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Windows 8.1 app starts splashes then disappears

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pclaptop23hour

Member
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'm using the traditional desktop but when I go to the tiles and scroll over to MAPS tile or Microsoft Solitaire tile (btw the tile, STORE, that asked me to register an account with Microsoft so I could d/l and install solitaire has disappeared along with the Skype tile as well) 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 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.​
 
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My guess is that you still have some viruses left or that they left traces. I would reccomend on a fresh install but wait on hearing what someone else says about this.
 
New laptop, no question run the Toshiba restore utility and start fresh.

After the restore stop going to stupid website or opening email attachments.
 
Thank you Gunbuster, I will pass that along!

BTW Gunbuster do you ride a Gunbus?

hxxp://www.dudeiwantthat.com/autos/motorcycles/gunbus-410-worlds-biggest-motorcycle.asp

thanks again
 
I've re-formatted 5 drives in the last 3 weeks all were SATA drives and all would NOT re-load windows 7 until after the LowLevel format! If need be, I'll reformat to NTFS and LL format then back to GPT!

The current strain of Viruses hide in sections of the boot that for some reason a Windows/Dos format will not remove the offending virii! Formatting in Linux ext2 usually works as well!

If you don't believe that there is new strains of undetectable (hard to find or remove) virii just ask target and home depot!
 
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"At the time the code was discovered, even fully updated antivirus tools would not have been able to detect the malware. "This software contains a new kind of attack method that is able to covertly subvert network controls and common forensic tactics, concealing all data transfers and executions that may have been run, rendering it harder to detect," the iSight report said."

hxxp://www.computerworld.com/article/2487862/cybercrime-hacking/security-firm-ids-malware-used-in-target-attack.html

"common forensic tactics," meaning AFTER the fact they cant even tell they were infected!
 
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Using the manufacture tool to reinitialization a drive is not the same as a LLF. Modern drives are calibrated and formatted in the factory. There is no end user method to change that data. But if it makes you feel good calling it LLF go right ahead.
 
Hard Disk Low Level Format Tool is not a manufacture tool to re-iniatlize the drive! It LOW LEVEL 0's all of the bytes on the drive! 4.5 hours for a 320 gb drive!

Unless a Low Level Formatter is aka a "manufacture tool to reinitialization a drive" it does rewrite all of the data on a hard disk to all 0's!
 
I'm concerned you started as someone with a laptop virus issue and have now become a low level formatting expert, on five virus infected drives a week no less.

You are your clients are doing something wrong to get that infected so consistently.
 
I use paragon partition manager to read the sectors on a drive before and after LLFormatting! Data before and ALL 0's after!
And whereas I appreciate your input, this LowLevel formatting is what has allowed me to remove offending virii that would NOT allow the installation of Windows 7!
I would get an error meassage saying there was corrupt data on the installation DVD that was brand new, and just used to install the Win7 OS on another computer!
So if it makes me feel good to think that is happening, it also makes me feel good when the Win7 OS install's successfully!
 
Not consistently Gunbuster, just I do alot of repairs and not all or everyone had a virus issue, but the last 5 that did have, had this newer undetectable/un-removable virus (as I listed above) the Low level formatting solved the problem!

If that makes me a "low level formatting expert" so be it! It was what was needed to successfully repair the computer!

I'm not here to butt heads with you Gunbuster, I'm just telling you what I've done to solve these issues! The only reason I posted this problem is that I'm not (and choose not to) familiar with Win 8 or 8.1! I have converted at least 10 desktop/laptops from GPT/UEFI back to NTFS/SATA Win7, but this friend did not want to change! so I was unfamiliar with the tablet/tile crap that was not meant for a standard laptop as MICROSOFT has learned! Hence Win9 in couple of weeks!

Thanks again for your input didn't mean to ruffle your feathers, just needed input on a laptop running Win 8.1 and as to whether or not the problems were common or unusual!
 
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I think just restore. If you have problems after the restoration, then by all means feel free and go for LLF and new installation.
 
It becomes clear. You're "that guy" helping out by spending countless hours converting machines from Windows 8 to 7. If "tile crap" freaks you out so bad it would take maybe thirty seconds to install a start menu replacement for Win 8 that has been available from day one.
 
When it comes to Low Level Format, it can only be done (and it is done) at the factory. Most users though say that writing zeroes to the disk is LLF.

Many years ago computers users had to LLF the disk, before mid 1990's.

Read this article to understand exactly what LLF means.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disk_formatting


Edit. While personally I don't like much the user interface of W8, it can be made to run and feel like W7. Changing the OS from W8 to W7 without a VERY good reason, is taking a step backwards.
 
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OK ArisVer, after reading the info at the Wiki link you posted it seems as though LLF was basically setting up the block/sector scheme, and what I am mistakenly calling LLF is really initialization of the HD by just writing "0's" to all data bytes! Correct?

Ok, then what is posted at Wiki leaves ambiguity as to what LLF and reinitialization functions/processes really are.

Suffice it to say, whether it be LLF or reinitialization, writing all "0's" to all sector locations on the hard drive removes the virus code, which proved successful for me in repairing those infected machines!

