Unable to download files with my Windows 8 CPU

I'm using an HP AMD A6-4400M APU laptop that runs on Windows 8, 8 GB, 64-bit OS with an x64-based processor. I've had it since December 2012.

A couple of months ago, I had issues with some Apps not functioning right. I used MS' support page for advice. Nothing worked, so I was finally instructed to do a System Refresh. I did, and it fixed the Apps issue, but I lost Firefox as my main browser along with some other programs (Adobe, Java, etc.) I had on my computer. No big deal, I'll just download them back, right?

Well, there's the problem. I can no longer seemingly download anything on this computer. Worse, .exe files are currently not recognized by my machine, and I'm not sure how to fix this or what program to make the default way of opening said files.

I was instructed to also download all of the Windows Updates I could as well, but the configuration for them failed. Since there were 110 updates, and it took a long bit of my day earlier this week, I was a bit on the frustrated side. Now I'm here, and I'm hoping you all can help me figure out what I have or haven't done yet to be able to fix this problem.

 

Have you checked your machine for malware?

 

I was able to run a check just five days prior, and it was fine then with the usual method this site had. I was also able to download everything just fine until the System Refresh happened.

If you're asking me to do it, I'll just download stuff for another Read & Run Me check on my old computer and move it over to the new one as installing still works fine. Is that what you all want?

 

Can you explain exactly what you mean by 'the usual method this site had'. That means nothing to me.

 

Thank you for the quick response. "The usual method" was to do the Read & Run Me scan.

After looking at it again, it is different for Windows 8 users, so I have not done the proper full check as the guide suggests. I'll get on that and post in the appropriate forum later to see if that is what my issue is. Again, thanks.

 

What I really wanted to know was whether you have used your installed AV program, Defender, to scan your computer and whether you have run any 'on demand' scanners such as MalwareBytesAntiMalware or SuperAntiSpyware?

 

I had ran SuperAntiSpyware and MalwareBytes after using CCleaner to check and see if there were any issues. There weren't. Again, this was five days prior to the System Refresh happening. All three programs were deleted with the refresh, and since I've done that, I can't download a thing in IE. I currently only have Norton up and running, which is my only virus and firewall protection at the moment.

What happens is I'm able to get a menu option to pop up, but any time I click on a button such as Open or Save, nothing happens. When I tried porting an .exe file from my old computer to the new one, it wasn't able to figure out how to open it. Should I run another scan to be on the safe side here, or do you think my problem is not virus/malware related?

 

Win 8 has Defender built-in and you can't run Norton at the same time without causing system problems. If Norton automatically disables Defender then that's OK, but if it does not then this could well be the cause of your issues. The Windows firewall is on by default too so that may be being duplicated if Norton does not automatically turn it off. Check in Task Manager whether the Windows Defender Service is running under Antimalware Service Executable. You may need to click on More Details to see the Windows processes. You should also check the Windows firewall status in Control Panel.

 

Windows Defender Service is not active. Norton says it is handling Windows Firewall and currently says that it has it on, with outbound connections allowed, and inbound connections being blocked.

 

I temporarily turned off Norton's firewall to allow inbound connections and managed to grab both Firefox and Java as a test. It worked, but there was an issue.

The default Run option is Open instead, so I can't just do things on the webpage itself. I just saved both files to my Downloads folder instead for the time being, but that has led me to my other problem of my computer not knowing how to open .exe files and asking what program to use to be able to open them.

Not sure where to go from here, but it's a start!

 

If your system cannot run .exe files you have system corruption. You can check this and correct problems by running the system file checker. Right click the Start button and select Command Prompt (Admin). Type sfc /scannow and Enter. After it has completed its run try opening an exe again.

 

"Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations" was the message I received. After trying it, I noticed that the .exe file was incorrectly labeled as _exe, so I changed it which fixed that as well.

I managed to install Firefox with no trouble. In there, I am able to download without any hassle. By doing so, I was also able to install Java and have it running correctly, too.

Now the question is should I go ahead and try to download all those Windows Updates that I need to in order to get this machine back up to date, or is there some other step you want me to try and do first? Either way, you both have been a huge help with this. It's always tough to learn a new OS and how to fix it.

