[SOLVED] I am an administator. What's your problem?

[ch33r]

https://imgur.com/a/42yu8Cp

View: https://imgur.com/a/42yu8Cp


There is only one account on this computer. I never changed any registery settings or anything like that. Why does it tell me that the administrator controls these settings??

 

[Colif]

you are only human user, windows uses at least 2 other users to do the things you request of it, SYSTEM & Trustedinstaller to name some...

Is it always like this?

see the advice offered in replies here helps - https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...-by-your/c3b77879-8d3d-44f3-966e-dc8d4ddc5311

 

[britechguy]

Also, what Edition of Windows is running on your system?

If you hit the Windows Key and immediately type winver, then hit enter, you will be presented with this information.

What I'm asking about goes beyond the Version and Build numbers, though both of those should be noted. In the paragraph beneath those it will start out with, "The Windows 10 {insert Edition here} operating system . . ." What is the Edition?

 

[USAFRet]

Reboot.
This sometimes happens after a major Windows upgrade.

 

[ch33r]

I've tried rebooting. I've been googling for hours. I think it was caused by a virus. I ran antivirus and cleaned everything up. This virus disabled my windows update, made my windows security settings blank. I cleaned up all the viruses. How do I fix everything now????

 

[USAFRet]

I've tried rebooting. I've been googling for hours. I think it was caused by a virus. I ran antivirus and cleaned everything up. This virus disabled my windows update, made my windows security settings blank. I cleaned up all the viruses. How do I fix everything now????

If you indeed had a virus bad enough to disable your OS updates, reinstall.

Either recover the system from a known good backup (NOT a simple 'Restore Point') from before this happened, or a full wipe and reinstall.
Then recover your personal data from your backup.

 

[jeremyj_83]

I've tried rebooting. I've been googling for hours. I think it was caused by a virus. I ran antivirus and cleaned everything up. This virus disabled my windows update, made my windows security settings blank. I cleaned up all the viruses. How do I fix everything now????

Since you had a virus, there is no way to be sure that all traces were removed from the anti-virus software. The only way to be sure that it is gone is to do a fresh install. That will get all your settings back to default and get the registry back to where it should be as well.

 

[ch33r]

Since you had a virus, there is no way to be sure that all traces were removed from the anti-virus software. The only way to be sure that it is gone is to do a fresh install. That will get all your settings back to default and get the registry back to where it should be as well.

Ok but there's gotta be a way to do that without a clean install

 

[Colif]

Its about only way to be sure.

don't have to wipe every drive, just C. Copy everything onto another drive you want to keep, just remember you need to scan it before running on new install or it "could" reinfect.

 

[britechguy]

Ok but there's gotta be a way to do that without a clean install

No, there doesn't. Sometimes that's the only option. However, you could try Options 1 and 2 below before going for 3:

Before going any further, it must be noted that a repair install (or feature update, when those are being done) allows one to keep all of one's files and apps (desktop/installed and store varieties). This is in complete contrast to a Reset (which allows either keeping just one’s files or wiping everything), or a Refresh/Fresh Start or Completely Clean Reinstall, both of which wipe everything.

My standard advice, in virtually all cases, (and presuming any potential infection has already been addressed, first) is trying the following, in the order specified. If the issue is fixed by option one then there's no need to go further. Stop whenever your issue is fixed:

1. Using SFC (System File Checker) and DISM (Deployment Imaging Servicing and Management) to Repair Windows 8 & 10


2. Doing a Windows 10 Repair Install or Feature Update Using the Windows 10 ISO file


3. Doing a completely clean reinstall (options a & b are downloadable PDF files):

a) Completely Clean Win10 (Re)install Using MCT to Download Win10 ISO File

b) Completely Clean Win10 (Re)install Using MCT to Create a Bootable USB Drive
c) How to do a CLEAN Installation of Windows 10 (Tom’s Hardware Forums, with screen shots)

I never choose the “thermonuclear option,” the completely clean reinstall, until it's clear that this is the only viable option. I hate having to go through all the work of reconfiguring a machine from scratch if that can reasonably and safely be avoided.

 

[USAFRet]

Ok but there's gotta be a way to do that without a clean install

Yes.

Invent a Time Machine.
Go back to before this happened.
Institute a comprehensive, automated, full drive backup routine.
Fast forward to today...
Click click, recover the whole system as it was the day before the BadThing happened.
Done.

 

[ch33r]

Yes.

Invent a Time Machine.
Go back to before this happened.
Institute a comprehensive, automated, full drive backup routine.
Fast forward to today...
Click click, recover the whole system as it was the day before the BadThing happened.
Done.