Gunbuster I guess that I am "That Guy" but it doesn't take COUNTLESS hours. I dont have to INSTALL a start menu replacement most already made that change on their own! You should have read that in the first post. The "tile crap" doesn't "freak me out" I dont use Win8! It just was NOT meant for anything other than PDA's and tablets and mobile devices!
How arrogant of MS to decide THAT "tile crap" is what should be the next OS! And whether or not that "tile crap" freaked ME out is irrelevant! It freaked out the MANY OEM's enough to the point of major sales losses! It eventually opened MS's EYES to dump the Win8 "tile crap" and go back to a desktop in Win 9 with a slight "tile crap" add on!

And I really don't think that any of the clients got up one morning and decided to do STUPID THINGS so they could acquire a virus! Do you think the IT guys at Target, Nieman Marcus and Home Depot got up one morning and decided to do STUPID THINGS when they were attacked and infected and compromised? They as in "MY CLIENTS" never saw it coming and still don't!
Your illumination on this subject is appreciated and if you could spread this illumination to any and ALL Anti-Virus developers to get their A$$ in gear to detect KAPTOXA, I'm sure they will appreciate it too.

I only started this topic to see if their was something about Win 8 and/or 8.1 that I was unaware of that would cause the symptoms I was observing before doing a restore or recovery. Instead I have a gained a wealth of knowledge which will guide me in the future!

thank you GunBbuster and ArisVer

And while changing from W8 back to W7 may be considered a step backwards due to the supposed advantages of GPT and UEFI it was coupled with a really poor change in how the average user operated his PC!

If W8 was so innovative why did practically ALL OEM computer system sales drop 25+% with the introduction of Win8? Hell Sony completely dropped the Vaio Laptop line . . .
"PC and laptop sales have been in steady decline for some time now. Some industry analysts have suggested that the blame for this could be placed at least partially at the door of Windows 8."

hxxp://www.winbeta.org/news/what-does-sonys-sale-vaio-mean-microsoft-windows-and-pc

and if Win8 was such an giant leap forward, what's with Win9 taking a step backwards to the desktop of Win7? I'm sorry here but I DISAGREE! Win8 was a major fiasco for ALL but the mobile devices!

IMHO
 
Wow, what a case of complicating something easy.

First, as people have pointed out, LLF doesn't do what you think it does. Simple quick formats that merely reinitialize the file system is just as good as a full writing of zeroes (the only time you need to write the whole disk is if you're getting rid of the drive and want to prevent people with too much spare time in their hands from salvaging private data from it).

Second, Windows 8 now has a factory-reset capability that is effectively a reinstall from recovery. Now, it's possible for really bad malware to corrupt the recovery, but it's extremely unlikely (it's hard to do and offers the blackhat very little benefit for the effort).
 
code 65536, whereas many here have pointed out that what I understand LLF to be, is NOT what it is! then why does the LLF program I list use above do just what i said it does? Write 0's to all location on the selected hard drive! Correct me here if people who want to remove all data from their HD's that are are getting rid of, wouldn't the same process remove all code from any VERY WELL hidden virus?

Am I confused or are the creators of LLF,hxxp://hddguru.com/software/HDD-LLF-Low-Level-Format-Tool/ , confused?
"It can erase and Low-Level Format a SATA, IDE, SAS, SCSI or SSD hard disk drive."
So am I being misled by the guys at HDGuru?

And you are right, as Gunbuster said in post #4, "run the Toshiba restore utility and start fresh." this got way to complicated!

Also I read alot where there are users who tout(ed) Win8 as being the best there ever was! Well apparently not! I guess those people will have to change their MS WIN8 RULES tattoo on the back of their butt to MSWIN9 RULES!

But as I said above thanks to all especially GunBuster for the correct advice, reload/restore start fresh, and being enlightened on LLF!

pclaptop23hour
 
pclaptop23hour said:
code 65536, whereas many here have pointed out that what I understand LLF to be, is NOT what it is! then why does the LLF program I list use above do just what i said it does? Write 0's to all location on the selected hard drive! Correct me here if people who want to remove all data from their HD's that are are getting rid of, wouldn't the same process remove all code from any VERY WELL hidden virus?
Click to expand...

There is no such thing as malware that can "hide" from a format. It's impossible. Keep in mind the Cardinal Rule: all malware is code, and all code is just inert data (and thus completely harmless), until executed. There is absolutely no danger whatsoever in keeping completely intact malware files on your computer, as long as they are never executed. This is why the best way to manually clean malware isn't to do some unnecessarily time-consuming disk scan (which is what automated scanners do), but to do a targeted search of the points where something can be executed without user knowledge and/or consent.

The point of zeroing out a disk is to erase any residual evidence that something ever existed. And by residual evidence, I mean it takes a lot of effort to salvage data like that, and unless someone has reason to believe that there may be a reward worth that effort, they aren't even going to bother. I.e., the malware isn't going to magically undelete itself (and even if it was undeleted, remember the Cardinal Rule).

As for that tool... I'm guessing it's misusing terminology.
 
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