Question

STC.exe

Asked by: tigabalm

Well, i have this program "STC.exe" installed on my computer, don't exactly know where it came from.  from my research this is the source of my pop-up problem.  and i found two other related applications: 2ndsrch.dll and stcloader...

i can delete STC.exe and stcloader, but they come back after i reboot my computer...

if i try deleting it, i get the "access denied, source file may be in use" error... so i boot up in safe mode w/ command prompt and delete it from there...

but i reboot and its there again...

any ideas?  i've tried both ad-aware and spybot and they dont seem to work...

i'd really appreciate any help!!

thank you

peace

This Question has been solved and asker verified All Experts Exchange premium technology solutions are available to subscription members.

Subscribe now for full access to Experts Exchange and get

Instant Access to this Solution

  • Plus...
  • 30 Day FREE access, no risk, no obligation
  • Collaborate with the world's top tech experts
  • Unlimited access to our exclusive solution database
  • Never be left without tech help again

Subscribe Now

Asked On
2003-07-26 at 13:22:46ID20691276
Topic

Anti-Virus Applications

Participating Experts
4
Points
125
Comments
9

Trusted by hundreds of thousands everyday for fast, accurate and reliable tech support.

  • "The time we save is the biggest benefit of Experts Exchange to Warner Bros. What could take multiple guys 2 hours or more each to find is accessed in around 15 minutes on Experts Exchange." Mike Kapnisakis, Warner Bros.
  • "Our team likes having a resource that is more secure than just using Google and most experts using this service really know their stuff. It's nice to look here first versus using Google." Dayna Sellner, Lockheed Martin
  • "Anytime that I've been stumped with a problem, 9 out of 10 times Experts Exchange has either the accepted solution or an open discussion of the potential solution to the problem." Kenny Red, eBay Inc.

See what Experts Exchange can do for you.

Got a question?

We've got the answer.

Experts Exchange has been collecting answers to technology questions since 1996…3 million and counting! If you have a question, chances are we already have your answer.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Need individual assistance?

Our experts are ready to help.

If you can't find the exact answer you're looking for, ask our exclusive community of 50,000 experts. You’ll get a personalized answer from a trusted professional.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Want to learn from the best?

Read articles from industry experts.

Thousands of free tech tips, tricks, how-to’s and tutorials are available in our peer reviewed articles section. See for yourself how smart our experts are, no login required.

Screenshot of an Article

Working on a long term project?

Store your work and research.

Save solutions to your questions, answers you’ve discovered through searching plus helpful articles in your personal knowledgebase for easy future access.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Access the answers to your technology questions today.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

What Makes Experts Exchange Unique?

Members of the expert community talk about why the experience at Experts Exchange is different than what you will find anywhere else.

Trusted by the world's most respected brands.

image of each brand's logo

Faithfully serving IT professionals since 1996.

Experts Exchange Logo

Try it out and discover for yourself.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

Related Solutions

  1. Spyware Stormer continues to give pop ups, I need to kno…
    Spyware Stormer continues to give pop ups, I need to know how to get rid of it. I have tried Adaware, Macafee, and Spybot. I still receive constant advertisements wanting me too purchase their product. Please tell me how to stop spyware stormer popups.
  2. *** vkrehmr - Spybot S & D
    Spybot - Search & Destroy Spybot - Search & Destroy has detected an important registry entry that has changed. Category System Startup global entry Change Value deleted Entry vkrehmr Old data E:\WINDOWS\vkrehmr.exe Do I check remember this discisi...
  3. how to deny all pop up servers to access your network
    dear sir , i have a little problem here , i want to deny all ip on my router that access the pop up servers , the problem is i dont know all servers of the pop up pages , like search bars etc... how can we know all that , ? thanks
  4. Spybot-Search and Destroy Error during check!
    I am using Spybot - Search and Destroy recently. I used it yesterday and this did not turn up. Today however I get this result on the first scan: Error during check!: Cabrotor (Datei C:\WINDOWS\win.ini kann nicht geöffnet werden. The process cannot access the file becaus...
  5. Spybot problem
    Hello, I have installed the latest version of Spybot SSD and am having trouble when it pops up the tea timer boxes. Normally it shows the Allow or Deny buttons with the check mark to always choose this option. My version shows the check box ON TOP of the buttons, so that ...

