[Jintan]

Right click Computer, left click Manage. Then click Device Manager.

In that display, locate and click to expand DVD/CD-ROM drives. Locate and right click on your DVD/CD-ROM drive, and select Uninstall. Agree to the warning, and agree to the reboot. After the reboot check to see if Windows reinstalled that (it does that as part of the boot up sequence), and it now is accessible.

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Cool! My DVD is back AND operational. I just watched a video.

[builder4580]

Cool! My DVD is back AND operational. I just watched a video.

[Jintan]

Music to my ears (or eyes, since this all typed words). System is clean at this point. Any other issues we need to address before we start wrapping things up here?

[builder4580]

I still have a couple of issues that may be unrelated to my virus/malware attacks.
1) My laptop screen is still blacked out, however if I shine a torch on to the screen
I can see the background where the torch is shining. For example, I can not see this reply
on the screen as I type, if I stop and shine the torch on the screen, moving the beam along
each line I can check for spelling mistakes. Is it possible this condition is a remnant of
the attack? Similar to how my dvd drive was unrecognized.
2) Also when I boot or reboot the first screen I see (again, when I shine my torch on the screen)
gives me a message that windows could not be started and then gives me 2 options:
Launch start up repair
Start windows normally
If I am too slow, - because I'm trying to read everything on the screen, - launch start up
repair launches by default, but ultimately gives a message that the repair was unsuccesful.
I then have to reboot and make sure I click on 'Start windows normally' before it defaults.
3) I am now getting a Microsoft Windows popup occasionally that tells me 'Windows Media
Center Store Update Manager has stopped working' with the options to 'check online for a
solution (recommended)' or close. When I click on view problem details, I get this -
Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: mcupdate.EXE
Application Version: 6.0.6002.18005
Application Timestamp: 49e02324
Fault Module Name: KERNEL32.dll
Fault Module Version: 6.0.6002.18449
Fault Module Timestamp: 4da47967
Exception Code: e0434f4d
Exception Offset: 0003fc56
OS Version: 6.0.6002.2.2.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: e4e8
Additional Information 2: bf6be825f3c80c85ada9e1336e496e38
Additional Information 3: b83b
Additional Information 4: a3115d133dc78c5244a0d555a69cc0c5

Read our privacy statement:
http://go.microsoft....63&clcid=0x0409

4) My Open Office is now non-operational.
When I start it and click on the spreadsheet program, it shows a document recovery panel
with the Document Name - Untitled1 showing a status of not recovered yet.
When I click on start recovery, the panel shows 'successful recovery', but when I click next,
the program just closes.
The above 4 issues seem to be all that remain.

[Jintan]

That almost sounds like the inverter is shot there. Can you pin a post or moment when this occurred, to consider it a malware-related issue, and not the inverter? The inverter is a small circuit board, usually located at the bottom of your lcd panel, that serves as a power transformer and regulator.

[builder4580]

Post #61 on page 5 is where I first mention the black screen.
It may well be the inverter, I was just hopeful that rather than
being a hardware issue, maybe malware was turning a switch off or
hiding an essential file or process.
I was using a solution I found on the web - the instructions were:-
Turn the computer off. Unplug it from its power sourse. Press and
hold down the start button for one minute. Plug the computer back in.
Restart the computer.
Holding down the start button apparently dissipates energy (I think
the article said) build up from somewhere (maybe inverter?)
Anyway, it worked for me for a while, but the black screen would return
about 30 minutes later. Then about 4-5 hours later the screen would
come on again for a few minutes. Now it is black all the time.
When I leave my machine on all night, my external screen goes to sleep.
In the morning when I move my mouse, my laptop screen flashes on for
about a second before going black again. My external screen comes to life
and behaves normally.

[Jintan]

my laptop screen flashes on for
about a second before going black again

That, combined with the tie in to the earlier other device errors, suggests it isn't the inverter. Check in Device manager under Display Adapters. What's all listed there please?

[builder4580]

The only listing under display adapters is: NVIDIA GeForce 84000M GS

[Jintan]

Go here and download Cédric GEORGEOT's CAT – Crisis Aversion Tool, then click that cat.exe to run the tool.

(For the download link, scroll down and click "ici" in: Bref, un must have à télécharger d’urgence ici. <------)

When CAT opens, click the left-side Fixes tab. Place a check next to:

Reset Permissions (also check Use Aggressive)
Reset Windows Update

Then click Apply Checked Fixes, and agree to start the installer service. When it completes it's changes, click the upper left X and agree to close CAT. It will also open a log file - just close that for now.

A Caution - Please refrain from the temptation to effect other changes with CAT.

Let's see if that corrects some errors

----------

For OpenOffice, best bet is to go ahead and uninstall it (that won't delete any user created files), reboot, then go http://www.openoffice.org/download/' class='bbc_url' title='External link' rel='nofollow external'>here and download and install the latest version.

That OpenOffice uninstall reboot will also allow those Cat.exe changes to complete, so check things once you have rebooted.

For the Nvidia issue, what is the computer make and model please? Better to just go ahead and use the manufacturer's install, and reinstall that.

[builder4580]

what is the computer make and model please?
Dell Inspiron M1330 - but motherboard was replaced about three years ago.
Don't know if that changes anything.
**********************
Cédric GEORGEOT's CAT – Crisis Aversion Tool
Downloaded and ran. Haven't noticed any changes.
*********************
For OpenOffice,download and install the latest version.
Download was uneventful. however the install was not.
The installation wizard got as far as - copying new files
then shortly into the process, the following error message
popup appeared:
Error 1310.error writing to file: cli_basetypes.dll
verify that you have access to that file
retry returned the same result.Could only cancel install.
**********************
Noticed a ms windows tab at bottom of screen. Clicked, got message:
Windows Media Center Store Update Manager has stopped working.
windows can check online for a solution.
Clicking for an online solution did not help.
clicked on details tab, and got this:
Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: mcupdate.EXE
Application Version: 6.0.6002.18005
Application Timestamp: 49e02324
Fault Module Name: KERNEL32.dll
Fault Module Version: 6.0.6002.18449
Fault Module Timestamp: 4da47967
Exception Code: e0434f4d
Exception Offset: 0003fc56
OS Version: 6.0.6002.2.2.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: e4e8
Additional Information 2: bf6be825f3c80c85ada9e1336e496e38
Additional Information 3: b83b
Additional Information 4: a3115d133dc78c5244a0d555a69cc0c5
Did not notice this tab appearing, so not sure when it popped up.

[Jintan]

Did you do the Cat changes, and reboot? Those errors may be from permissions access issues.

[builder4580]

Yes, I did the Cat changes and rebooted.
Also, I closed the Cat log, as instructed, but now can not find it anywhere!

[Jintan]

Not having much luck at the Dell Support site for that model name. What is the service tag - likely located on the bottom of the laptop, or under the battery?

[builder4580]

Service Tag 33XTCF1

[builder4580]

Not sure what happened just now, but I lifted my laptop to get the tag number, entered in my reply, hit the post tab - then my computer turned off. On restart, I went directly to my password (no bootup), Then I came directly here. I see the post of my tag number was posted, so don't know what caused the computer to shut down.