Solved Virus or Windows 8 Problem??

[BungleMeThis]

Hi all,
Just joined these forums to try to get a handle on what's happening with my desktop.

I installed Windows 8 a few weeks ago and it was running fine for a while. Then about a week ago I came home and my PC had restarted due to some automatic Windows updates. I've now got an almost useless system. The symptoms that I'm seeing include:
- Not all of my startup applications actually start. I'd say it's about half. I double checked in Task Mgr that all are still setup to start.
- The Windows key only brings up the start screen some of the time.
- When the start screen does appear I can't always interact with it. i.e. Clicking or using the arrows does nothing.
- If I am able to click, it's usually only once, maybe twice. e.g. I tried to uninstall a Win8 app by right clicking. After doing this then selecting "Uninstall" I was again unable to click on anything on the screen. This is generally the sort of behavior that I'm seeing.
- Windows Store and other "modern" apps don't seem to respond very well either. I bashed Alt+Tab and Alt+F4 for a long time before Windows Store would finally close.
- Alt+Tab in general does not work very well, but when it does there are usually (always?) three applications running that I don't really expect. Two of them are just unnamed and one looks like it is probably the start screen app (but that's just a guess and I don't want to try my luck right now to check the name for fear I won't finish this post).

If I can get a "non-modern" application to open up, it seems to operate fine as long as I don't try to interact with Windows in any way.
I'm sure there are more random details, but I can't think of them and I don't know that any more without a unifying thought behind them is likely to help anyway.

Has anyone come across issues like this? Could this be a virus (the two unnamed background apps make me worry about this the most)? I can't run Windows Defender due to my start screen woes. Any thoughts on where I can start debugging this or a way to fix it?

Thanks a ton for any thoughts or advice...
-Jon

 

[SIW2]

Virus or win8?

Isn't that the same thing?

You might need to reinstall - sounds like the updates have made a mess.

No guarantee it won't happen again.

 

[Ztruker]

Try the new Refresh option. It's supposed to replace the operating system while leaving everything else alone.

See here: http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2293-refresh-windows-8-a.html

Or here: How to Refresh or Reset Your Windows 8 PC | PCMag.com

 

[Coke Robot]

Oh dear, this is an update issue I read just recently.

Apparently, it seems some people are finding that the Desktop works fine, but Charms and Start along with the apps are screwing up; after a recent update.

Best suggestion I have is to go the Control Panel--System and Security--Windows Update and then hit View update history. Filter it by date, and uninstall the updates that were just installed in the past couple of days or so.

 

[BungleMeThis]

Best suggestion I have is to go the Control Panel--System and Security--Windows Update and then hit View update history. Filter it by date, and uninstall the updates that were just installed in the past couple of days or so.

Try the new Refresh option.

Thanks for the advice. I appreciated it.
Unfortunately my system was hosed to the point that I could not access these snazzy methods. I wound up throwing my Win7 image back on the machine. Thankfully this happened more on the sooner side than later.
I think I'm going to take the corporate tactic on Win8 and wait until the first service pack is released before I try again.

 

[znod]

@ Ztruker:

Try the new Refresh option. It's supposed to replace the operating system while leaving everything else alone.

See here: http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2293-refresh-windows-8-a.html

Or here: How to Refresh or Reset Your Windows 8 PC | PCMag.com

Refresh your PC—Attempts to solve system related problems without affecting your files (system is reinstalled). Installed programs will have to be reinstalled except those from the Windows Store. A list of uninstalled programs is provided. Settings will be changed back to defaults. To do a refresh, you will need to have install media.” ”Install media” include an install disc, or course, an ISO, and perhaps a flash drive set up to install.

 

[gazz9496]

had to fix one such lappy recently that did this, made a total mess of the security systems on boot as well, kept giving an error about the secure boot stuff so disable that and you got another fault and it was just rolling problem after problem.

all because of one update.

by the time i could get it to accept a windows 8 disc i'd nearly lost the will to live, such a pain in the ass it was beyond belief.