hepl please! google redirect and system crashes!

"jamesedwards" wrote:update, although this may not be anything you can help with:

I lost power to the computer (helpful family member switching off the wrong plug!) and when the machine rebooted it was asking to activate Windows with a key. I bought this pc second hand so I'm not even sure if the copy of windows is genuine. Is there a way I can get a new key for it?

I am sorry to ask you about this as well, I know your time is precious.

Very odd, can you tell me a bit more, was all well after Combofix, how was the computer running etc? It was obviously working since you posted the log? Apart from someone turning the power off did anything unusual happen. Does all come to a stop when it asks for activation, let me know exactly what happened and what happens.

everything seemed to be working fine. I hadn't tried the google redirect thing to check if it was still screwing that up but I thought it was cured. Nothing out of the ordinary happened apart from the power going. Now when I start I can go on in safe mode and system restore has a point from before we started combofix that I can restore the settings of. Shall I do that? I realise this takes us back to before we started curing things but the machine is basically useless now.

Have you tried "last known good configuration"?

It hasn't given me an option to do that - is that via system restore? There might be a problem with that because windows thinks everything's fine and can load properly. (i.e. it doesn't see the need for activation as an error)

scratch that, I do have "last known good configuration" - trying that now.

yeah, last known good config comes up asking for activation too. Shall I go back to the previous settings with system restore?

So was windows loading in normal mode then? Or is safe mode all that you could access? I need to ask questions to find out what happened.

sorry I'll try and explain, windows loads normally but, before login, asks to activate windows. If I press f8 and go into safe mode that is so far the only way of avoiding the "activate windows" prompt. I have loaded "last known good config" and "safe mode with networking" but both ask to activate windows. I can load the system restore command prompt too but don't know what it might be useful to type in there!

instead of "system restore command prompt" I meant "Microsoft Windows Recovery Console".

and when the machine rebooted it was asking to activate Windows with a key. I bought this pc second hand so I'm not even sure if the copy of windows is genuine. Is there a way I can get a new key for it?

Have you had a look on the case etc for the genuine MS sticker that would have the key printed on it? Was there any discs supplied when you bought the pc?

no discs or anything and no way of contacting the guy I bought it from, even if he could help! The MS helpline I called asked me to enter a code generated by my pc (I think it's hardware hashing) and having entered it implied that basically I was a victim of software copyright infringement, then it asked me to go buy a new copy of windows.

The MS helpline I called asked me to enter a code generated by my pc (I think it's hardware hashing) and having entered it implied that basically I was a victim of software copyright infringement, then it asked me to go buy a new copy of windows.

Unfortunately I cannot help you bypass the activation. If you followed the advice from the MS helpline and it has identified you as a victim of software piracy, then there is nothing I can do as I also have no way to verify the circumstances of the MS installation.

I am sorry that we will not be able to continue and this topic will be closed. You are welcome to start a new topic once your Operating system is activated and validated.

As your remaining problems are ones that only Microsoft can resolve, I'm afraid we are unable to assist you further.

Once you have resolved your issues with Microsoft we will be pleased to help with any Malware related problems.

This topic is now closed