The Reimage Blog

We had a lot of fun with this experiment. We went to all the nastiest sites and engaged in the most dubious on-line activities. A few days on, the PC ground to halt with so many nasty viruses, trojans, malware and corruption that we thought the time was right to initiate the experiment. Pitching Reimage against multiple anti viruses, registry cleaners and spyware removal programs, here are the results:

Advice on PC repair

Save yourself the hassle of buying software that will fall short in repairing your PC. The products reviewed below have been tested, trying to repair the same operating system (VMware) using different solutions. This example of a dysfunctional computer offers a clunky user experience, slower than usual boot and user will find surfing the Internet difficult.

Here are the symptoms of the dysfunctional PC we tested:

The malicious process in the PC

• Missing control panel
• Can’t open the task manager
• Can’t open the registry
• Homepage can’t be changed

We generally found that the reviewed tools fall into three main categories: junk, nice-to-have and even superb. If there’s a tool you want to see reviewed, please let us know and we’ll buy it and add it to the reviews here.

We used a two month old image and ran the anti viruses too see if they are updated and can fix the problem.

The PC problems in detail

• Difficulties in repairing an Operating System due to system maintenance tools being disabled, such as task manager.
• Viruses distract user from reaching his target in browsing through promoting other websites that he did not want to reach via Google search or pretending to be an Internet security software that causes user to install more malicious content.
• Malware running in the background hogs CPU Process time, slowing down the entire computer.
  Invisible programs running in taskbar (stealth IRC program that logs into chat rooms in IRC environment and try to steal information out of other users).
• A hacker deleted the CPL (control panel list) files which control the control panel list such as display properties and language settings.
• Hacker removed program files entries in the Registry that destroy a user’s ability to access programs via the start menu. 

Summary of Testing

In essence, we have seen that all Anti Virus programs completely failed to install, the registry cleaning applications had no effect what-so-ever on a severely infected PC and that SpyBot made some, limited, progress at removing spyware yet falling short in a PC repair.

Category: Autonomic Fix

Reimage: Near Perfection!

Time to use - 19 minutes (22:00 - 22:19)

Software Usage

• Instant repair starts via going to www.reimage.com and initiating a free scan. A small file is downloaded into the browser and the repair process begins (22:01). The repair is charted through the web browser and describes the process taking place in easy to understand terms, while providing detailed technical information below.
• First the software analyzes (22:08) and then it moves in to make a repair based on its findings. The “fix” part was concluded two minutes later (22:10). At this point you are asked to reboot the system and it is up and running, after a small post startup screen update in the form of a blue screen. A web page is brought up at this point saying “finalizing repair, please wait” and a list of applications that you many not want to erase is presented. It allows you to UNDO the repair if your not happy with the result.

Result

• The old wallpaper is present, which I can change
• I can change the homepage of the web browser
• All the icons are visible in the control panel
• There are no malicious processes running in the background
• There are still viruses in the system, but isolated and inactive (they recommend running an anti-virus as a garbage collector).
• The machine is as good as new! 

Category: Anti Spyware

SpyBot: Superficial Success

Time to use - 57 minutes (20:33 - 21:30)

Software Usage

• Spybot immediately cleans out about 1,000 temp files.
• Ask me for a registry backup and prompts a question regarding which server to use for downloading updates. I select ifwd.org (USA) I click ok at 20:36. Then I am prompted to download multiple updates that I can choose and I am requested to re-apply immunization after the update.
• I click exit and am admitted to the main menu for the first time. (20:38), I click check for problems and the system starts a scan.
• A 36 minute scan is completed (21:26).
• The system says that some errors couldn’t be fixed entirely and it will require a reboot to finalize the repair. It reports that 40 problems were fixed and that 2 could not.
• System is rebooted. Asks to delete 239 temp files (21:30) and software launches again.

Result
• All viruses are gone.
• Cant’ change the wallpaper, task manager or see most of the control panel.
• A few viruses still present.
• MIRC still active.
• Original wallpaper is restored but can’t be changed.

Category: Registry Cleaner

CCleanup: Or CCmuckup?

Time to use - 8 minutes (19:04 - 19:12)

Software Usage

• 4.68MB of cleaning required. 
• 24 Registry issues, clicking scan immediately after revealed 12 more problems, another time 2 more.
• Computer rebooted in normal mode at 19:09 , booted up at 19:10.

Result

• Task manger still disabled.
• Multiple viruses still present (system doctor, virusseigyo, advanced registry optimizer, winspyware protect).
• Can’t change wallpaper.
• Control panel has missing functions.
• New: Internet explorer won’t load now.

