh
Just run a full scan with your anti virus utility (current definitions) and either MalwareBytes or Super AntiSpywarerun malware , sas and ccleaner , once a week to keep your pc clean , remove what they findSorry Harry, but ccleaner does nothing to "keep you pc clean". It is a personal choice, but not malware protection.Quote from: Allan on OCTOBER 31, 2009, 01:16:08 PM

Sorry Harry, but ccleaner does nothing to "keep you pc clean". It is a personal choice, but not malware protection.

quote from ccleaner ;

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans TRACES of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it CONTAINS a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware!

quote from evils page

Step 2: House Cleaning

Download CCleaner Slim and save it to your Desktop - Alternate download link

When the file has been saved, go to your Desktop and double-click on ccsetupxxx_slim.exe
Follow the prompts to install the program.

* Double-click the CCleaner shortcut on the desktop to start the program.
* Click on the Options block on the left, then choose Cookies.
* Under Cookies to Delete, highlight any cookies you would like to retain permanently
* Click the right arrow > to move them to the Cookies to Keep window.
* Go into Options > Advanced uncheck Only delete files in Windows Temp folders older than 48 hours
* Click Cleaner on the left then Run Cleaner on the right to run the program.
* Important: Make sure that ALL browser windows are closed before selecting Run Cleaner

Caution: Only use the Registry feature if you are very familiar with the registry.
Always back up your registry before making any changes. EXIT CCleaner after it has completed it's process.

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it cleans out rubbish from your pc that is not needed harry
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Harry - with all DUE respect to you and whoever posted that - I completely disagree. Ccleaner is fine if you want to use it (other than the registry cleaner module) , but serves no real purpose other than deleting Internet history - and that doesn't really serve any purpose either (unless you're trying to hide something from someone ). In any event, as I said above - it has nothing to do with malware.quote; In any event, as I said above - it has nothing to do with malware.

yes i agree with this statement