Topic: Have I been Hacked?

[Charlie8311]

Ok... where to begin?!  I have a media PC that has 2 large harddrives. I started having problems with one drive and was worried my PC was infected with some malware, or was hacked, so jockied all my info on those 2 discs around and burned as much info as I could.. then reformatted one of the drives.  But now I am having problems again and have tried reformatting again but neither drives is formatting properly or booting properly.  Is it possible someone hacked my "bios" or something? 

I have a little device that allows me to use my drives as USB drives.  I am on another computer now and have one of the drives hooked up via USB.. but it won't reformat.  And the drive appears and disappears and acts unresponsive.  Could a hacker have screwed up the harddrive so it can't be used again? Or is this all just some big weird coincidence and my PC and both drives have just gone crazy?

I am thinking of trying to use DBAN and just nuking all the drives at once.. would this solve anything a hacker might have done?

Also, at one time I scanned my drive with a utility from the drives manufacturer and it checked out fine. I am unsure if this is the one I checked though so I will attempt that.

[Samker]

Hi Charlie and Welcome to SCF Portal.

I don't think that you're hacked but it's look that We have problem with some Malware infection or hardware component, maybe even with BIOS if you was change some settings??

Anyway I'll also recommend DBAN to wipe all content on both HDDs: http://www.dban.org/

Maybe even TuneUp Utilities tolls to Find and Fix errors on your HDDs: http://www.tune-up.com/download/

Hope this will help you?

Regards,

S.

[Charlie8311]

Hi Samker, thank you for the response and the welcome.

I ran Dban after I posted this.. I did it with both my drives in.  One drive completed successfully and the other Dban said it had some kind of error --  code 255.

But since the other one worked ok I tried to install windows again and the same thing happened.. it first froze right after Windows was installed.. then I hardbooted and it froze again right when the Vista green and blue screen came up that says "please wait" -- right after it said "please wait while Windows prepares to start for the first time."

Also.. when it died causing me to do all this recently my PC was starting up normally but after I logged into my account windows would freeze just after all my programs loaded on start up.

[Samker]

I was also need to wait ("long" time) before Vista start first time at my PC.

Please provide us your PC configuration: RAM, Processor...?? Maybe RAM or Graphic card cause all this, do you have possibility to test that with some other memory?

As I understand you have possibility to add this HDDs to another PC for example like disc D:, E: ?? In that case try Tune Utilities and Disc Doctor tool.

Also you have possibility to start DBAN from DOS: http://www.dban.org/node/25 maybe that will help you with first disc.


This is one good tutorial "How to erase your hard drive" successfully: http://analysisandreview.com/computer-hardware/how-to-erase-your-hard-drive/

 

[Charlie8311]

I was also need to wait ("long" time) before Vista start first time at my PC.

Mine seems like it's frozen though.. there is that little thing that moves in a circle to indicate the PC is working and it has frozen.. and then when I try to restart I get a message that says windows can't continue installing because the PC shutdown during installation. I am wondering if it might be the graphics card because of how it is acting.

Please provide us your PC configuration: RAM, Processor...?? Maybe RAM or Graphic card cause all this, do you have possibility to test that with some other memory?

I am not sure if there is anyway if I can use different memory -- I have another HP PC but it's older and different model I think. Could it possibly still work? I am leery of messing with this other PC too much though because it's not mine -- Girlfriends.

As I understand you have possibility to add this HDDs to another PC for example like disc D:, E: ?? In that case try Tune Utilities and Disc Doctor tool.

I tried this with the drive that DBAN wouldn't work on with the error code and the problem I have with this is WINXP says it doesn't recognize the drive or it' not working. and if I try to create a file in that drive it says it's not there. Sometimes it will show up in Disk management and then I try to format and right when it gets to the end it says it failed.

Is it possible somehow the BIOS got messed up? Hacked or Malware? The thing is.. I had another older PC that was on this network in my home die as well.. it has harddrive problems now too and won't bootup. But I don't know if this s just a coincidence.. but also.. I do have reason to suspect that someone on a messageboard I went to either hacked my PC or sent me Malware somehow.

[Charlie8311]

Here is my computer...

http://www.retrevo.com/search?q=HP+M8300F&rt=sp

One thing kind of odd about this PC.. it doesn't have a true graphics card I guess.. it's built onto the motherboard or something like that. So maybe this is why it is having issues?

