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Can Webroot  Security Anywhere be installed on a computer in Safe Mode? Installing via CD.
Hi Renaldo7

 

Welcome to the Comunity Forums.

 

To be honest I have no idea...but the question that comes to mind is...in what circumstances would you need or want to? Would you advise on your reasons behind the question?

 

On second thoughts...if the reason is because you are worried about downloading from the Webroot site without protection I would say that you can install using the CD in your normal boot mode, but bear in mind that the download & installation time for the WSA installer is extremely short...some 3 minutes is my best time...and you are very unlikely to get infected if connected to the Webroot site with out protection...and if you are usinga hardware router...well, you have good protection against flooding attacks and the like...so I would not worry

 

Many thanks, Baldrick
Hello there!  If I may step in and add to what Baldrick has said:

 

WHile I have never done the install in Safe Mode, I think you will find that Baldrick is quite correct when he says it really wold be best to use a fresh download for the install.  Instead of Safe Mode, make sure you are in Safe Mode With Networking. WSA will not install unless the installer has an active internet connection.
Hello All,



May I say that I've installed Webroot in Safe Mode with Networking and it worked beautifully because I couldn't install Webroot in Normaol mode without getting errors from the cleaning out if Trojans on the system!
How do you get to Safe Mode With Networking...click by click?  My thanks.
Hi Renaldo

 

Please see this KB article from Microsoft that should give you all the information you need.  Within the article if yo look at point 3. you will see:

 

"For more information about options, see Advanced startup options (including safe mode)." and under that there will be specifics for Safe Mode with Networking.

 

Regards, Baldrick
@ wrote:

How do you get to Safe Mode With Networking...click by click?  My thanks.

Hello Renaldo7,

 

 Please have a look here http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/start-computer-safe-mode#start-computer-safe-mode=windows-7

 

Make sure you choose Safe Mode with Networking!

 

Let us know if this helped you or not,we will be here to advise further!

 

 Best Regards,

 

 
My sincere thanks for your help, Sherry, Baldrick and others.

I now know what to do.

Ron
Hi Ron

 

Great stuff. Glad to hear that you are sorted.  Many thanks for coming back here and letting us know...it helps us to help users with the same issue in the future.

 

Regards, Baldrick
@ wrote:

My sincere thanks for your help, Sherry, Baldrick and others.

I now know what to do.

Ron
Hello Renaldo7,

 

It's been a pleassure for us trying to help out.

 

If you need anymore assistance we are here for you,

 

Don't be a stranger and come on back just to look around and learn like we do!

 

Have a great day!:D

 

 

Best Regards,

 

 
I have the cryptolocker virus on my pc (windows 7).  I have 2 backup restore points and was hoping to restore to a previous version. Thought it would be best to install webroot first in safe mode and run a scan before restoring. Does this logic make sense?  How do I load webroot in safe mode and run scan?   Is there a better approach?

 

my hopes is to: 1)load and scan in safe mode; 2) reboot and restore to previous version; 3) once restore completes, reboot in safe mode to view docs; 3) move docs from local drive to external drive.  Once completed wipe my computer to original state.

 

Appreciate any help, advise or details that could help. Thanks
have the cryptolocker virus on my pc (windows 7). I have 2 backup restore points and was hoping to restore to a previous version. Thought it would be best to install webroot first in safe mode and run a scan before restoring. Does this logic make sense? How do I load webroot in safe mode and run scan? Is there a better approach?



my hopes is to: 1)load and scan in safe mode; 2) reboot and restore to previous version; 3) once restore completes, reboot in safe mode to view docs; 3) move docs from local drive to external drive. Once completed wipe my computer to original state.



Appreciate any help, advise or details that could help. Thanks

 

EDIT: <threads merged as duplicates>; Baldrick
Hi EO1

 

Welcome to the Community Forums.

 

There is little point in installing WSA if you are already infected, and if you are proposing to attempt to do a System Restore as doing that will effectively remove WSA.

