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Thread: Windows 8.1 app starts splashes then disappears

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    Default Windows 8.1 app starts splashes then disappears

    I have a new Toshiba laptop running Windows 8.1. and an I5 CPU with 6gb ram. HD is gpt format and uefi bios.

    I using the traditional desktop but when I got to the tiles screen and scroll over to MAPS tile or Microsoft Solitaire tile (btw the tile that asked me to register and account with Microsoft so I could d/l and install solitaire has disappeared as well as the Skype tile) the app will flash up on my traditional desktop screen and then disappear! I can see an icon down on the taskbar and when I click on the icon I get the same thing, a short flash/splash screen of the app and then nothing!

    It seems as though most items/apps on the TILE screen will execute ONLY for a few secs~SPLASH SCREEN~ of the app and then POOF GONE except for the icon on the taskbar.

    This all occurred after I removed a lot of spyware(86 intrusions found using Malwarebytes) and viruses(242 infections found using Eset Smart Security 7). The laptop now scans clean for both spyware and Virii but the "Disappearing App ACT" persists!

    If I click on a IE or Chrome or Mozilla Firefox icon pinned to the taskbar on the traditional desktop, they execute fine. (no 3 sec splash and disappearing act)

    If I click on the desktop MalwareBytes icon same thing, no start, but in this case no taskbar Icon. When I go to re-install Malwarebytes I get a spinning blue circle and then an external exception error E06d7363 run time error at 79:177 and then the same error again at 69:252! This maybe be a separate issue from above though.

    I did a google and didn't find anything close enough to what I'm experiencing!

    thanks ahead of time, this is going to keep me from sleeping.
    Last edited by cmangle; 12-09-14 at 02:23 PM.



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    I would say that whilst removing the 86 malware & 242 Virus, your registry has some errors, did you back up the registry before you started?

    You could; reinstall the programs affected or do a system restore to take the registry back to where it was or replace the registry with the back up of it if you have one.

    Some of these options may cause other undesirable results.
    I mean seriously, 242 virus, format & reinstall is best option!!!

    Maybe you should check for Malware/virus more often so that there is not so much damage??
    Cheers, Tiny
    "You can lead a person to knowledge, but you can't make them think? If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.
    The information is out there; you just have to let it in."

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    na, i had 1 with 1200 the other day lol
    https://www.facebook.com/philquad68

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    Tiny, that's the consensus and conclusion I am coming to, re-install and/or restore. Of the 242 infections ESET found, 36 of them were deemed to be very serious, meaning ESET cleaned/deleted them as soon as they were found or detected. The rest of the 242 infections at the end of the scan recommended cleaning or deletion but the 36 were DELETED immediately!

    And here is the real kicker, this laptop had a PAID FOR, UP TO DATE installation of aVast AV software!

    Anyway the opinions on the course of action for this laptop have taken on a real debate on a certain site with all kinds of suggestions and comments. I don't know that I am allowed to post a link to the comments on this problem from another web site but if the mods here might allow an exception this one link is VERY informative and will/should help MANY in regards to a whole new strain of Malware/Virus that is prevalent today! And you know what is also amazing there is such a firing line between those who DON'T think this new virus type(s) exists and those who DO as well as how to remedy the situation! So for the education and enlightenment of my Oz friends (mates) I will post this link! Any comments from down under I would greatly appreciate. Please note that I state there and here I am NOT a proponent of Win8! We'll see about Win9!

    I was really taking a scolding and beating on my prior course of action with this new virus type. One in that I didn't know what I was doing, two that I had a mis-understanding of LLF,and that there was no such thing as a virus type(KAPTOXA) that could hide, until VirtualLarry came along . . . .

    hxxp://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2399437

    thanks for the replies
    Last edited by cmangle; 15-09-14 at 02:45 AM.

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    That link made for an interesting read, cmangle. Seems like they can't make up their mind about how to deal with the problem that is Win 8, or a particular virus. FWIW I, too would just re-partition and re-load.

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    I'm old enough to know that I don't know everything

    That being said, whatever it is that a LLF tool does, it was the only process that removed the VIRUS string! I had tried everything else that I knew of, re-partitioning, reformatting,(to Linux-ext2 and then back again Win7-NTFS)and deleting partitions and nothing worked! Up until Virtual Larry intervened I was outnumbered by people who professed to know more about what was going on than I did! That may have been true, but ALL I knew is that what I did worked on other machines running Win7 and XP!

