Oooh! My very first virus extermination!

After some frustration at not able to connect online, I was able to figure out what went wrong. Once the driver for the on-board NIC was installed and the computer restarted, I went to download and install Zone Alarm right away. During the process of downloading and installing other necessities like anti-virus and Windows patches, many programs asked for permission to go online. When the security software were all in place, I checked the list of programs and started removing the installers and such. Two caught my attention as I've never seen them before, appearing to be Windows update files. Of course, not having to use legitimate XP Pro before, I didn't realise it at first. But it alerted me when they kept asking for permission right after I removed them from the list. To my surprise, a quick search on Google revealed them to be viruses.

After much struggles and frustration, I was finally able to remove the two of them with the help of AVG and PC-cillin's housecall online scan. I also learned that neither was able to detect both. Of course, I didn't think of it sooner before removing them. I never got to learn whether Norton could find both.

Anyway, it was fun and challenging (though many people would probably see it as a piece of cake) while it lasted. I didn't really care because I had just installed Windows and could easily reinstall it if need be. It would prove to be a major problem if similar incidents take place in the future. Here's hoping, and keeping my fingers crossed.