Registry Booster: Busted!

Time to use - 15 minutes (19:53 - 20:08)

Software Usage

• Program says it must restart the machine out of safe mode to finish install at 19:57.
• Install is completed and Uniblue “auto launches” .
  

  Problematic install and no results

• Starts repair at 20:00, reports finding 143 “invalid registry entries”.
• I finally see the user interface and its gorgeous.
• Repair is completed and system is foes through a reboot 20:04.
• Process completed at 20:08.
• Installs Microsoft windows installer 3.1 as pre-requisite, takes 2 minutes.

Result

• Task manger still disabled.
• Multiple viruses still present (system doctor, virusseigyo, advanced registry optimizer, winspyware protect).
• Can’t change wallpaper.
• Control panel has missing functions.

Registry Mechanic: Fail!

Time to use - 15 minutes (20:22 - 20:28)

Software Usage

• Initiating an easy install for RegMechanic, during the setup process you will be asked if you want to install Google toolbar as well.
  
• Setup takes a minute. RegMechanic checks for updates. The scan in completed in a few seconds and instantly recognizes 102 faults with the registry.
• I also choose the optimize option on the system and defrag it, this launches the standard windows defrag utility. I give it a miss as it is simply a quick launch option for a Windows utility and unrelated to RegMechanic.
• I go for the “analyze and compact” option, the process is completed in a few seconds and reports that the registry has been compressed by 13% saving 1.59MB from a total 12MB.
• Additionally, before starting, my system health was reported as LOW.
• I now restart the system, after playing around with the various functions (20:28).

Result

• Task manger still disabled.
• Multiple viruses still present (system doctor, virusseigyo, advanced registry optimizer, winspyware protect).
• Can’t change wallpaper.
• Control panel has missing functions.

Category: AntiViruses

AVG: Installation blocked

19:00 - 19:02

NOD32: Installation fail

19:31 - 19:34

Norton: Setup hassle & fail

19:35 - 19:42

• Norton started up by installing updates that took about 2 minutes, after which saying that it can’t install on safe mode and required a reboot.
• Once in normal mode Norton did not manage to install.

Last Monday it suddenly struck me: Technology (really) creates antagonism. New technologies that emerge and sweep aside old practices are initially resisted and eventually, unavoidably, adopted. In business theory it’s called the product life cycle, where 2.5% of the potential market are deemed “early adopters” and love the new tech. Eventually the rest of the market follows (defined in biz theory as Laggards).

The most interesting case of this is, of course, “King” Ludd the fictitious leader of the Luddite movement that  objected to the

“new wide-framed automated looms that could be operated by cheap, relatively unskilled labour, resulting in the loss of jobs for many skilled textile workers“.

The Luddite movement resorted to sabotage and grew so strong during the 19th century that it even clashed with, but was eventually routed by, the British Army. Progress won, tears were shed, and humanity marched on.

This is a major issue for any new technology - how do we reel in the “early adopters” and route the Luddites? It’s a challenge, no doubt. The key, of course, to avoid massive resistance, is by not antagonizing anyone but by directly improving people’s lives.

Let’s meet Hal the IT administrator, I came across this amusing YouTube video from Symantec a while ago. The video makes a great point of a real professional who suffers the pain of having to go through a manual repair process of a server.

Hal illustrates a real pain, he hates this part of his job and would love to have it automated. Sure he does, right? Wrong! Over the past months (and particularly since Reimage’s version 1182) I have heard from countless PC repair professionals that Reimage: (a) makes their PC software repair process so much easier (b) saves them time (c) gets the job done, while in the past they would have reinstalled the OS, erasing all data and applications. “Oh” I keep asking, “when can we expect you guys to to subscribe then?”, “don’t know” is not an uncommon reply. Amazingly, many won’t subscribe, despite admitting to Reimage’s benefits. One technician said: “The better you guys get, the more inclined my boss will be to fire me“.

So that’s what it boils down to: exposing inefficiency in the system. It’s true, Reimage does not have a 100% run rate (nor does it plan to), but this runs deeper. It is, in essence, a conflict between the modern and the pre-modern (a concept odd to apply to Software repair, but valid none-the-less). It actually deals with the PC repair industry’s (in) ability to look boldly ahead and realize that from now on it is the job of machines to repair their kin and that humans, in this occasion, are irrelevant.

Rise of The Machines. Not.

