How to remove "dll-propagation" virus

Follow these advises at your own risk.

I have been having internet connection problems for a couple of weeks, both in the computer and other devices using the home network. At the same time, computer was running slower than usual. I checked the processes running (taskmgr in the search box) and found a strange process using a lot of resources (you can order them by CPU or by memory usage). This process was called dll-propagation.

I searched this process in Google and found only results in polish forums.

The first step I took was to try to run Windows Defender, but it was disabled and I did not manage to turn it back on. I ran then a couple of online antivirus (ESET and F-Secure) without positive results. I installed then Malware Bytes which did find a file with the virus and delete it. But the virus stayed in the system. Malware Bytes kept popping-up messages that it had blocked the access to the web by 'dll-propagation' but it didn't delete the virus, and it kept appearing in Processes when running the Task Manager.

The thing that worked for me: I identified the two processes by which the virus was running:

    dll-propagation_2.9.8.exe

    dll-propagation.exe

    dllruntime.exe

Windows 10 (and probably previous and newer versions too) has an option to block programs from running. I added then these three exe files in this list. I did this in Windows running in Safe Mode(*).

To add these programs I typed gpedit in the Windows search box and clicked on "Edit group policy".

Then went to: User Configuration -> Administrative templates -> System -> Don't run specified Windows applications

I clicked then in 'Show' and added the three exe files as:

Still in Safe Mode I deleted several folder related to the virus:

I removed EVERYTHING in 'C:\Users\YOUR-USERNAME\AppData\Local\Temp\'

In 'C:\Users\YOUR-USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\', I removed the folders:

    Ookla 

    dll-access 

    dll-propagation 

    dllservices 

    .dllbackups

I also un-installed HandBrake, as it appeared in the log-file from the polish forum where dll-propagation was mentioned, and my problems started at the same time I installed the program. I also uninstalled another program I installed in the same time, just in case.

After all this, I restarted the computer in normal mode.

Finally, I installed CCleaner and cleaned both the system and the registry.

After these steps, dll-propagation has stopped appearing in the Processes when running the Task manager and the pop-ups from Malware Bytes saying it blocked dll-propagation from connecting to the web also stopped. My internet connection works as usual, as well as does the computer.

Update 27.10.2021

In a work computer where I also had to remove dll-propagation, I noticed that it was in the list of start-up processes. Go to the Windows search box and type 'taskmgr' and the sheet 'Startup'. Check if any dllruntime or dll-propagation appear and Disable them.

(*) Start Windows in Safe Mode:

Type msconfig in the Windows search box.

Go to 'Boot'

Click in 'Safe mode' (keep it minimal - you will not have internet connection when you restart, and this 

Click 'Ok'

To restart in normal mode, just go to the same place and disable 'Safe mode'

Crear lista con todos los archivos de una carpeta

En ocasiones puede interesar crear un listado con todos los archivos de una carpeta (por ejemplo, para crear un listado de películas o de música).

El proceso es extremadamente sencillo:

1. Nos situamos dentro de la carpeta cuya lista de arvhivos queremos copiar.

2. Apretando Shift, hacemos click on el botón derecho del ratón en el espacio vacío de esa carpeta (no sobre un archivo).

4. Seleccionamos  "Abrir ventana de comandos aquí".

5. Escribimos: dir > list.txt

Esto creará (en esa misma carpeta) un archivo con el nombre list.txt con los nombres de todos los archivos de la carpeta.

Eliminar (con éxito) "xml.oceanreefs.xyz"

Si su navegador de Internet muestra anuncios (a una tasa más alta que la habitual), y descubre que el navegador está abriendo una nueva ventana con la dirección "xml.oceanreefs.xyz" que rápidamente redirige a otra página (como https: // www .aliexpress.com/, por ejemplo), tiene un virus en su ordenador. A veces los llaman adware, pero seamos sinceros, algo que hace que su ordenador haga cosas que no quiere que haga es básicamente un virus.

Estuve buscando en Google "cómo eliminar xml.oceanreefs.xyz" y nada funcionó. Ningún antivirus lo detectó, ni existía "xml.oceanreefs.xyz" en el registro ni en ninguna carpeta con ese nombre ...

Pero finalmente logré deshacerme de él. Aquí está el truco:

El virus ha modificado el registro, pero no utiliza la dirección "xml.oceanreefs.xyz" como se describe en muchas páginas, sinó esta otra: "cityskyscraper.com". Así que ésto es lo que tenemos que buscar.

Haga clic en Inicio y escriba regedit (or reg.exe).
Una vez que se abre, haga clic en Buscar (Ctrl + F) y escriba "cityskyscraper.com".

Elimine cada entrada del registro donde se mencione esta dirección.

Por si acaso, puede buscar "xml.oceanreefs.xyz" y eliminar cualquier entrada que lo mencione (pero en mi caso no había ninguno con esta dirección).

Modificar el registro puede ser peligroso, por lo que debe asegurarse de no eliminar nada más excepto lo que mencione estas direcciones.


PS:
También hice un segundo paso después para estar completamente seguro, escaneé mi PC con Malwarebytes (existe una versión gratuita). Así que si la limpieza del registro no fuese sufiente (aunque en mi caso bastó) puede intentar escanear también con este programa.

How to rotate (already uploaded) videos in Youtube [WORKS]

Here is a short manual on how to rotate already uploaded videos in Youtube.

The original text is in italics and I have added some comments to make it more clear without italics.

Seeing how rotation has been stripped from Creator Classic, I thought this would be helpful here. I found a way to enable the native rotation buttons by modifying the element in Creator Classic.

