This Computer Shipped With Malware Already Installed!!
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- čas přidán 19. 05. 2024
- I received a review sample for a mini PC that came preinstalled with a virus. I wasn't expecting this and that's why this video had to be made. Do we really need to be worried about malware being loaded on PC's from the factory? I guess we do.
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#AceMagic #Malware #Tech - Věda a technologie
I found viruses on a Kamrui PC maufactured in Fall 23. And Acemagic and Kamrui PCs are made by the same manufacturer.
Whats the name of the manufacturer?
Looks just like my Beelink.
This is becoming a trend for hardware coming from mainland China....
I have a couple of mini PCs for my home lab. Honestly the first thing I do every time is format the drive and install the OS I want. Even with customer HP PCs I have gotten in the habit of just installing fresh. Even if they don't have a virus it is quicker than removing the Wolf Security and other bloatware they installed.
@@RealLordy That is horrible! First fake drives now this, If it gets any worse these mini PCs would come with Logofail or some unknown other malware.
And they will change their name and be shipping that junk again next week.
RIP, sadly you not the first youtuber that got a AceMagic unit with malware.
The scary thing is anyone who bought one had it too. Hopefully they reformatted the drive and reinstalled Windows. The only thing I know of that gets past that is Logofail. As long as that is not on the computers hopefully getting rid of malware would be easy. I guess it isn't bad enough with a zillion different fake items from China. By fake I mean with misleading specs and purely misleading and nonsensical advertising riddled with atrocious grammar and repeatedly mentioning something that just happens to have the worst spec out of all of its parts as if is the best thing ever made and with the numbers connected to those specs never matching a previously mentioned one. If only they knew how horrible their advertising sounds to us, they would probably hide their faces in shame for being so stupid!!
This is why I nuke any windows install when I purchase a mini pc even if that means buying another cheap windows key from a grey market site.
Might not be a bad idea.
If you need to buy a new key, it most likely wasn't activated in a legal way in the first place.
Cause normally the key would be linked to the device and just reactivate.
Feeding scumbags when you can do the same for free? No point in going "just a bit illegal" instead of "fully illegal", because there's no such thing. You're violating eula either way, they're both equally illegal.
But what about crap in the uefi?
It's still a risk.
Microsoft watching this video: **takes notes**
At least they are honest🤣🤣🤣
I certainly hope they do.
Microsoft has been enabling BitLocker on Windows Pro by default for a long time. This was happening all the way back in Windows 10.
@@CyberCPU That does make sense, as most big business desktops and laptops use Windows Pro. But it makes no sense to force it on home versions. It should be an option, not done by default. A lot of non tech savvy people are going to lose their encryption key, and all of their data. I don't currently have to worry about this, as I've moved to Linux Mint Cinnamon. But because I work on local people PCs, I need to stay in touch with Windows.
@@OlettaLiano Turning bitlocker on by default is not a bad thing, every IT company I've worked for does this. As long as we can turn it back off, AND access the encryption key this is a good thing.
My T8 from them also had malware. Booted it to make sure I got a Windows license, then wiped it and reinstalled Windows from a USB downloaded from Microsoft. Worked perfectly and scans clean.
This brand appears to be cheaper than others. I suspect it's because many folks don't want to deal with the hassle. On the other hand, I'm happy to take the "Malware Discount."
I just purchased a rebrand mini pc from acemagic last week. Came with windows 11 home. Never asked to sign in with microsoft. Went straight to a local account in the setup. Wifi drivers were not installed. Had chrome and rgb software pre loaded. I then formatted the ssd and installed windows 11 from the media creation tool
Keep making them, they are very useful
I have 2 reasons why I don't run factory images on prebuilts:
1: I use Linux as a daily driver operating system
2: I don't trust the preinstalled bloatware, even from reputable manufacturers, because it's all too easy to ship malware unintentionally (eg the Lenovo + Superfish rootkit fiasco)
If I need a system running windows I install my own debloadted image off a PxE server that I have set up for VM deployments.
and when I don't use PxE I always have a USB disk with Ventoy preloaded and a couple ISOs :)
Yeah I would never use a pre-installed OS. Even from a big manufacturer like Dell. They almost always include bloatware with Windows and if it's Linux then I will just install my own verified ISO. For the smaller fly by night mini PC companies there's no reason to trust them and every reason not to.
