MOD-less Disaster Assistance?

[Fifoo]

1 hour ago, bm2x said:

so, no ascii?

Sorry I should have told you that ANSI is the parameter to select. The Windows system defaults to the CP1252 character set in English and some other Western languages (other languages use different default encodings). The code page has never been an ANSI standard and is nowadays a misnomer that continues in the Windows community.

 

ASCII

ISO/IEC 8859-1

Windows-1252

[Grey Cloud]

I still don't understand why you have to alter the registry. Who/what is FRST?

[Fifoo]

5 hours ago, Grey Cloud said:

I still don't understand why you have to alter the registry. Who/what is FRST?

The OS of the OP has been deeply corrupted by many browser hijackers, unwanted programs/malwares and has required disinfection via a site dedicated to this, hence the use of Farbar Recovery Scan Tool (FRST) and other specific disinfection tools to eradicate them all according to the results of the ZHPDiag scans that were done previously. bm2x kindly sent me the infection scan results through an internal message.

 

The intervention also requires rebuilding part of the registry so that it regains a healthy state because some unwanted programs started at the OS boot. The starting point of this disinfection process is not to be forced to completely reinstall the OS if it is not necessary.

 

Windows restore points are certainly affected and the OP will have to get rid of them too if it has not already been done. But it's an easy task and CCleaner will do it very well later.

[Grey Cloud]

13 hours ago, Fifoo said:

What is UMonit64.exe

 

"The process UMonit64.exe belongs to software Gene USB Monitor or UMonit Application or ChangeIcon Application or MediaGear USB2 Card Reader by General." - Quote by Rajesh Govind - Microsoft Support Engineer.

 

If you are using such application you can perform the fix by copy/paste the text given between the stars but don't forget to save the file with notepad as ascii text format and not unicode text format.

The process “UMonit64.exe” is known as Gene USB Monitor or UMonit MFC Application or ChangeIcon MFC Application and belongs to software Gene USB Monitor or UMonit Application or ChangeIcon Application or MediaGear USB2 Card Reader by General.

 

If you are using any of these applications on the computer, then this file would belong to it. However, there are some instances where some virus or other malicious software camouflages itself as “UMonit64.exe”. So, let me ask you: Is this process consuming the system resources in a suspected manner making the computer very slow?

The second paragraph continues directly from the first.

That reg hack will make umonit64 run everytime the machine boots. Why? It doesn't on my (Win 7) PC.

[Fifoo]

32 minutes ago, Grey Cloud said:

Why? It doesn't on my (Win 7) PC

This application is not present also in my WIn 7 Pro PC system, that's why I warned the OP and described how it is applicable by quoting the MS Engineer previously. The disinfection team are pros and must be able to tell the difference between a legitimate application or not. Scans have been done in this direction. If in doubt, the OP may still ask them questions about his own system environment.

[Grey Cloud]

33 minutes ago, Fifoo said:

This application is not present also in my WIn 7 Pro PC system, that's why I warned the OP and described how it is applicable by quoting the MS Engineer previously. The disinfection team are pros and must be able to tell the difference between a legitimate application or not. Scans have been done in this direction. If in doubt, the OP may still ask them questions about his own system environment.

Fair enough but I don't trust anyone on the net and I wouldn't have a user making registry changes.

[Fifoo]

2 hours ago, Grey Cloud said:

I wouldn't have a user making registry changes.

And that's also how I react in case of problems. If I need to intervene in this area I do it myself. It's been a good number of years now that my system is perfectly healthy and optimized for my needs through my personnal maintenance care only.

It took me once to have to reinstall a previous WIn XP Pro system because of a Trojan that insidiously crossed a "software protection application gas plant style" that I do not use anymore since that day, and I will not advertise them.

 

The main concern for the OP and myself would have been the barrier of technical language and I admit that I preferred to offer external help because it would have taken too much time for me to handle these problems, I also have a job that takes me a lot of time almost every day and sometimes nights. I often have to leave my computer behind and go on an emergency response, to come back and continue my posts by trying to help as best as I can. Not to mention the natural needs ...

[bm2x]

WOW...

 

Okay, so as an addendum comment then:

 

SHOULD I change the registry or no?  If I can run ccleaner an it will eliminate this (or I am misunderstanding) why bother with the registry edit in the first place?  Also, since running the diag programs, removing the left-overs bits and deleting unneeded programs, my system is running better.  I don't want to quit halfway through: I want my system back to 100% Is there questions I should be asking the FRST help that I am not?

 

***also, PUP came back.  Malwarebytes (my malware scan program) just found it embedded in Chrome.  Is there a way to eliminate it from using my browser program, or is that part of my harddrive somewhere?

[Fifoo]

On 01/05/2018 at 10:22 PM, bm2x said:

SHOULD I change the registry or no?