Here are the steps:

1. Go to YouTube's Creator Classic.
 You can find it in https://studio.youtube.com/, on the left bottom as "Classic Version".
2. Go to Video Manager
Click on "Edit" on the video you want to rotate.
3. Go to Enhancements
4. Right click on the "Trim" button and choose "Inspect" from the menu that appears (do not left click)
A new window will popup highlighting the element you selected. 
This will open the source code of the website.
You should see something like:
<div class="enhance-effect" id="enhance-rotate-buttons" hidden="true">
5. Just below the line that's selected, you'll see this tag with this element: hidden="true"
6. Double click to enter edit mode.
7. Simply delete hidden="true" and press enter.

Done!

The video rotation will take a while.
If you go to Video Manager you should see that the video you have rotated appears with a label similar to "under edition.

The rotate buttons will appear and now you can use them as normal. I suspect this will no longer be possible once YouTube completely switches over to the new Creator Studio in 2019, but...works for now!

If that explanation was not detailed enough, see it in action in this quick tutorial.

This option has been disabled by Youtube, but as you have seen it is still available as to April 2, 2020. But Youtube is warning that the Creator Classic will be removed in the future, so this option will be definititely removed with it.

Original source: https://webapps.stackexchange.com/a/122365

How I succesfully removed "xml.oceanreefs.xyz"

If your internet browser keeps showing ads (at a higher rate than previously), and you notice that the browser is opening a new window with the address "xml.oceanreefs.xyz" that quickly redirets to something other (like https://www.aliexpress.com/), you have a virus in your computer. They call them sometimes ad-ware but let's face it, something that makes your computer make things you don't want it to make is basicly a virus.

I have opened several pages about "How to remove xml.oceanreefs.xyz" and nothing worked. No antivirus detected it, there was no mention of "xml.oceanreefs.xyz" in the registry or any folder with that name...

But finally I managed to get rid of it. This is how:

The virus has indeed modified the registry, but not using the address "xml.oceanreefs.xyz", but this other:
"cityskyscraper.com"
So this is what you have to look for.

Click on Start and type regedit (or reg.exe).
Once it opens click on Search (Ctrl + F) and type "cityskyscraper.com"

Delete every entry of the registry where this address is mentioned.

Just in case, you can search for "xml.oceanreefs.xyz" and delete any entry mentioning it (but in my case there was none with this address).

Messing with the registry is dangerous, so you want to be sure that you do not delete anything else.


I also made a second step afterwards to be completely sure, I scanned my PC with Malwarebytes (there is a free version).
So if cleaning the registry was not enough, you can try to scan your computer with Malwarebytes.

iTunes Crashes Every Time iPod is connected [Solved]

I have recently solved a problem I had with my iPod, that started suddenly without any appearent cause. The issue was that every time I connected the iPod to the computer, as soon as it was detected and the iPod appeared in iTunes, iTunes would crash and close.

So basicly the iPod worked but it was impossible to use it with iTunes, therefore impossible to update or change the content.

I tried installing several different versions of iTunes in different computers but I always had the same problem.

Finally I came to a solution that worked for me:

I connected the iPod to the computer but I didn't use iTunes. I accessed it via the file explorer.

To see the music folders you need to activate the optino "Show hidden folders" [1]. Then you navigate to your iPod and you  should see a folder called "iPod_Control" and inside it a folder called "Music". If you navigate into this folder you will see several folders with coded names and inside all your mp3 music files with, again, coded names (combinations of four letters).

So what I did was to "Cut" all these folders containing all my music, and move it to the hard drive of my computer.

When the iPod was empty of music (in fact, it worked without even removing all the music), I tried iTunes and it worked: I could access again (my now empty) iPod through iTunes.

Then I made an "Update and restore" of the iPod through iTunes.

How to put back the music into the iPod. As you may have guessed, you have only to drag and drop all the music folders (the ones with coded names) that you have copied into your computer's hard-drive to your iPod using iTunes. You will see the music will appear again (with it's properties), and you will have again a fully operational iPod.

You will have "only" lost your playlists.

[1] In Windows 7, I did it by pressing "Alt" in the file explorer. A bar with extra options appear on the top. You can also try this:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14201/windows-show-hidden-files

How To Delete Several (Or Even All) Your Tweets

If you have a Twitter account, you may feel the need to clean your timeline, to delete SEVERAL tweets (for instance, when you get a new job). Or maybe you just want to delete ALL your tweets, because you want a change of your Twitter direction.

I have been looking the last days for a way to do the latter. I have tried several online webs and Chrome plug-ins and I have to say that they did not work at all, or they did so slowly or with constant failures that it made almost impossible to use them.

But in the end I found the solution to do it in a more than reasonable speed and without any failures.
And this was thanks to Twitter Archive Eraser, which can be downloaded here.

The steps to delete several or all your tweets are simple:

0. Before deleting your tweets, you need to download your Twitter archive. Here you will find an explanation, but basicly you have to go to your "Settings" in Twitter and click on the button "Request Your Archive". You should receive and e-mail with the link to download your Archive.

1. Download and install the program from the website.

2. Authorize the program to access your Twitter account.

3. Click on "Delete your tweets".

4. Load your Twitter Arhive. You just have to click on "Load/Add your Twitter archive files", and select the downloaded Zip file.

5. Click "Select all". You don't need to wait until your tweets appear on the screen (you can select more accurately later), just click on "Next".

6. Select the tweets you want to delete. You can select all. You can filter by word, or by date, or just select all.

7. Click on "Erase selected tweets".