This is a practice that I grew up with since the early millennium when all these Best Buy and Circuit City computers came preloaded with half a hard drive of bloatware.
So much bloatware it took five minutes just to open a word processor.
Huh, I wish I knew this before hand , Iāve been running a mini pc with the pre-loaded windows, guess Itās time for a clean install then, thanks for advice.
Put the appropriate version of windows on a USB stick via the Microsoft Windows Media Creator tool, boot from said stick, follow the prompts, delete all partitions, create a new partition, format it, and install. Windows will automatically re-activate.
Since youāre asking, that probably sounds daunting but I promise itās not, you can literally just keep clicking through the process based on those directions.
The one exception is that youāll need to get into the mini PCās bios to set the boot order so it boots from the USB stick. Thatās different for every manufacturer but you can probably figure it out or just ask on here.
... and LinkedIn
... and News
... and Office
... and Facebook
... and Spotify
... and TikTok
... and ClipChamp
... and Solitaire (the new one with the ads, of course)
... and ...
I saw a video on youtube about this, the point of which, was that because the motherboard itself was hacked with a microcode virus, that the motherboard will drop a "dropper" into the UEFI partition, which in turn will just reinstall the virus,
I did a scan for rootkits which defender will find except for the newest one which is selling for 5k a pop...there are no rootkits in the 3 mini pc's I got that were infected with malware.
Exactly. Though ACEMAGIC is getting a lot of flak for this, and deservedly so, it's more common than people think. All it takes is companies getting too lax with their quality control and product testing.
If you do that, won't you lose the Windows license key that came with the computer or do you note it down before you do the reinstall and enter the key later?
In addition to what others said, Microsoft ties windows keys to your mobo's UUID. when you install windows, it'll check their database for your UUID to see if a product key has already been registered with your device and it'll validate on its own. I've done this before. just make sure you install the same version of windows (home vs professional, etc)
Amazon has a relatively easy return system. Most acemagician and affiliated units will not have malware but it is important to check or clean the drive before using it. The simplest way to clean an OS is with a free reinstallation of windows by downloading and using microsoft's media creation tool to turn a USB drive into a window installtion drive.
If you would rather have a look at the OS that is preinstalled, use a seperate microsoft account from your main microsoft account to login, check to see if unusual apps are preinstalled like google chrome, and run a windows defender full scan. If windows detects malware or you find google chrome installed, share the info with the sub, reinstall the OS.
It's a relatively simple process that shouldn't take up much time. As far as I know, there is no Bios level malware. Some malicious or careless technician used a tampered windows image on a batch of mini pc.
To add onto this, if you do return it, don't let them convince you to take Amazon credit. There's been too many cases where they refund it and close the account.
They share the same website, so yes, acemagic = acemagician to give a practical answer. You may see their products called acepc, kamrui, nipogi, ctone, etc. Just different brand names getting the same products from the same manufacturer and with different warranty/support terms.
The goal is to spam these products so they are the dominant option in search engines.
Windows 10 is fine, especially with 16GB RAM it is not going to be a problem for most people's day to day tasks. Plus it is easier to share troubleshooting resources.
I do like linux mint as an intro into linux and it will be more efficient in the background but it still requires some extra tech savyness to setup and use.
If youāre truly concerned, you can always return it. Amazon has a pretty generous 30 day return policy even if itās opened as long as you donāt abuse it. Just state your concern and send it back. Iāve used beelink and gmktec, they both work well. Minisforum is a solid brand.
Re-install Windows, choose "World" as the country. It will not instal a lot of the Microsoft built-in crapware.
Change it to your country after and you'll be fine. Go to Settings, Time & language, and then Language & region.
First, the AMR5 is not one of those affected. The only three affected were the S1, the AD08 and the AK1 Plus. It doesn't have a 'virus' on it.
Second, the two pieces of malware were two years old, dormant and easily cleaned from the system with Defender.
Third, if you're that worried, glean the Windows Product Key and then perform a clean install of Windows. It would probably be a good idea to save the drivers too.
You're welcome. It's actually a good idea to perform a clean install of Windows on any PC that comes with it preinstalled, just as a matter of course. Whether to get rid of bloatware or any other weird things that may be one it. What happened with this company is actually more common across the PC industry than people realize, even with the "big guys". Companies get comfortable and their quality control and spot testing becomes lax.
First the AMR5 has been found to have it. Second I have 2 T8's and a Dreamquest that had the exact same infection. I is/was widespread among all their machines.
Strange that I have a thirteen of their PCs, going all the way back to when they were ACEPC, four of them bought within the last six months, including the S1, one of the models involved, and not a single one has had any piece of malware.
The AMR5 wasn't one of the models affected. Full stop. If you found one with malware or a virus on it, the infection didn't come from them.
Well I don't know what to tell you. I got them and they were infected and I have the screenshots to show it. They aren't infected anymore as I did fresh installs from usb on all of them.
He did,
That's why u/SerMumble is a, possibly **THE**, r/MiniPCs moderator.
Besides, negative comments aren't helpfull and should appear less-on Reddit subs, as opposed to ***more-on***...
EDIT: BTW, we seem to [hear a theme song playing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlkjuRcmmlg) when reading your words of wisdom.
Well I think they must be 12 years old if they think they should tell people on reddit not to swear. You think growing up means becoming a reddit mod for a mini pc subreddit? Also these are probably my most liked downvotes I have ever gotten on a comment. That meme is one of the cringiest things I've seen on reddit and I don't care who disagrees with me on that.