This, however, does not in anyway mark the end of the PC repair profession. Far from it.  Indeed, PC repair professionals will always have the important challange of setting up networks, troubleshooting, repairing hardware and most importantly providing the priceless human interaction we all cannot live without. Customers will always pay more for a professional to help them with descisions, dillemas, problems and queries. Reimage fits this vision perfectly. We repair the software while you, the PC repair professional, do so with your own logo keeping your customer unaware of any third party application. Everyone wins.

The Fix - Reimage’s newsletter for November 2008 is out!

What’s new:

• Increase in Repair Scope - Reimage is now more thorough in its repair approach and offers, since version 1182 (3rd of October), an unprecedented quality of repair.
• Anti-Virus Integrated - Reimage now employs AVG Anti-Virus to clean up the viruses effecting the operating system.Coming next: remove viruses, in one click, not only from the operating system but from the hard-drive as well.
• PC Repair Reports in all Subscription Accounts - View, within your account, an automatically generated report of your customers’ PC, serving as a dashboard to track your Reimage usage.
• $20 for Me? Why Thank You! - Refer a friend promotion - tell someone about Reimage, if they make a purchase, you get $20. Refer a friend, now!
• Nerds on Site are in The House! - Nerds on site has become our latest partner in spreading Reimage’s automated PC repair technology across the globe.

Looking through the Microsoft knowledge base, I stumbled upon this neat little list of the most popular KB articles of the last three months. Through these popularity ratings, you can see the information that most people are looking for, and this can give you a vague idea of the most common problems encountered.

Number 17 on the latest chart is an article describing the manual solution for a corrupted registry.

For those among us who are less familiar with the way the operating system works - The registry contains almost every configuration setting in Windows XP; core operating system settings (Hardware settings, passwords, system file locations, drivers and services) are stored alongside custom user settings and software installations. It consists of a set of files (not readable in regular text editors) which are an easy target for viruses and malware, since they can do a lot of damage with very little effort!

Corrupted / Missing Registry files

The solution suggested in this post is a rather lengthy process, and requires you to be familiar with fairly advanced tools - recovery console, command line tools, etc.

Even if you are a power user or technician, this process will get you up and running with a clean copy of the registry - as it was when you first installed XP! This means you’re gonna have to install all your hardware and software from scratch!

Although I am hardly objective about the product I helped develop (it’s my baby!! ), here are two FACTS about Reimage:

1. Reimage fixes this problem automatically and then proceeds to address other issues!!

2. Reimage will save as much information as possible - in over %90 of cases, nothing needs to be reinstalled!!

25 minutes, no hassle, no “know-how” (Just find yourself another PC and get our boot CD), and other problems repaired along the way vs. hours and hours hassling with a command line tool and reinstalling your stuff. You decide.

Anti-Virus 2009 nearly swindles another helpless victim! Reimage’s R&D Director’s girlfriend was saved from paying the ransom!

A long, long, time ago, a computer virus was a program that would delete some files, format your disk and generally vandalize your PC. Nowadays, viruses are about making $$$. Viruses have become a $14 billion Dollar industry that is all about stealing your money with bogus software or generate traffic to websites.

These virus conglomerates function as corporations, they have R&D, Marketing & Executive Training. These “corporations” would pay an employee 4 years of tuition fees and after that he is bound (in more than one way) to work for them. He is bound to them through the widespread phenomenon of kidnapping his \ her family for years to make sure they put in some extra effort.

Definition: A virus is an application with malicious intentions !

Spyware, Malware, Virusware, Adware, Junkware, etc - is a the security industry way to sell you the same product with a different name, it is still a virus. Same as selling the same coco drink in a different bottle. In this case, every product is a billion dollar market !

So today the virus industry came knocking in the form of the amazing “Anti Virus 2009″, aka “Anti Virus 2008″, “Malware labaratory”, etc. This program is NOT an anti-virus … It is actually a virus that is telling you that you are infected and should pay $29.95 for a quick repair. This is a simple ransom demand for a hijacked PC!

Look how the virus is telling you that Google is telling you to use it… very clever! (click on picture to enlarge the picture).

The follow-up question is: why aren’t the anti-virus, anti-malware, anti-adware or anti-junkware programs removing such a hoax? In brief, it may be because you do not have the anti-anti-virus (your anti-virus many not cover this).

Viruses are recognized today by behaviour and by known patterns. The best viruses are changing fast. Actually they change faster than the anti virus companies that try to stop them. It’s a cat and mouse game. In this case, the mouse is smarter, faster and better financed than the anti virus companies.

More screen shots of the virus in action

Why am I writing about viruses in the Reimage blog?

