Hidden Files

[crabby3]

Anyone ever use unhide.exe?  https://helpdesk.malwarebytes.org/entries/20863112-Use-unhide-exe-to-Reveal-Files-and-Folders-Hidden-by-Rogue-Infections-

This first sentence stops me from trying it.

Note: You should not run unhide.exe unless you have been infected with one of the FakeHDD\Defragmenter rogues that hide your files and Start Menu.

Don't think I was infected by one of these rogues and can use the Start Menu but... some files I cannot see and should be able to.

Unlike most folks, I presume, I sit and watch during a quick-scan... AV, SAS or MBAM.  I see files scanned that are not visble when I navigate there.
I don't mean 'normally invisable OS files'.  I mean cookies.  Making ALL files visable changes nothing.

Maybe my issue is a by-product of the FBI Scam I experienced in the past?  Don't really know when this invisbility started. 

[Curt]

try the other way around, please. Run a full anti-virus and anti-malware scan. If the result is safe, the problem does not exist.

[40hz]

I think the warning is there to keep somebody from doing something silly - like deleting something Windows wisely keeps hidden under normal circumstances in case a user doesn't recognize it for what it is. One very good reason to hide a file (on the user level) is to keep busy human fingers from messing with things that should only be touched by the system in order to avoid rendering the PC inoperable.

Cookies are just text files that sit in a cache that's normally in  a hidden directory. You can unhide it with no ill effect if you like. But there's really no reason to do so. FWIW - any time I'm doing a virus scan, I'll run CCleaner and nuke all the temporary files and cookies just to save scan time. YMMV

[Stoic Joker]

FWIW - anytime I'm doing a virus scan, I'll run CCleaner and nuke all the temporary files and cookies just to save scan time.

I use ATF-Cleaner for much the same reason. It easily knocks close to an hour off the scan time. I haven't tried it on Win8/81 yet, but its never done me wrong on Win7 and below.

[TaoPhoenix]

FWIW - anytime I'm doing a virus scan, I'll run CCleaner and nuke all the temporary files and cookies just to save scan time.

I use ATF-Cleaner for much the same reason. It easily knocks close to an hour off the scan time. I haven't tried it on Win8/81 yet, but its never done me wrong on Win7 and below.

I get that those files aren't malware, but I haven't performed this kind of sys cleaning in years.

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2.5 *gigs* of cruft?!!

[x16wda]

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2.5 *gigs* of cruft?!!

Yeah, I have seen results like that too from Bleachbit.

[allencently]

I used to use these ways to hidden/encrypt files:
1.Hidden files function
2.Set multiple user accounts to access special folders
3.Create a quick batch script to password protect folder (google and you can found it, or contact me, I would like to send the codes to you.)
4.Password protect folder With 7-zip
5.Password protect folder by a third-part software such as kakasoft Folder Protector.

[crabby3]

try the other way around, please. Run a full anti-virus and anti-malware scan.

Thank you, Curt.

Ran full avast, Super-AS and MBAM scans.  Super-AS found 38 Adware/cookies but these would have been detected via quick-scan as well.

If the result is safe, the problem does not exist.

Not sure what you mean but the problem still exists. 

[Stoic Joker]

Have you tried an offline scan of the machine?

[40hz]

Have you tried an offline scan of the machine?

+1! If Kapersky's offline scanner can't find or fix it, it's either not there - or it's not repairable and you'll need an OS restore to get around it.

[crabby3]

Have you tried an offline scan of the machine?

All of the above mentioned full scans were offline.
I presume you are suggesting that Kaspersky may find viruses or malware that Avast, SAS, MBAM cannot? 

+1! If Kapersky's offline scanner can't find or fix it, it's either not there - or it's not repairable and you'll need an OS restore to get around it.

I am somewhat reluctant to invest in another AV program.  I may just download the Avast rescue disk to flash and run that.**
If I choose this Avast option... how should it be done?  Just leave it plugged into a USB port and restart?

**Foolishly I bought an Avast rescue disk, a while back and it even has my name on it.  Whoop-de-do.  Now it appears that CD is basically useless
because the virus definitions are outdated.  But now it seems I can create an up-to-date rescue CD or flash from within the Avast GUI.
Do people still hang CD's from their rear-view mirrors? 

[40hz]

^The Kapersky rescue scan ISO was available free last I looked.

But any quality rescue scanner should work just fine. If you like one brand more than another, use that.

FWIW I've had the best luck with the Kapersky disk. Possibly because it (optionally) will download its latest definition files to RAM before execution. Not all bootable scanners will do that. They'll only use the definition files that were available when the disk/key was created.

Kapersky isn't my top choice for a resident AV program. But as a bootable scanner I think it's one of the best out there.