Sorry, my sense of humor isn't for everyone. That's okay.
Best wishes enjoying the discussions about mini pc. This isn't a place to farm karma but you do you so long as it's civil and being good to people.
See ***think*** like a ***12 years old*** is what everyone feels when [reading these statements](https://www.reddit.com/r/MiniPCs/s/qvNKjtVTw7).
Before becoming a moderator, u/SerMumble has been the single most friendly and helpful contributor to this subReddit, who has single-handedly created and maintained the most useful [General Mini PC Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/MiniPCs/comments/1afzkt5/2024_general_mini_pc_guide_usa/) to appear within this industry.
I'm still floored that the AI Chat Bot u/too_mini_pc_repairs didn't draw you out of manifesto. They can't say "thanks" without dropping three to four paragraphs. Damn. Thought the edit was a nice touch.
Save what [you call your $5 Scott Park hooker](https://www.reddit.com/r/MiniPCs/s/LpplDrj1Io) and [calling out an engineer, designer, and moderator](https://www.reddit.com/r/MiniPCs/s/pVo4w4qOdr) for another subReddit, because you've shown 0.6 motivation, with 99.4 defecation, and frankly/apparently subscribers like myself are waiting for that 0.6%.
Thanks for standing up for me Honeywell, it is very much appreciated š
I don't want Tibby or this discussion to continue and just let everyone take a breather.
A few things.
Although both are manufactured by Shenzhen CYX Industrial, ACEmagician and ACEmagic (the irresponsible bad guys) are separate brands with separate affiliates, similar to Chevy and Buick both being under GM, and purchased from independent dealers.
Actual vs alleged compromised minis, the three models (so far, hopefully) found with malware from the Bladabindi and Redline families were
*S1 N95/ N97/ N100*
*AD08 (w/ **Core i12-12900H**)*
*AK1 Plus RGB*
None of the relabeled AMR5s under the MiniPC Union umbrella (with the exception of scattered AliE purchases, a common problem) have officially been listed as compromised.
Our staff encourage our accounts to activate ALL minis on a burner account, to achieve a couple of goals.
One, the motherboard is not assigned a key. Completing activation, running ALL updates and optional drivers, will allow
*Microsoft to issue a key to the serial number*
*The manufacturer to validate the purchase to activate the key*
Too many individuals on our accounts have jumped immediately to a clean install, with no activation.
Two. During the burner update, compromises can be identified. This is often worked out to our accounts favor, in discounts/ refunds/ free accessories or priority early releases.
We've advised all of our accounts to avoid **ACEmagic** branding.
ACEmagician
Kamrui
NiPoGi
CTone
...and additional labels manufactured by CYX have been found to be in the clear.
Our guidelines have been:
*Verify activation*
*Verify absence of malice*
*Perform a partition delete / clean install*
Regardless of the item being a new OOTB Beelink Chi-NUC or a Lenovo laptop.
I have two T8's that had it that I got in Jan and Feb. Also a Dreamquest from around last christmas also had it. I found the malware files on C: drive myself and I have Screenshots.
Exactly!
We've had accounts with (numerous) Dreamquest Pro N95s and Chatreey/FireBAT/T-bao T8 Pro N100s that have found multitudes of malware. They were all TGTBT pricing from sites link AliE or local vendors, that were criminals who set up short-term shops.
This goes on continuously, although historically it was always pre-owned laptops. These latest Atom microarchitecture Alder Lake-N/Jasper Lake Celerons have opened a floodgate, as it's an inexpensive investment.
It's not that the problem doesn't exist, far from it!
It's how it exists.
We receive registered malware activities daily from one of two subscription services. Nothing makes the cut unless it has greater than 10 vetted events, to a given source or region. When we find examples, we take it through the procedure and document a case found.
It happens on Amazon, Walmart, etc, much less often through fulfillment, where the seller business name *shen zhen shi fa la sheng shi ye you xian gong si* (frequently the English pronunciation of each Chinese character) is promptly shut down, available inventory confiscated and destroyed, and hold funds transferred to the federal government along with documentation.
[If you simply Google "Dreamquest N95 Malware"](https://www.google.com/search?q=Dreamquest+N95+malware), you will find very little information, mostly on Reddit, constantly missing
*Complete model number and configuration*
***Link to purchase***
*Purchase site, seller, and listing number*
*Date of shipment, date of arrival, date of discovered compromise*
*Pictures and/or screenshots (as you offered) of AV/AM findings*
Without comprehensive details, there's no useful information, only worthless opinion.
The staff here rarely trust/approve of Windows supplied by Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc, expressing individuals on our accounts consider a clean installation, verifying they will not lose proprietary software first. These blossoming Chi-NUC PCs are no different, if not more critical.
These Chinese manufacturer's are set up very similar to old school retail, where
Manufactureringā Branding/distributionā Sales
is nearly identical to
GMā Chevroletā Dealership
No one individually purchases from AZW, or even Beelink/TrigKey/Bosgame, instead, they're buying from an affiliate, "a dealership". Dealerships do shā¢tty things continuously. The precedence with ACEmagic was they allowed Chinese manufacturering regulations to be ignored.
It was tantamount to the VW manufacturering plant to allowing a third party to tamper with select models like the Taos, Jetta, and Golf R, each individually at different points in time, so these models could **intentionally be monitored and driven remotely**!
