PG Music Home Forums PG Music Product Forums Band-in-a-Box for Windows 2019 Bonus 0-PAK ( Windows )

Houston we have a problem.

I run BiaB on both my desktop and laptop and have successfully installed on both but have a worry with the 2019 Bonus PAK.

The laptop tells me it's infected with Win32:Mdeclass but it installed OK on the desktop.

I downloaded the Bonus PAK again in case something had happened between the initial download and install on the desktop and today's install on the laptop but the result was unchanged

Both PCs are 64 bit WIN10 with latest updates running the same subscription version of AVG with current updates and definition files.

Dave,
We are not aware of any problem with the bonus installer.

Keep in mind the bonus isn’t a program, it’s just extra media files. Your virus program just looks and issues a false positive if it sees a harmless list of the same bytes. The bigger the install file, the more likely these false positives come up. These are very commonly seen and harmless false positives.

To reassure yourself, do a scan of your hard drive. If nothing comes up, I’d forget about it. We will send the installer file to AVG so that they don’t issue false positives on it in future.

Good luck with BiaB 2019!

Thanks Peter,

I didn't expect it to be infected but it did take me by surprise when the laptop rejected it, it is still an executable that needs to be run.

I'll turn my AV off when I go to install it next time and then run a scan afterwards.

Having worked with computers & computing since the CPM days I have seen a few things that are odd and rather than take the chance I figured asking the question can't hurt

I have noticed that my AV program has become more sensitive. I have recently re-installed a lot of my Cakewalk sound libraries (just WAV files being copied to the drive). However, about every other one of them registers as a potential RansomWare virus. I've had these files for years now and have installed multiple times as I've upgraded hard drives, etc., and it never did that before and I know they are safe). But they keep getting tagged. Luckily my anti-virus lets me white list them, so when I re-run the installer, it goes cleanly.

What AV do you prefer? For the last few years, I've used Norton with very few problems.

The anti-virus program that comes standard with Windows, Defender, has good reviews and is updated automatically by Microsoft.

Most tech people recommend having both anti-virus and malware programs as they look for different bad guys. Anti-virus looks for viruses while malware looks for ransomware, Trojans and rootkits.

I run AVG ( full subscription ), Super Anti Spyware and CCleaner, plus Malware Bytes from time to time.

Disconnecting from the internet and then shutting AVG down did the trick on the laptop

Hi,
I just downloaded it as well, and Avast also marks it as a virus, FYI.

Thanks,
John

I have gotten the same result:



When I went to the PG Music site and opened the live chat, the support technician told me that Malwarebytes did not find malware in the file and that it was therefore OK. But this actually made me MORE concerned. Some antivirus programs will spot things that others may miss, and NONE of them is always right, so if PG Music relies that strongly on the results of a single one it may in fact be overlooking a real, serious malware infection. So, I am not installing the update until AVG/Avast confirms that it was a false positive. I would not advise anyone else to do so either!

This is a false positive. We've submitted the file for whitelisting so hopefully it will be cleared soon. You can scan the file on virus total to see that AVG is the only one of dozens of AV software that flags it. Avast and AVG are basically the same AV program.

FWIW Kaspersky has no problem with it.
Wendy

Yes, it is true that Avast and AVG seem to be the only two programs that detect a problem. But are they wrong - or are they the only two that are right? I hope you understand why I can't risk the latter. I am afraid that I cannot install until I hear from them or they stop detecting malware in the file.

You can certainly wait until AVG gives the all clear.

False positives can occur with A/V software.

As Andrew mentioned, 'You can scan the file on virus total to see that AVG is the only one of dozens of AV software that flags it'.

If the PG Music file actually contains a virus, then presumably thousands of users have now been infected (without knowing?) I somehow doubt that this has occurred, but I respect your intention to be cautious.

I use Avast! and it's been great.

For the last three years, whenever I install a file from PG Music, it usually suspends the installation and comes up with a message to say that this file needs to be checked.

Avast! then checks the file (which usually takes around 15 seconds) and, at the end of the checking, it says that no problems were found and the installation then resumes and installs correctly.

I always have the internet connected and running during this process so that Avast! and send the details to its data bank.

The latest: AVG has published two updates of its antivirus patterns during the past two days, and STILL blocks the installation of BIAB 2019 (2019-0pak.exe in particular) as infected. There may actually be a variant of some malware there that they were the first to discover... or it may be a false positive. Cannot tell without confirmation one way or the other from them. On Twitter, they claimed they'd look into it, but no response yet.