Free Tech Articles

  1. WARNING: 5 Reasons why you should NEVER fix a computer for free.
    It is in our nature to love the puzzle. We are obsessed. The lot of us. We love puzzles. We love the challenge. We thrive on finding the answer. We hate disarray. It bothers us deep in our soul. W...
  2. SCCM OSD Basic troubleshooting
    SCCM 2007 OSD is a fantastic way to deploy operating systems, however, like most things SCCM issues can sometimes be difficult to resolve due to the sheer volume of logs to sift through and the dispe...
  3. Migrate Small Business Server 2003 to Exchange 2010 and Windows 2008 R2
    This guide is intended to provide step by step instructions on how to migrate from Small Business Server 2003 to Windows 2008 R2 with Exchange 2010. For this migration to work you will need the fo...
  4. Create a Win7 Gadget
    This article shows you how to create a simple "Gadget" -- a sort of mini-application supported by Windows 7 and Vista. Gadgets can be dropped anywhere on the desktop to provide instant information, ...
  5. Outlook continually prompting for username and password
    There have been a lot of questions recently regarding Outlook prompting for a username and password whilst using Exchange 2007. There are a few reasons why this would happen and I will try to cover t...
  6. Backup Exchange 2010 Information Store using Windows Backup
    There seems to be quite a lot of confusion around the ability to backup Exchange 2010 using the built in Windows Backup feature. This stems from the omission of this feature prior to Exchange 2007 s...

Cloud Class Webinars

  1. Avoiding Bugs in Microsoft Access
    Alison Balter takes and in-depth look at avoiding bugs in Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the immediate window to debug your applications, invoking the debugger, using breakpoints to troubleshoot, stepping through code, setting the next statement to execute, ...
  2. Top 10 Best New Features in Visio 2010
    Scott Helmers gives live demonstrations of the top 10 new features in Visio 2010. This webinar will teach you how to create compelling diagrams by adding shapes to the page with a single click, linking the shapes in a diagram to data in Excel (or SQL Server, or SharePoint), ...
  3. IT Consultant Business Secrets Revealed
    Michael Munger, Experts Exchange tech pro and IT consultant, pulls back the curtain on his very successful businesses and answers question on every IT consultant and business owner should know about. He shares secrets on what he did to solve the 5 most common problems in IT, ...
  4. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
    Quest CTO, Mike Billon, gives an overview of the steps involved in building a dunamic disaster recovery plan. Through case studies and an examination of software/hardware tooles for monitoring and testing, you'll gain a better understandin of where you are, where you want ...
  5. Organize Your Visio Diagrams with Containers and Lists
    Scott Helmers uses cross functional flowcharts, wireframe diagrams, data graphic legends and seating charts to teach you: how to ustilize all three new structured diagram components in Visio 2010, the best practices for organizeing shapes in previous version of Visio, how to organize ...
  6. How to Us Objects, Properties, Events and Methods in Microsoft Access
    Alison Dalter gives an in-depbth look at objects, properties, events and methods in Microsoft Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the object browser, referring to objects, working with properties and methods, working with object variables, understanding the ...

Join the Community

Give a Little. Get a Lot.

Join the community of experts here and help other tech pros by answering question in your area of expertise. You can earn FREE access to all Experts Exchange's premium features and resources.

Join the Community

Answers

 

by: war1Posted on 2003-07-26 at 13:25:05ID: 9011984

Greetings, tigabalm!
   If you are using Windows Messenger service, popups could be coming from there.

The Messenger service is typically not needed for home users.

Right-click My Computer and click Manage.
Fold out the Services and Applications option and click Services.
Right-click the Messenger entry, select Properties, and choose Disable under Startup Type.
Click OK.