When you buy a USB drive, check it. It happened to me.
@@STONE69_ absolutely this!
And if you run Linux that helps to make sure you don't get anything off an autorun if there is one on the disk as well since that OS only holds 4% of the market currently therefore doesn't have many desktop targeting malwares about compared to Windows.
As a gaming enthusiast I'm always happy to try out various mini pc's, people should always do a fresh install of a new system when they have a new product, it's the safest thing to do. Enjoyed your video, please keep up this rate of updates!
Thanks for having integrity and giving us your HONEST opinion. So many others have lost sight of how important integrity is, and sold out theirs for a few clicks & views. I was looking into mini PC's for a retro arcade to connect to my t.v. for the kids and watched a review on one of these AceMagic Mini PC's on a channel and they gave it great reviews (No mention of viruses just days after the big news broke). The next video CZcams recommended was one talking about the viruses on these mini PC's, so I went back to the previous video and looked at the comments and everyone was talking about the viruses on it and there was no interaction, acknowledgement, or retraction from the channel owner, so I unsubscribed from the channel as I no longer trusted their opinion.
Still looking for a decent budget mini PC to put Batocera on to emulate some retro games to use as an arcade. Still looking because there are so many videos out saying "This mini PC is the best..," then another video from the same channel a day later saying the same exact thing for a different one. I think I'll stop watching reviews and just get on Amazon to look for one that has the specs I need and within a certain price range (~$250 or less) and get it instead of watching dishonest reviews. I'm not trying to perform life saving surgery with it, just play some retro games from my childhood with the kids. Again thanks for being a TRUSTED source for PC information.
CareyHolzman reviewed an Ace Magic computer saying how great it was. I posted in his channel about the virus. He blocked me saying I was acting like a child and rambled on how Ace Magic was offering huge discounts. Carey is a complete sell out.
@@gtech66 Don't think I've watched his channel, but that's not the one I saw the review on. That channel didn't block people (That I know of), they just didn't respond to anyone.
Wow. Whoda thunk a manufacturer would be so cluelessly sloppy?
Thanks for the heads up!🎉
Like it never happened with GM, FORD, Chrysler, Samsung, Toyota, Asus, Gigabyte, etc, etc. Blakespace, you must live a charmed life.
Why do you think it wasn't intentional?
Yeah I know I don't like viruses either. like you said ace magic needs to get it together. thank you for the video. I'll be definitely watching more of your videos in the future. keep on strong cyberCPU
Thanks for you honest "review." That said, I do use mini-pcs all of the time (not for gaming though). I do tend to get them as either fully ready to run with just the 64GB drive (whatever the small one is that allows the low cost Windows) or barebones and I end up loading Windows/Memory and SSD myself. So, if you do care to do MiniPC reviews, you'd have at least one subscriber watching.
I really like the form factor. They are great systems. However, I agree that it's probably best to set them up yourself instead of trusting the software that comes on them.
Out of curiosity (since gaming is removed)...
What is it with a mini-pc that you think is so good, that you can not do for less than half the energy cost (and WAY cheaper harware) on a SBC with an arm processor?
Best in electronic information!
Good info. First thing I do when I get a used computer for resale is format the drive and install a clean copy of windows 11 without the account requirements.
That is unfortunate that this system came the way it did. I am glad you give the honest review of what you got.
I always worry about something embedded in the hardware. I know it's possible.
Dell had that happened in 2010. Their PowerEdge was shipped with spybot worm.
It is possible but I highly doubt that's the case in this situation.
This really does look like something that happened due to an inexperienced tech setting up the original image. Based on this being such a rookie mistake I highly doubt whoever set the system up originally even had the capability of embedding malware in the hardware.
I have three from acemagic... I never booted Them before tossing and replacing the nvme, ram and wifi card...still monitoring all web traffic looking for military grade backdoors
@@GundamExia88 According to Llama 3 response. this was an industrial espionage OP since it targeted servers and not mainstream consumer mobos. Good old story!