If the UMonit64.exe process is clearly coming from a legit program you have in your system: Yes, otherwise: No. You must be sure of that and ask the support team if there is any doubt.

 

On 01/05/2018 at 10:22 PM, bm2x said:

If I can run ccleaner an it will eliminate this (or I am misunderstanding) why bother with the registry edit in the first place?

CCleaner is a freeware dedicated to system maintenance that optimizes the operation of a computer with Windows operating system and protects the privacy of users of the computer.

 

It will not "fix" a corrupted registry made by an unwanted program, only "erase" elements and files such as cookies, Internet browser pages and searching browser history, shortcuts icons and orphaned icons, temporary files and registry elements that are no longer used by your system - as in the case of a program uninstall for example, securely erase content or free disk space by different methods according to algorithms contained in the tool, etc ...

 

This tool is approved by advanced users and pros because it cleans the registry accurately and by a less invasive method than other software supposedly dedicated to the deep cleansing of the registry as Wise Registry Cleaner and the likes, but I don't recommend the use of such tools. They will sometimes do more harm then good.

 

Before each operation it can be set so that it performs a system restore point. Be aware that this is only a restore point, it has nothing to do with a complete backup of the system.

 

On 01/05/2018 at 10:22 PM, bm2x said:

***also, PUP came back.  Malwarebytes (my malware scan program) just found it embedded in Chrome.  Is there a way to eliminate it from using my browser program, or is that part of my harddrive somewhere?

Best would be to ask the disinfection Team. Malwarebytes will quarantine the PUP files but Chrome may not work after that. So, do not skip the steps and explain them the problems you encounter, follow the recommendations they give you on a case-by-case basis.

[bm2x]

Okay, so my laptop is clean as a whistle, and all the garbage is removed.  SOME of my MODs are working, but not all.  LOOT is coming up as green across the board.

 

Is the Skyrim SE MODs basically the same as the regular variety?  I know SKSE64 or whatever doesn't exist, but if I can get what I want out of either game at this point, I am willing to make a go of it.  Seriously, at this point, I'm just looking to find the easiest path: still totally clueless as to how to proceed.

[Fifoo]

2 hours ago, bm2x said:

Okay, so my laptop is clean as a whistle, and all the garbage is removed.  SOME of my MODs are working, but not all.  LOOT is coming up as green across the board.

Having your laptop cleaned from previous infections are good news!

 

For the mods that don't work, you will need to find if they are compatible with your game version, perhaps are they installed in a incorrect load order or lack some prerequisites to work properly. The last case being your laptop the faulty one: make sure you meet the game's recommended requirements or equivalent for installing a heavy list of mods:

 

Spoiler

Hardware                   Minimum                                            Recommended
Windows OS              Windows 7 32-bit                              Windows 7 64-bit or later
CPU                           Intel Core i3/equivalent (dual core)     Intel Core i5/equivalent or higher
System RAM              8 GB                                                  8 GB or higher
GPU                           Nvidia GTX 660 2GB VRAM                 Nvidia GTX 660 2GB VRAM

                                 / AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB              / AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB / or better
Monitor Resolution     1366x768                                         1920x1080

 

Avoid using a heavy mod list if this is not the case and stick with what seems the most specific and important selection for your game playthrough to work as you wish at best.

 

2 hours ago, bm2x said:

Is the Skyrim SE MODs basically the same as the regular variety?  I know SKSE64 or whatever doesn't exist, but if I can get what I want out of either game at this point, I am willing to make a go of it.  Seriously, at this point, I'm just looking to find the easiest path: still totally clueless as to how to proceed.

Some Skyrim Classic or Skyrim LE mods - I prefer these wording then Oldrim, may work with Skyrim SE but not the contrary, so it' up to you to find what suits you the best. Be advised that a more powerful system will likely be required for Skyrim SE to work well. All mods are not currently ported to the new Skyrim version, but with time and modders devotion it will be better afterwards. Some users are coming back to the Classic one after trying it and are disappointed with the result but I can't recommend you what to do here because it's a question of personal preferences.

 

The current SKSE SE build 2.0.7 (runtime 1.5.39) is found on the SKSE official download page here.

 

I would recommend you to follow this guide for a good start in modding Skyrim: LE.

Stability Performance Optimization ENB Configuration - a Comprehensive Guide

 

Just don't install Glary utilities if you want my humble opinion, because it is a software that I have already used and uninstalled in the past: it requires a lot of resources to run, installs unwanted adware if you do not pay attention to it during the installation process. In the category of performance and maintenance software I greatly prefer the use of CCleaner. This tool is less invasive and very effective in what it does to keep a clean and stable system environment. Install the free version, a less complete than the paid version but largely sufficient.