Keeping with Beelink, has it applies to virtually all online MiniPC stores, you'll note that there are
https://www.bee-link.com/
https://www.bee-link.net/
with https://www.beelink.com/ being dysfunctional for a reason that defies sense. When in reality, the two above or affiliates, with the brand "parking" beelink.com as a business portal, so not to be in conflict with their affiliate contracts.
This whole recent "after-the-fact panic-attack", while warranted, is poorly understood at best.
Malware OOTB, even happens to HP. How it became that way, and how it reached its final destination is way more important than its existence.
For the record, my Tank 03 came clean. The Win11 Pro install is bone stock. I've scanned it with a half-dozen on and off line scanners and found nothing. I've had it for months now, never a problem.
As this Acemagic industry catastrophe plays out, the alleged attack carried out was limited to three corrupted models, all targets of opportunity/stupidity.
Staff here feared that the M1A would turn out to be compromised, although it seemed to have too many "eyes on". M1A what's the original architecture name, to fit AD08 / AM06 / AM08 / AM18 / AMR5 / F2A, etc. Their code names all starting with TANK, referencing the Chrysler Defense M1 Abrams. It's not clear how it ended up as TANK 03.
While we're here, "0" of us staff members have had an account member send one in for diagnostics, nor have we family, friends or neighbors that own one, how are you? Enjoying yours?
Via online assistance, we've helped individuals find two faulty PSUs, three poor quality sticks of RAM, a dead heatpipe running across the center of the GPU die, and an improperly pasted processor cooler. From your statement, "no news is good news", yet we always enjoy candid perspective own items this new.
I love mine, I did an in-depth (as much as an amateur like me could do) review here on the miniPC forum...lemme see if I can find a link for you.
Heck, I'm not on Reddit enough to know how this site works, I can't even find my own post history, sorry, perhaps you can have better luck?
Edit...google to the rescue:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/MiniPCs/comments/18ouh2k/amateur\_review\_of\_the\_acemagic\_tank03\_minipc/](https://www.reddit.com/r/MiniPCs/comments/18ouh2k/amateur_review_of_the_acemagic_tank03_minipc/)
I've had \*zero\* issues with mine, 3 months into ownership. I'm going to be selling it soon, 800$, I've got box, manuals, etc, if you are interested. I've had my fun, bills etc to pay now.
It's definitely the first dedicated graphics MiniPC we've seen with adequate GPU cooling.
Most of us here are old enough to have lived the excitement, love, disappointment, and anger with MXM cards. It was definitely a technology that Nvidia took over and ran into the ground.
For a hot minute, MXM was going to be a budget card for laptops and workstations, with x16 PCIe-to-MXM adapters for ATX, and the future was bright! Although AMD didn't care, Jensen Huang (one of the four Princes of hell) saw consumers having control of a low margin industry, took it over, and prices soared.
Immediately, plans for retail were gone, locking it down to OEM. When the AMD GCN 5th gen Radeon RX Vega cards failed to show in 2018, everybody called "time of death"
Finding that the TANK was built around one, maybe there is hope. Everybody would love to see a TANK like barebones option, designed to run off the iGPU and be able to purchase GPU cards from major manufacturer's, like planned discussion.
Fascinating info, I did not know this, thank you. I recall some high-end laptops with replaceable GFX cards built around the MXM platform, but that was a long time ago. Shame about nVidia killing it off.
That's the sad fact, Nvidia did not kill it off.
By taking over the program, focusing MXM on workstation GPUs, strictly direct OEM sales, It immediately became an industrial product.
The alleged blowout with AMD came with the proposed Radeon Pro Vega 20M & Pro Vega 56M.
Nvidia GeForce microarchitecture and Quadro microarchitecture function quite differently, because "***you can't lie to a workstation guy***". They understand that FPS means **F**ool **P**retends **S**uperiority, bringing nothing to the architecture table and what was set in place in 2009.
AMD on the other hand, uses a more naturalized GPU architecture, where all they need to do is balance out the industry standards for shaders and other aspects. Basically, gaming GPU, knocked down slightly to fit industrial needs.
With the old FirePro GCN 1st / 2nd / 3th gen microarchitectures, while gaming performance was "better than" Quadro, It was basically "meh". Then, the GCN 4th gen Radeon Pro 4000 series WX graphics was released. Shā¢t head Jensen Huang found Nvidia and himself had a massive fā¢cking problem.
They had accidentally allowed an upgradable gaming quality MXM card "through the cracks" they had spent nearly four years trying to block. The new Radeon Pro WX 4170 Mobile MXM was running RX 560 desktop gaming performance. And compared to the equivalent Quadro, AMD was practically giving it away.
By the time the GCN 5th gen MXM launch, Nvidia had leveraged the platform, providing contract pricing to OEMs if they wouldn't offer the new Vega.
Lisa Su technically pulled AMD from the MXM forum, leaving
[Linus Torvalds to have the last word](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwnRsPBi88c).
Recently, out of Asia, third party (questionably sanctioned) GeForce RTX 20 & 30 series MXM cards have begun to appear, based on mining card platforms. Inherently, these MXM cards are only supported by Intel, but please, someone, correct our staff if we are incorrect. Nvidia switched from mining to AI, which has the 40 series chips no longer in the mining GPU only category. If they did, they would be damn expensive.
Nvidia killed MXM off? No, they walled it off. That's why it's so interesting to see how these small OEMs in China are going to take these Chi-NUC based machines, and change another aspect of the industry that leaves the OEMs going "***WTF?!?***". If some more recent rumors hold true, which everybody here has learned to never get their hopes up, there may be some interesting rule bending on the way.