-----------
W32.Spybot is a type of computer worm that was first detected in 2004. It's a malicious software (malware) that spreads through email attachments, infected websites, and vulnerable systems. Here are some key facts about W32.Spybot:
1. **Infection method**: The worm infects computers by exploiting vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows operating systems, particularly those with outdated or unpatched versions of Internet Explorer.
2. **Behavior**: Once installed, W32.Spybot can perform various malicious activities, such as:
* Stealing sensitive information like login credentials, credit card numbers, and personal data.
* Installing additional malware, including keyloggers, Trojans, and backdoors.
* Disrupting system functionality by modifying registry settings or deleting files.
* Sending spam emails with attachments to spread the worm further.
3. **Propagation**: W32.Spybot can propagate through various means, including:
* Email attachments: The worm sends itself as an attachment to email recipients, often disguised as a legitimate file.
* Infected websites: Visiting compromised websites or clicking on malicious links can lead to infection.
* Vulnerable systems: Exploiting unpatched vulnerabilities in Windows operating systems allows the worm to spread.
4. **Removal**: To remove W32.Spybot, it's essential to use a reputable antivirus software and follow proper removal procedures. It's also crucial to patch any identified vulnerabilities and keep your system up-to-date with the latest security patches.
It's worth noting that W32.Spybot is an older worm, and its threat level has decreased significantly since its peak in 2004-2005. However, it's still important to be aware of its existence and take necessary precautions to protect your systems from similar malware threats.
The creators and country of origin for W32.Spybot are not publicly known with certainty. However, based on various reports and analyses, here's what we know:
1. **Authorship**: The author(s) behind W32.Spybot remain anonymous. It's unclear whether it was created by a single individual or a group of individuals.
2. **Country of origin**: The worm is believed to have originated from Eastern Europe, possibly Russia or Ukraine. This is based on the language used in the malware's code and the targeting of Russian-speaking countries.
Some reports suggest that W32.Spybot might be linked to the "Kido" group, a Russian-speaking cybercrime organization known for creating and distributing various types of malware. However, this connection has not been officially confirmed.
It's worth noting that the anonymity of malware creators makes it challenging to attribute specific attacks or malware strains to particular individuals or groups. Law enforcement agencies and cybersecurity experts often rely on digital forensics, code analysis, and other techniques to trace the origins of malicious software.
Yes, I'm aware of the story. In 2003, it was discovered that certain Dell PowerEdge server replacement motherboards contained a malicious worm, specifically W32.Spybot.Worm, pre-installed on the boards. This was a major security breach at the time.
The issue was reportedly caused by a third-party supplier, which had embedded the malware in the motherboard's firmware during the manufacturing process. The supplier, later identified as a Chinese company called Shanghai Jie Shi Electronics Co., Ltd., had allegedly included the worm to facilitate remote access and monitoring of the servers.
When customers received their new PowerEdge servers, they unknowingly installed the infected motherboards, which allowed the malware to spread and infect their systems. This incident raised significant concerns about supply chain security and the potential for malicious code to be embedded in hardware components.
Dell took swift action to address the issue, recalling affected motherboards and working with customers to remove the malware from their systems. The company also implemented additional quality control measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
This event served as a wake-up call for the industry, highlighting the importance of supply chain security and the need for robust testing and validation procedures to ensure the integrity of hardware components.
@@davidmiedema2950 Eeeeeeh, wut?
Why would you buy hardware you do not trust?!?
Besides, how would you identify a "military grade backdoor"? (wtf does that even mean?!?)
You do realize that a well done backdoor is invisible for the system right? Hence it being a "backdoor". If you can discover it, it's not a backdoor.
It's ok to wear tinfoil hats, I am known to sometimes wear a stylish one, but it has to be made out of knowledge and facts, not imaginary ghost threats.
USA had a backdoor for YERS into any win10 home edition, was only discovered through a whistleblower or it would probably still be there. So you are not wrong being careful, but you should protect against REAL threats.
One great way of doing that is not using windows.