 

The other thing I would be concerned about is a System Restore (the Microsoft function) will only roll back system changes and, as far as I know, does not affect/touch a user's personal data/files which are precisely what CryptoLocker targets.  I therefore am sorry to tell you that I believe that a System Restore might get rid of the malware but will do nothing to put your data back into a state that will allow you to access it.

 

Now, if you had your data files backed up to an offline external driveor your system imaged then you could just wipe/reformat your disk, reinstall WIndows and then transfer your data from external drive to your system.

 

As I said, I am only going on the basis of what you have advised but I believe that the System Restore points will prove useless in terms of being able to access your encrypted data...but I am hoping that some one o more learned than I will chip in and prove me to be incorrect.

 

Regards, Baldrick 
Thx Baldrick for the quick response. I want to clarify a couple items that may help.  I have 2 data backup restore points with dates I believe we're before my pictures and documents were encrypted by the cryptolocker virus. Backups are on a external drive.  My #1 goal is to restore to the previous date and immediate save pictures to a new external drive.  Once pictures are recovered, I will plan to wipe/reformate the disk drive and reload software.  

 

Thought there could be some value in loading webroot first and doing a scan prior to doing the data backup?  My previous anti-virus software expired and my Computer is currently not protected with anything. 

 

Appreciate any thoughts
Hi EO1

 

I am confused by what you have when you say that you have "2 data backup restore points"; are these proper data backups, i.e., copies of data files or are they Microsoft System Restore Points...the difference between the two is huge & significant to what your options are going forward.

 

If they are System Restore Points a la Microsoft then they will only revert your system files to the point in time they were taken NOT your data files, as System Restore does not touch the user data only the system files, etc.

 

If they are true backups of all your data that has now been encrypted then great...you have a starting point to recover yourself, and therefore I do not understand what you are looking to do and why when you say "My #1 goal is to restore to the previous date and immediate save pictures to a new external drive.  Once pictures are recovered, I will plan to wipe/reformat the disk drive and reload software.", as surely you have them on your external drive...or am I confused?

 

If your data existing on your external backup drive and it has not itself been encrypted (you need to check this as some variants of CryptoLocker will find and encrypt data files on external drives if the drives are connected when it does its nasty little party piece.  Somehow before you do anything you need to check that the data on your external drive is unencrypted. Do you have a friend with a PC you could connect the external drive to temporarily to check that you can access the files?

 

If the data on the external drive is safe and is a back up of all your data files, and you have a copy of your WIndows CD/your keycode then I would just go ahead and format your drive and reinstall a fresh copy of Windows. And once that is installed successfully the next thing I would do is to install WSA...when you know the system is clean.

 

Hope that helps some?

 

Regards, Baldrick
The backups a reference are via the windows back up and restore functionality used to restore files that were previously backup. I have two point in time backups of my files.  My setup pointed to a connected external drive to store my backup. So my intentions are to restore to one of the previous backups that appear to be prior to the date my files were infected, with hopes they will not be encrypted.  
Hi EO1

 

Thanks for clarifying.  Given that your 'restore points' are created by the 'windows back up and restore functionality' then, assuming that you have selected to backup all the important information on your system, and assuming that CryptoLocker was not able to find access those backups, you should be good to go in terms of (i) reformating your hard drive, (ii) reinstalling a fresh copy of Windows (make sure that you have a copy of your keycode to hand), (iii) installing WSA  (make sure that you have a copy of your keycode to hand also)...most important...;) & ( iv) restore your data from one of the the backup points that you have.

 

As far as I can tell the reformat of the drive before you install Windows again should be sufficent to eradicate all traces of CryptoLocker.

 

But if you can do check that the backup are clean before you try to recover from them just incase one has been compromised and the other has not.

 

Keep us posted on how things go for you in terms of your recovery efforts and if yo uhave any further questions.

 

Regards, Baldrick

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