Computer hacked - help!

[KneeDeep]

2 hours ago, stud858 said:

Pressing of the F10 key or and with the alt key can be temperamental

Try a few more times. Be quick to start tapping away at the/those key/s. Try pressing and holding  down continuosly for 20 seconds And be sure the computer is booting from a complete shutdown. When you're in windows Pressing and holding the laptops power button down for 10 seconds will completely shut down. The screen should blank out suddenly during that 10 seconds for a complete shutdown. 

 

Once exhausted a few attempts of getting into factory restore we would have to come to the conclusion that factory restore partition didn't exist in the first place, has been deleted, or corrupted or it has been disabled in the disk management that was mentioned in a previous post.

it seems you will need personalised , face to face help.

The charge for reinstalling fresh windows shouldn't be more than a thousand baht at a computer store.

If you buy an SSD then you could get a discount on install.

SSD 250gb drive should be about 2 thousand baht.

 

It's a pity no factory restore menu could be accessed. It makes things super easy

 

Good luck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What??!!

 

There is no need to pay to have Windows installed. Certainly not something I would do in Thailand, as they appear to have an aversion to installing Windows without using some tainted process.

Always install Windows yourself. It is very easy and you can be sure of what is installed, in addition customising it to your preference.

 

Factory Restore would only have reinstalled all of the useless bumph that makes a device slow in the first place. That together with the mechanical HDD would make for a dreary experience.

SSD is the way forward.

[Tofer]

5 minutes ago, KneeDeep said:

 

 

What??!!

 

There is no need to pay to have Windows installed. Certainly not something I would do in Thailand, as they appear to have an aversion to installing Windows without using some tainted process.

Always install Windows yourself. It is very easy and you can be sure of what is installed, in addition customising it to your preference.

 

Factory Restore would only have reinstalled all of the useless bumph that makes a device slow in the first place. That together with the mechanical HDD would make for a dreary experience.

SSD is the way forward.

You need a holiday in Koh Lanta, asap!

[KneeDeep]

1 minute ago, Tofer said:

You need a holiday in Koh Lanta, asap!

 

I'm just writing you an installation guide ????

[KneeDeep]

5 hours ago, Tofer said:

Thanks for the latest advice.

 

I started this morning with the recommendation to boot up with the F10 / alt function keys - no joy.

 

The Windows boot manager screen that opens up immediately I switch on does not allow me to do anything, e.g. Escape or use the F8 function noted therein. The only way I can move on to boot up is to accept the preselected 'windows 7' OS by clicking enter.

 

I managed to download the malware trial recommend by Elad, and the scan identified 48 threats, which I then quarantined.

 

Upon restarting I got the same 'windows boot manager screen, no response to the F10 key, then a 'check disc c screen already with a note stating "disc checking has been cancelled". Also the same auto deleting messages as before.

 

Restarted in 'safe mode' and inserted USB memory stick, got message "folder access denied". So I shut down the computer again and restarted it. Still had the windows boot manager screen up first but then when all up and running it appears to be without the previous issues. However this has happened previously, so until I log off and restart again I'm not confident everything is sorted.

 

During this respite from the problems I've managed to save across all my photos and document files - hallelujah!

 

I have yet to try to restart again, but will try resetting to an earlier date etc. before I shut down.

 

I will let you know how I get on in due course, but I need to attend to other things this pm. In Krabi tomorrow, so will try to find the SSD unit there. Any particular brand recommended / compatible for my Sony Vaio?

 

 

You should make some preparations for the upcoming install. Creating installation media, backing up activation etc.

 

I recommend that you give Windows 10 Pro a try. Reason for this is partially that support for Windows 7 will end next year, but more so, that you are unlikely to need to install any Drivers separately for yourself. So an easier process in some ways.

 

But to install Windows 10 Pro without buying a hooky product key or resorting to hooky KMS solutions, we'll need to take some steps.

The problem is, almost certainly, that your Thai technician has taken some short cut in reinstalling Windows.

So I'm not confident that the next steps will work. Confirm that the laptop has the Certificate of Authentication for Windows 7 Home Premium on the underside. That will at least tell us that it has a genuine licence for Windows 7.

Then we'll move on to the next steps...

 

Edited February 7, 2019 by KneeDeep

[KneeDeep]

In the meantime, you'll need to create the installation media. I'm giving you the links now, as, if your laptop refuses to work in order to create them, you can create them at an Internet Cafe in Krabi.

