Computer help needed

[J Miller]

Computer help needed because I used the CCcleaner program to clean out a bunch of files and cookies and cache and somehow blew out ALL my emails and bank passwords. I've used this program before without problems but this time it went whole hog and blew out everything.
I have these things but without a cell phone for them to send a verification code to, I cant log back in. And none have any way to contact a human .
All of them can or could be fixed if I had a cell phone, or another email service, but I don't.
The previous cell phones that were used were my wife's Obama phones and they are stone dead now.

So, can anyone suggest an email service that I can sign up to that doesn't want a cell phone or another email acct to send a code to?
As it sits now I'm dead in the water.

Joe

[Grizz]

SRI about that. i'm not expert at anything, but i have a few questions . . .

how is your computer connected to the internet? cable? wifi?
what operating system are you using?

1st > you can try "cc cleaner ate my files" in the address bar and see what you get

i suggest you disconnect from internet when trying to troubleshoot
in case you were hacked

2st > if you are using windows there is an excellent virus scanner and detector
if you have it run it first
is there any way to reverse what happened in cccleaner itself?
did cc cleaner access the registry?

did you ever copy any files to any other computer or device?
or: do you have any forgotten files? or thumb drives with passwords?
you could try connecting the phone to the computer . . .
if it lights up you should be able to copy files to your computer...
do you know how to use the command line interface [CLI]?
to look at the files that are on the hard drive, just in case
i would look in the folder that holds cc cleaner to see all the files

have you ever looked in the registry? it is searchable
there will be info about cc cleaner in there.
as long as you don't alter anything the registry will be secure
I don't recommend any utility for "cleaning" the registry


did you use an up-to-date copy of cc cleaner?
you can try plugging in the obama phones and see if they will charge
they will charge from the computer's usb ports
a small charge could get you going again

some things to try, just in case there is a quick fix.

as far as an email account that doesn't require a phone, try your service provider to see if they have a tech that can help with an email account.

[AJMD429]

.
I hear ya. We are still using the 'rural electrification' equivalent in the internet world to provide our email, but when it isn't working, EVERYTHING crashes, because all password resets and other stuff go through that email.

Currently trying to set up an email that is not 'free' as those seem to either not be that good, or they allow others to watch your browsing for targeted advertising.

I'll be watching this thread for answers myself.

[Grizz]

.
I hear ya. We are still using the 'rural electrification' equivalent in the internet world to provide our email, but when it isn't working, EVERYTHING crashes, because all password resets and other stuff go through that email.

Currently trying to set up an email that is not 'free' as those seem to either not be that good, or they allow others to watch your browsing for targeted advertising.

I'll be watching this thread for answers myself.

re passwords. they should be managed offline, and there should by a hard-copy printout of every current password. and the changes should be updated in the paper file. it is the most secure way to secure your passwords. fold up that page and use it for a book mark. and don't save it on the hard drive. it is doubly more secure if there is nowhere on your drive with your passwords, although i foolishly use the browser to manage some less important ones.

to safely use email for passwords i have a [startmail.com] email account that is in europe, is secure, has no hard copy files and keeps all emails encrypted until I access them. i access thru a vpn so i have doubly encrypted files, point to point. however, if your compluter is hacked already, then you're sol. sri..

Gibson Research has a penetration testing service that will tell you if your browser is betraying your trust. under services it's called "shields up". when i test thru the vpn it shows me which ports it keeps open, and when i test thru my isp it tells me if my computer responds to any probes from outside...

my router is another line of defense and has perfect firewall functions. so far.

for secure passwords you can go to Gibson Research [grc.com] and generate them online.

you can use the wireshark [wireshark.com] packet sniffer to watch the traffic in and out of your devices.

with the rapid information takeover by ai it is not known how long anyone may have any privacy at all . .

p.s.

because all password resets and other stuff go through that email

if you don't use a vpn or an otherwise secure point to point encrypted email, ALL of your comms go in plain english which you can read on all the servers that the email passes thru. this is how i restored the city computers in secret harbor after the city employes got the city compluters hacked by using them for i don't want to know what. i just looked at their internet traffic and Bam! there's those pesky passwords . . .

[J Miller]

Grizz,

Lots of questions, but I'll answer best as I can.

SRI about that. i'm not expert at anything, but i have a few questions . . .

how is your computer connected to the internet? cable? wifi?
Cable
what operating system are you using?
Windows 10

1st > you can try "cc cleaner ate my files" in the address bar and see what you get
Probably, but I haven't done so yet.

i suggest you disconnect from internet when trying to troubleshoot
in case you were hacked
Hmmm, I'm just puter stupid enough that if I did that it would never come back on.

2st > if you are using windows there is an excellent virus scanner and detector
if you have it run it first
What's the name of it?

is there any way to reverse what happened in cccleaner itself?
did cc cleaner access the registry?
There is a reset button to back to previous time, but it wouldn't work. Don't know if it accessed the registry or not.

did you ever copy any files to any other computer or device?
or: do you have any forgotten files? or thumb drives with passwords?
Long time ago and they are way out of date. I have all the current PWs on hard copy.

you could try connecting the phone to the computer . . .
if it lights up you should be able to copy files to your computer...
Don't "think" so, my only phone is a 40+ yo land line. No working cell phones.

do you know how to use the command line interface [CLI]?
to look at the files that are on the hard drive, just in case
i would look in the folder that holds cc cleaner to see all the files
No I don't, part of being puter stupid.

have you ever looked in the registry? it is searchable
there will be info about cc cleaner in there.
as long as you don't alter anything the registry will be secure
I don't recommend any utility for "cleaning" the registry
I have, but only with someone else running it.
If I can get things to work I'm gonna delete the cccleaner, it's always falling just short cos it wants me to update it and pay money I don't have.


did you use an up-to-date copy of cc cleaner?
As far as I know it is, at least for the free part.

you can try plugging in the obama phones and see if they will charge
they will charge from the computer's usb ports
a small charge could get you going again
I have the chargers and can charge them, but there is no service connected to them any more.

some things to try, just in case there is a quick fix.

as far as an email account that doesn't require a phone, try your service provider to see if they have a tech that can help with an email account.
Might do that if I can find one that speaks English. The last time they charged me for talking to me.