 

I'm just a bit concerned that having turned off the Norton firewall you may not have one active at all. I have never used Norton so can't really offer advice on configuring its firewall. However it would be normal for any firewall to allow inbound connections requested by the user, as in clicking a Download link on a website. Maybe some other Norton user could clarify this?

As to Windows updates, if you are using Control Panel for this then it should be perfectly safe to go ahead and install all available, firewall or no firewall.

BTW, if you are using a router it probably has a hardware firewall so even with Windows firewall and Norton turned off you still will be protected from unsolicited attempts to access your system.

 

I did not know that! I am using a router, so I will be glad to keep Norton off. That one was just the one the machine came with, and it defaulted back to it once I did my System Refresh. I actually had something in place other than that which I intend to re-pick up now along with the usual stuff like SuperAntiSpyware and Malware Anti-Malwarebytes.

Okay, I'll go through the long and arduous task of manually selecting a few updates at a time instead of going crazy and trying to do them all at once to avoid having the machine tell me it's unable to configure them again. I'll update you on how that goes over the weekend. For now, I want a short break from looking at a computer screen. I need it after this week.

Thank you again, by the way.

 

That's what I'm trying to do. I'll let you know how that goes, but I also noticed one other issue with my computer while it was working. It hiccuped and closed the Control Panel window, acting as if it was doing a quick reboot of desktop mode on me, although the window was still running when I went to check.

 

Okay. Hours later, I've managed to get all up to date on the Windows Updates. I initially had Error Code 80246007 pop up, but I was able to correct that by restarting the Background Intelligent Transfer Service.

I think I am close to being in the clear now, but I have some questions since it's been awhile since I've done this. What would be the best firewall out there and do programs like SuperAntiSpyware or Malwarebytes count as anti-virus programs, or would I have to reinstall one from my startup CD? I know they're both probably novice questions, but when you don't have these problems much, it makes it hard to keep in the head.

Other than that, I don't want to go start downloading or installing old programs back until I've been given the go ahead. Is everything okay now on my end? It finally feels like I have my computer back under my control again, but I want to make sure there are no other issues that could pop back up.

 

Sounds like you are well on your way now. There is endless debate about best AV, best firewall, best whatever. I run quite a few systems here and for at least five years have relied on Microsoft Security Essentials, known as Defender in Win 8, and the built-in Windows firewall. Neither has ever given me any headaches at all and in fact are so unobtrusive you sometimes wonder if they are still there! In that time I have tried other AVs but every one of them was annoyingly intrusive and soon binned.

MBAM is not an antivirus program and you should be able to run either the free or paid-for versions without conflicts. The paid-for version runs in real time, the free runs on demand. Don't know much about SAS other than that it (annoyingly) flags up tracking cookies as malware. They are not. You have to download all such programs, they are not on your DVD. Get them right here from MG.

As you have gone to all this trouble to create a new clean setup I strongly advocate that you image your system to an external drive and that you continue to do so on a regular basis. Such backups are the complete answer to system failures, including disk failures, and also to software problems including virus infections. Regular use more or less guarantees that you will never have to reinstall Windows again. The program I currently recommend for this is Macrium Reflect but as always there are numerous other choices. The important thing is to get into the backup routine early.

Ask away if you have further questions.

 

Okay, I have one last question then. It's about Norton. It's currently handling my firewall for me when I don't want it to, and I'm not sure how to shut it off. I would like to use the default Windows Firewall, but I want control over it instead of a program.

Once that's done, I will get right to picking up everything I want to use and more importantly, focus on making/saving an image since that's new territory. You two were really helpful with this whole process. Give yourselves a pat on the back or something! Thanks!

 

You haven't said what you want to do about AV. If you are happy to use Defender then you just need to uninstall Norton completely and ensure Defender and the Windows firewall are active. If you want the Windows firewall but Norton AV you will need a Norton user to answer your questions.

You configure the Windows firewall through Control Panel btw.

 

I wound up going with Trend Micro's Titanium which came with my installation disc, and it uninstalled Norton as it just hogs up too much of the CPU's resources. I knew there was a reason I didn't care for it. Even better, that gave me control over my firewall again instead of letting someone else handle it.

As for the firewall, Windows Firewall worked fine for me in the past, so I see no reason to use a different one on here. That should cover everything other than creating a backup image (I have access to an external hard drive for that) in case this were to happen down the road.

It's nice to finally have my computer back the way I want it again! Woo!