Something triggered as infected?

[drfsupercenter]

So I was doing a virus scan with Malwarebytes...

Only one thing came up, and this is what it showed:

Registry Data Items Infected:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoActiveDesktopChanges (Hijack.DisplayProperties) -> Bad: (1) Good: (0) -> No action taken.

What is that? Is that a custom Windows 7 configuration? Because it's obviously flagged as a virus and I haven't known Malwarebytes to have lots of false positives. I just want to be sure this is safe, and if it is... does anybody know how to stop Malwarebytes from reporting it as infected?

 

[stevieray]

Malwarebytes flags that registry key when the value has been changed from 0 (the default setting) to 1.

Some malware sets the value to 1 because that locks the desktop settings. If you set it back to 0 the warnings should go away on your next scan.

Edit: If Malwarebytes had detected additional signs of infection, it would have reset the value to 0 on its own. Since that was the only problem it found, it assumed you set the desktop to "lock" yourself.

 

[Airbot]

As Stevieray has mentioned, it's just a registry entry and is not harmful. You can let Malwarebytes "fix it" or manually do it yourself, which is just setting it to zero. Nothing to worry about.

 

[drfsupercenter]

So what does that mean, locked desktop settings? Is it like that by default, or would I have accidentally set it?

 

[stevieray]

The default is unlocked.

This exists so a computer administrator can keepthe other users from changing the way the desktop looks and acts.

Some games use this key to save your desktop display settings... I really don't know why, but they do. Sometimes these games forget to change it back when they shut down.

 

[drfsupercenter]

Hmm... I'm the only user on this computer, so I should automatically be an administrator.

No harm done if I make it unlocked, right? It was probably one of my oldish games that doesn't know how to configure Windows 7 correctly.

 

[stevieray]

The oldish game is a likely culprit. No harm if you change it back to 0.

And as an aside... you, as the only user, are an administrator by default, but not a true administrator. Confusing? Yes. If you want full administrative privileges, you'll have to grant yourself them. Yes, I know... WTF?... but that's the way it is. The default administrator is a weak administrator.

 

[drfsupercenter]

How do I make myself a true administrator? Is it possible?

 

[zigzag3143]

How do I make myself a true administrator? Is it possible?

True administrator? Do You mean a member of the admin group, or do you mean the hidden Super admin?

Ken

 

[drfsupercenter]

What's a Super Admin?

I mean whatever gives me the privilege to do whatever I want on my computer.

 

[Airbot]

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/507-built-administrator-account-enable-disable.html?filter

 

[drfsupercenter]

OK, so I enabled it.

How do I make myself equal to the Administrator? (And still auto-log me in, not just show that user selection screen at boot)

 

[zigzag3143]

OK, so I enabled it.

How do I make myself equal to the Administrator? (And still auto-log me in, not just show that user selection screen at boot)

Anytime there is more than one user it has to go to that screen so that you can choose which you want to run. I suspect you are trying to do something other than just be GOD on the computer. We might be able to help with that

Ken

 

[drfsupercenter]

OK, what I'm trying to do is give my user account all the rights of the Administrator account.

If that's what you mean by making myself God, then that's what I'm trying to do. I'm used to XP where a single user is the same as Administrator... and here somebody tells me that it's more of a limited admin :/

 

[stevieray]

Here is the tutorial. Brink explains things better than I ever could.

 

[zigzag3143]

OK, what I'm trying to do is give my user account all the rights of the Administrator account.

If that's what you mean by making myself God, then that's what I'm trying to do. I'm used to XP where a single user is the same as Administrator... and here somebody tells me that it's more of a limited admin :/

Your user name "drfsupercenter" can either have been set up as a std user, or as an admin ( a member of the admin group). If set up as admin you are all set. If not you can log on as Super admin and change your user name to a member of the admin group. either way once your user name is a member of the admin group ( and there can be many ppl in the admin group) then you have all the rights you will need. the Super admin you jst enabled is for emergencies, and for administration of remote machines.

Ken

 

[drfsupercenter]

So this means that my account (Danny) is set as an admin?
And I can re-disable the Administrator account? (Which is what I assume you mean by Super Admin?)