How does one kill off Win 7 / Explorer 11 bandwith hog background audio?

intakexhaust · intakexhaust's Garage

Any of you experiencing the following?

Win 7, Explorer 11.0.9600.16663 / below that its noted Update ver. 11.0.8 (kb2961851) All settings for auto update have been selected off for years. Bing closed. Though with my permissions, I only update as needed (last was in '15).

AV scan shows safe and also aware of MS forcing users to Win 10. I haven't touched anything but somehow they got in and now have random audio commercials, some from Verizon, Lexus and Clinton campaign azzholes. Even if using google, the background AUDIO commercials run at random. There's no background video pop-up, only audio.

Its further robbing bandwith and memory. In Task Mgr., unable to locate what processes / services have been recently loaded. I suppose could run a back date and hope it kills it but does anyone know what program they've jammed in?

widebody911 · widebody911's Garage

Use the Resource Monitor and look at network

intakexhaust · intakexhaust's Garage

Looking at R-mon.

stomachmonkey · 03-09-2016, 01:05 PM

You have a browser hijack.

Run a Malware scan, not virus.

intakexhaust · intakexhaust's Garage

Thanks all for the advice. For now everything is back to smooth running but here's what I found and possibility of what happened.

1- Two weeks ago, wife gets a brand new latest laptop with pre-installed Win 10. Upon setup, I turned off the Cortana feature and most of their default privy learning about you sneaky settings. Though I needed to register her laptop, connect to network and AV auto / monitor settings. Also setup to ask permission before installing any updates. But for some reason, she tells me there's been some automatic updates of sort. Unable to find what they are or how its able to do without our permission. (I do realize there's app's and programs that won't fully function without them knowing some or access to other files, but she not into other programs anyways.)

2- Even with network firewalls set, I think MS has a backdoor into networks searching for PC's not running Win 10 and forcing all to update. Somehow, the Win 7 laptop automatically had the firewalls and MS Defender turned OFF! Or, there's a vicious worm launched by someone.

3a- For the laptop that had the problem, its running Win 7, have always used MS Defender av automatic and the usual array of firewall settings. Further, for years I've had the settings to keep from MS doing 'auto' updates and had never had the file KB305583.

3b- The kicker, at some very recent time, the firewalls and MS Defender was turned OFF! This after using it for years! NO Warnings either that it was turned off. But last month I did have warnings from MS to update and take advantage of the free MS10.

4- How I resolved. Downloaded the full version of Avast, free 30 day trial and let it run the gambit of tools. It didn't catch the bug BUT advised the PC was unprotected. Then it forced an install of Googie-chrome. Irritating because there was no choice or option to de-select upon install of the AV. Had to let it install and then later removed. Ridiculous.

5- Now that MS Defender was running again, it found this (screenshot below).
Promptly removed and everything now seems normal.