I need a 6 year old to help me out with this .

Joe

[J Miller]

Well I think got an Outlook email set up but it needs some adjusting and I haven't found any way to do what I want.

I need to put my email name on the address instead of my actual name. No idea how to do that, and so far I haven't found a way to contact them ... if there is any.

Joe

[Grizz]

Grizz,

Lots of questions, but I'll answer best as I can.

SRI about that. i'm not expert at anything, but i have a few questions . . .

how is your computer connected to the internet? cable? wifi?
Cable
what operating system are you using?
Windows 10

1st > you can try "cc cleaner ate my files" in the address bar and see what you get
Probably, but I haven't done so yet.

i suggest you disconnect from internet when trying to troubleshoot
in case you were hacked
Hmmm, I'm just puter stupid enough that if I did that it would never come back on. do you have a network connector that looks like a phone plug? you can just unplug that if you want to dodge the inet
2st > if you are using windows there is an excellent virus scanner and detector
if you have it run it first
What's the name of it? virus and threat protection

is there any way to reverse what happened in cccleaner itself?
did cc cleaner access the registry?
There is a reset button to back to previous time, but it wouldn't work. Don't know if it accessed the registry or not.

did you ever copy any files to any other computer or device?
or: do you have any forgotten files? or thumb drives with passwords?
Long time ago and they are way out of date. I have all the current PWs on hard copy.this is good

you could try connecting the phone to the computer . . .
if it lights up you should be able to copy files to your computer... i'm thinking of the obama phones, sometimes leaving them on a charger overnight can get them going. if that can help
Don't "think" so, my only phone is a 40+ yo land line. No working cell phones.

do you know how to use the command line interface [CLI]?
to look at the files that are on the hard drive, just in case
i would look in the folder that holds cc cleaner to see all the files
No I don't, part of being puter stupid.

have you ever looked in the registry? it is searchable
there will be info about cc cleaner in there.
as long as you don't alter anything the registry will be secure
I don't recommend any utility for "cleaning" the registry
I have, but only with someone else running it.
If I can get things to work I'm gonna delete the cccleaner, it's always falling just short cos it wants me to update it and pay money I don't have. good idea. did you mean uninstall?


did you use an up-to-date copy of cc cleaner?
As far as I know it is, at least for the free part.

you can try plugging in the obama phones and see if they will charge
they will charge from the computer's usb ports
a small charge could get you going again
I have the chargers and can charge them, but there is no service connected to them any more. yes, but you can access any files as though it is a thumb drive, and copy to your computer, if that would help

some things to try, just in case there is a quick fix.

as far as an email account that doesn't require a phone, try your service provider to see if they have a tech that can help with an email account.
Might do that if I can find one that speaks English. The last time they charged me for talking to me.

I need a 6 year old to help me out with this me too

hope you can resolve this

[Grizz]

Well I think got an Outlook email set up but it needs some adjusting and I haven't found any way to do what I want.

I need to put my email name on the address instead of my actual name. No idea how to do that, and so far I haven't found a way to contact them ... if there is any.
.
you should be able to get help with this online. just ask that question in the address bar. the msft.com responses are reliable and not hackers. the oddball named servers, online computers, should be avoided
there should be about 4 million responses dealing with this exact setup issue.

Joe

grizz

[rossim92]

have you tried restoring your computer to a previous state, might be worth a shot.

[J Miller]

Grizz,

Will try that.

Rossim92,
I did try that but it wouldn't work.


Joe

[Malamute]

You may be able to get step by step instructions on trying a system restore from a youtube video. I go look there when I need to do something I dont understand, and often takes 2 or 3 vids until you get someone thats short and right to the point without a lot of driven speaking, so it makes sense. Most of the computer and cell phone technical instructions seem to be indian guys, but some have good info.

Im not familar with 10, but I have my computers set up to delete all cookies and cache when closing, and manually delete all that every day anyway, it reduces the junk clogging up your machine, and other than making it easy to get on forums by them remembering your password, theres not any good reason I know of not to delete everything regularly, and not need a cleaner program. Most privacy is an illusion in todays world.

[marlinman93]

I did this just yesterday when I cleared my browser on Duck-Duck-Go and later realized it cleared all my PW at anyplace I used them! Anytime I've had this happen I click on send me a new password and the code goes to my email, never my cell phone. Never had to use my cell phone to recover a password ever.
I now keep a log book with user name and password for anything I need to log into. I keep the log book hidden so when this happens in the future I simply open it and recover all my info.

[rossim92]

you might have to do a complete computer os reinstall, it will reset you back as to where u first bought it and just go through and reinstall all of your programs. its a pain, but might be your only choice or take to a computer tech and have them look at it.

[LeverGunner]

Sorry to hear about it.

I'm pretture sure gmail does not require anything from you to sign up if you need another email.

You should consider using a password manager such as bitwarden in the future.

[41Redhawk]

Joe, Windows 10 has a system restore feature. Some applications automatically create a restore point when they are install. You might want to look into that.

Some details: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/win ... 6777ecd14e