Paid for W7 unactivated (deactivate)?

[UKnewWho]

Definitely looks like a rootkit and/or virus.

The biggest problem is the tools for removale don't seem to work as well in Windows Vista and 7 as they do in XP. Cleaning 7 can be a major B.....

Keep in mind, most all of these clean up utilities, only work at their fullest (or at all) while the infected system is running. Running scans outside of the system will only get you but so far.

First Unplug your secondary drive and working on the main system drive first.

While you have the drive plugged into another system copy the following exe's
Combo Fix (Get ONLY from BleepingComputer.com Google combofix, rename the EXE from combofix to something else, like a.exe.).
Malwarebytes
HijackThis

Boot into safe mode, from the taskmanager applications tab, run the combofix exe you copied over. so say c:\a.exe

Let this run, there will be 50 stages, it can take a while, if it wants to reboot, let it, no need to get back into safe mode once it starts, boot normally, it should restart scanning.

Get me the log it spits out, and the log for HijackThis.

[zhenya00]

Okay, I see. Well, then I'm gonna have to agree with everyone else and say it's virus/malware related, probably a rootkit.

I would scan with these programs in addition to the ones you're using (just google them)...

malwarebytes
ComboFix
TDSSKiller

Also, this has probably already been suggested, but if you can pull up the cmd prompt window, you should run a system file check (sfc /scannow). It will check for corrupt Windows system files.

Honestly though, if you find any malware, especially a rootkit, I would just wipe/reload. Yes, it'll suck in the short term, but you'll probably save time in the end. I learned the hard way that it's easy to blow 6-8-10 hours on a machine getting malware off, and even then it may still be there. You could probably wipe/reload your machine (and programs) within that and have a better machine in the end.

Regardless, good luck.

I agree with this. Reinstall. Then, when it is fresh and clean, use the Windows backup to make a system image to store for future use.

[CaptainQualude]

Update: I ran 4 different AV's on it last night & in to the early morning. They found nothing, which I suspected would happen. It still acts the same way.

Okay, I see. Well, then I'm gonna have to agree with everyone else and say it's virus/malware related, probably a rootkit.

I would scan with these programs in addition to the ones you're using (just google them)...

malwarebytes
ComboFix
TDSSKiller :

This is my next step.

Also, this has probably already been suggested, but if you can pull up the cmd prompt window, you should run a system file check (sfc /scannow). It will check for corrupt Windows system files.:

I can get to a CMD prompt window, but can't run it as an admin.

Honestly though, if you find any malware, especially a rootkit, I would just wipe/reload. Yes, it'll suck in the short term, but you'll probably save time in the end. I learned the hard way that it's easy to blow 6-8-10 hours on a machine getting malware off, and even then it may still be there. You could probably wipe/reload your machine (and programs) within that and have a better machine in the end.

Regardless, good luck.

It may come down to that. There was nothing wrong with the performance of the system speed-wise before this with everything loaded. I would expect it to run faster fully stripped. I have one more day to sort this. I receive a new piece of hardware to install tomorrow, so it's either fixed or new OS install tomorrow.

[CaptainQualude]

Definitely looks like a rootkit and/or virus.

While you have the drive plugged into another system copy the following exe's
Combo Fix (Get ONLY from BleepingComputer.com Google combofix, rename the EXE from combofix to something else, like a.exe.).
Malwarebytes
HijackThis

Boot into safe mode, from the taskmanager applications tab, run the combofix exe you copied over. so say c:\a.exe

Let this run, there will be 50 stages, it can take a while, if it wants to reboot, let it, no need to get back into safe mode once it starts, boot normally, it should restart scanning.

Done & PM sent.

[CaptainQualude]

Okay, so total fail on this issue. I gave it a few days until the new hardware showed up & that was my hard deadline. The new hardware is in, new SSD, & I tried to install W7 on it. Now MS is dicking me around because it states the serial # is not valid. I have 2 copies of W7, one Pro & one Home, & they both state the same thing. There is no going past that screen like before with the 30 day count down. I paid for both of these copies in a retail store. The Pro version is about 2 years old, & the Home version about a year old. Any suggestions on what to do at this point? I want to get to the screen where the 800 # is listed so that I can call to activate.

I did install W8 for the time being just to make sure the new hardware is working, & it is. W8 will eventually expire, & then ask for payment, but I'd prefer to load one of the 2 versions of W7 I already paid for.

[Egilbe]

yeah, call microsoft and activate it over the phone. Very painless. Do it.

[Hostile]

yeah, call microsoft and activate it over the phone. Very painless. Do it.

The OS would have to accept his serial number first...

[Egilbe]

The OS would have to accept his serial number first...

no it doesn't. You can skip over that.

[CaptainQualude]

no it doesn't. You can skip over that.

How? W8 is not cutting it. I'd like to get back to the familiarity of W7.

[Egilbe]

How? W8 is not cutting it. I'd like to get back to the familiarity of W7.

press the skip button when it asks to enter the serial number

[CaptainQualude]

press the skip button when it asks to enter the serial number

There wasn't a skip button, just a greyed out next button. The system wasn't even hooked up to the Internet the first time I tried. With the Internet connected it did the same thing.

[Egilbe]

oh wtf? I've gone past that point several times installing Win7. It's not like winXP where it doesn't let you install without the CD key. You don't need to enter anything.

[CaptainQualude]

oh wtf? I've gone past that point several times installing Win7. It's not like winXP where it doesn't let you install without the CD key. You don't need to enter anything.

I'm giving it one last try & will document with pictures. I'm in to double figures on the amount of computers I've built, & have loaded more OS's than that.

Edit: I thought about it, unchecked the activate online box, didn't add the product key, & then hit next. It went through this time. I can get to the activation options page, but first need to find the LAN driver so I can connect to the Internet.

Will post up the results.

[Egilbe]

I'm giving it one last try & will document with pictures. I'm in to double figures on the amount of computers I've built, & have loaded more OS's than that.

Your whole experience with this is really bizarre.

[CaptainQualude]

Your whole experience with this is really bizarre.

It gets better. MS wont validate the installation because it's not an upgrade. I can play that game too, but I know I have installed W7 off of that DVD in the past as a new install. I still have a copy of Vista Ultimate that I previously purchased & am in the process of installing that, & will do the W7 Pro upgrade after that.

[Egilbe]

It gets better. MS wont validate the installation because it's not an upgrade. I can play that game too, but I know I have installed W7 off of that DVD in the past as a new install. I still have a copy of Vista Ultimate that I previously purchased & am in the process of installing that, & will do the W7 Pro upgrade after that.

I've had to do that before. I had to install winXP on a machine so I could do a clean install instead of an upgrade. Win7 wouldn't do a clean install over Vista, but would over WinXP. The CD key has to match the version of windows you are installing, too. I have a .iso of Win7 pro. Wouldn't let me use an upgrade key to activate it.

[CaptainQualude]

Well, it wasn't easy. After installing Vista Ultimate because MS said I couldn't install the full version of W7 Pro, & needed to do an install of the W7 Pro upgrade, I hit another road block. At that point the error message comes up that I can't install the upgrade, & that I need to install the full version of W7 Pro!! I start all over again, wiping the new hardware, & manage to install W7 Pro as the full version. I blew off the key registration screen & finished the install. After installing the updates, hundred plus, possibly two hundred, I went back to the activation screen & entered the key. MS didn't seem to have an issue with it, & it came back as activated. Everything seems to be working well at this point.