How did kaspersky get on my computer

[vikiboyce]

Hello,
I never put Kaspersky on my computer but now it shows up as a solution to my problem of my laptop shutting off and restarting on its own. Says I need to use the update tool when I dont even find it anywhere on my computer. ???

 

[badge]

Needless to say, everyone is just as surprised by this ongoing mystery as you are. Google 'spirits'?

 

[Zoron]

Someone has obviously installed it at some point... programs don't just magically install themselves... especially legitimate ones like Kaspersky. I'm guessing you have a virus problem that someone tried to solve by installing it, but the virus likely caused it to not install properly. Use Malwarebytes to scan your computer.

 

[vikiboyce]

Thank you for replying. I suppose that is possible that someone who was trying to help may have put it on the computer and then later removed it, and maybe it wasn't completely removed. I have felt, as you did, that maybe I had a virus hiding out somewhere. But I have Microsoft Essentials on my computer (though Defender for some strange reason is turned off and I can't get to the root of that problem either) and I did scan the computer with Malwarebytes as you suggested, but as usual, it also says there are no infected areas.

My computer has been shutting off and restarting continually for a month or two. We changed the settings to not restart in hopes of seeing an error message to target the problem. Now it just gives a blank screen and will not revive until it is turned off and back on again. It has been running very hot and the fan seems to be laboring at times. We installed a Core Temp gadget and found the temperature to be as high as 190 F. Took the laptop to a shop to check on the fan, was told that it probably just needed to be cleaned. Did this and purchased a better cooling pad with a fan directly under the hottest spot. It is running cooler now (about 100 to 120 F) but is still shutting down, especially when viewing pictures through Windows Media Player. Advice that we have been given is that it sounds like the problem is still that it is running hot. Could the shut downs be because of the overheating? Is this a dangerous temperature?

 

[vikiboyce]

I have not heard anything back after this post. Since the cleaning it shuts down only when idle - maybe when it goes to sleep, but will not come back up when I touch the mousepad or hit enter. I then have to shut it off and turn it back on in order to work. I changed the settings to never go to sleep. Hopefully this will take care of the problem. ??? Thanks for your attention to this.

 

[Zoron]

That was indeed way too hot. If the fan still doesn't seem to be running properly, I'd suggest getting it replaced. Like anything mechanical, they do eventually wear out to the point where they don't work.

 

[vikiboyce]

Thank you for responding. The cleaning seems to have taken care of the problem of overheating. But as someone mentioned, it may have caused damage to the laptop. Whenever the computer goes to screensaver the screen goes black and will not come back up no matter what I do until I turn it off and back on again. It also shuts down when I open my pictures through Windows Media Player. It does not shut down when I open pics through Picasa. ???

Other than that it seems to be working fine now. Any ideas on these other issues? Do I need to resend this through a new thread since my concerns have changed?

Also, does it cause harm to a computer when it is not shut down by the normal means?
Thank you!

 

[Zoron]

When not shut down normally, file(s) can be damaged... especially if they're still in RAM and haven't been written back to the disk. This can cause file corruption, especially if the shutdowns are frequent. Best thing to do is back up all your data and reload... I wouldn't be surprised if you have some file corruption on that drive.

 

[vikiboyce]

Thanks again for your reply. When you say reload, do I need any disks? Would that also mean reloading programs like Microsoft Office?

Also, do you know why the computer shuts down just when the screensaver comes on, or when I use certain programs, like Windows Media Player and HP Care Advisor??? Aside from this, things seem to be doing better. Thank you!!!

 

[Zoron]

It would mean reloading everything, yes... including Windows. You would need discs to reinstall any software you have installed.

 

[vikiboyce]

Thank you for your help. The laptop seems to be handling things ok now...cannot use the screensaver, but I can work with that. I have no disks to reload anything so I will have to just keep pampering it. Thank you again!

 

[Zoron]

If the computer didn't ship with discs, did it prompt you to create a set of factory discs? This is what most OEMs are doing nowadays to lower costs... ship computer with no recovery media and hope that the customer notices they are supposed to create it before anything bad happens. It's a huge problem because a lot of customers I get tend to ignore the little pop-ups reminding them to create their factory disc set. When their hard drive dies or if they require a reload due to virus / malware infection... they're pretty much dead in the water. If your laptop will let you, I highly suggest you make those discs.