T
TeeFran
Guest
Hello all.
A couple months ago I was having problems with Vista and software not
operating correctly, so I restored Vista to it’s original factory
settings and things have been fine. I re-activated my purchased
softwares and what-not. About a month ago though, I logged off and the
next day upon hitting the button to turn the PC on it came on like it
does when it boots from sleep or hibernate, and my wireless internet
account was active. I closed the connection and shut the system down.
The day after that I had to re-add my wireless internet connection as I
was not listed with the other names in the connection box. Normally my
wireless connection is the first one at the top of the connection box.
Then a day or so after that my name was at the bottom or further down
than it normally is in the connection box and another name/connection
was at the top where my name normally is. I immediately added a standard
user instead of having just me as the only administrator/authorized
user, and I activated parental control for the standard user and gave
the standard user only limited access to the PC. For the most part I
only get online now with the new standard user, and for the last two
weeks or so I have not noticed any anomalies. But today using my normal
admin account I downloaded a file online and I attempted to convert it
using a software I bought last year to convert files from one format to
another and my System ID has been changed (like it was when I restored
to factory settings). I had already contacted the company and got a new
activation code for my new System ID when I restored a few months back.
Now I need to contact the company once again for another activation code
for this software to go with another System ID.
Questions:
1) Does it sound like my PC was and/or has been hacked?
2) When I was noticing all the strange things before could someone have
changed my System ID then and
I’m just now noticing it?
3) Could someone still have a window into my System?
4) Is there any other way your System ID can be changed besides
restoring to factory settings?
5) I only restored once so how can my System ID be different again
without a second restore?
6) Could just adding a new standard user have changed my whole System
ID?
7) Or could the software itself or another software be screwing with my
PC?
And finally;
8) If I have been compromised, how can I make my regular admin account
more secure, with or without using UAC (which I don’t like using)?
Please help!
--
TeeFran
A couple months ago I was having problems with Vista and software not
operating correctly, so I restored Vista to it’s original factory
settings and things have been fine. I re-activated my purchased
softwares and what-not. About a month ago though, I logged off and the
next day upon hitting the button to turn the PC on it came on like it
does when it boots from sleep or hibernate, and my wireless internet
account was active. I closed the connection and shut the system down.
The day after that I had to re-add my wireless internet connection as I
was not listed with the other names in the connection box. Normally my
wireless connection is the first one at the top of the connection box.
Then a day or so after that my name was at the bottom or further down
than it normally is in the connection box and another name/connection
was at the top where my name normally is. I immediately added a standard
user instead of having just me as the only administrator/authorized
user, and I activated parental control for the standard user and gave
the standard user only limited access to the PC. For the most part I
only get online now with the new standard user, and for the last two
weeks or so I have not noticed any anomalies. But today using my normal
admin account I downloaded a file online and I attempted to convert it
using a software I bought last year to convert files from one format to
another and my System ID has been changed (like it was when I restored
to factory settings). I had already contacted the company and got a new
activation code for my new System ID when I restored a few months back.
Now I need to contact the company once again for another activation code
for this software to go with another System ID.
Questions:
1) Does it sound like my PC was and/or has been hacked?
2) When I was noticing all the strange things before could someone have
changed my System ID then and
I’m just now noticing it?
3) Could someone still have a window into my System?
4) Is there any other way your System ID can be changed besides
restoring to factory settings?
5) I only restored once so how can my System ID be different again
without a second restore?
6) Could just adding a new standard user have changed my whole System
ID?
7) Or could the software itself or another software be screwing with my
PC?
And finally;
8) If I have been compromised, how can I make my regular admin account
more secure, with or without using UAC (which I don’t like using)?
Please help!
--
TeeFran