 

First link; https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10

 

There you need to download, save and then double click on the downloaded file in order to run the Tool and then follow the instructions to create the latest Windows 10 installation media. You'll need an empty USB Drive of at least 8GB or a blank DVD.

 

Instructions; https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10?d2784474-fdb0-4e9d-9e47-5e88c0e053ec=True

 

 

We will also create Windows 7 re-installation media. Again, you'll need a similar USB Flash drive or a blank DVD;

 

Click here to download the re-installation DVD for your laptop. I am sending the password to you separately.

Choose the download via Browser option and when fully downloaded and saved, use the Windows Disc Image Burner to create the DVD.

 

This way, we can be sure that you have verifiable media. We have no idea what your Tech installs.

 

Everything in bold is a click-able link.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KneeDeep]

Don't try to fit the new drive until you have completed these steps and referred back to me. Get someone in the Cafe to help you download and create if confused. But don't rely on anyone else's media or pay them to install for you. As again, they may take undesirable short cuts.

[KneeDeep]

I will add that if you don't want to spend that much on the laptop, you can buy cheaper models that will still be very effective;

 

https://www.invadeit.co.th/product/solid-state-drives-ssd/crucial/bx500-120gb-3d-nand-sata-2-5inch-internal-ssd-ct120bx500ssd1-p040111/ 750 baht

 

https://www.invadeit.co.th/product/solid-state-drives-ssd/crucial/bx500-240gb-3d-nand-sata-2-5inch-internal-ssd-ct240bx500ssd1-p040112/ 1180 baht

[chrisinth]

6 hours ago, Tofer said:

Thanks for the latest advice.

 

I started this morning with the recommendation to boot up with the F10 / alt function keys - no joy.

 

The Windows boot manager screen that opens up immediately I switch on does not allow me to do anything, e.g. Escape or use the F8 function noted therein. The only way I can move on to boot up is to accept the preselected 'windows 7' OS by clicking enter.

 

I managed to download the malware trial recommend by Elad, and the scan identified 48 threats, which I then quarantined.

 

Upon restarting I got the same 'windows boot manager screen, no response to the F10 key, then a 'check disc c screen already with a note stating "disc checking has been cancelled". Also the same auto deleting messages as before.

 

Restarted in 'safe mode' and inserted USB memory stick, got message "folder access denied". So I shut down the computer again and restarted it. Still had the windows boot manager screen up first but then when all up and running it appears to be without the previous issues. However this has happened previously, so until I log off and restart again I'm not confident everything is sorted.

 

During this respite from the problems I've managed to save across all my photos and document files - hallelujah!

 

I have yet to try to restart again, but will try resetting to an earlier date etc. before I shut down.

 

I will let you know how I get on in due course, but I need to attend to other things this pm. In Krabi tomorrow, so will try to find the SSD unit there. Any particular brand recommended / compatible for my Sony Vaio?

Tofer, just a quick one on your backup/transfer of files to your external; some things you may have forgotten about. Maybe no concern but whatever, worth mentioning.

 

If you are using an email client (Outlook, Thunderbird, etc, etc) what sort of account have you setup? I recall you were having problems with disappearing text in your emails earlier in the thread?? If it is an IMAP and you keep a copy web-side then no problem. If you are using a POP3 account and not keeping a copy web-side, then you need to save your .pst (or equivalent) folder to your backup to be sure you don't lose all your email. This needs to be done for all accounts if using separate data files, and for any local archive files.

 

Of lesser importance (but still a pain if you forget) and you use favourites/bookmarks in your web browsers, you need to back these up as well.

 

The reason I mention this, is to make sure you are not taking shortcuts (on an infected machine) and just copying the entire folders such as My Documents/Pictures/Videos, etc as these contain system files which may have been compromised. And IMO you should never go to C:\Users\Your Profile and copy this.

 

If you still have problems selecting and copying files/folders, try running a Windows PE (Preinstallation Environment) (DVD or thumbdrive) on top of your OS and use the file manager that comes with the PE to copy over the files/folders you want to keep.

 

Lots of different Windows PE's out there; the link below is just for 5 different choices as it was the highest ranked in my search.

 

https://www.raymond.cc/blog/5-system-rescue-boot-disc-based-on-windows-pe/  

 

It is better to keep too much (but no infection) only to find you have forgotten something on a disk that you have just formatted.