So then why is antivirus even a thing if it doesn't actually fix the virus

 

[USAFRet]

So then why is antivirus even a thing if it doesn't actually fix the virus

Antivirus applications try to "prevent" the virus from happening.
They are not 100% (nothing is).

And it is quite possible for the user to completely ignore what the AV is trying to tell him and prevent, and the system gets infected anyway.

They can't fix the result of getting infected.

 

[ch33r]

Antivirus applications try to "prevent" the virus from happening.
They are not 100% (nothing is).

And it is quite possible for the user to completely ignore what the AV is trying to tell him and prevent, and the system gets infected anyway.

They can't fix the result of getting infected.

There's an option to scan for viruses. Why is there an option to scan for viruses if the results that are potentially found can't be fixed? So what's the point of even putting the option there?

 

[Colif]

it depends which AV you use, they not all as good as each other. Some are pretty good at cleaning systems, some are really good at stopping you even getting the files. But none can stop user actions.

Defender is better than nothing but there is options better than Defender

 

[USAFRet]

It can detect a virus, remove it, and prevent it from doing something.
It can't fix whatever a virus already did.

PC security depends on layers.
First line of defense - the squishy thing between your ears
Second - a comprehensive backup routine
Third - AV and antimalware

How did you get this 'virus'?
What was the last thing you did before this happened?

 

[britechguy]

Why is there an option to scan for viruses if the results that are potentially found can't be fixed? So what's the point of even putting the option there?

You seem to not get that while antivirus or security suites can OFTEN fix issues found, they cannot ALWAYS fix issues found.

I cannot imagine that anyone has not, over the course of decades, had something quarantined by an antivirus because it could not disinfect the item. It's not like it's a daily or even frequent occurrence, but it's common enough over long periods of time to be within the experience of most Windows computer users.

 

[jsmithepa]

Ok but there's gotta be a way to do that without a clean install

Dude, you are in denial.

This is not unlike human medicine, there is no perfect pill. Because like biological virus can mutate.

2 perfect cure exists (1)re-install from Clean which is an hassle, and (2)You have maintained image backups when things were clean, a few clicks like usafret says, 20 minutes later ur back in business, no if and buts. There is an episode of Star Trek NG where Data was infected by an alien virus and what finally saved him was a complete reboot from his protected memory core, he lost some short term memory but better than dead. Learn from the movies

This will scare some people but I don't bother with virus scan, I rely on my image backups, and my sixth sense of uh-oh, something is wrong. YMMV.

 

[ch33r]

Dude, you are in denial.

This is not unlike human medicine, there is no perfect pill. Because like biological virus can mutate.

2 perfect cure exists (1)re-install from Clean which is an hassle, and (2)You have maintained image backups when things were clean, a few clicks like usafret says, 20 minutes later ur back in business, no if and buts. There is an episode of Star Trek NG where Data was infected by an alien virus and what finally saved him was a complete reboot from his protected memory core, he lost some short term memory but better than dead. Learn from the movies

This will scare some people but I don't bother with virus scan, I rely on my image backups, and my sixth sense of uh-oh, something is wrong. YMMV.

I used image backups for 10 years. They worked great and I stopped using antivirus. My disk imager wouldn't support eufi. I tried other disk imagers. They werent smart and easy to use like the one I used and most you couldn't boot from to restore. I found myself never having to restore so I quit disk images. I would have though anti virus would serve their purpose but apparently not

 

[USAFRet]

You never need a backup, until about 5 minutes after you do.

Don't know what else to say about fixing your broken PC, except....full wipe and reinstall.

 

[britechguy]

Given the myriad things that can result in data loss, there is absolutely no substitute for having a regular, cyclic schedule to do a full system image backup and the same separately for user data.

It doesn't matter if your hard drive dies, you accidentally reformat your hard drive, there's a lightning strike that fries your system, you have a ransomware or virus infection, and the list goes on and on. The only insurance against data loss and a long, tedious, and often incomplete recovery afterward is a simple backup.

There is nothing that substitutes for backups. Nothing!

 

[BFG-9000]

It's super easy for software to restrict those options from being changed--you can even do it yourself in Group Policy Editor.

jsmithepa brought up an interesting analogy. Don't you think it is possible to catch a disease that hasn't been named yet? And there are plenty of recognized syndromes and diseases which we have no cure or even medicine for. Antivirus is no different--it cannot find things that the manufacturer doesn't yet know exists, and each manufacturer maintains a huge list of things that can be detected but not cleaned yet.

Unfortunately, people are writing new viruses all of the time. It's a cat-and-mouse game. I just wish there was a way to reinstall your health--head transplant to a clone?