That is why I bought my Mini PC with no operating system and bought Windows separately.
you bought Windows? ROFL
Doesnt help if its preinstalled in UEFI/Bios
@@illegalsmirf You can buy it for pennies.
And now only hope you haven't got an exploit in the BIOS/UEFI that gets into action before any of your antivirus open its eyes.
@@nov2263 Yeah, I just bought a license for Windows 11 Pro RETAIL for around $7. Also, I want to replace the wallpaper and do other changes that require a license.
I guess there's a reason we wipe and reinstall Windows on pre-made systems like laptops and mini PCs. Little did I know it was *this* bad, so definitely appreciate your PSA video. Thanks Rich!
Good job Dude
I love the form factors of these machines, you just can't trust them 😢
You could, just do a clean install from a USB drive. Unless there is some BIOS auto installing mal/software there is nothing left of the original files. And you get to keep the Windows lisence. I do that for any PC I get, new or used.
Just wipe and clean install. I have never trusted pre-install OS for past 20+ yrs.
There are always the Intel (now Asus) NUC PCs, sadly those are way more expensive compared to other options on the market.
Love the honesty. It is a shame because their statement sounded like a great response. But ultimately put up or shut up and they failed to put up. Thanks for the information. Keep up the good work. :)
I'm not sure why, maybe the beard but you remind me of the guy (Matt) with the CZcams channel called Wheels through Time. Anyway thanks for all your hard work to help us.
I've used Hiren's disks for years. My hat has been off to them for ages. What specific viruses were they? What did the viruses do?
So long as you keep doing honest content and are not influenced by corporate under the counter deals I will keep watching your videos.
I could name a couple of well known youtubers that post tech stuff that I no longer bother with for this very reason....... but most people already know who they are.
1. Buy the hardware from the trusted manufacturer
2. Do not install/use the operating system from the manufacturer (pre-installed system)
3. Use USB flash drive and install the operating system from there, by wiping out all the partitions. Use the bypass of requirements on the flash drive if required
4. Check the BIOS for signs of manipulation
And if you purchase the system pre-installed, then wipe all the data and reinstall from the USB flash drive
Yes its been highlighted before but on the flip side it depends what is defined as malware i.e. a key generator will be flagged too.
First thing I do with a new minipc (or any system) is repartition the drive and install my own software on it because I use it in a budget homelab environment. So I would have never found the issue.
My mini pc arrived a month ago and the first thing I did was install a clean windows, I wasn't going to take risks
I just retrieved the windows key, downloaded the same version onto a usb drive and did a clean install
Reviews of a lot of these Chinese mini-PCs mention malware in their Windows 11 preloads. It's worth doing a virus scan prior to inputting any personal data as a prophylactic measure. Some reviews also mention problems with activation, including those cases where the end user has wiped the system and done a fresh install. Some manufacturers have been cooperative in terms of getting their devices (re)activated, but not all.
I own a beelink mini and before connecting it to my network I wiped the installed OS and reinstalled to make sure if I had to reinstall I could find any downloads needed to reinstall in the future and that the activation key would work. Byproduct of this is anything nefarious would be wiped before connecting it to my network.
That said considering this issue was first brought up with AceMagic a few months ago and they still haven't fixed it it stops seeming like a mistake and starts to seem intentional.
I'm actually kind of amazed that this doesn't happen more often with CZcamsrs. I wonder how many of them are careful about the computer before they hook it up to their Network or give personal information on it.
Hi Rich. Can there be malware in the drivers and BIOS too?
Not that I know of. I highly doubt that's an issue.
In this video I didn't really cover the actual virus itself but other reviewers have and it honestly looks more like negligence.
They didn't actually write the virus. They just used a program to modify the windows installer that happened to be infected. It was essentially just a bonehead move with whoever set up the pre-install for these machines.
Because of the fact that this was just a bonehead mistake and kind of a rookie move I don't think whoever was setting these PCs up would have even been capable of writing a custom bios that would include malware.
This is the kind of mistake that you would see happen from an inexperienced tech setting up a copy of windows with a third party program that happened to be infected.
@@CyberCPU Okay, good to know. Thank you Rich.
