Windows XP Problems
- Thread starter HeyFellas
- Start date
I just got mine a minute ago. I was having problems with Mozilla Firefox at first, but it seems to be OK now. The Mozilla window wasn't at full screen at first, just a corner on the upper left but it seems to be OK now.
System Policy / Policy Objects
The problem with many of these rootkits is even when you think you removed them, you often did not, because they hide themselves. As Microsoft has repeatedly told its enterprise customers for the last three (3) years, reinstallation of the system is highly recommended as it is impossible to remove many types of rootkits once the system has been compromised.
Although it's not like Windows "restores" very easily, it's one of the chronic flaws/issues with Windows. So, again, all you can really do is backup your data, you'll have to reload Windows regardless if it self-fucks during the update.
I.e., since 2004, when EMC bought VMware, I've made a lot of money at companies who 100% virtualized Windows. Why? Because Windows self-fucks or gets fucked by malware regularly, no matter what you do, and Microsoft has no feasible disaster recovery options for Windows.
Hell, even Microsoft uses a Red Hat-based (Linux) storage library solutions from FalconStor/Copan for their own disaster recovery (among other things where they either cannot or, in many cases, choose not to use their own software). But that's besides the point here.
You've been compromised, with a full rootkit. It means you cannot trust your system at all, regardless of what anti-virus vendors tell you. Rootkits compromise core system libraries, so they can replace the functions that anti-virus kits use and feed them bogus operations, including cleaning/removing files the rootkit protects.
If you really, really don't want to reload, pull up the register with a MMC (Microsoft Management Console) that lets you change policy on system settings until you get your Screensaver and what not. Then reboot, login and reboot again. If you "lose" your Screensaver again, it means the rootkit is still very much active.
As Microsoft started telling enterprises three (3) years ago, reinstall, it should be standard procedure. Microsoft has bought a VM product to try to address the system recovery issues, but as anyone in the industry will tell you, it's the worst of any option and the least complete. That's why VMware has over a 90% share, and over 90% of their installs are for Windows.
Like many things Microsoft and users rely on, VMware is Linux-based -- most specifically, ESX Server 3.x is based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3. For home users, running VMware is an issue because it prevents DirectX and many other things from working.
You should consider investing in a Norton utility for reducing the time to reinstall Windows from a known, good point. Unfortunately, that means you need to start taking full system backups, which it sounds like you don't have the storage to do. At this point, try the policy change above and, if it happens again, re-install cleanly. It's what Microsoft recommends very highly by default.
Sorry to hear about your troubles in any case. I see this almost daily myself, and it's why I've made a lot of money ripping out Windows for a dozen years now. This includes at many, many household name companies, especially for computer illiterate people (not yourself, I mean others) who constantly screw up Windows, and need an OS that prevents them from helping the OS fuck itself.
System policy / policy objects are being utilized on your system, which locks down customization. Enterprise Windows administrators are used to doing such on systems, to prevent all sorts of user customization.
Ahhh, that explains it. What you had (and may still have) was a management-type rootkit, one where someone can remotely administer your Windows system as they see fit.
The problem with many of these rootkits is even when you think you removed them, you often did not, because they hide themselves. As Microsoft has repeatedly told its enterprise customers for the last three (3) years, reinstallation of the system is highly recommended as it is impossible to remove many types of rootkits once the system has been compromised.
There are many ways to backup. You can back up to internal disk, by reserving more storage. There's really no excuse to not backup, so you at least keep your data files.
Although it's not like Windows "restores" very easily, it's one of the chronic flaws/issues with Windows. So, again, all you can really do is backup your data, you'll have to reload Windows regardless if it self-fucks during the update.
I.e., since 2004, when EMC bought VMware, I've made a lot of money at companies who 100% virtualized Windows. Why? Because Windows self-fucks or gets fucked by malware regularly, no matter what you do, and Microsoft has no feasible disaster recovery options for Windows.
Hell, even Microsoft uses a Red Hat-based (Linux) storage library solutions from FalconStor/Copan for their own disaster recovery (among other things where they either cannot or, in many cases, choose not to use their own software). But that's besides the point here.
You've been compromised, with a full rootkit. It means you cannot trust your system at all, regardless of what anti-virus vendors tell you. Rootkits compromise core system libraries, so they can replace the functions that anti-virus kits use and feed them bogus operations, including cleaning/removing files the rootkit protects.
If you really, really don't want to reload, pull up the register with a MMC (Microsoft Management Console) that lets you change policy on system settings until you get your Screensaver and what not. Then reboot, login and reboot again. If you "lose" your Screensaver again, it means the rootkit is still very much active.
As Microsoft started telling enterprises three (3) years ago, reinstall, it should be standard procedure. Microsoft has bought a VM product to try to address the system recovery issues, but as anyone in the industry will tell you, it's the worst of any option and the least complete. That's why VMware has over a 90% share, and over 90% of their installs are for Windows.