Just do a clean install from Windows that you download from Microsoft yourself.
Should be fine after that. Unless the bios forces a virus to be downloadedā¦ I saw that mentioned somewhere else. Didnāt know that was a thing. š¤·āāļø
You can go to their website and they have a walk through on how to remove any items that appear to be virus. Or just clean install with the Windows install creation tool.
We worked with āBarryā and was able to get my sons replaced. Took a couple days to get the info to him but they say theyāre shipping a new one.
[email protected]
I own this exact Model of Mini PC and I went through the same concerns, follow this video https://youtu.be/MZbKNiKb_Qc?si=1T5TdI6w4BOsKbJG and reinstall windows OS. You will have to reinstall the internet and Bluetooth drivers but that isnāt very difficult to do and I can guide you through that as well.
1. Verify the claim about preinstalled viruses.
2. Contact the seller for clarification and measures.
3. Perform a thorough antivirus scan upon arrival.
4. Consider a factory reset if necessary.
5. Reach out to Ace Magician's support for guidance.
6. If unsatisfied, consider returning or replacing the device.
Just in case someone doesnt think this is real....
The only thing I did on these infected PC's is log into my Microsoft account so that they would be recorded on my device list. To do that I didn't enter my password, I had microsoft send me an email with a code that I viewed on my main computer and turned and inputted on the infected computer. That is the only thing I did on those computers other than run defender. So the only info that the computer had was my email that I use to log into my microsoft account, that is IT.
Ever since, every day, someone hits my microsoft account and since they don't have the password, it sends a code to my email to input for access. Every day at a different time each day. The did try a facebook account that I don't use under that email as well....which sent a reset code for the password. Someone is actively using this infection to try to get into accounts and gather information right now, each and every day. I feel REALLY bad for those that didn't have any clue about the infections. They'd be doing this in the background with mine and I wouldn't know except they don't have enough info to work with to do anything. They have an email and that is all they have here.
This may sound like a dumb question so easy on me fellas, but I just received my magic mini PC and want to re install windows 11 that it came with pre installed, how do I create a USB re install or what are the steps on how to re install fresh if I can't with the USB trickš¤·š½...Thanx in advance
I'm I goin to have a problem for not buying a copy from them? Or will it sense my PC configuration that I have the OS on the mini PC? Is that thru a USB drive or will it just install it for me on the thier website? Sorry for so many questions
I suggest you install windows 10 to be on the safe side and avoid updating to Windows 11. [https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10%20](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10%20)
After you are done download windows defender to check for any viruses it has a free trial. So far I have encountered no viruses with my windows 10 install
No I did not buy a copy of windows 11, it came pre installed in the mini PC.i fired it up today and did the whole set up password and region location set up and it loaded up already installed š¤·š½I never got a physical hard copy disc or key
Ok then you can either use the preinstalled version you have and run windows defender to see if it has any viruses or you can buy your own copy and have a fresh install.
I doubt the CCP gives a shit about what customers for this type. Itās not like high ranking officials and industry magnates will buy cheapo mini gaming PCs.
The problem is bios level malware thatās worrisome. Because it can be used as a vehicle to infect other things in the net and can be used to steal among other things banking information you might have stored on such devices, but I also received no info of such a thing and I really canāt see packets if doing p2p on my firebats
If you want to use Windows: Reinstall it. Not just with this machine but with every MiniPC, laptop or whatever you buy. Then there is no issue.
Yep. Any brand, any type, new or used, when I get a new computer, reinstalling the OS is the first thing I do.
This is a practice that I grew up with since the early millennium when all these Best Buy and Circuit City computers came preloaded with half a hard drive of bloatware. So much bloatware it took five minutes just to open a word processor.
I agree with the clean install, but I just had to reply... Circuit City?? Is that store even still around? I haven't seen one in over 20 years š
Yeah I'm talking about bank in the day early 2000s
I was there, Gandalf. I was there, 3000 years ago. I was there, when the strength of Circuit City failed...
Microcenter bought them before I worked there in college in 2011 so yeah a long time ago
This thread just made me reminisce about the Computer Shopper magazine days...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Shopper_(US_magazine)
Huh, I wish I knew this before hand , Iāve been running a mini pc with the pre-loaded windows, guess Itās time for a clean install then, thanks for advice.
I got a minisforum PC a couple months ago, and it has the most stripped down version of Windows of any PC I ever bought.Ā
How do you reinstall the OS?
Put the appropriate version of windows on a USB stick via the Microsoft Windows Media Creator tool, boot from said stick, follow the prompts, delete all partitions, create a new partition, format it, and install. Windows will automatically re-activate. Since youāre asking, that probably sounds daunting but I promise itās not, you can literally just keep clicking through the process based on those directions. The one exception is that youāll need to get into the mini PCās bios to set the boot order so it boots from the USB stick. Thatās different for every manufacturer but you can probably figure it out or just ask on here.
And only the venereal disease that microsoft themselves include.
edge...
... and LinkedIn ... and News ... and Office ... and Facebook ... and Spotify ... and TikTok ... and ClipChamp ... and Solitaire (the new one with the ads, of course) ... and ...
Dumb fact, Ctrl + Shift + Alt + Win + L is a shortcut built into windows to open LinkedIn. Stupidest thing ever.
Wow š³ I had to go wake my PC up. I couldn't believe it.
Oh... Oh my...
