Desktop Corrupted

[BeverlyHoward]

While I appreciate the product, I am currently frustrated and upset that by installing malwarebytes on my system, doing so has destroyed the desktop setup I have used for years.

For years I have moved the "desktop icons" to a toolbar and enjoyed a desktop that contains only an image, no icons.

Installing malwarebytes has recreated and duplicated all of the desktop toolbar icons and put them back on the desktop.

There is no apparent way for me to recover my setup prior to the malwarebytes installation.

Unchecking the "rightclick" settings in malwarebytes and rebooting has no effect. A screen snap of the current desktop with icons is attached. Note that the icon label properties have also changed.

A number of other changes have also taken place such as my customization of the default folders in the windows "open" dialog box.

How do I reverse what the install did to my system? fwiw, at this point, I cannot use the "system recovery" option.

Thanks in advance,

Beverly Howard

[BeverlyHoward]

Try the attachment again...

[John A]

I cannot see how installing Malwarebytes could cause all this to happen.

• Are you sure that you are using the same User account?
  
• What version of Windows is your operating system?
  
• What other antivirus/security products do you have installed?
  
• Did you install any other programs around the same time?
  
• Have you run a full scan with Malwarebytes? If so, what are the results?
  

Assuming that you system is malware-free, unless you have System Restore turned on or a disk image backup, you can't go back. You would have to change the settings back manually.

[noknojon]

Hi -

As these are Shortcuts and not Program Icons, Right click and Delete them -

You can always try System Restore back to prior to the problem and see what happens -

Please let us know your action and the result

Thank You -

[BeverlyHoward]

Thanks for the response.

>> As these are Shortcuts and not Program Icons, Right click and Delete them... <<

Again, the OS (XPPro) has been modified by the malwarebytes installation.

If desktop icons are deleted from the desktop itself, they are also deleted from the desktop menu bar. If icons are added to the desktop menu bar, they are _now_ also added to desktop. My system has been altered by the installation of this software and there should be some way to get it back to what it was before I downloaded the installation.

System Restore is not an option on this box. The only options at this point are to either get the malwarebytes process reversed or to do a clean install. This is not a trivial matter.

I need to know what malwarebytes did to my registry when it was installed so I can attempt to fix the damage.

Beverly Howard

[BeverlyHoward]

• Are you sure that you are using the same User account?
  yes with admin rights
  
• What version of Windows is your operating system?
  xppro sp2
  
• What other antivirus/security products do you have installed?
  none this box is isolated and malwarebytes was installed because of the CNet malware news since I did install software from cnet several months ago
  
• Did you install any other programs around the same time?
  no, it has been at least two months since any software was installed on this machine
  It was evident immediately after the install that the system had been significantly impacted
  
• Have you run a full scan with Malwarebytes? If so, what are the results?
  Yes... it found two CNet installations that were installed about two months ago related to a software development project.
  

You would have to change the settings back manually.

That is my point... the installation left the os in a state where there is no way to change the settings back manually.

Thanks for your input,

Beverly Howard

[shadowwar]

This state probably resulted from a scan and not the installation of mbam.

You can just restore the setting from quaritine. We have pulled the detection and it will no longer be detected on a recent update of the db. This was added cause there were Fake antivirus's using this to hide users desktop icons. That is why it was named PUM for potentionally unwanted modification. Problem is stardock and some power users use this but dont understand what PUM means in detections for malwarebytes.

the detection in quarintine should be called: PUM.Hidden.Desktop

After you restore from quarintine you need to reboot to get the old setting to take effect.

If you do not have it in quaritine its also an easy registry fix to get this setting back to rehide your icons. Let me know and i can attach one for you.

Nothing is corrupted and all the detection did was set the windows setting back to fresh install/out of box setting.

[BeverlyHoward]

the detection in quarantine should be called: PUM.Hidden.Desktop

Thank You!

The fix is highly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Beverly Howard

[shadowwar]

So i assume all is well now?

If so glad to hear it!