    I have spent NO time getting to know the inner workings of Win8! The Toshiba laptop in question had Win8.1 and I wasn't sure if the problems I was encountering were normal (Normal being a Microsoft's Nerds idea of what NORMAL should be) or if indeed this was the accomplishments of a virus, (KAPTOXA or something else) and that was all I originally wanted to know!

    . . . . and then all of a sudden it was "off to the races"!

    And to this day KAPTOXA is still undetectable. Only the redirect code in the payload BLACKPOS has been found which points to an infection by KAPTOXA!
    Last edited by cmangle; 16-09-14 at 07:43 AM.

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    lsemmens, go check the last two posts on that link, this guy code65536 is a piece of work!

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    There is no need to do a Low level format to the drive, to remove a virus.
    As long as you format, the affected area of the drive, which will mark that sector available for rewriting, the virus code can not run, and will eventually be overwritten.

    I have no doubt that a LLF did in fact remove the virus, but that does not mean it was required. A quick format targeting the affected area should have achieved the same results.

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    Thats just it Dave if you read the thread link above I tried everything and up until the LowLevelFormat, nothing removed the virus(ii).

    The error re-installing Win7 Ultimate kept occurring until the LLF! One of the last posts on the link above, code65536 said my CD/DVD drive was faulty and that was the cause of the problem.

    Funny thing though, that SAME brand new CD/DVD drive magically fixed itself right AFTER the LLF!

    Anyhow, if you are just posting now after going to the link you will see that above comment. If you haven't gone to the link, do so! It gets to be a real circus!
    All I wanted to know was if there were know irregularities/bugs in Win8/8.1 that I was not aware of! For example google Windows 8 8.1 problems and see what comes up!

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    It's possible that the game window has been opened when you've had the monitors in a different configuration. It's remembered its old position and it's now opening "off the edge of the screen", so to speak.

    See if this helps:

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    shred when in tile mode/display (the slide with your finger meant for tablet screen) and I executed,(touched with the mouse arrow) the map tile or solitaire tile the screen would revert BACK to the desktop screen, flash/splash onscreen for a second or two, then disappear except for an icon on the desktop taskbar at the bottom! If I mouse click on that ICON I would get the same scenario, flash/splash then disappear!

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    I see no mention in that thread about you formatting the MBR, or whatever the GPT equivalent is for Win 8.1, I didn't see any mention of formatting the hidden system partition, or formatting any back up partitions on the drive, all places where a virus could hide, and all places that "format c:" does not touch.

    I did see you arguing with everyone that the only way to get rid of this virus, which you have had on "5 drives in the last 3 weeks", was to low level format. You didn't really bother to follow any of the advice given, so I can see why you copped so much shit over there.

    If you want to spend countless hours doing LLF on your drives, be my guest, but the fact of the matter is, it should not be required.

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    Dave001, I did not mention everything, I used Paragon Partition Manager to reformat/repair the MBR. I used a Linux program, Gpart, to remove ALL partitions and repartition and reformat entire drive in ext2. I then removed ALL partitions a second time and repartitioned and reformatted in NTFS! Shouldn't that have gotten all those secret hidden partitions that, according to code 65536, virii CAN'T hide in? At the end of each Gpart partition removal the total size of the drive was indicated as UNALLOCATED! Did I miss any hidden secret partitions?

    According to code65536 the virus cant hide in place that a regular format does, but I didn't do just a regular format. These operations were all done on Win7 machines! I have not attempted any of this on the Win8.1 machine as originally stated.

    I do have the time on my hands to do the low level format, it's my time not yours. The LLF was only done on the last two infected machines! Prior to that the LINUX to EXT2 and back to Win7 to NTFS worked in allowing me to re-install Win7! That process did not work on the last two machines hence the LLF!

    Dave001, I wasn't ARGUING, I was stating FACT! After the low level format, I was successfully able to re-install Win 7! Is it an argument and SHIT (as you say) when you stand your ground and state what worked? It seems as though the ADVICE given by most was in error(or at least questionable) as stated-indicated by VirtualLarry who left links to references not just "I've been doing this for years ".
    Last edited by cmangle; 17-09-14 at 02:32 AM.

