Virus in Video File???
 

I just downloaded the latest episode of my favorite show L*ST (Season 3 Episode 4) and when i attempted to play it, media player closed and said an error has occured.

If i right click on the file, highlight the file or anything, it states that windows explorer has encountered an error and needs to close.

So i deleted it and downloaded another one and it happened again, deleted again, then downloaded another one from a totally different source (from a bit torrent source) and the same thing happened!

Thats over 1.2GB for 1 show that i STILL havn't seen!

I am rather PI$$ED!!!

Can anyone help me please???

That's the ting. It cam from multiple sources AND i checked on bitpedia or whatever its called. A few people commented and said its good. The one i got from the Bit Torrent Client Azureus had a rating of 4.7 out of 5 from 60 ratings.

Only one person said something in the comments section that was what happened to me. That against 10 others that said the file was good, i proceeded with the download.

Not really sure if this is a clear case of virus making? Not really sure of anything since this is the first time this has ever happened to me.

Have you ever encountered anything similar to this?

woot?...1.2GB file size?..for an hour show?

If it isn't a virus then it might be a codecs issue....
You could try to use a different media player such as the free VLC player with built-in codecs which can play almost all media files without problems. You can downlaod it from here:
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
As a side note, to preview files with it you'll have to open the files directly from the Incomplete folder and not via the LW preview function.

Maybe checking the file using G-Spot shows you the true nature of the file. You can download it here for free:
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/GSpot.htm

And if it turns out to be a bogus file....
Check your system using any of these programs (I reckon using all of them):
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/(free)

http://www.grisoft.com(good free AVG)

http://www.ewido.com(>>now called AVG Anti Spyware<< free 30 day trial -the best in my opinion)

http://www.ccleaner.com/download/(free)

Spybot - Search & Destroy (FREE)

If you can't get rid of it go here and get some free computer help:
http://norbiesworld.co.uk/computerhelp
:Smilywais:

Thanks foolofthehill. i did try to open the file with Nero player, DivX player, Quicktime, WinDVD and PowerDVD. Same thing happened for all of the above. Just shut down the program. Same thing happened while previewing the file when it was still downloading. I'll give all that stuff and try and report back.

Peerless, thanks for the sympathy. Dont forget, that filesize is for downloading the same thing almost 4 times. I was furious.

It's probably also worth mentioning that i scanned the file with N@rton AntiVirus/Internet Security 2006 and it came up as safe.

I think something is wrong with my (new) computer. I just downloaded a new episode of a show from Azureus and the file come down fine. When i played it, it was a weird grey screen and it said the file is only 2 mins 59 secs long.

Does anyone have any idea what is going on here???
I would really appreciate any help i could get.

OK. Weird. VLC played the first file and Windows Media Player still wont touch it. That's great. VLC Player did not make the slightest difference with the second file i mentioned. Still wont play properly and still says 2mins 59 secs. Does this shed some light on the subject?

light is relative...as far as the second file, its obviously bogus...there are many bogus files on BT trackers...to be honest, I've abandoned BT for TV eps and either get them fast and quick offa IRC channels or use BearShare w/bitzi lookup...

post the specs of your new machine....manufacturer, cpu, ram, video card

Toshiba Tecra A6 PTA61A
Windows XP Service Pack 2
Intel Centrino Dual Processor
Intel(R) 82801GBM/GHM (ICH7-M Family) Serial ATA Storage Controller - 27C4
ATI Graphics
512MB RAM
60GB Hard Drive
ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 [Display adapter]

Yes, i usually never use BT, but people keep recommending it.

What do mean by "light is relative"?

I will delete the second file - Wierd thing is everyone had goos things to say about it, i always read what people say before downloading, thats why i suspect something may be wrong with my machine.

GUESS WHAT! I just fixed it.I tryed it again and it failed again except this time i for the first time actuall allowed an error report to be sent to MS and it took to to a webpage saying they know about the problem and a solution is available and then it took me to another page where i could download a patch.

Elecard_MPEG_Demultiplexer_Patch

That fixed the problem. That was just weired. Everything i have downloaded since works too. This whole thing was a weird but easily fixed problem.

