Taming a Windows-8 desk-top PC

John_Pierpoint

NiftyDigits wrote: »

Eighteen months old and running Vista??
Yes, you can put that utility on a USB drive.

Have you backed up the important data on your XP machine? Perhaps we can run a Factory Restore on both machines at the same time.
Is that the only 'memory stick that you have?

It is my neighbour that is still running "Vista".

Sorry I am taking so long over this task, but there are three reasons why I am being so slow:

A. There are a lot of other things happening in my life, including house hunting - potential "downsize" plus a fine Sunday to try to catch up of the deferred maintenance in the large garden.

B. I have identified and must snail mail the current personal data to the widow and make sure she can use it.

C. Dealing with this situation is almost like learning to talk Martian - so please excuse my apparent stupidity.
[What is an SKU ?]

I have found the[STRIKE] little [/STRIKE] tiny Microsoft security labrel on the side of the cabinet and will post its details tomorrow.

the machine must be psychic because today it spontaneously asked my to upgrade to 8.1 for free when I swithced it on.

NiftyDigits

I don't need the details of the Windows 8 machine. Just save her data and then run a Factory Reset in order to set the machine up for yourself.
Then you can copy the data over from your XP machine and get that one cleaned up either to keep as a backup or for donation to a local club.

John_Pierpoint

I have sent the widow what looks like all the personal data on the Windows 8 PC - she should have received the cheap "memory stick" today and I will phone her to make sure she can read it and it is all she was expecting - I don't want a post mortem along the lines of
"where did our silver wedding photos go".

My son, who now lives a couple of hours drive away, is sending me a "gash" hard drive that he thinks I might find usefull from his Windows days.
[Unfortunately he has become a convert to all things Apple]

I see we are in the middle of a conversion from USB 2 to USB 3 presubably this is just an improvement in performance and should not prove a problem.

I do have some other memory sticks but they are small capacity and pretty old.

Thanks for all your advice so far.

John_Pierpoint

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

Ah well it is not raining here yet, infact the sun is shining and the temperature is still 20 something.

Would I be right in thinking that this utility can be downloaded to my neighbours PC, which is not Windows 8 but "Vista" and then taken round to my place on a "memory stick" - specifically a 32GB "SanDisk" about two years old ?

Well I managed to make time over the weekend, toperform the above task and brought back the Key Finder program and created afile folder in Program Files (x86); this appeared to be the home of nonMicrosoft software on the Windows8 PC.



I had already scanned the program file with myneighbour’s virus checker and the 2013 version of AVG on the Windows 8 PC.

Howeveras soon as I “execed” the file and the installer wizard started up AVG producedthe following virus threat:



[Fred, that favourite name of two finger typists, isthe system administrator of this Windows 8 PC]



Process name:C:\Users\Fred\AppData\Local\Temp\is-I9TIQ.tmp\KeyFinderInstaller.tmp

Process &

Session ID: 4108

Created 14/10/2014 06:09:06



C:\Users\Fred\AppData\Local\Temp\is-DOCKU.tmp



OCSetupHllp.dll



Found: MalSign.Generic.AB7

Threat: [ double amber ]



??

NiftyDigits

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

Well I managed to make time over the weekend, toperform the above task and brought back the Key Finder program and created afile folder in Program Files (x86); this appeared to be the home of nonMicrosoft software on the Windows8 PC.



I had already scanned the program file with myneighbour’s virus checker and the 2013 version of AVG on the Windows 8 PC.

Howeveras soon as I “execed” the file and the installer wizard started up AVG producedthe following virus threat:



[Fred, that favourite name of two finger typists, isthe system administrator of this Windows 8 PC]



Process name:C:\Users\Fred\AppData\Local\Temp\is-I9TIQ.tmp\KeyFinderInstaller.tmp

Process &

Session ID: 4108

Created 14/10/2014 06:09:06



C:\Users\Fred\AppData\Local\Temp\is-DOCKU.tmp



OCSetupHllp.dll



Found: MalSign.Generic.AB7

Threat: [ double amber ]



??

This is getting way too complicated. Just disable AVG.
If you have Internet at home, then why do you need to go to your neighbour??
Once you have transferred the data from the machine, just run the Factory Reset.

John_Pierpoint

Just to recap, I am the proud owner of a Dell PC running Windows XP; which supposedly fell foul of a virus called IDPTROJAN.CB452937 lurking in C:\Windows\system32\MRT.exe

Its description sounded nasty and AVG claimed to be unable to quarantine it.

That old XP PC is getting on for 10 years old.

So when I was offered a "modern" PC running Windows 8, I thought the logical thing to do was get that up and running, then worry about the old one.

So my internet connection is through a Talk Talk router [Which also does "catch-up telly], and I am reluctant to log into that with the XP machine and risk information being passed back to the Trojan's mothership.



The new Windows8 PC appears to have survived the virus attack according to AVG. However the "new" PC thinks it wants to attach to an AOL router wirelessly. Could it be persuaded to link wirelessly to my Talk Talk router as ha

John_Pierpoint

Now moneysaving expert has decided I am persona non grata and my second local library session is about to time out.

Will try again tomorrow.

NiftyDigits

Disable AVG, retrieve the keys. Factory Reset the new PC. What is the Service Tag written at the back of your old DELL?

I_have_spoken

Oh dear, what a palaver. Lesson learned in not downloading random keyfinder programs containing a virus from the internet!

NiftyDigits

I_have_spoken wrote: »

Oh dear, what a palaver. Lesson learned in not downloading random keyfinder programs containing a virus from the internet!

It was not a random Keyfinder program. It is The Magical Jelly Bean

I instructed him to use it. AVG 2013 is giving a warning, based on it's behaviour. All a moot point as he will be running a Factory Reset soon after.