false desktop

  • Thread starter Thread starter Philip Wagstaff
  • Start date Start date
P

Philip Wagstaff

The four membrs of the family each have a logon with HomeXP. When one
particular user logs on it produces a fake workbench screen, an exact copy
but it's inactive and has a window bar at the top which can be dragged down
causing the false workbench picture to ripple and bunch up, but revealing
the correct, working, workbench.

I cannot get rid of this false workbench, I can only push to one side.
Renewing the real workbench merely hides the false one behind the taskbar
where it can be dragged out.

What's causing this and how can it be cured?.
 
The four membrs of the family each have a logon with HomeXP. When one
particular user logs on it produces a fake workbench screen, an exact copy
but it's inactive and has a window bar at the top which can be dragged down
causing the false workbench picture to ripple and bunch up, but revealing
the correct, working, workbench.

I cannot get rid of this false workbench, I can only push to one side.
Renewing the real workbench merely hides the false one behind the taskbar
where it can be dragged out.

What's causing this and how can it be cured?.
Click to expand...

Philip,

With the implication that this one family member did not install this
feature on purpose, I am wondering if it is something that installed
itself as a replacement for Windows Explorer. I have to suspect
malware.

When you're dragging the window bar, and the fake workbench is
bunching up, can you get anything from right clicking? Does this
thing provide a context menu?

It reminds me of a type of prank which my coworkers used for a while -
a fake desktop which was an exact picture of a BSOD, which they would
install upon the computer of a hapless victim. This one is
interactive, which goes that prank a bit better. I wouldn't mind
having a copy of this if we can identify and extract it.

I presume you restarted the system before logging in as the family
member, and that this feature remains after the restart.

Logon as an administrator, and install and run Spybot S&D and
HijackThis (both free). Then run SSD and HJT while loggedon as the
family member in question. You'll need help from SWI Forums to
interpret the output from HijackThis. This article contains all the
help you need with both tools:
http://forums.spywareinfo.com/index.php?showtopic=5187

Cheers,

Chuck
I hate spam - PLEASE get rid of the spam before emailing me!
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.
 
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