You should no longer receive messages sent via the messenger service.

Best wishes, war1

 

by: war1Posted on 2003-07-26 at 13:25:37ID: 9011985

tigabalm,
   Here is a website that discusses many aspects of spyware.

http://www.cexx.org/adware.htm

Look at "General strategies for neutering Ad/Spyware".

Get BHOCaptor and HijackThis from Spywareinfo download page

http://www.spywareinfo.com/downloads.php

Also, make sure programs cannot just download on your computer without your permission.  From the Internet Toolbar, go to Tools > Internet Options > Advanced.  Make sure "Enable Install On Demand (Internet Explorer)" and "Enable Install On Demand (Other)" are unchecked.

 

by: ghanaPosted on 2003-07-28 at 22:26:51ID: 9025333

Have a look at my002cents's first comment in this question:
http://www.experts-exchange.com/Applications/Viruses/Q_20658966.html

This describes how to remove this kind of malware.

 

by: tigabalmPosted on 2003-07-28 at 22:46:43ID: 9025397

you guys are awesome!!  

I really appreciate all of the feedback!!!

Going to look into it as soon as i finish studying for my final!!  

Thanks again!

peace

 

by: JohnnyPrimusPosted on 2003-07-29 at 16:54:53ID: 9032521

I've seen a couple different STC.exe's.  One was religious software, obviously not the problem here.  Another was quasi-malicious spyware.  That last, and most dangerous, is hacking tool that will proxy connections, scan hosts for weaknesses, and participate in DDoS attacks.

You might look into 'Spybot Search and Destroy', at http://security.kolla.de/ .  The program, and I'll admit it sounds like another off the wall spyware propaganda delivery system, is actually quite responsive to most modern spyware programs, including STC.exe (which I've had personal experience with).

If you do decide to go with SpyBot, make sure to update the spyware definitions prior to scanning your system.  I think you'll be suprised how much is really there.

-Johnny

 

by: sethdevPosted on 2003-08-11 at 14:59:45ID: 9125654

My wife was nice enough to install this on my desktop today and this is what worked for me. You were on the right track with deleting all of the files. Here is what you could try:

1. Search your registry for STC.EXE and STCLOADER and delete them.
2. Delete C:\Program Files\STC from your machine.
3. Search C:\windows\prefetch\ for stc*.* files and delete them.
4. Search C:\windows\system32\ for stc*.* files and delete them.
5. Run the following command: regsvr32 /u C:\WINDOWS\system32\2ndsrch.dll
6. Reboot and and you will be able to delete 2ndsrch.dll from C:\WINDOWS\system32\

Ray Bowles
www.devit.net
--------
The above comments are my own and should be used at your own risk. I take no responsability if you destroy yours or someone else's system. If you are not familiar with the registry then don't attempt this. If you have any questions consult a computer professional you trust.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

3 Ways to Join

30-Day Free Trial

The Experts

98% positive feedback on 31,087 answers since March 2000. angeliii is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for his work with MS SQL Server & Develoment.

He has also proven his knowledge of Visual Basic Programming, PHP Scripting and Oracle Databases.

The Experts

97% positive feedback on 10,752 answers since July 2000. lrmoore has more than 18 years experience in the networking industry.

The six-time Mircosoft MVPs specialties include firewalls, virtual private networking, and network management.

Testimonials

"...and excellent source for support... Kind of like having your very own IT dept." Electriciansnet

Testimonials

"I was apprehensive at signing up at first. However... it has already made my life as an IT administrator much easier." JaCrews

Testimonials

"WOW! You guys have great, active, and knowledgeable people on here." moore50

Business Clients

Business Clients

In the Press

"If you’ve got a question... Experts Exchange can supply an answer.”

In the Press

"...an invaluable aid for both IT professionals and those who require tech support."

In the Press

"where IT professionals provide quick answers on just about any topic"

Business Account Plans

Loading Advertisement...