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Windows software corruption
Me | February 25, 2015 | Gypsy286

Posted on 02/25/2015 5:15:58 AM PST by GYPSY286

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To: ansel12
My girl scout uniform, do you want the cookies mister?

Not sure. Any truth to the rumor they've changed their supplier to Burlington?

61 posted on 02/25/2015 7:36:45 AM PST by tacticalogic
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To: palmer

Thanks!


62 posted on 02/25/2015 7:41:24 AM PST by Seattle Conservative (God Bless and protect our troops)
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To: oh8eleven

I agree, sort of. I have my hard drive partitioned. OS is on C and data is on D. Also, D is backed up frequently.

I like the 'imaging' to restore. When my laptop HD sort of went south, I bought a new har drive and ran the image restore. All of my programs and settings were copied exactly as they were before. Imaging and image restore takes about 45 minutes each, depending on the amount of content.

Image restore on both desktops and laptops have save me several times over the last decade.
63 posted on 02/25/2015 7:48:05 AM PST by TomGuy
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To: GYPSY286

If you have been hacked, you can notify the authorities. The phone number should be traceable.

If they are holding your OS hostage, that is probably criminal (since they are extorting money to ‘fix’ it back).


64 posted on 02/25/2015 7:51:30 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Shickl-Gruber's Big Lie gave us Hussein's Un-Affordable Care act (HUAC).)
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To: TomGuy
Image restore on both desktops and laptops have save me several times over the last decade.
No question about it - there are so many ways to recover from a disaster today then there was years ago.
But my habits were formed back in the IBM PC days, when HD failure was a weekly occurrence ...
65 posted on 02/25/2015 8:00:52 AM PST by oh8eleven (RVN '67-'68)
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To: tacticalogic

You work with Mark Levin?


66 posted on 02/25/2015 8:14:10 AM PST by super7man (Oh why did I post that, now I'll never be able to run for Congress.)
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To: JackOfVA
what part of India or Pakistan he was calling from and then hung up.

We get the Punjabi calls periodically....I say quickly that we don't even own a computer and that they are not to call here ever again...........that tends to work -- for a few weeks.

67 posted on 02/25/2015 8:20:44 AM PST by ErnBatavia (It ain't a "hashtag"....it's a damn pound sign. ###)
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To: super7man
You work with Mark Levin?

Not yet, but you never know what might happen :).

68 posted on 02/25/2015 8:23:53 AM PST by tacticalogic
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To: hondact200

“DO NOT USE Kasperskys 2015.”

Off topic but I’ve always wondered why anyone would use software built in Russia.


69 posted on 02/25/2015 8:36:19 AM PST by ataDude (Its like 1933, mixed with the Carter 70s, plus the books 1984 and Animal Farm, all at the same time.)
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To: hondact200
[...] something that got through with the kasperskys 2015 software - malware virtually destroyed everything.

Your tech is a moron. There is no virus than can 'virtually destroy everything'. Almost every virus can be removed with, at worst, a rub and reload... the very few exceptions are hard drive encryptors, which at the very worst might brick the hard drive. That is a far cry from 'destroying everything'.

And Kaspersky is world class - I don't think there is anyone who would deny that. With regard to detection and removal, their stuff is king.

70 posted on 02/25/2015 8:46:08 AM PST by roamer_1 (Globalism is just socialism in a business suit.)
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To: GYPSY286
Alright - you have received a lot of good advice, but some of it is way over the top.

The call was a scam. You should never follow along with such a thing. If you feel you do need to do so, get the extension number they are at, get the company phone number from elsewhere, call the company directly (in this case, Microsoft) and ask for the extension, in order to verify. But I can tell you right now that no legitimate security company does this type of service call.

NEVER allow access to your computer, unless you absolutely and positively KNOW the company/tech. N-E-V-E-R.

Since you have allowed it, and since you allowed them to install software on your computer, it is HIGHLY suspected that you are now infected. You must take your machine to a serious service tech (one recommended to you by someone you trust that would know such a person) and have it very meticulously diagnosed. At worst, this is going to be a rub and reload. A competent tech will assist you to make sure your data is safe through the a process.