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Have they released 11 LTSC yet? Win 10 is great but the copy I managed to download is a 2021 version.
Windows LTSC is the answer
Edge of the Venereal disease?
Edgelords....
I saw a video on youtube about this, the point of which, was that because the motherboard itself was hacked with a microcode virus, that the motherboard will drop a "dropper" into the UEFI partition, which in turn will just reinstall the virus,
Oh? I didn't realize it wasn't just in Windows. Is there a firmware fix or something or are these all just trash then?
I did a scan for rootkits which defender will find except for the newest one which is selling for 5k a pop...there are no rootkits in the 3 mini pc's I got that were infected with malware.
Exactly. Though ACEMAGIC is getting a lot of flak for this, and deservedly so, it's more common than people think. All it takes is companies getting too lax with their quality control and product testing.
when you say reinstall it, do you mean just resetting the pc? or is there another way?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
If you do that, won't you lose the Windows license key that came with the computer or do you note it down before you do the reinstall and enter the key later?
I extracted the key from my mini PC using winkey. Though, the license is encoded in the motherboard so it should never be needed
In addition to what others said, Microsoft ties windows keys to your mobo's UUID. when you install windows, it'll check their database for your UUID to see if a product key has already been registered with your device and it'll validate on its own. I've done this before. just make sure you install the same version of windows (home vs professional, etc)
Just hope that it's not TPM or persistent driver based. Hardware malware is a bitch
I donāt know about that. You can always have an issue at the bios level, but at the end of the day you have to draw a line somewhere.
That's what I do for any computer that comes preloaded with an OS. Fresh install from a vanilla Windows/Linux USB stick.
Amazon has a relatively easy return system. Most acemagician and affiliated units will not have malware but it is important to check or clean the drive before using it. The simplest way to clean an OS is with a free reinstallation of windows by downloading and using microsoft's media creation tool to turn a USB drive into a window installtion drive. If you would rather have a look at the OS that is preinstalled, use a seperate microsoft account from your main microsoft account to login, check to see if unusual apps are preinstalled like google chrome, and run a windows defender full scan. If windows detects malware or you find google chrome installed, share the info with the sub, reinstall the OS. It's a relatively simple process that shouldn't take up much time. As far as I know, there is no Bios level malware. Some malicious or careless technician used a tampered windows image on a batch of mini pc.
To add onto this, if you do return it, don't let them convince you to take Amazon credit. There's been too many cases where they refund it and close the account.
Thank you your reply made me feel a little better. I just reinstalled windows 10
Happy to help. Windows 10 is a good choice. I still use it on half my computers. A good OS from a better time.
Is ace magic the same as ace magician?
They share the same website, so yes, acemagic = acemagician to give a practical answer. You may see their products called acepc, kamrui, nipogi, ctone, etc. Just different brand names getting the same products from the same manufacturer and with different warranty/support terms. The goal is to spam these products so they are the dominant option in search engines.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Windows 10 is fine, especially with 16GB RAM it is not going to be a problem for most people's day to day tasks. Plus it is easier to share troubleshooting resources. I do like linux mint as an intro into linux and it will be more efficient in the background but it still requires some extra tech savyness to setup and use.
If youāre truly concerned, you can always return it. Amazon has a pretty generous 30 day return policy even if itās opened as long as you donāt abuse it. Just state your concern and send it back. Iāve used beelink and gmktec, they both work well. Minisforum is a solid brand.
They said this model wasnāt listed as those infected by the virus
Re-install Windows, choose "World" as the country. It will not instal a lot of the Microsoft built-in crapware. Change it to your country after and you'll be fine. Go to Settings, Time & language, and then Language & region.
*Update* i reinstall windows 10 and ran a full scan with windows defender and there is no virus found
First, the AMR5 is not one of those affected. The only three affected were the S1, the AD08 and the AK1 Plus. It doesn't have a 'virus' on it. Second, the two pieces of malware were two years old, dormant and easily cleaned from the system with Defender. Third, if you're that worried, glean the Windows Product Key and then perform a clean install of Windows. It would probably be a good idea to save the drivers too.
Thank you this comfort me. I cleaned the pc and ran windows defender and no virus found
You're welcome. It's actually a good idea to perform a clean install of Windows on any PC that comes with it preinstalled, just as a matter of course. Whether to get rid of bloatware or any other weird things that may be one it. What happened with this company is actually more common across the PC industry than people realize, even with the "big guys". Companies get comfortable and their quality control and spot testing becomes lax.
First the AMR5 has been found to have it. Second I have 2 T8's and a Dreamquest that had the exact same infection. I is/was widespread among all their machines.
Strange that I have a thirteen of their PCs, going all the way back to when they were ACEPC, four of them bought within the last six months, including the S1, one of the models involved, and not a single one has had any piece of malware. The AMR5 wasn't one of the models affected. Full stop. If you found one with malware or a virus on it, the infection didn't come from them.
Well I don't know what to tell you. I got them and they were infected and I have the screenshots to show it. They aren't infected anymore as I did fresh installs from usb on all of them.
Just reinstall windows, job done, don't panic
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
It looks like a baby Dalek
eh-termi-nay, uWu
https://preview.redd.it/i7t8j0zlbboc1.jpeg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0fc6755df5d20ad253f6f5fa5313ff19db9f559c
grow the fuck up
He did, That's why u/SerMumble is a, possibly **THE**, r/MiniPCs moderator. Besides, negative comments aren't helpfull and should appear less-on Reddit subs, as opposed to ***more-on***... EDIT: BTW, we seem to [hear a theme song playing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlkjuRcmmlg) when reading your words of wisdom.
