Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Help Please

New machine, Intel i7, Windows 8.l, Norton 360 protected.

While typing a post this morning on Google Chrome the screen went grey, the sort of thing that happens when a computer freezes.   Up popped this little tan box telling me that I had just logged out from another location.  It then gave me the option of somehow logging back in or canceling the notice, I suppose.

Now I know I hadn't logged out from another location because I have only one location.  Just the one.

I called my IT friend in Vancouver, read to him what I was seeing on my monitor, and asked if he knew what was going on.   He's been in the business, mainly in networking, for almost 30-years and, during its good years, was Nortel's network guy for B.C. for a few years.   He knows his stuff.

My buddy said he'd never seen such a thing and began the remote access process so he could get into my computer.  For the first time ever that remote access software balked.  It would not let him in.   It would not even let me push the screen button to proceed on my end.

Any ideas?  Suggestions?  Is it possible that somebody elsewhere is logging in to my computer?   I know I've been hacked more than once.  In one case a hacker got in to very successfully take down both my GoDaddy web sites.

15 comments:

LeDaro said...

Mound, I think you have virus of some kind. Run full scan using Norton 360. It will take time. Maybe over an hour. Run Optimization again using Norton 360.Also run 'Registry Clean-up' under the Task section of your Norton 360. I hope it works.

Last time I visited your blog suddenly my screen went very small I could hardly read.

Finally maybe use Microsoft Internet Explorer. I do better with it.

The Mound of Sound said...

Hi, LD. I took your advice and ran a complete scan. Because it's a new machine and I haven't transferred files over to it there really wasn't much to scan. Other than one adware file it was clean. No virus.

My computer friend this morning didn't think it was a virus. He'll be coming to the island to run some further tests.

LeDaro said...

Mound, your friend sounds expert. Hopefully you will be okay after your friends checks it.

Dana said...

Maybe the rumoured NSA backdoor in Windows 8.1 is not just a rumour and the CPoC now has control of your computer. :-)

The Mound of Sound said...

CSEC anybody? I haven't been paying attention but it's been a while since I noticed a visit from U.S. Army or U.S. Navy intelligence. Lockheed still drops by two or three times a week. I have no idea who shows up and doesn't leave calling cards.

I'm a pretty outspoken pipeline opponent but I don't know whether that's enough to put me on the radar of Harper's pipeline secret police agency.

Then again I know some interesting people in Ottawa who are convinced their calls have been monitored for months.

Anonymous said...

Oh, sigh. I've told you Mound, many times, to use free software. Your problems related to the use of proprietary operating systems and software will thus disappear.

You can lead a horse to water....

Anonymous said...

"some interesting people in Ottawa who are convinced their calls have been monitored for months"

They were. If not by CSEC then by NSA... who might/can/will share data with CSEC.
Always assume that your computer and phone is potentially "transparent."
Welcome to 1984/2013 ;-(

A..non

The Mound of Sound said...

Anon 3:22, I knew it was only a matter of time until you gave me what I so richly deserve. I'm simply too old to start with something they don't stock at Staples.

Anonymous said...

Like my licence plate says GETAMAC.

27 years of effortless computing and no loss of data.

Virii? One in 1987 easily removed and a second virus in 1995 sent on a CD from a software vendor that promptly took responsibility and sent us the antidote. Since then, zero - and I'm always online.

Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.

AnonYYC

Anonymous said...

"I'm simply too old to start with something they don't stock at Staples."

I don't believe this story, Free software offers an avenue of freedom for those not agreeable with the ideology of modern computer repression. Age is not a factor.

Alison said...

Hi MoS
If you look on google support forums you'll see pages and pages of complaints re "You have logged out from another location. Do you want to log in again?" from people who haven't logged out and don't have any other location. Complaints range in clusters over a period of months and they report it happens on Macs too whether they use firefox, safari, IE, etc. The one thing they all have in common is Google Chrome. Advice was to clear cookies and cache, and reboot.

I suspect this may be related to Google/Blooger/Youtube's drive to get users to consolidate their various identity/user names into one user name for all their products.

Alison said...

Oh yeah, the other thing I noticed all the complainants had in common is that they were all bloggers.

The Mound of Sound said...

Hi, Alison. You're a godsend. Sincere thanks. I'll pass that along to my IT pal.

How's life on Bowen?

Alison said...

Brilliantly sunny for weeks and we're all unbearably smug about it, like it's some kind of reward for living here. ;-)

Be interested to hear your IT guy's opinion on this when you get a mo.



Purple library guy said...

Mm, it's been lovely. I'm enjoying it, but frankly it's starting to weird me out. Vancouver area fall isn't like this. The leaves should be turned to brown mush by the rain by now, not crisp and gorgeous in red and gold.