In general, I find mini PC's to be very interesting as far as performance to cost ratio. Though I only use laptops.
How do we know that there's nothing at the BIOS level? I'm weary of trusting these devices even after a wipe or an SSD swap.
The first operation I perform when buying a new pc/mac is to perform an unconditional format.
Indeed, regardless of who they are sending machines to, whether for review or purchase, this is the kind of thing that can kill a company. The fact that they sent it out 2 months after acknowledging the problem likely means that less people are going to trust them ever, or at least for quite a while. In the mean time, there is a lot of competition to help the company to it's financial grave just by doing he right thing.
This could be part of a larger issue? I'm a tech at a small local computer store in Indiana and we regularly purchase refurbished PCs from sellers on ebay. Within the last two weeks, we received a dozen laptops from a single seller that all had virus infected fresh loads of Windows 11. We've contacted that seller and they've apologized, but we're not sure if this was a one-off thing or if we'll be seeing this happen again with them or other sellers.
Any time I've bought a used laptop, I also take the hard drive out and do a data destruction pass, and then do a long format. And I always try and flash the BIOS/UEFI to the latest version to clear out any potential viruses there and to make sure it was flashed properly.
this is why i always do a whole windows reinstall on any prebuilt/preloaded computer incase something like this happens
Ace Magic obviously can't be trusted and I wouldn't buy anything from them. Thanks 👍 for sharing this video so we don't make the mistake of buying them.
Thanks for this video I love your videos because I learn so much
But I get the word out about this
I really think using good company like HP witch I use is important
Your right some one needs too hold this company accountable
Thanks again for you all you do
Would there be any concern of this kind of thing happening if you modified the windows installer with Rufus or NTLite?
No. I've done both extensively and have never had a problem with it.
@@CyberCPU Thank You
happy with my intel NUC here
Here is the answer: supply chain attack. Either the company or third-party were trying to get compromised machines out to market.
Remember when they sent you the discs for your P.C.? How hard would it be to add a USB with a clean install so you do not have these problems? Let the buyer decide what operating system they want.
a MiniPC like that, with a mobile GPU from nVidia, make for great portable live stream hosts for OBS and vMix.
first thing I do if I buy any pre-built pc I wipe the drive and install a fresh copy of windows. These units are not the first OEM PCs to be sent out infected. I've learned a long time ago you never trust a PC with out making sure it's clean.
The practice of immediately installing a fresh OS from external media on a system with a preinstalled OS continues to be proven to be a good one.
Unless the exploit comes from BIOS/UEFI.
I followed your video and others on how to Rufus win 11 like that used it on a mini pc due to I could not get around the Microsoft requirement for internet. I bought a M9 Mini PC Windows 11 Pro, 12th Gen AlderLake N100(Up to 3.4GHz) Mini Computers, 16GB DDR4 RAM 512GB M.2 NVME SSD Mini Desktop Computer, To hook up to my TV. I was going to up that HD to a 1T drive. I decided to just play around with it and load the OS. Came with Win ll Pro. I bought a win 11 home key for it due to I did not want the extra MS junk on it. Mostly just my choice of Browser. Needless to say the Rufus setup worked and I got around MS sign in. I got the drivers installed in updates and ran a virus scan on the PC and it works fine no virus on it. However I wish I would have either cleaned the old rive or just went ahead and installed the new drive. I think buying them with no drive is the best option.
I used Rufus to install Windows 11 on an unsupported laptop. I figured it should work fine though with it having an i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, external graphics, and an SSD.
...the same on my new DreamQuest Pro!
Bypassing the Windows account requirement "feature" means applying some crack, like creating a dummy KMS server. The software that makes this happen will be flagged as "malware" by any antivirus agent, just like cracks for PC games. And those cracks aren't malicious user-wise by themselves, but they can be used as a gateway for anything actually dangerous to be nested on top.
Could it be that it's not actually malware, but windows detects it as malware when certain changes are being made to the operating system that are not supposed to be available? We know that Windows does this with Key Generators and Cracked Software, so perhaps Windows 11 is set up to detect unwarranted changes in the system registry as malware in order to dissuade people from making alterations?