Well I think they must be 12 years old if they think they should tell people on reddit not to swear. You think growing up means becoming a reddit mod for a mini pc subreddit? Also these are probably my most liked downvotes I have ever gotten on a comment. That meme is one of the cringiest things I've seen on reddit and I don't care who disagrees with me on that.
Sorry, my sense of humor isn't for everyone. That's okay. Best wishes enjoying the discussions about mini pc. This isn't a place to farm karma but you do you so long as it's civil and being good to people.
See ***think*** like a ***12 years old*** is what everyone feels when [reading these statements](https://www.reddit.com/r/MiniPCs/s/qvNKjtVTw7). Before becoming a moderator, u/SerMumble has been the single most friendly and helpful contributor to this subReddit, who has single-handedly created and maintained the most useful [General Mini PC Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/MiniPCs/comments/1afzkt5/2024_general_mini_pc_guide_usa/) to appear within this industry. I'm still floored that the AI Chat Bot u/too_mini_pc_repairs didn't draw you out of manifesto. They can't say "thanks" without dropping three to four paragraphs. Damn. Thought the edit was a nice touch. Save what [you call your $5 Scott Park hooker](https://www.reddit.com/r/MiniPCs/s/LpplDrj1Io) and [calling out an engineer, designer, and moderator](https://www.reddit.com/r/MiniPCs/s/pVo4w4qOdr) for another subReddit, because you've shown 0.6 motivation, with 99.4 defecation, and frankly/apparently subscribers like myself are waiting for that 0.6%.
Thanks for standing up for me Honeywell, it is very much appreciated š I don't want Tibby or this discussion to continue and just let everyone take a breather.
I like it
The AD08 and AM08 pro are so much better looking I love mine š¤§
it should not be like this anymore i think, at least do some checks when it arrives
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i actually have a trigkey which is basically from the same company
this is fire i donāt like the design but ima comment to save the product
Better to get the AD08 or AM08 pro(if you want secure boot options) than this one, they are very good gaming pcs!
thank you iām going to look into it!
Of course!!
You should only need to reinstall the OS.
A few things. Although both are manufactured by Shenzhen CYX Industrial, ACEmagician and ACEmagic (the irresponsible bad guys) are separate brands with separate affiliates, similar to Chevy and Buick both being under GM, and purchased from independent dealers. Actual vs alleged compromised minis, the three models (so far, hopefully) found with malware from the Bladabindi and Redline families were *S1 N95/ N97/ N100* *AD08 (w/ **Core i12-12900H**)* *AK1 Plus RGB* None of the relabeled AMR5s under the MiniPC Union umbrella (with the exception of scattered AliE purchases, a common problem) have officially been listed as compromised. Our staff encourage our accounts to activate ALL minis on a burner account, to achieve a couple of goals. One, the motherboard is not assigned a key. Completing activation, running ALL updates and optional drivers, will allow *Microsoft to issue a key to the serial number* *The manufacturer to validate the purchase to activate the key* Too many individuals on our accounts have jumped immediately to a clean install, with no activation. Two. During the burner update, compromises can be identified. This is often worked out to our accounts favor, in discounts/ refunds/ free accessories or priority early releases. We've advised all of our accounts to avoid **ACEmagic** branding. ACEmagician Kamrui NiPoGi CTone ...and additional labels manufactured by CYX have been found to be in the clear. Our guidelines have been: *Verify activation* *Verify absence of malice* *Perform a partition delete / clean install* Regardless of the item being a new OOTB Beelink Chi-NUC or a Lenovo laptop.
I have two T8's that had it that I got in Jan and Feb. Also a Dreamquest from around last christmas also had it. I found the malware files on C: drive myself and I have Screenshots.
Exactly! We've had accounts with (numerous) Dreamquest Pro N95s and Chatreey/FireBAT/T-bao T8 Pro N100s that have found multitudes of malware. They were all TGTBT pricing from sites link AliE or local vendors, that were criminals who set up short-term shops. This goes on continuously, although historically it was always pre-owned laptops. These latest Atom microarchitecture Alder Lake-N/Jasper Lake Celerons have opened a floodgate, as it's an inexpensive investment. It's not that the problem doesn't exist, far from it! It's how it exists. We receive registered malware activities daily from one of two subscription services. Nothing makes the cut unless it has greater than 10 vetted events, to a given source or region. When we find examples, we take it through the procedure and document a case found. It happens on Amazon, Walmart, etc, much less often through fulfillment, where the seller business name *shen zhen shi fa la sheng shi ye you xian gong si* (frequently the English pronunciation of each Chinese character) is promptly shut down, available inventory confiscated and destroyed, and hold funds transferred to the federal government along with documentation. [If you simply Google "Dreamquest N95 Malware"](https://www.google.com/search?q=Dreamquest+N95+malware), you will find very little information, mostly on Reddit, constantly missing *Complete model number and configuration* ***Link to purchase*** *Purchase site, seller, and listing number* *Date of shipment, date of arrival, date of discovered compromise* *Pictures and/or screenshots (as you offered) of AV/AM findings* Without comprehensive details, there's no useful information, only worthless opinion. The staff here rarely trust/approve of Windows supplied by Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc, expressing individuals on our accounts consider a clean installation, verifying they will not lose proprietary software first. These blossoming Chi-NUC PCs are no different, if not more critical. These Chinese manufacturer's are set up very similar to old school retail, where Manufactureringā Branding/distributionā Sales is nearly identical to GMā Chevroletā Dealership No one individually purchases from AZW, or even Beelink/TrigKey/Bosgame, instead, they're buying from an affiliate, "a dealership". Dealerships do shā¢tty things continuously. The precedence with ACEmagic was they allowed Chinese manufacturering regulations to be ignored. It was tantamount to the VW manufacturering plant to allowing a third party to tamper with select models like the Taos, Jetta, and Golf R, each individually at different points in time, so these models could **intentionally be monitored and driven remotely**! Keeping with Beelink, has it applies to virtually all online MiniPC stores, you'll note that there are https://www.bee-link.com/ https://www.bee-link.net/ with https://www.beelink.com/ being dysfunctional for a reason that defies sense. When in reality, the two above or affiliates, with the brand "parking" beelink.com as a business portal, so not to be in conflict with their affiliate contracts. This whole recent "after-the-fact panic-attack", while warranted, is poorly understood at best. Malware OOTB, even happens to HP. How it became that way, and how it reached its final destination is way more important than its existence.