 

One thing that I haven't seen asked (I may have missed it though) is do you have a backup routine, and if so what sort of backup do you do? IE, do you use imaging software and if so, do you have a recent image of your ???? drive?

[chrisinth]

1 hour ago, KneeDeep said:

I will add that if you don't want to spend that much on the laptop, you can buy cheaper models that will still be very effective;

 

https://www.invadeit.co.th/product/solid-state-drives-ssd/crucial/bx500-120gb-3d-nand-sata-2-5inch-internal-ssd-ct120bx500ssd1-p040111/ 750 baht

 

https://www.invadeit.co.th/product/solid-state-drives-ssd/crucial/bx500-240gb-3d-nand-sata-2-5inch-internal-ssd-ct240bx500ssd1-p040112/ 1180 baht

I have just ordered (this afternoon) a 1TB SSD (nand) drive by Transend for 4,500 baht. This is from their official store in Lazada. Reason I am trying this is to see if it can overcome one of the work notebook's problems where it runs at 100% disk usage for 90% of the time on it's installed 1TB HDD.

 

If it doesn't help with the problem I will use it for something else so nothing lost.

[KneeDeep]

3 hours ago, chrisinth said:

I have just ordered (this afternoon) a 1TB SSD (nand) drive by Transend for 4,500 baht. This is from their official store in Lazada. Reason I am trying this is to see if it can overcome one of the work notebook's problems where it runs at 100% disk usage for 90% of the time on it's installed 1TB HDD.

 

If it doesn't help with the problem I will use it for something else so nothing lost.

 

Why not the MX500? https://www.invadeit.co.th/product/solid-state-drives-ssd/crucial/mx500-1tb-2-5inch-internal-ssd-ct1000mx500ssd1-p034805/

 

Better and cheaper at 4,490 baht.

 

https://ssd.userbenchmark.com/SpeedTest/406099/CT1000MX500SSD1

 

https://ssd.userbenchmark.com/SpeedTest/543777/TS1TSSD230S

[KneeDeep]

https://ssd.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Transcend-TS1TSSD230S-1TB-vs-Crucial-MX500-1TB/m543777vsm406099

[Tofer]

12 hours ago, KneeDeep said:

 

 

You should make some preparations for the upcoming install. Creating installation media, backing up activation etc.

 

I recommend that you give Windows 10 Pro a try. Reason for this is partially that support for Windows 7 will end next year, but more so, that you are unlikely to need to install any Drivers separately for yourself. So an easier process in some ways.

 

But to install Windows 10 Pro without buying a hooky product key or resorting to hooky KMS solutions, we'll need to take some steps.

The problem is, almost certainly, that your Thai technician has taken some short cut in reinstalling Windows.

So I'm not confident that the next steps will work. Confirm that the laptop has the Certificate of Authentication for Windows 7 Home Premium on the underside. That will at least tell us that it has a genuine licence for Windows 7.

Then we'll move on to the next steps...

 

You lost me in the first paragraph I'm afraid. I haven't got a clue what you're referring to.

 

I bought the computer in UK with everything installed, and the full resets were done by a very reliable UK IT technician in UK. It's never been near a Thai technician. However I've just spotted it was made in China....

 

There's a Microsoft sticker for Proof of licence / Certificate of Authenticity for Windows 7 Pro OA on the back.

[KneeDeep]

11 minutes ago, Tofer said:

You lost me in the first paragraph I'm afraid. I haven't got a clue what you're referring to.

 

I bought the computer in UK with everything installed, and the full resets were done by a very reliable UK IT technician in UK. It's never been near a Thai technician. However I've just spotted it was made in China....

 

There's a Microsoft sticker for Proof of licence / Certificate of Authenticity for Windows 7 Pro OA on the back.

 

 

You simply need a new copy of Windows 7/10 to install to the SSD. You create it yourself. That is all.

Then we show you how to install it to the laptop.

Technician was so reliable that he removed the Recovery Partition....hmmmm. 

Not that it is an issue, as the Recovery/Re-installation image that I have sent via PM will do the trick.

[Tofer]

10 hours ago, chrisinth said:

Tofer, just a quick one on your backup/transfer of files to your external; some things you may have forgotten about. Maybe no concern but whatever, worth mentioning.