[Samker]

Here is my computer...

http://www.retrevo.com/search?q=HP+M8300F&rt=sp

One thing kind of odd about this PC.. it doesn't have a true graphics card I guess.. it's built onto the motherboard or something like that. So maybe this is why it is having issues?

Nope, I don't think that it's "graphics" problem... Your PC specs. is very good.

Is there some chance to We test RAM??


Did you try my other suggestions related to formatting problem?


P.S.

Do you have on that HDDs Master-Slave pins? Check that!

[Charlie8311]

Is there some chance to We test RAM??

How do I do this?  Buy some more Ram?  How much would that cost roughly?

Did you try my other suggestions related to formatting problem?

I ran Dban, I hooked one of the drives to my working computer using USB and tried tuneup utility but it didn't fix the drive. I guess I will try reformatting the other drive I reinstalled windows on using the USB connector to working PC.

P.S.

Do you have on that HDDs Master-Slave pins? Check that!

None of my drives have any master/slave pins. 


Also, here is another clue... I tried to reinstall again and bootup and it failed again the same way.. but there was this message I saw before too.. I will try to write out the gist of it here...

Problem detected -- Windows shutdown to prevent damage


Page fault in nonpaged area

Check new hardware

if continues disable remove new hardware

disable bios memory options - - caching, Shadowing

use safe mode to disable components

*** stop: 0x00000050 (0xFFFFFF86, 0x0000001, 0x8449DB35, 0x00000000)

[Samker]

Quote

Is there some chance to We test RAM??

How do I do this?  Buy some more Ram?  How much would that cost roughly?

No, I think it's better to try/test some RAM from some other PCs (from friend for example)

Also, here is another clue... I tried to reinstall again and bootup and it failed again the same way.. but there was this message I saw before too.. I will try to write out the gist of it here...

Problem detected -- Windows shutdown to prevent damage


Page fault in nonpaged area

Check new hardware

if continues disable remove new hardware

disable bios memory options - - caching, Shadowing

use safe mode to disable components

*** stop: 0x00000050 (0xFFFFFF86, 0x0000001, 0x8449DB35, 0x00000000)

This info. give me some new idea about this problem:

1. Try to clean your Registers with Tune Up

2. I also suggest trying the following methods to troubleshoot the issue:

Method 1: Startup Repair from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)

============================================

1. Insert the Windows Vista installation disc into the disc drive, and then start the computer.

2. Press a key when the message indicating "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD …". appears.

3. Select a language, a time and currency, and a keyboard or input method, and then click Next.

4. Click Repair your computer.

5. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, choose the drive of your Windows installation and click Next.

6. At the System Recovery Options Dialog Box, click on Repair your computer.

7. Click the operating system that you want to repair, and then click Next.

8. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click Startup Repair.

 

Method 2: Rebuild BCD

============================================

1. Put the Windows Vista installation disc in the disc drive, and then start the computer.

2. Press a key when the message indicating "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD …". appears.

3. Select a language, a time, a currency, and a keyboard or another input method, and then click Next.

4. Click Repair your computer.

5. Click the operating system that you want to repair, and then click Next.

6. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click Command Prompt.

7. Type Bootrec /RebuildBcd , and then press ENTER.

 

Method 3: Use the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) to run System Restore ============================================

1. Insert the Windows Vista installation disc into the disc drive, and then start the computer.

2. Press a key when the message indicating "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD …". appears.

3. Select a language, a time and currency, and a keyboard or input method, and then click Next.

4. Click Repair your computer.

5. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, choose the drive of your Windows installation and click Next

6. At the System Recovery Options Dialog Box, click on System Restore.

7. Follow the System Restore Wizard instruction as usual and choose the appropriate restore point.

8. Click Finish to restore the system.

Hope it helps??

[Charlie8311]

Thanks again, Samker.

Quick question, is it possible to remove different RAM "chips"? to see if one of them is the problem rather than trying different RAM? 

If I borrow RAM from a friend how do I know which RAM is compatible?

This is the PC I am currently using -- girlfriends PC

http://www.amazon.com/Pavilion-Desktop-Dual-Core-Processor-SuperMulti/dp/B000IMWJ7C