Member Avatar for stvrich

This is with regard to a new installation of Vista (Black Edition)
I just noticed a folder on the desktop that I did not put there. It has my username on it.

But...

I noticed THAT after a security popup (admin permission requested) for an instance of vistalizator.exe to run --- which I canceled. At a quick check I figured the vistalizator had SOMEthing to do with language under vista... ? right? But I'm REAL curious about why there is a folder with my chosen username ON the desktop... posting (or copying SOME of) my recent activity within it. Just documents opened, potential emails... (none there... but still...) folders that were ON my desktop, were within this folder, under my profile name.

I'm still looking for OTHER "activities" that I did not initiate.

and curious as to WHY.

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Short version: Vistalizator is a third‑party utility that installs Microsoft MUI (display‑language) packs on Vista/7 and therefore prompts for elevation — that UAC popup is expected for that kind of tool. It is not designed to provide remote desktop/backdoor access; community writeups and file‑scan records treat it as a language‑pack installer rather than a remote‑access Trojan, but any unsigned or unexpected utility should be treated with caution. (howtogeek.com)

The folder named with the account (containing copies of recent files or Desktop icons) is a common symptom of a profile/folder redirection or Desktop‑location change, or of an installer/self‑extracting archive writing into visible folders when run. Windows will recreate or redirect the special Desktop path when the original location is missing or has been moved; that can produce a folder on the visible Desktop with the profile name. Inspecting the folder’s path and the special Desktop Location is the quickest way to separate a profile/redirect issue from anything else. (support.microsoft.com)

Concerning remote access: it’s possible to verify objectively. The Security log in Event Viewer records logon events (Event ID 4624); Logon Type 10 indicates an RDP/remote‑interactive session. Also check System → Remote settings to confirm Remote Desktop/Remote Assistance are not enabled. Finding unexpected Logon Type 10 entries or unknown remote‑IP addresses would be the genuine sign of an external connection. (learn.microsoft.com)

Suggested checks (in order of lowest‑effort to highest‑confidence):

  1. Inspect the UAC prompt / vistalizator.exe file: note full path and digital signature; compare against known vendor sites or upload to VirusTotal. (herdprotect.com)
  2. Look at the Desktop folder’s Properties → Location and C:\Users to confirm which profile is active; use “Restore Default” if Desktop is mispointed. (support.microsoft.com)
  3. Review Event Viewer Security for 4624/Logon Type 10 entries and the System/Application logs for driver or installer errors. (learn.microsoft.com)
  4. For the 800×600 resets, treat it as a display‑driver/driver‑recovery (TDR) issue: update or reinstall the GPU driver and check for “Display driver stopped responding and has recovered” events. (learn.microsoft.com)

These steps will separate a benign installer/profile issue (most likely) from a real intrusion. If any check shows unknown remote logons, preserve logs and seek hands‑on remediation.

Member Avatar for stvrich

also, I'd been curious about something else.
After leaving the Vista PC on for ... hours, days... whatever.
I'd come back, turn the screen on. And the icons would all be, well, the screen resolution would be re-set to 800x600 is what it is. I set it to 1024x768 as my favorite. I've wondered about THAT too. ... really.

Member Avatar for stvrich

This isn't a case of someone remotely accessing this vista installation is it??? I mean, I'm not terribly overly concerned about it ... not all up-in-arms but I'm just wondering if it's stuff that vista does AUTOMATICALLY? or if it IS a case of remote access. I'm new to using vista so... just wondering.

Member Avatar for nahej

This isn't a case of someone remotely accessing this vista installation is it??? I mean, I'm not terribly overly concerned about it ... not all up-in-arms but I'm just wondering if it's stuff that vista does AUTOMATICALLY? or if it IS a case of remote access. I'm new to using vista so... just wondering.

i bought my laptop from germany and Language of my OS windows vista home premium was German, I used Vistalizator after that after every week my windows do update automatically and then restart the laptop. although i off the windows update option.

I thing vistalizator provides remote access surely.

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