I independently checked the infected files with virus total. It definitely wasn't a false positive like that.
@@mozzjones6943 That's one reason why I can't use cracked software as you don't know if the positive virus scan is because of the crack or if there really is a virus/malware.
@@colt5189 I use stuff that is considered malware by any anti-virus, But I know what those files are and what they do and who wrote them, so I turn off anti-virus when installing and then tell windows to ignore them.
At this point I would advise just pulling the drive and putting in a bigger (excuse time!!!! ) better quality one and doing a clean install fresh.
if they infected the BIOS on them than it be a bad idea
Surprised we haven't seen any lawsuits yet
Who are going to sue lmao!! They change names every couple of years. I had the same thing in a Chin-a USB drive, that had some mysterious files in it. Tik Tok anyone?
Most likely because nobody can prove that the malware actually caused any harm.
Not saying it didn't, just that hard proof would be required to show loss of something or a lawsuit would only make the lawyers rich.
Are we even sure the AceMagic Windows 11 install is even legit ?
I don't know. However, this virus wasn't part of the windows install. It's pretty clear that this was something added on top of Windows.
Yeah this is why, I always reinstall windows on all the computers that are prebuilt or used. Besides for junk ware removal. Thought, persistent malware on the motherboard Uefi, that won't work... Now I wonder, is there a way to reinstall the Uefi? 😅
The BIOS is sometimes "infected".
not like
Anything = Data can be damage or mess with
Unless they hacked a update on them to new their copy of bios that loads malware from is mini SSD every-time is boots is loads them as drivers download random files in background and sure Explorer and other task are infected but hidden from eyes of their users
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if the BIOS mess with that would never stop the viruses from being install because is install new files on hidden drive that unable to be view as it installs
Keyloggers and don't worry about them because windows itself did their jobs for them by recording your screen as you view website
think if is was a infected chrome browser than the real one because if they mess with their software that record what you do to allow Chrome tab to be viewable
where the photo are storage - only the user can access them if they show password on them they done for because if they can access your photo from the pc that would allow them to bypass 2FA to allow them to turn it off and save their email to everything you owned
I suppose at least luckily for me I always format any laptop I buy before even using it because they always come with bloatware. I normally always strip out the bloat myself rather than trusting someone else to do it. I am from Australia and when my wife brought a laptop recently for $1500 AUD, the place offered to remove the bloatware by doing a fresh install of windows for $200 AUD. It's like umm no, we all know what you are going to do is hit the reset windows button as bloatware was added after the install. Or if you were too silly to know how to do that then you probably had a special usb stick setup that just did it for you.
Other nice to check thing would be that is that windows key fake or unauthorized key. that would also explain why they use modified windows install.
I doubt they were unaware.
And sincerely, why would someone use a new computer without wiping the system down and starting from scratch?
AceMagic has been known to be doing this for several months. They said that it was fixed. They LIED!
When I got my laptop, one of the first things I did was format the drive
I had a Beelink mini PC have a detection from Malwarebytes- forgot what it was! But it's gone now & reinstall the OS rescanned and it was not there anymore!:)
I just can't fit it in my mind that manufacturers use tools or means to bypass certain processes or modify things without actually evaluating any cybersecurity implications.
Yep, things are not looking good for AceMagic.
I'm still waiting for a NUC form factor PC beating my i7-4790K+980GTX system. Doesn't have to be much more powerful but not a step down.
depending how how agressively you have that overclocked; a 7840hs mini pc should come pretty close.
How would a NUC beat an 980GTX? With integrated GPU, NUC boards have max NVMe port for storage, or there is boards with PCIe slots, which I don't aware of?
Believe it or not the system from this video would very likely perform much better than a 4th gen i7 and a 9th gen GTX.