I appreciate your help.

Try Demonoid. Reg is usually open on Fridays. Haven't had a bad TV show from there yet.

Virus writers target web videos
 

All video and film clip downloaders and watchers should read the following:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6100016.stm

Please note, your updated AV scanner may not be able to pick up malware inbedded in a video files just yet, but I guess the arms race has just taken another turn.



UK Bob

firstly, your computer is nice and dandy and that should NOT be any part of problems with video playback (assuming said video is 'good')..you should be able to watch a video, be downloading, and probably even be actively scanning your drive with a virus scanner at the same time, and still get good playback...


second, light is relative was in reference to your query "Does this shed some light on the subject?"...:wink:

finally re: BT trackers...they are just as flooded with fake files and fake reviews as gnutella is...I've tried to download stuff off of The Pirate Bay (a very reputable site) that was totally bogus...its just part of the 'scene' at the moment...

Ahh i see. Yes, i have never had any problems watching videos before since i installed all the codec packs. I dont understand about what i did to fix it, just followed the instructions i was given my MS Crash Analysis website.

I agree about the BT, i have a file at the moment that just stopped at 97.7%, only 2MB to go! IT WONT BUDGE, says there is 11 seeds but none are connected! Frustrating.

fake file and your IP addy has been logged by the 'seeders' (who are part of the MAFIAA)

You mean the Music And Film Industry Association of America??? Should i be worried?

I don't understand any of this. Is it definetly a fake file? If so, i will delete.

definitely is a guess...the last time I dealt with this it surely appeared to be faker after I rooted up another source for the file I wanted...MAFIAA afaik is a kinda reference to the mpaa and riaa and their mafia like tactics...

it may be a real file, but I've heard many stories similar to you, and I have seen it myself where the file never, ever completes...

In that case I think i will deleting this file. Are they trying to combat file sharing by using stupid cheap tactics like this? Good luck!!! Looks like i'm not the only one, see the link.

http://www.torrentspy.com/torrent/82...V_XviD_LOL_www

What have you found to be the best source of torrent files? Sometimes i can't get what i want from LW.

I have found no consistent source of good files....and as noted rarely resort to BT as a source of any file because as far as I'm concerned its very insecure having so many users directly associated with you...and as noted, I pretty much get all older stuff off of gnutella via BearShare...while gnutella may be a good week behind torrents and IRC, it is still a good source of files and has the advantage of bitzi lookup..

Gnutella is by far the best. I'm fed up with BTs. To be honest i have found that many times the bitzi lookup has found no bitprint (or whatever it's called). I guess thats the only issue with that.

Do you find BearShare better than LW? I'm trying to find the best one for me...

1) when bitzi has no available print for a 'popular' file, then that's a dâmñ good clue its fake

2) I find BearShare (specifically the one that AaronWalkhouse has linked to in the "BearShare has been sabotaged" thread) rulez..

I'll remember that when i do the bitzi lookups.

Maybe i will download that.
Is this the freeware with the U Save Now thingy in it? I hate that thing or is it the pro version?

Is it faster than LW, more files or what?

http://www.gnutellaforums.com/showthread.php?t=53386

if you use the search function of this forum and search for all posts by me you will find numerous recent posts about how to configure and run that expired beta version..its the one I use, and it rocks

You will have to excuse my stupidity. I may be doing something wrong, i just tryed what you said, i clicked search this thread and searched for Peerless and it said no matches. Is this wrong?

Does this version of BS have that U Save Now software in it?

try this..left click on my nick in this post, and choose 'find all posts by peerless'

no, there is NO adware of any kind in the v5.10.25beta...read the thread that is linked to, and you will figure it all out

oic. Search not just that thread, but all of your posts. Sorry, im a bit slow. lol. All i saw in that thread was you giving a LOT of Sh!t to someone about not trying before commenting.

I will take a look for your posts as i just tryed to install without instruction and it comes up with an error saying "Key Expired - This copy of BearShare has expired".

Don't worry, i seemed to have worked everything out. I just turned on my common sense for a moment.

Thanks heaps for your advice.