 

If you are using an email client (Outlook, Thunderbird, etc, etc) what sort of account have you setup? I recall you were having problems with disappearing text in your emails earlier in the thread?? If it is an IMAP and you keep a copy web-side then no problem. If you are using a POP3 account and not keeping a copy web-side, then you need to save your .pst (or equivalent) folder to your backup to be sure you don't lose all your email. This needs to be done for all accounts if using separate data files, and for any local archive files.

 

Of lesser importance (but still a pain if you forget) and you use favourites/bookmarks in your web browsers, you need to back these up as well.

 

The reason I mention this, is to make sure you are not taking shortcuts (on an infected machine) and just copying the entire folders such as My Documents/Pictures/Videos, etc as these contain system files which may have been compromised. And IMO you should never go to C:\Users\Your Profile and copy this.

 

If you still have problems selecting and copying files/folders, try running a Windows PE (Preinstallation Environment) (DVD or thumbdrive) on top of your OS and use the file manager that comes with the PE to copy over the files/folders you want to keep.

 

Lots of different Windows PE's out there; the link below is just for 5 different choices as it was the highest ranked in my search.

 

https://www.raymond.cc/blog/5-system-rescue-boot-disc-based-on-windows-pe/  

 

It is better to keep too much (but no infection) only to find you have forgotten something on a disk that you have just formatted.

 

One thing that I haven't seen asked (I may have missed it though) is do you have a backup routine, and if so what sort of backup do you do? IE, do you use imaging software and if so, do you have a recent image of your ???? drive?

Many thanks for all your advice, but I must confess a great mist descended on my brain when I tried to understand it. I'm afraid I have a serious mental block when it comes to anything technological.

 

I use Outlook on a hotmail account, is about as detailed as I can be, sorry!

 

Because I managed to open the computer without any apparent intrusions yesterday, I copied all my files of any importance individually from the Documents and Photographs sections as I didn't manage to copy the whole section unopened.

 

No back up routine or imaging software, whatever that is.

[Tofer]

3 minutes ago, KneeDeep said:

 

 

You simply need a new copy of Windows 7/10 to install to the SSD. You create it yourself. That is all.

Then we show you how to install it to the laptop.

Technician was so reliable that he removed the Recovery Partition....hmmmm. 

Not that it is an issue, as the Recovery/Re-installation image that I have sent via PM will do the trick.

Thanks I'll look into it later, as I should be on the road to Krabi by now.

[KneeDeep]

34 minutes ago, Tofer said:

Many thanks for all your advice, but I must confess a great mist descended on my brain when I tried to understand it. I'm afraid I have a serious mental block when it comes to anything technological.

 

I use Outlook on a hotmail account, is about as detailed as I can be, sorry!

 

Because I managed to open the computer without any apparent intrusions yesterday, I copied all my files of any importance individually from the Documents and Photographs sections as I didn't manage to copy the whole section unopened.

 

No back up routine or imaging software, whatever that is.

 

If you are going to remove the old HDD and replace it with the SSD, there is no need to be concerned with this. You can retrieve your data from the old HDD later on, if necessary.

[Tofer]

Just tried again with the F10 key and managed to get it to start the recovery process to factory settings. Completed that process.

 

Checked the documents to see if there was any issues, and the same "Delete Files" message popped up, managed to get rid of it and tried again with photos, same again, got rid of the message again and all subsequent attempts to open documents / photos / videos / music were fine, no more delete files message. Shut down and restarted computer and I'm again getting the "Delete Files" message, only this time I cannot lose it. Then when I try to get rid of it the cursor stops functioning on right or left click but still moves around the screen as directed by the mouse.

 

Tried to open Internet Explorer unsuccessfully - message reads "Internet Explorer cannot display webpage". Tried troubleshooting - message "troubleshooting couldn't identify the problem. All the time my internet connection is on and wi-if connection is showing full signal strength.

 

Also I'm still getting the Windows Boot Manager screen at start up requiring selection of the OS - Windows 7.

 

On screen I'm getting a pop up asking "do you want to allow the following programme ('jucheck.exe') from an unknown publisher to make changes to this computer - file origin; Hard drive on this computer.

 

All in all it appears worse than before the recovery to factory settings.....

 

I had little enough hair to start with but I'm tearing out what's left at the moment....

[stud858]

Usually there is an option to completely wipe and install or to recover old files and settings for the reinstall. Which did you select. Are you able to post some photos of the factory recover menus you see.

Also, don't attempt to put your old files back or load them at all

 Pull out that USB. If they are infected they will immediately affect your new install.