The PC in question had a leading, updated, anti virus. But that anti virus missed this particular virus. Typically, several other AVs did not find anything as well. However, Reimage did [yes, I am promoting Reimage ].

There are so many different methods for getting into one’s PC and staying there. To date, there is no technology or product besides of the human brain (and Reimage), that can understand the problem and act to resolve an issue.

Here is a part of Reimage’s log dealing with the “Anti Virus 2009″:

Notice the Suspicious files? This is Reimage’s unique mechanism to make a near human decision. For example, would you leave: “C:\\WINDOWS\\system32\\675873\\675873.dll” on the system? Do you even know what it is?!

Reimage removed all the bad files even though NO ONE recognized them. For our manual R&D tests we use www.virustotal.com. This site scans files with 30 known anti-viruses.

We also had a slight miss, when we recognized a self extracted picture collection - BUT, REIMAGE DOES NOT INFLICT DAMAGE!

Here’s is the picture of the repair

Note - the message saying that the PC has Viruses is not ours … this is the virus inventing numbers

NASDAQ October 5th 2008

As I am writing these lines I see the title on the news website - “2.2 Trillion USD lost”. The world is in recession! My way to define a recession is when people will keep their money deep in their pockets and will not spend it. This means less of a turnaround, less production, less salaries, you get the point. It is a self sufficient system.

I, f course, have only one thought, is it good for our business Reimage? Clearly, YES!

I think that our market size has doubled over night. The question whether one should buy a new computer or fix the existing one will now be answered: I (the end user) will buy a new one next year (when things pick up), in the meanwhile I’d like to repair it.

Folks, there is nothing wrong with older PCs, it’s not as if they have a small hamster built in that retires after a while. Think about it, when you get your PC, Windows works fine and everything runs OK, it is just getting cluttered, windows updates break, 3rd party applications modify shared items, etc.

Reimage is so good at repairing that, you now see why the recession has the PC repair industry, and Reimage, in high spirits.

Repair trends

XP is #1, VISTA is #2 and MAC is #3 (October, 2008)

It obvious now that XP is going to be around for some time. Vista is not picking up yet and the recession is slowing down the new PCs purchasing. With that volume, about 1 million PCs in the states need help, per day!

My first post and I am doing it without my PC, why? Because my Vista is down again.

One of my Vista’s 500,000 objects has probably been overrun by another object causing my entire machine to hang and run slowly. Don’t get me wrong, I think that Microsoft are doing an amazing job building the most common and scalable platform that anyone ever made - but, with so many moving parts, statistically, something will not work right.

So, what can I do now, having no PC to work with?

I tried to update my Vista to service pack 1, had a whole problem with that too, after 2 days of “fun” I found that I had to remove some files, reinstall some KB and pray. Nothing helped.I can spend hours, or days, understanding what is wrong with it. Frankly, I have better things to do. Alternatively, I can reinstall my PC - because when my Vista was new it worked (quite) well… Right now my backup is at about 39% …

Reinstalling is actually a pretty bad option, which is frustrating. I need to backup my documents, licenses, software, reinstall all over again, find the drivers, re-enter the licenses and hope that I am not going to forget anything.

I would gladly use our own product Reimage but we are not supporting Vista, my R&D team is promising me a working product by mid 2009 …

Googeling “Vista Repair”

Being at this “frustrating” situation I was even ready to pay for a simple promise, so I googled “VISTA repair”. I did not expect anything but a scam. There are so many products promising me that they can miraculously fix my PC.

All of those registry cleaners, registry scanners, registry thingies, registry sliders, registry fixers & mixers, registry and registry optimizers. Why the Registry ? it is just one big sitting database of Windows. It just became such a buzz word.  If it was fixing star-trek ships, it would be “Re-modulating the buffers”. The registry is a database, called Configuration Manager inside the windows kernel - nothing really to optimize there, it is working very well from the days of NT 3.51 (15 years ago),  these folks would go through this big database and look for something that looks like a file name, these programs will check if this file name exists on the disk. If not, they will delete it from the records. By definition, Windows automatically ignores these keys. In essence, these registry cleaners do nothing.

The registry industry marketing is amazing- “I had 2498723762348 errors and my [insert the product name here] fixed it for me”. Random name, random state. My mother would buy that! Furthermore, when they scan the system they would associate the location of a key to a group and write: you have 74 errors in your fonts!

Windows has about 100 different sub systems, .NET components, network subsystem, video, drivers, synchronization, security, internal / external application communication mechanisms, etc. PC repair is not that simple …