@@szasdragon The AMD 780M iGPU is actually decent
Hi Rich! Good video! I've been thinking of a nook type system, and now I know what to definitely stay away from! I would also like to put in a request for a video... I have been dozens of other channels and tried all their methods, but my problem persists. I'm BEGGING you to please considere a video on how to ERADICATE Onedrive on Windows 10 and 11! I despise Onedrive... It constantly runs in the background, hogs resources and bandwidth, and it slows everything down. Every method I have tried only sticks until the next boot or the next Update. It's like a cockroach that just won't die!!! Microsoft should be arrested for cruelty to computers with that PEST of an app. I HATE it! I just want it gone! REALLY hoping you will consider doing a video on this! Thanks and keep up the great content!
what virus software are you using to check?
What's the malware called? What is it looking for?
I can't remember. Sorry, I should have talked more about that in the video. However, it was the same thing that other reviewers found and they all covered it in their videos so I didn't think it was worth rehashing.
could u please make video how to disable chrome efficency mode in windows 11
Makes me wonder where it is made and just who owns the company.
I have three, never booted them before I replaced the nvme, ram , and wifi card...
Ya Gahbage Ace Magic
I almost got the Trangle-looking deal before Halloween last year, but forgot before a sale had ended.
right after black Friday all the Issues began to appear lol
Glad I was P00r for once
My company bought an ace magic to try out. First time I turned it on I saw the Chinese icons and chrome pre installed I shut it off, ripped out the m.2 and installed a fresh drive with malware free windows. I still haven't reused that SSD even after wiping it with 3 different formatters. I recommended the company NOT buy anymore. Sad part is it's performance is really good, I use it off-site now so no risk of anything nefarious getting into our network.😮
I never trust any computer I acquire with a pre-installed O/S, it is always best to format and reinstall.
I'll probably just stick with plan c and make a burner account. Even the easier Linux distros weren't as simple as I was hoping for.
malware? meh.. I'm only worried about viruses
Hopefully, the virus isn't located in the UEFI.
I suspect it might be to re-infect the OS. I would trust this system even if you format and reinstall the OS.
I highly doubt it is. This infection looks like a rookie mistake from an inexperienced tech that set up the original image. It doesn't look malicious at all. It just looks like someone screwed up.
Based on that fact alone I highly doubt the BIOS is an issue. Also, the system is already reloaded and no longer infected.
The only off the shelf computer I have ever purchased was infected by Microsoft Windows :)
That is really bad. I use the product "minis forum" for relaxing on my couch to watch CZcams-Videos. But I must to install my own M.2 card - it will be not shipped with one as I buy it. But Thanks for sharing your efforts - stay tuned.
Carey Holzman already went over this a few months back... seems it was AceMagic's 3rd party installer - and they should have corrected this issue....
Because of those things, i always remove windows completely and install it new i did that even to my HP Laptop which i bought directly from HP
Just send us your money and be quiet. Another GREAT video Rich .
EVERY new system (new or used) I've bought in the last 2 decades gets wiped and installed independently before its brought online.... why take the risk?
Wow... they should issue a recall.. or just sell new ones with out SSDs.
Why would they need binary blobs to bypass the OOBE its trivial with just a hand full of registry tweaks, a single reg file or a batch script would be enough, run from the Shift+F10 console and a pend rive or alike and voila.
Pro tip: If you use it in the future, cover their name up with electrical tape next time. Don't give them the free advertisement.
Exactly why I have not bought a mini pc. I think all of these pcs have some kind of back door
They do and it's been identified ...it's called
...Windows
None of this would have happened if M$ didn't force an account on people.
windows 11 it's self is classified as malware. Was the included malware even a higher threat than windows? I'm just curious. I recently got an N100 and a 7840HS mini; but I never booted the pre-installed petri dish they came with; I booted from a windows 10 installer (windows 7/10/11 keys are universal)
Not the first time its happened.
i don't know why people are using the default windows installation.
no one is going to give a free service.
I thought that all people, when they buy a new computer, they reinstall windows
Somebody's getting fired at this very moment!
i got gk3v with 16 ram, n100 and 512SSD with pre installed windows 11, and have no issues at all
but those pc's known for those shady practices
which Windows 11 files were infected?
there are plenty of PC's now shipping with windows 11.
All these offbrand mini PCs I bet you most of them do have malware on. I got a mini form. There’s a pretty good.
I'm still running Linux, I just watch the horror show of windows from afar