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McAfee Kills SVCHost.exe, Sets Off Reboot Loops For Win XP, Win 2000

Posted by timothy on from the hope-you-were-using-antiantivirus-too dept.

Kohenkatz writes "A McAfee Update today (DAT 5958) incorrectly identifies svchost.exe, a critical Windows executable, as a virus and tries to remove it, causing endless reboot loops." Reader jswackh adds this terse description: "So far the fixes are sneakernet only. An IT person will have to touch all affected PCs. Reports say that it quarantines SVCHOST. [Affected computers] have no network access, and missing are taskbar/icons/etc. Basically non-functioning. Windows 7 seems to be unaffected." Updated 20100421 20:08 GMT by timothy: An anonymous reader points out this easy-to-follow fix for the McAfee flub.

13 of 472 comments (clear)

  1. Why Worry about Malware-Viruses... by BoRegardless · · Score: 4, Funny

    When your Anti-Virus software bombs you out.

    1. Re:Why Worry about Malware-Viruses... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      My boss, who knows just enough about computers to get himself in trouble, is an idiot.

      A few days ago, he called me in to come look at his laptop. He said that his computer was infected and that the virus killed his email. After further inspection, I found out that he pressed "ctrl+alt+del" and brought up the Task Manager. He went through and ended all of the svchost.exe's that he could. When I asked him about it, here was his response:

      "I was closing all of those system virus hosts on my machine!"

      I hate my job sometimes.

  2. Guess what I've been doing all morning? by uvsc_wolverine · · Score: 5, Funny

    I work at a university where we use McAfee anti-virus as our corporate AV. Guess what I've been doing all morning?

    --
    This space for rent...
    1. Re:Guess what I've been doing all morning? by 2names · · Score: 5, Funny

      Um, hiding in the bathroom like I have been doing?

      Seriously, though, we got hit hard with this. I don't mind fixing the problem, what pisses me off is that we didn't want McAfee in here in the first place but Corporate HQ forced it on us.

      --
      "I'm just here to regulate funkiness."
    2. Re:Guess what I've been doing all morning? by oldspewey · · Score: 5, Funny

      Reading Slashdot?

      --
      If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
    3. Re:Guess what I've been doing all morning? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      wanking furiously?

  3. Windows is a virus by Wonko+the+Sane · · Score: 4, Funny

    We've known for a long time but it's good that McAffee finally admitted it.

  4. Sigh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    I would have gotten first post, but I was running windows with McAfee

  5. I heard by Dunbal · · Score: 4, Funny

    Next they will be deleting a directory known to be full of malware called system32

    --
    Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  6. Re:virus scanners are the devil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    You missed the obligatory:

    * Run Linux

  7. dodged a bullet by Drake4551 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Good thing I switched to Norton!

  8. Are you sure it's not a virus? by wonkavader · · Score: 3, Funny

    I've never liked SVCHOST.EXE anyhow. I'm glad it deletes it.

  9. Re:McAfee botching damage control by Cro+Magnon · · Score: 4, Funny

    You think it's dropping now? Just wait until more of the traders get their computers working!

    --
    Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.