Like many things Microsoft and users rely on, VMware is Linux-based -- most specifically, ESX Server 3.x is based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3. For home users, running VMware is an issue because it prevents DirectX and many other things from working.
You should consider investing in a Norton utility for reducing the time to reinstall Windows from a known, good point. Unfortunately, that means you need to start taking full system backups, which it sounds like you don't have the storage to do. At this point, try the policy change above and, if it happens again, re-install cleanly. It's what Microsoft recommends very highly by default.
Sorry to hear about your troubles in any case. I see this almost daily myself, and it's why I've made a lot of money ripping out Windows for a dozen years now. This includes at many, many household name companies, especially for computer illiterate people (not yourself, I mean others) who constantly screw up Windows, and need an OS that prevents them from helping the OS fuck itself.
Thanks for all the views so far, I actually understood some of it (Ceska and Prof Volup were very helpful :thumbsup
but I've just had an idea.......:eek:
As the problem is only in one account, could I create a new account, move the files I want to keep, then delete this account? Or would the rootkit problem still be there? I don't want to risk losing my files, but my hard drive is almost full (less than three gig of space left) so I don't know if a backup would work. Any opinions? :wave2:
but I've just had an idea.......:eek:As the problem is only in one account, could I create a new account, move the files I want to keep, then delete this account? Or would the rootkit problem still be there? I don't want to risk losing my files, but my hard drive is almost full (less than three gig of space left) so I don't know if a backup would work. Any opinions? :wave2:
Hey hey, I got the latest update from MalwareBytes, did a full scan and bingo! All back to normal. Looks like their tech guys figured out the problem for me, awesome tool.
OK, just one more question: I have AVG, Spybot, Stinger (I think, or does it need downloading everytime? Can't seem to find it in my hard drive) and MalwareBytes. How many of these should I keep as constant protection?
Thanks for your help fellas. :thumbsup: :wave2:
OK, just one more question: I have AVG, Spybot, Stinger (I think, or does it need downloading everytime? Can't seem to find it in my hard drive) and MalwareBytes. How many of these should I keep as constant protection?
Thanks for your help fellas. :thumbsup: :wave2:
A rootkit infects the operating system.
Changing users doesn't solve the problem, it's not a browser issue.
Under Windows, it's commonplace because most everyone runs as Administrator.
It's cake for rootkits to get installed if you're running MS IE, without even clicking at times.
Firefox won't prevent you from getting a rootkit if you're running as Administrator either, although you typically have to click and install a trojan (it depends).
And even if you do not, there are various facilities on local Windows systems that run as Administrator where privilege escalation (to Administrator) is possible.
In the UNIX/Linux world we call these "privilege exploits" ("root exploit" -- being that the "Administrator" is "root" UNIX) and track them regardless if they are for desktops or servers.
Microsoft only tracks them on services on servers, as merely installing and running MS Office itself is a root exploit, along with Quicken/Quickbooks, etc...
FAT/NTFS are not only notorious for fragmenting like a bitch when nearly filled up, but corrupting as well.
To be somewhat fair to Microsoft ...
UNIX/Linux systems get rootkits as well, but since you can run just about anything and everything as a non-root user (including games, even Windows games under WINE in some cases, although I don't recommend it in general), it's far, far less common.
A UNIX/Linux rootkit is almost always installed via a compromised service, and even then it's pretty contained
(typically 5 figures of Linux servers, compared to the 7 figures commonly of Windows servers compromised at any time -- and Linux is just as popular as a server on the Internet).
Also, in the UNIX/Linux world, most filesystems reserve the last 5-10% of disk space for select, reserved operations to prevent fragmentation and to allow various recovery.
UNIX/Linux fragments far less because of this, and many other things (like common separation of system, temp and static files).
I've only seen issues with ReiserFS (don't get me started) and JFS (an incomplete port, long story), which are not used by anyone, whereas Ext3 and XFS have always been the staple filesystems in Linux (not considering clustering filesystems).
Rey C.
Racing is life... anything else is just waiting.
::taps on Prof. Volup's shoulder::
I do believe you called me out (somewhat) on the reformat issue. These fellas def. need to acclimate themselves with the reformat. Solving the problem is tougher than starting from scratch.
I found this ancient thread because I had an issue with a Windows XP Service Pack 3 computer last week. The MSFT certified tech, who I've been using for repairs and upgrades for the past 7-8 years, told me this exact same thing. Even for her, finding and completely correcting issues in any Windows computer (that's been running for a couple of years or more) is tough, according to her. Because of registry bloat and errors, she says it's usually easier and better to just dump it and reload it. She said that if people would do a better job of saving/backing up their files, they wouldn't be so afraid of reformatting/reloading, and her residential business would probably drop off by 50% or more. She can fix or rebuild about anything. But she says that if you start fresh, you KNOW what you've got.