 

Test the fresh install first for a few days. If plugging in your USB buggers things up, throw your old files away. They are gone.

[stud858]

Also during restore process unplug USB sticks, take out DVD disks, and also sdcards.

After a fresh full wipe factory restore, if you are having problems the next thing is to try a manual format and install which I think (no offence) you'll need to send into a computer shop to complete. Doesn't sound like hardware fault issue but nothing's impossible.

 

Edited February 10, 2019 by stud858

[DaveBKK]

You see how much time this is sucking and frustration it’s causing. Easy solution:

 

- Move all your pics / docs to iPad. Chuck the PC. 

 

- Get a Chromebook, move all files there. Chuck the PC. 

 

PCs are just not worth the frustration anymore for non-nerds.  

[stud858]

4 minutes ago, DaveBKK said:

You see how much time this is sucking and frustration it’s causing. Easy solution:

 

- Move all your pics / docs to iPad. Chuck the PC. 

 

- Get a Chromebook, move all files there. Chuck the PC. 

 

PCs are just not worth the frustration anymore for non-nerds.  

Is a good option. Just not a free one

 

I've got an Android tablet too.

It can work with office files, stream all the tv. Movies sports 

Can connect keyboard and mouse.

 

But buying a decent tablet or netbook is gonna be around 5000 +

 

And what happens when you plug in the same infected files. Be weary of that.

 

Try the restore again with safer options. Free and no fuss.

[Tofer]

1 hour ago, stud858 said:

Usually there is an option to completely wipe and install or to recover old files and settings for the reinstall. Which did you select. Are you able to post some photos of the factory recover menus you see.

Also, don't attempt to put your old files back or load them at all

 Pull out that USB. If they are infected they will immediately affect your new install.

 

Test the fresh install first for a few days. If plugging in your USB buggers things up, throw your old files away. They are gone.

I left nothing attached other than the mouse.

 

I have not tried loading up my files either.

 

[DaveBKK]

1 hour ago, stud858 said:

Is a good option. Just not a free one

 

I've got an Android tablet too.

It can work with office files, stream all the tv. Movies sports 

Can connect keyboard and mouse.

 

But buying a decent tablet or netbook is gonna be around 5000 +

 

And what happens when you plug in the same infected files. Be weary of that.

 

Try the restore again with safer options. Free and no fuss.

 

A windows virus/malware won’t affect Android / ChromeOS / iOS. 

[stud858]

You should be selecting restore complete system.

If after that you are facing issues, a manual restore then hardware investigations.

[stud858]

Keep in mind there may be further selections along the line that may make a difference in the factory setup menu. Wipe partitions options, etc.

[KneeDeep]

How far have you got with creating the new installation media and obtaining the SSD?

[chrisinth]

On 2/10/2019 at 3:41 PM, DaveBKK said:

 

A windows virus/malware won’t affect Android / ChromeOS / iOS. 

But Android/ChromeOS/iOS will not get rid of the infection, that will remain in the corrupt file/folder. This is why all precautions should be taken to ensure any recovered files from an infected device are clean before moving to a new device.

 

Problem happens if you have to share or even copy to external media.

[stud858]

Unless an infected or even suspect file is a file that will save my life or the world I will toss it.

 

I got no sentimentality.

 

 

[donim]

On 2/4/2019 at 12:53 PM, neeray said:

I fully understand your "technical dinosaur" comment. Like me, and like somebody suggested, you need a local, hands-on tech.

Right, and it's better done locally without connection to the internet, backups the mails and documents and doing a clean install. Then put some good software and updates (defenders, patches,..), and a explaination what can be trust and what not. (window messages)

If the OP lives in Don Muang he can ask me for assistance with fixing his computer.

(and anything electric/technically)

 

Rgds,

[donim]

On 2/10/2019 at 3:27 PM, Tofer said:

I left nothing attached other than the mouse.

 

I have not tried loading up my files either.

 

I have a VAIO too here, that is my daily computer.

 

The VAIO restore will delete everyhing on the system drive inside the computer.

(also your emails and documents will be gone)

But important is that the harddisk is original as the system files are hidden on a partition inside here.

 

That option is good when you have a copy of your important files and will make the computer like the first day when you bought it.

 

My VAIO is the VPCCW series and still running 9.5 years, no reinstalls.

Good Japan brand ????

Rgds,