Just by pass your virus killer during installation. Mark the installation folder as trusted zone if possible.


You're kidding eh? They all mark a lot of stuff as false positives, paid or free. Too lazy to update their data bases or improve their scanners?

When in doubt: https://virusscan.jotti.org/ or https://www.virustotal.com/#/home/upload

And then it's time to either believe the Priest, Pope, or who ever you believe in ...

With virus scanners, it's important not to disbelieve ANY vendor that claims to have found malware, unless there's a likelihood of malicious intent. The risk is too great. Remember, they're all competing to find it; you may just have discovered a winner.

Even the two Web sites above disagree as to whether the file contains malware.

So, for the nonce, the upgrade stays off my working computer. Hope I'll be able to install it soon!

Yeah, I am always amazed at folks here who will say "just turn off your AV and let it install"!!! WTH? The reason I have AV is to detect and stop potential problems! To think that PGM could never accidentally send out an infected file is to be very naive! It don't get installed until my AV says it can be installed!

Worried about your virus killers capabilities? see here: virus killer testing

The bonus for this guy was, is that he did not needed no BIAB after all:



I’m a Virus (Lyrics)

I’m a virus, an infectious particle,
a nano-thug, a pirate, the genuine article
Ebola, chickenpox, west Nile, influenza,
Yellow fever, AIDS, herpes, SARS, I’m comin’ right at ya

I’m not a cell, not an independent organism,
I don’t even have my own metabolism,
I only reproduce myself by taking over cells,
Then I bust ‘em apart, no wonder you don’t feel well!

My structure is simple, mostly proteins and genes,
Packaged as a sub-micron killing machine,
My capsid’s made of capsomeres that self assemble,
Whenever cells see me they start to tremble,

Inside my capsid is where my genes reside,
I got DNA or RNA on the inside,
And the rest of me is various proteins whose role,
Is assisting in assaulting cells and taking control.

CHORUS
I’m a virus,
Gonna use your cells to replicate me
I’m a virus
The death of your cells is the life of me

The lytic cycle shows one method of attack,
I attach to the cell surface, and pierce it like a tack
Inject my genes inside, use my victim’s machinery,
to make my genes and proteins for reproducing more of me.

Step 1, tail fibers grab the membrane or the wall
2: inject my genes, this cell is gonna fall.
3: use the victim’s polymerase and ribosomes,
To synthesize my proteins and replicate my genome.

4: tail piece and capsid self assembly,
5: I’m all together now, look at all my progeny
6 is lysis, I burst that cell apart,
Now I’m looking for more victims I can dearly depart.

CHORUS

Sometimes instead of lysing I lysogenize
Which happens after I inject my genes inside
I slip into your chromosome a thief inside your room
A menacing and silent presence bringer of doom

Integrated in you, your DNA’s my home,
And see what happens when you replicate your chromosomes
Each copy that you copy copies me as well as you,
You might make a million copies, there’s nothin’ you can do

My lurking hiding being’s called a prophage or provirus,
And if you got another name just call us or wire us,
Or write it on papyrus ‘til the moment that I emerge,
from your DNA I’m lytic now a cell destroying scourge.

And suddenly your cells are dying watch me as I lyse them,
I’m a pirate so forget your plans my program now denies them,
Your cells are virus factories they’re making millions more of me
I leave your cells and now I’m free Infecting you’s my destiny

CHORUS

Now meet my associate the virus HIV
Who’s helpless target is the cell called “T”
HIV causes immunodeficiency,
Raising cancer and infection vulnerability

Remember that the T’s an essential cell
In the immune system army it’s the general
So knocking out the T-cell sets the stage
For cancers, germs and viruses like me to invade!

HIV’s genes are made of RNA,
Outside its capsid’s a phospholipid membrane,
A skin stolen from the cell it last dispatched,
studded with proteins that let it attach,

To a protein on the T-cell called CD4
Inducing that cell to open up its door,
Inviting in HIV’s enzymes and core,
That T-cells already done for.

HIV’s a retrovirus it’s next routine,
has to do with transforming its RNA genes
Reverse transcriptase takes its RNA
And reverse transcribes it into DNA

Then this DNA integrates into your chromosomes,
Like a lysogenic prophage in your genome.
This proviral DNA’s transcribed and translated
As new virus genes and proteins get created

And like any virus all those parts will self assemble,
Into new viruses which of course resemble,
the original particle which started the infection,
Acquired by sex, or a needle injection

Fantastic. Learning biology made fun.....