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#1
Family Safety Is Blocking Numerous Windows Files
Gateway NV55C Laptop
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Service Pack 1
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(Note: I am inquiring about the following issue using a desktop pc, not from the laptop that I'm having problems with.)
There are 5 user accounts on the laptop, 2 of those accounts (belonging to my 2 children) are monitored with Microsoft Family Safety, the other 3 are set up as Administrators. Both of the monitored accounts were set up with slightly different settings, one being more tight than the other. They both have time limits set, web filtering, and game and app restrictions. The app restrictions on the tightly monitored account, (I'll call it #1), restricted from using Skype, Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live Messenger, and the less tightly monitored one, (I'll call it #2), allowed those programs.
Those 2 accounts have been monitored for about 3 months with no issues until 5 days ago. At that time, the #1 account became unstable. Either it begins to log on to the account, then immediately logs off by itself before it ever shows the desktop; it logs on all the way, but the entire screen is white; or it logs on all the way, shows the desktop, and pops up numerous notifications that certain files have been blocked. (I've listed some of those files below.) When you click the link at the bottom of the notifications to ask permission to allow the file, another blocked file notification pops up. Every once in a while, the pop-up will appear where an administrator can sign in and either allow or deny the permission request, but even after doing that, more blocked file notifications keep popping up. Then, after about a minute, it logs off the account by itself.
When this began to happen, I tightened the parental controls on the #2 monitored account so that they were the same as the parental controls on the #1 account. This would make it possible for both children to use the #2 account until I could figure out what was wrong with #1. After I did that, it started popping up the same blocked file notifications as #1.
Some of the files that it says are blocked are:
explorer.exe
dllhost.exe (c:\windows\syswow64)
rundll32.exe (c:\windows\system32)
atbroker.exe (c:\windows\system32)
IAStorIcon.exe
net.exe (c:\windows\syswow64)
net1.exe (c:\windows\syswow64)
conhost.exe (c:\windows\system32)
wininit.ext (c:\windows\system32)
I have used the following programs on the laptop for the 2 years that we have had it, with no compatibility problems. All of the scans were performed 2 days ago in Safe Mode and no malware was found:
Webroot SecureAnywhere (v 8.0.1.193)
Webroot Anti-Virus with Spy Sweeper
rkill.exe
MalwareBytes
Spybot Search & Destroy
Windows Defender (I get an error when I try to update this. I ran the "fix" that was suggested on the website I was directed to, then retried the update, but still got an error.)
I even disabled the parental controls, but I'm still having the same problems. I also tried the "repair" function found by pressing F8 when restarting the laptop. Nothing was shown to have been repaired. And as a last resort, I set the system back to a previous restore point, but the only point available was 3 days ago. (That was no help because I needed to restore it back to a week ago.)
Also, when I go to the Task Manager from any of the 3 Administrator accounts, it shows that 50% of the memory is being used at all times.
At this point, I'm at a loss as to what to do next. If you need any more information about anything, please let me know.