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    Interesting reading. Just to be clear, you are not saying that the virus survives and runs after a reinstall. Simply that something is left behind which causes Windows Installation to abort, despite the reformatting during the installation. Is this correct?

    Assuming so, did the installation use a full format or a quick format? If quick, it would be interesting to see if a full format corrects the problem or finds any errors. I also wonder what remnant data can cause the Windows Installer to abort. I don't think you've got a mysterious super virus, but perhaps one that has discovered a clever trick to prevent reinstallation of windows.

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    DB44 even after my favorite chosen AV proggie ESET Smart Security does a scan and finds virii and removes them (on those certain machines with this mystery virus) there are still errors in the OS! Deleted files corrupt files things that don't run as they should!

    If/when I go to re-install Win7 Ult (or Win XP) and after I delete ALL partitions in the windows setup, re-format (not a quick format) I still get an install error saying corrupt files!

    First I though OK maybe my install CD/DVD is scratched or something and burned a new one! Same error message. Only when I go to the Gpart Linux~ext2/Win7~NTFS procedure do I get a clean reinstall no errors!

    On the last two machines the Gpart/LINUX/WIN7 process did not circumvent or cure the install error and only the LLF, (or whatever the correct name for the procedure is) which 0's out ALL data on drive in question, do I get a clean install!

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    My hypothesis at the moment based on your description is that the malware author has implemented some way to crash Windows Installer by way of remnant data on the hdd. For instance, if Windows Installer was fooled into thinking it had encountered a bad sector or sectors this would probably do it. This would also explain why the zeroing process works.

    As I understand it, your hypothesis is that the virus is surviving somewhere on the hdd and somehow managing to start itself during the boot process or the Windows installation process, and then preventing a reinstallation.

    I cannot say either is completely impossible, since we are speculating about unknowns. I would say that Occam's razor seems to make the first hypothesis more likely correct, in that it avoids the difficulty of the virus having to run inherent in the second hypothesis. Also, if the virus can run, then why prevent installation of the new OS? Surely it would be better to simply remain and if necessary re-infect, silently.

    The only certain thing in the events as you describe them is that writing zeroes to the whole disk solves the problem.

    What do you think? What flaws do you see in the first hypothesis?
    Last edited by DB44; 17-09-14 at 05:09 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by cmangle View Post
    I have a new Toshiba laptop running Windows 8.1. and an I5 CPU with 6gb ram. HD is gpt format and uefi bios.
    I removed a lot of spyware(86 intrusions found using Malwarebytes) and viruses(242 infections found using Eset Smart Security 7).
    It's a joke isn't it? If it would be true then you say Microsoft's Windows 8.x by default comes with Modern UI apps and legacy applications that are infected with virii: You are the 1st one in the world who experienced this fact.
    You know Windows 8.x out-of-the-box comes with Windows Defender pre-installed as part of the OS. AV Comparatives in March 2014 stated it's as good as ESS 7 when it comes to static malware detection. So you would have got the same amount of positives when you first time booted your new Toshiba laptop. Have you got any?

    Quote Originally Posted by cmangle View Post
    If I click on a IE or Chrome or Mozilla Firefox icon pinned to the taskbar on the traditional desktop, they execute fine. (no 3 sec splash and disappearing act)
    These programs aren't a Modern UI (Win 8.x) application, they are legacy apps. So the issue you initially posted definitely relates to the Win 8.x default main screen (AKA "Start Screen"). My question is: Can it be the Modern UI apps - you mean they aren't not working - which you start on the Win 8.x main screen are thrown to another screen (ex. the projector screen) when ready? And one more question: Have you ever tried to reset (unpin all items) Windows 8.x main screen to default?

    Quote Originally Posted by cmangle View Post
    only the LLF, (or whatever the correct name for the procedure is) which 0's out ALL data on drive in question,
    LLF is the abbreviation for LowLevelFormat


    ---------------------------------------------

    BTW: Links to forums where OP posted his issue too:




    Last edited by jwoegerbauer; 18-09-14 at 05:39 PM. Reason: LLF explained

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