I see you have notified your bank. GOOD. Follow their instructions. Be aware of ANY credit card that you may have used to purchase things online anywhere - ANY such needs to be notified, as those numbers are saved in the machine (and thereby accessible to the scammers). Be aware of any personal documents stored on the machine that might contain your social security number or other ID associated numbers that might allow ID-theft. IF such exist onboard the machine, IF you have ever entered your social security number, or some state ID number online, then there may be further risk (contact such agents as necessary and inform them of the risk so they can be alert) - BUT, usually, these scams are meant to lead you down the garden path, going no further than trying to sucker you into paying them.

You do not need to move.
You do not need to change your phone number.
You do not have to change all your bank accounts (unless the bank says to)
You do not need to buy a new computer.

71 posted on 02/25/2015 9:17:28 AM PST by roamer_1 (Globalism is just socialism in a business suit.)
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To: Alas Babylon!

What product/version of Win 7 came out that had the same license number for everyone for that SKU of Win 7?


72 posted on 02/25/2015 9:58:01 AM PST by VeniVidiVici ( Better a conservative teabagger than a liberal teabagee)
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To: matthew fuller

I have never once seen malware infect documents or stuff like that. They may replace common executables, like iexplore, or system config files, but there is no point to trying to insert code in a file that doesn’t execute, because it would just lay there dormant.


73 posted on 02/25/2015 10:00:06 AM PST by Boogieman
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To: GYPSY286

Rule of thumb for EVERYTHING......never do business with any unsolicited incoming call.

.


74 posted on 02/25/2015 10:06:50 AM PST by Mears (To learn, who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed tfor o criticize."~~Voltaire)
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To: GYPSY286

Whatever they want to install is already on your machine. When you went to their website, it automatically downloaded and installed itself, and anytime you are connected to the internet, that software can contact them and transmit information to them, or download more bad stuff to install.

You should take it for granted that they are logging every key you press and mouse click, taking screenshots of what you do on the machine (whether you are connected to the web or not), and intercepting any data that your computer sends/receives on the internet. Normally, all that would be transmitted occasionally to their server, but if you stay off the internet until you can clean the computer, then any data they gather will be wiped out before they can receive it.


75 posted on 02/25/2015 10:10:04 AM PST by Boogieman
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To: GYPSY286

Your computer is obviously very compromised since you received such a call.
If you have any personal information on your computer such as tax, bank or anything else they have it. They have everything on your computer. Likely they have key logging software which records keystrokes; and would have any passwords for any banking or anything else you do online.

Get on a clean computer; and change all passwords you have to start.


76 posted on 02/25/2015 10:23:32 AM PST by HereInTheHeartland (Pants up; don't loot)
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To: HereInTheHeartland

Ive already taken care of the passwords on a clean pc. However, if I am to download the Malaware program, I have to do that on the dirty pc, right? And won’t they see that I am doing that?


77 posted on 02/25/2015 12:20:12 PM PST by GYPSY286 (Politicians must USE their heads or Americans will LOSE their heads.)
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To: VeniVidiVici

Well, technically speaking, Windows 7 doesn’t have a “License Number”. It has a product activation key, but this is used to activate the operating system initially. If you do not do so, it goes into reduced functionality mode.

I am assuming that you cannot see your Product Key within the OS—I’m not sure it’s even stored in the registry. Otherwise people would browse for it and try to reuse it, change it, and all kinds of horrible outcomes would result.

If you go to the Systems Properties sheet, at the bottom of the details pane, you should see a product ID, which is based on the SKU.


78 posted on 02/25/2015 4:29:08 PM PST by Alas Babylon! (As we say in the Air Force, "You know you're over the target when you start getting flak!")
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To: Boogieman

That sounds correct to me. I am not a software guru, and I tend to err on the careful side.


79 posted on 02/25/2015 9:11:56 PM PST by matthew fuller (Kill Obamacare, Common Care, and muslim terrorists!)
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To: matthew fuller

I appreciate all the comments and suggestions provided on this thread. I ran malwarebytes and spysoftware as suggested. I then rebooted and uninstalled both malwarebytes and spysoftware so it would not interfere with my anti-virus software. Tried to get on the internet - no success - I kept getting notice that “proxy server......”. So I unplugged the whole set-up for the time being until I can figure out what is going on with the proxy server. I checked the number and it is correct.


80 posted on 02/26/2015 5:03:43 AM PST by GYPSY286 (Politicians must USE their heads or Americans will LOSE their heads.)
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