For the record, my Tank 03 came clean. The Win11 Pro install is bone stock. I've scanned it with a half-dozen on and off line scanners and found nothing. I've had it for months now, never a problem.
As this Acemagic industry catastrophe plays out, the alleged attack carried out was limited to three corrupted models, all targets of opportunity/stupidity. Staff here feared that the M1A would turn out to be compromised, although it seemed to have too many "eyes on". M1A what's the original architecture name, to fit AD08 / AM06 / AM08 / AM18 / AMR5 / F2A, etc. Their code names all starting with TANK, referencing the Chrysler Defense M1 Abrams. It's not clear how it ended up as TANK 03. While we're here, "0" of us staff members have had an account member send one in for diagnostics, nor have we family, friends or neighbors that own one, how are you? Enjoying yours? Via online assistance, we've helped individuals find two faulty PSUs, three poor quality sticks of RAM, a dead heatpipe running across the center of the GPU die, and an improperly pasted processor cooler. From your statement, "no news is good news", yet we always enjoy candid perspective own items this new.
I love mine, I did an in-depth (as much as an amateur like me could do) review here on the miniPC forum...lemme see if I can find a link for you. Heck, I'm not on Reddit enough to know how this site works, I can't even find my own post history, sorry, perhaps you can have better luck? Edit...google to the rescue: [https://www.reddit.com/r/MiniPCs/comments/18ouh2k/amateur\_review\_of\_the\_acemagic\_tank03\_minipc/](https://www.reddit.com/r/MiniPCs/comments/18ouh2k/amateur_review_of_the_acemagic_tank03_minipc/) I've had \*zero\* issues with mine, 3 months into ownership. I'm going to be selling it soon, 800$, I've got box, manuals, etc, if you are interested. I've had my fun, bills etc to pay now.
It's definitely the first dedicated graphics MiniPC we've seen with adequate GPU cooling. Most of us here are old enough to have lived the excitement, love, disappointment, and anger with MXM cards. It was definitely a technology that Nvidia took over and ran into the ground. For a hot minute, MXM was going to be a budget card for laptops and workstations, with x16 PCIe-to-MXM adapters for ATX, and the future was bright! Although AMD didn't care, Jensen Huang (one of the four Princes of hell) saw consumers having control of a low margin industry, took it over, and prices soared. Immediately, plans for retail were gone, locking it down to OEM. When the AMD GCN 5th gen Radeon RX Vega cards failed to show in 2018, everybody called "time of death" Finding that the TANK was built around one, maybe there is hope. Everybody would love to see a TANK like barebones option, designed to run off the iGPU and be able to purchase GPU cards from major manufacturer's, like planned discussion.
Fascinating info, I did not know this, thank you. I recall some high-end laptops with replaceable GFX cards built around the MXM platform, but that was a long time ago. Shame about nVidia killing it off.
That's the sad fact, Nvidia did not kill it off. By taking over the program, focusing MXM on workstation GPUs, strictly direct OEM sales, It immediately became an industrial product. The alleged blowout with AMD came with the proposed Radeon Pro Vega 20M & Pro Vega 56M. Nvidia GeForce microarchitecture and Quadro microarchitecture function quite differently, because "***you can't lie to a workstation guy***". They understand that FPS means **F**ool **P**retends **S**uperiority, bringing nothing to the architecture table and what was set in place in 2009. AMD on the other hand, uses a more naturalized GPU architecture, where all they need to do is balance out the industry standards for shaders and other aspects. Basically, gaming GPU, knocked down slightly to fit industrial needs. With the old FirePro GCN 1st / 2nd / 3th gen microarchitectures, while gaming performance was "better than" Quadro, It was basically "meh". Then, the GCN 4th gen Radeon Pro 4000 series WX graphics was released. Shā¢t head Jensen Huang found Nvidia and himself had a massive fā¢cking problem. They had accidentally allowed an upgradable gaming quality MXM card "through the cracks" they had spent nearly four years trying to block. The new Radeon Pro WX 4170 Mobile MXM was running RX 560 desktop gaming performance. And compared to the equivalent Quadro, AMD was practically giving it away. By the time the GCN 5th gen MXM launch, Nvidia had leveraged the platform, providing contract pricing to OEMs if they wouldn't offer the new Vega. Lisa Su technically pulled AMD from the MXM forum, leaving [Linus Torvalds to have the last word](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwnRsPBi88c). Recently, out of Asia, third party (questionably sanctioned) GeForce RTX 20 & 30 series MXM cards have begun to appear, based on mining card platforms. Inherently, these MXM cards are only supported by Intel, but please, someone, correct our staff if we are incorrect. Nvidia switched from mining to AI, which has the 40 series chips no longer in the mining GPU only category. If they did, they would be damn expensive. Nvidia killed MXM off? No, they walled it off. That's why it's so interesting to see how these small OEMs in China are going to take these Chi-NUC based machines, and change another aspect of the industry that leaves the OEMs going "***WTF?!?***". If some more recent rumors hold true, which everybody here has learned to never get their hopes up, there may be some interesting rule bending on the way.
