1. Home
  2. Computing & Technology
  3. Antivirus Software
photo of Mary Landesman
Mary's Antivirus Software Blog

By Mary Landesman, About.com Guide to Antivirus Software since 2000

Oompa Loompa Song on Startup: Not the Leap.A Worm

Thursday March 22, 2007
Some MySpace users are complaining of the 'oompa loompa' song incessantly playing on their Windows PCs. Some well meaning user searched for Oompa Loompa virus, came across my Leap.A virus description for a non-related MacOSX worm, and 'lept' to the wrong conclusion. A few well intentioned but mistakenly suggested links later, and I'm getting email from angry readers swearing that Leap.A is a 'Windows virus'. It's not. Really. Truly. It's not.

How to stop the oompa loompa song
I'm still digging for info on the PC singing the oompa loompa song on startup. Here's what I know so far, which isn't much but will at least tell you how to stop the racket:

  1. It seems to be coming from MySpace. One person reported downloading it intentionally; no one has reported it installing without consent.
  2. One person reports it displays the following messages: "teh 00mpa l00mpa 0wns yu0!!1" and "this is a reeeeaaallly funny video!"
  3. Two files are installed to the Windows system folder (by default, this folder is Windows\System32 on Windows XP/Vista). The two files are o0mpa_l00mpa.exe and o0mpa_l00mpa.wav.
  4. One file is installed to the user's startup folder, for example:
    C:\Documents and Settings\username\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\o0mpa_l00mpa.exe
    where username is the login name of the actual user.
  5. To get rid of the oompa loompa song, delete the copy of o0mpa_l00mpa.exe in the startup folder, then reboot the PC. After rebooting, browse to the Windows system folder (or use the Search feature) to locate the remaining o0mpa_l00mpa.exe and o0mpa_l00mpa.wav files, and delete both.
The above steps should get rid of the oompa loompa song. If it doesn't, or you need help following the steps, or you have more information about the oompa loompa song on startup problem, please let me know.
Comments
March 26, 2007 at 1:12 pm
(1) peter hunzicker says:

When I try to delete the oompa loompa files per your instructions, I an error deleting file, access is denied.

help!

March 30, 2007 at 8:56 pm
(2) Theo says:

Boot in SafeMode.For instruction on how to do this see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315222

April 9, 2007 at 1:30 pm
(3) Ashley says:

I’ve tried the steps to get rid of the oompa loompa song and when I try to delete it, it says access denied…

April 10, 2007 at 2:16 am
(4) Mary says:

If you boot the computer in safe mode, you should have no problem deleting the file.

April 13, 2007 at 3:23 pm
(5) KAYLA says:

ITS DOESN’T LET ME DELETE IT SO WAT DO I DO

April 28, 2009 at 3:38 pm
(6) Cameron Kilgore says:

So!
How to delete the files:
quit explorer.exe and open command prompt…
naviate to the directory that has the file:
type in “del o0mpa_l00mpa.exe” then press enter.
Then “del o0mpa_l00mpa.wav” at the directory where the sound is. Press enter and restart
by typing in “shutdown -r -t 00″

Leave a Comment

Line and paragraph breaks are automatic. Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title="">, <b>, <i>, <strike>

Explore Antivirus Software
About.com Special Features

Stay connected and entertained with reviews on tips on the latest HDTVs, cellphones and more. More >

Easy ways to connect two computers for networking purposes. More >

  1. Home
  2. Computing & Technology
  3. Antivirus Software

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.