Need Help With Basic Protection

ignatzatsonic said:

Meerkat2 said:

I didn't give that site card number. I gave the real Malwarebytes site that for 24.99. I still cancelled the service until I know whats up. I hope it was just for the scam too.

You still ought to plan on doing a fresh installation of Windows.

It's done every day by people with no more experience than you. Might take a few hours.

Start with the tutorial that Layback Bear mentioned.

If you want to try it, start a new thread in the installation section of this web site.

If not, hire it done, locally, face to face with a repair shop.

If you do it yourself, it should not cost a dime.

But you need to back up your stuff as your hard drive will be wiped CLEAN, completely.

Ok, only thing is a few dozen garden pictures of hydroponics we are trying for past couple years and family. Do I need a disk for them?

Meerkat2 said:

I'm not confident about clean install. I looked it over and I don't have a disk or software to store things. All we have on here are pictures. And passwords to a couple sites. Wonder if we can just use Cromebook,is that easy to hack too? I've been online for 12 years. Never got into trouble till today.

Do you have a DVD drive in your PC?

Have you ever "burned" a DVD disc with that DVD drive?

What is the total estimated size of all your pictures?

Are you at all familiar with those USB thumb drives that look sort of like a BIC cigarette lighter?

I'm trying to gauge whether or not we might be able to talk you through a clean install.

If you hire someone to reinstall Windows, you'd lose your pictures if you don't back them up. But you can back them up rather easily IF you are willing to spend 10 bucks and go through a short learning process.

After you get stuff backed up, then the second decision is reinstall by yourself or hire it done.

Or maybe you don't care about the pictures? In which case, all you need to worry about are your passwords, which of course you should immediately change anyway, due to what's happened today.

ignatzatsonic said:

Meerkat2 said:

I'm not confident about clean install. I looked it over and I don't have a disk or software to store things. All we have on here are pictures. And passwords to a couple sites. Wonder if we can just use Cromebook,is that easy to hack too? I've been online for 12 years. Never got into trouble till today.

Do you have a DVD drive in your PC?

Have you ever "burned" a DVD disc with that DVD drive?

What is the total estimated size of all your pictures?

Are you at all familiar with those USB thumb drives that look sort of like a BIC cigarette lighter?

I'm trying to gauge whether or not we might be able to talk you through a clean install.

If you hire someone to reinstall Windows, you'd lose your pictures if you don't back them up. But you can back them up rather easily IF you are willing to spend 10 bucks and go through a short learning process.

After you get stuff backed up, then the second decision is reinstall by yourself or hire it done.

Or maybe you don't care about the pictures? In which case, all you need to worry about are your passwords, which of course you should immediately change anyway, due to what's happened today.

I have a place to put a dvd in. They sent us a disk a couple years ago to clear it back to factory level. Will that still work? Picture size is about 3x4. Never heard of thumb drive and don't think we have one of those.

Been lucky since 2002 guess luck ran out. I'll go change all passwords now. Thank you. I'll see about hiring someone if I can't get help from one of our 10 grown grandkids. Taught them lots of things in life.

Continue this conversation in your other new thread.

A moderator will probably move it to the "installation" section.

Yes, that disc should work to take you back to factory levels.

I'll come back and let yall know if we got it fixed. Thanks again.
Ok I just saw your post IG, will try using that disk.

One last question till we get this fixed. Should we change internet service and is chrome book tablet safe to use till we do?

Meerkat2 said:

One last question till we get this fixed. Should we change internet service and is chrome book tablet safe to use till we do?

No need to change internet service. I'd probably change any passwords related to it though.

I know nothing about Chrome or tablets. I assume you are talking about a separate device entirely unrelated to your HP. If that's the case, I'd say it is safe, but you still need to change passwords to any websites you might visit with the tablet as I assume the same passwords are used on the HP.

Have you notified all banking institutions, credit card reporting agencies, anybody that pays you pensions or inbound money of any kind? Stockbrokers? Anybody you have an IRA or 401k with? Do you pay bills online?

I'm still working on the problem. I don't think I have a virus and we did change credit card and put watch on banking. No other assets like savign or stocks.

I finally disabled mse but still can't stop free malwarebytes from interferign with the premium I paid for. So I put mse back on till I can find out how to get the Premium plan I paid for. Soon as busy son gets back in country I'll let him fix it I guess. I want to say you people have really been patiant with me. I learned alot this week. Just lettign you know how its going.