A couple of years ago she confided in me (after I bought her dinner) that she used Macs at home. I asked her why. After swearing me to secrecy, she said, "because of Windows I make a nice living. Because of Mac OS, I have more time to enjoy the money I make - I only like to work on computers if I'm getting paid to do it." She kept me from "upgrading" to Vista (I should have proposed to her for that alone) and she's never steered me wrong. So, I've always valued her opinion when it comes to computers, as she knows what I want and why I want it.
Because of her (initially), Rob from Dreamnet and my girlfriend & her family (and the fact that Macs tend to dominate most consumer rankings for reliability and satisfaction), I decided to start replacing my PC's with Macs... and load them with Windows, for when I need that OS as a secondary. When the new MacBook Pro comes out next year, it'll be the first Mac I've bought in 25 years. I expect this will be like a guy who has been driving Chevys and Fords for the past 15 years (finally) getting back in a Mercedes.
GodsEmbryo
Closed Account
Looking for tech help on a porn site...
What's next? Looking for porn help on a IT site?
ShayD!
Come to the rescue!
Come to the rescue!
I found this ancient thread because I had an issue with a Windows XP Service Pack 3 computer last week. The MSFT certified tech, who I've been using for repairs and upgrades for the past 7-8 years, told me this exact same thing. Even for her, finding and completely correcting issues in any Windows computer (that's been running for a couple of years or more) is tough, according to her. Because of registry bloat and errors, she says it's usually easier and better to just dump it and reload it. She said that if people would do a better job of saving/backing up their files, they wouldn't be so afraid of reformatting/reloading, and her residential business would probably drop off by 50% or more. She can fix or rebuild about anything. But she says that if you start fresh, you KNOW what you've got.
A couple of years ago she confided in me (after I bought her dinner) that she used Macs at home. I asked her why. After swearing me to secrecy, she said, "because of Windows I make a nice living. Because of Mac OS, I have more time to enjoy the money I make - I only like to work on computers if I'm getting paid to do it." She kept me from "upgrading" to Vista (I should have proposed to her for that alone) and she's never steered me wrong. So, I've always valued her opinion when it comes to computers, as she knows what I want and why I want it.
Because of her (initially), Rob from Dreamnet and my girlfriend & her family (and the fact that Macs tend to dominate most consumer rankings for reliability and satisfaction), I decided to start replacing my PC's with Macs... and load them with Windows, for when I need that OS as a secondary. When the new MacBook Pro comes out next year, it'll be the first Mac I've bought in 25 years. I expect this will be like a guy who has been driving Chevys and Fords for the past 15 years (finally) getting back in a Mercedes.
See, a lot of people shit on Windows and go to Macs but I've had one problem in ten years when it comes to PCs and it was due to my own stupidity as I was blindly closing pop up ads when I guess one of them installed a virus on my computer.
Honestly when it comes to computers it's just common sense. Don't download stuff from places you don't trust, stay away from Russian sites, have a good antivirus program running and actually update the thing from time to time and you'll pretty much be set. Oh, and it also helps if only you use your own computer and no one else because you can control what you do but others not so much as they'll probably open up that shady .pdf file that promises them $5000 a month for sitting on their ass.
Rey C.
Racing is life... anything else is just waiting.
It sounds like you're satisfied with your Windows experience over the years. And that's perfectly cool. So I'd say you'd want to stick with it. If a person has had a Chrysler (that runs well), why move to another brand?
Two of my WinTel home/office machines never get used for "surfing". They're either dedicated to quote downloads or charting & trading. When I have an issue with either of these machines, I don't care if it's software, hardware or some combination of the two. I like working on cars, but I have no interest in working on (or paying someone else to work on) either of these machines, especially if the failure comes at a critical time. Even at the various companies I've been at over the past 15 years, I always found it curious that the IT guys would say they needed to dump the Windows OS every few years when the computers got dog slow. Either they were lazy or there was some sort of built in/planned obsolescence in previous (present?) versions of Windows. I dunno. Not my area. Just make it work.
I know what you're talking about: the way people download anything & everything and then blame the OS. But my move to a Macintosh platform is not just to get away from Windows as my primary OS (as I said, the new Macs can run Windows and Linux too). It is also to get integrated hardware that gets the highest reliability and customer satisfaction ratings. Saving a few hundred dollars doesn't interest me, if it increases the risk that it might cost me several thousand dollars while it's down. My guess is this is a big reason why the MacBook Pro was a top selling laptop this holiday season. A lot of the people I know who have them have Windows loaded, as well as the primary Mac OS.
But just for surfing the internet and looking at the purty, nekkid ladies, I think a cheap netbook, hooked up to a bigger monitor, would suffice for most people. I don't play video games, but I assume that a machine dedicated to that (Xbox or a PS whatchamacallit) would be best for that... plus I think they do other things now too. But people will go with whatever they like and whatever best meets their individual needs. For me, that is (or will be) the Mac platform.
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