Awesome Webs -- Helpful Hints

Helpful Hints

Items on this page are to assist you with computer issues. While we believe the information to be completely accurate, we make no guarantees and recommend procedures be performed only by a qualified person.

FBI Virus

Windows Virtual PC -- Virtual environment for launching applications has been closed.

FBI Virus

A client has reported a virus that purports to be from the FBI saying you have violated the law and could go to prison. Your computer is locked, but if you pay a $200 fine within 48 hours, they say they will unlock it and not put you behind bars for multiple years. The grammatical errors, legal errors, telling you to pay a federal fine to the state, and the use of "200$" instead of "$200" indicate this originated overseas.

Of course, there’s no guarantee they’ll remove the virus even if you pay the $200 extortion money.

Working with our client, we came up with this solution: Re-boot your computer (you’ll probably have to use the button on the front of the machine), press F8 to go into "safe mode," and run a full scan with Malwarebytes (MBAM). That reportedly removed the virus. The free version of MBAM appears to work just fine, so there is no need to download the paid version.

Windows Virtual PC

One of the really great things about Windows 7 Pro & Ultimate is the XP emulator. However, it often crashes when trying to load it with a non-descript message: "Virtual environment for launching applications has been closed."

The problem may be memory. The Virtual PC has a setting for memory, and it defaults to 512k. If you've ever tried to run XP Pro in 512k, you'll understand why you're getting the message.

The resolution is quite simple.

If you need to reset the memory, go to Programs and left click "Windows Virtual PC." In the sub-directory, click "Windows Virtual PC." That will bring up a record called "Windows XP Mode.vmcx." Right-click it and click "Settings" and then click on "Memory." If the XP machine is hibernated, you’ll have to open it and do a "shut down" to update the memory record. It may be set for a maximum of 3 gig, which is the most XP can address. You'll probably discover the XP emulator runs more quickly after that.