My housemateat university is having issues with his computer which a lot of other forum members seem to be having. Having read some of SuperDave's advice it seems each case is quite unique so I would appreciate any possible help in fixing his laptop. Here is a HJthis log from safe mode, but I can't manage to launch one in normal startup;


Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2
Scan saved at 13:07:12, on 03/05/2010
Platform: UNKNOWN Windows (WinNT 6.01.3504)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v8.00 (8.00.7600.16385)
Boot mode: Safe mode with network support

Running processes:
C:\Windows\Explorer.EXE
C:\Windows\system32\ctfmon.exe
C:\Program Files\SKYPE\Phone\Skype.exe
C:\Program Files\Skype\Plugin Manager\skypePM.exe
C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG9\avgscanx.exe
C:\Windows\system32\conhost.exe
C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG9\avgcsrvx.exe
C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG9\avgscanx.exe
C:\Windows\system32\conhost.exe
C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG9\avgcsrvx.exe
C:\Users\Robert\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe
C:\Users\Robert\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe
C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Search_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,SearchAssistant =
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,CustomizeSearch =
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings,ProxyServer = http=127.0.0.1:5555
R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar,LinksFolderName =
R3 - URLSearchHook: (no name) - {A3BC75A2-1F87-4686-AA43-5347D756017C} - (no file)
O2 - BHO: AcroIEHelperStub - {18DF081C-E8AD-4283-A596-FA578C2EBDC3} - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Acrobat\ActiveX\AcroIEHelperShim.dll
O2 - BHO: Windows Live Sign-in Helper - {9030D464-4C02-4ABF-8ECC-5164760863C6} - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Windows Live\WindowsLiveLogin.dll
O3 - Toolbar: (no name) - {D4027C7F-154A-4066-A1AD-4243D8127440} - (no file)
O3 - Toolbar: AVG Security Toolbar - {CCC7A320-B3CA-4199-B1A6-9F516DD69829} - C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG9\Toolbar\IEToolbar.dll (file missing)
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QuickTime Task] "C:\Program Files\QuickTime\QTTask.exe" -atboottime
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [iTunesHelper] "C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunesHelper.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AVG9_TRAY] C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG9\avgtray.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Adobe ARM] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\ARM\1.0\AdobeARM.exe"
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Google Update] "C:\Users\Robert\AppData\Local\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe" /c
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [msnmsgr] "C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Messenger\msnmsgr.exe" /background
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Skype] "C:\Program Files\Skype\Phone\Skype.exe" /nosplash /minimized
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [ipwrvumw] C:\Users\Robert\AppData\Local\utxxeovkl\qrrwrhttssd.exe
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-19\..\Run: [Sidebar] %ProgramFiles%\Windows Sidebar\Sidebar.exe /autoRun (User 'LOCAL SERVICE')
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-19\..\RunOnce: [mctadmin] C:\Windows\System32\mctadmin.exe (User 'LOCAL SERVICE')
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-20\..\Run: [Sidebar] %ProgramFiles%\Windows Sidebar\Sidebar.exe /autoRun (User 'NETWORK SERVICE')
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-20\..\RunOnce: [mctadmin] C:\Windows\System32\mctadmin.exe (User 'NETWORK SERVICE')
O8 - Extra CONTEXT menu item: E&xport to Microsoft Excel - res://C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~3\OFFICE11\EXCEL.EXE/3000
O9 - Extra button: Research - {92780B25-18CC-41C8-B9BE-3C9C571A8263} - C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~3\OFFICE11\REFIEBAR.DLL
O13 - Gopher Prefix:
O18 - Protocol: avgsecuritytoolbar - {F2DDE6B2-9684-4A55-86D4-E255E237B77C} - C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG9\Toolbar\IEToolbar.dll (file missing)
O18 - Protocol: linkscanner - {F274614C-63F8-47D5-A4D1-FBDDE494F8D1} - C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG9\avgpp.dll
O18 - Protocol: skype4com - {FFC8B962-9B40-4DFF-9458-1830C7DD7F5D} - C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\Skype\SKYPE4~1.DLL
O20 - AppInit_DLLs: avgrsstx.dll
O23 - Service: Apple Mobile Device - Apple INC. - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\bin\AppleMobileDeviceService.exe
O23 - Service: AVG Security Toolbar Service - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG9\Toolbar\ToolbarBroker.exe
O23 - Service: AVG Free E-mail Scanner (avg9emc) - AVG Technologies CZ, s.r.o. - C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG9\avgemc.exe
O23 - Service: AVG Free WatchDog (avg9wd) - AVG Technologies CZ, s.r.o. - C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG9\avgwdsvc.exe
O23 - Service: Bonjour Service - Apple Inc. - C:\Program Files\Bonjour\mDNSResponder.exe
O23 - Service: FLEXnet Licensing Service - Macrovision Europe Ltd. - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Macrovision Shared\FLEXnet Publisher\FNPLicensingService.exe
O23 - Service: iPod Service - Apple Inc. - C:\Program Files\iPod\bin\iPodService.exe

--
End of file - 5048 bytes


Sorry for such a delay. It seems almost everyone needs help.

Please download and run the below tool named Rkill (courtesy of BleepingComputer.com) which may help allow other programs to run.
Save Rkill to your desktop.

There are 4 different versions. If one of them won't run then download and try to run the other one.
 
Vista and Win7 users need to right click Rkill and choose Run as Administrator
 

You only need to get one of these to run, not all of them. You may get warnings from your antivirus about this tool, ignore them or shutdown your antivirus.

Rkill.exe
Rkill.com
Rkill.scr
Rkill.pif

Once you've gotten one of them to run then try to immediately run the following.
 
Now download and Run exeHelper.

Please download exeHelper from Raktor to your desktop.

• Double-click on exeHelper.com to run the fix. A black window should pop up, press any key to CLOSE once the fix is completed. A log file named log.txt will be created in the directory where you ran exeHelper.com Attach the log.txt file to your next message.
  
  Note: If the window shows a message that says "Error deleting file", please re-run the program before posting a log - and post the two logs together (they will both be in the one file).
  
  If this works, please try to run HJT in Normal Mode and send me the log.