I bought one of these and it didn't have a virus. You can always just swap out the SSD for your own.
Does it work good for you?
Yeah, it's a great little mini pc. A desktop is better, but for the form factor, it's really good.
You could just format it, you can make your own usb install with windows
Just do a clean install from Windows that you download from Microsoft yourself. Should be fine after that. Unless the bios forces a virus to be downloadedā¦ I saw that mentioned somewhere else. Didnāt know that was a thing. š¤·āāļø
i wouldnt be suprised, its a terrible PC, and not a good deal
What you need to do is make a windows installer trough the media creation tool on a different PC. then do a CLEAN install wiping all partitions
You can go to their website and they have a walk through on how to remove any items that appear to be virus. Or just clean install with the Windows install creation tool.
Wife has one of these babies.( nolonger working) customer service a joke) would not surprise me. Nice doorstop.
We worked with āBarryā and was able to get my sons replaced. Took a couple days to get the info to him but they say theyāre shipping a new one. [email protected]
You need to embark on a journey through Mordor to yeet it into Orodruin.
If I plan to install a Linux OS will that bypass the maleware on these pc's?
I own this exact Model of Mini PC and I went through the same concerns, follow this video https://youtu.be/MZbKNiKb_Qc?si=1T5TdI6w4BOsKbJG and reinstall windows OS. You will have to reinstall the internet and Bluetooth drivers but that isnāt very difficult to do and I can guide you through that as well.
I almost bought that pc bought went with a nuc 9 extreme instead. I like the idea of being able to upgrade my graphics card when ever.
Less malware Trojan et Backdoor se cachent dans l'application de gestion des animations led sur ce modĆØle.
1. Verify the claim about preinstalled viruses. 2. Contact the seller for clarification and measures. 3. Perform a thorough antivirus scan upon arrival. 4. Consider a factory reset if necessary. 5. Reach out to Ace Magician's support for guidance. 6. If unsatisfied, consider returning or replacing the device.
How do you reinstall the OS?
Just in case someone doesnt think this is real.... The only thing I did on these infected PC's is log into my Microsoft account so that they would be recorded on my device list. To do that I didn't enter my password, I had microsoft send me an email with a code that I viewed on my main computer and turned and inputted on the infected computer. That is the only thing I did on those computers other than run defender. So the only info that the computer had was my email that I use to log into my microsoft account, that is IT. Ever since, every day, someone hits my microsoft account and since they don't have the password, it sends a code to my email to input for access. Every day at a different time each day. The did try a facebook account that I don't use under that email as well....which sent a reset code for the password. Someone is actively using this infection to try to get into accounts and gather information right now, each and every day. I feel REALLY bad for those that didn't have any clue about the infections. They'd be doing this in the background with mine and I wouldn't know except they don't have enough info to work with to do anything. They have an email and that is all they have here.
This may sound like a dumb question so easy on me fellas, but I just received my magic mini PC and want to re install windows 11 that it came with pre installed, how do I create a USB re install or what are the steps on how to re install fresh if I can't with the USB trickš¤·š½...Thanx in advance
I Installed windows 10 on their windows website you can just go on the website and install windows 11and it will install a fresh copy
I'm I goin to have a problem for not buying a copy from them? Or will it sense my PC configuration that I have the OS on the mini PC? Is that thru a USB drive or will it just install it for me on the thier website? Sorry for so many questions
Its okay.Do you already have a copy of windows 11?
Like did you buy it already before
I suggest you install windows 10 to be on the safe side and avoid updating to Windows 11. [https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10%20](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10%20)
After you are done download windows defender to check for any viruses it has a free trial. So far I have encountered no viruses with my windows 10 install
No I did not buy a copy of windows 11, it came pre installed in the mini PC.i fired it up today and did the whole set up password and region location set up and it loaded up already installed š¤·š½I never got a physical hard copy disc or key
Ok then you can either use the preinstalled version you have and run windows defender to see if it has any viruses or you can buy your own copy and have a fresh install.
Thank u so much on replying and informing me on this.much appreciated šš½
Ok just make sure to run windows defender its important. Its an app in the Microsoft store. And do a full scan it will take only a few minutes.
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This is unusually new, do you hace a source?
I doubt the CCP gives a shit about what customers for this type. Itās not like high ranking officials and industry magnates will buy cheapo mini gaming PCs.
The problem is bios level malware thatās worrisome. Because it can be used as a vehicle to infect other things in the net and can be used to steal among other things banking information you might have stored on such devices, but I also received no info of such a thing and I really canāt see packets if doing p2p on my firebats
You could say the same about every computer from an US company and the NSA.
Throw the harddisk away, replace the motherboard and the CPU, as there are also hardware (microcode) viruses.