ampfixer
The fact that you got a phone call is also very telling. Microsoft just wouldn't do that. 

Heh, no kidding!  It's near impossible to get phone help from Microsoft (and, if you actually did, it would cost you a bundle!).
 
Sorry to hear about more issues for ya Bill!  Better times are ahead! 

I have gotten things back to normal, finally.
 
SCAM 

Where the hell did you get your Win 10 installation files from? The automatic download via MS Update should certainly be clean, unless some malware genius has found a way to counterfeit that download. The only other source is Microsoft, and it seems pretty doubtful that their servers have been hacked. Unless the system you upgraded was already infected, it is difficult to see where the malware came from. Some details might help others avoid this problem.
 

bayoubill
I ran malware bytes and it picked up a count of 335. 7 of them trojans

Malwarebytes is an excellent product. 75% of the time it picks up stuff other virus/malware scanners can't. If people have never ran it before I urge them to do so, the free version doesn't even stay resident in memory unless you do a manual scan, so it won't screw with your DAW setup (although I bought it in the end and do have it running all the time).

bayoubill
I downloaded and chose custom install. Somehow about 12 other programs installed in the background without me knowing. I've been fighting www search com and other hijack #@)($
 I restored win 7 and am trying to get rid of all the other programs. I also got a call from someone telling me I had called to help fix win 10. I thought for a sec and can't tell you what I said. What a scam

If I were you I would:
* Backup with something like Acronis Trueimage onto external hard drive
* Consider upgrading to Win10 (legit https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10ISO )run setup within windows. Do a clean install.
* Once windows 10 is installed, boot off the disk, do a custom install, format the partition and do a completely clean Windows 10 installation from scratch.
 
Just to be sure you don't get problems in future. And once windows 10 is all in the place the first thing you need to do is get a decent up to date virus/malware scanner installed.

Ta.

I downloaded and activated malware bytes  premium and found a particularly nasty malware named relevantknowledge that was all over the place, it snuk  in with some seemingly benign page, I think it was some  free classic sheet music pages ,
anyway scan scan scan ..
Bill I feel your pain , BUT once you get it all cleaned up and find a driver you will luvre win 10
a few things I am going to miss
 
my Liquid Mix no longer works with Win10 no matter what tricks I tried.
 
my Powercore Element card doesnt fit my tower,plus its obsolete anyway(but had some damn good plugs) the voice modeling was neat plus the premium plugs I purchased.
 
MOTU Symphonic Instrument VST wont register but i did download the 64 bit versions of their instrument bank and can open it in UVI

Thank you Doktor! I'm very turned off about upgrading now. I spoke to a tech here in town and he said win 7 will be good thru 2020 so I can keep what I have.
 
Joe - before I downloaded I ran malware bytes and got 0 bugs. I went to the win 10 download site and followed directions. During instillation I chose custom install. I turned down all the "extras" and after it was complete I closed the window to find about 15 small windows I could'nt see. It was down hill from there. Every time I tried to go back to win 7 some program would interrupt and stop the process then freezing my PC. I wound up having to monitor task manager and shutting down,every minute or so, some program accessing the net. It took me 6 hours to get back to win 7.
I have everything as it was and I'm leaving it that way. Thanks everyone for the input and advice!!!
 

bayoubill
Thank you Doktor! I'm very turned off about upgrading now. I spoke to a tech here in town and he said win 7 will be good thru 2020 so I can keep what I have.
 

 
Unfortunately (much to my personal chagrin) apparently Cakewalk will stop testing Sonar on Win7 "soon".
 
This was a post from a Baker and I tried to get an elaboration on what "soon" meant but did not get a reply.
 
Of course that's not to say (as they pointed out) that future versions of Sonar won't work on Win7. They just won't be testing new releases on it "soon".
 
Just so you are informed...
 
Also, I agree with the others something horrific and totally not normal must have happened with your Win10 install. Something other than MS weirdness is most definitely in play here.
 
The phone call thing is also creepy as mufuggin' hell and why I tend to be ultra paranoid about personal info on the tubes. I won't even type my phone number in an email or general document on my internet computers.
 
The sneaky spying prigholes still can probably get it if they really wanted to. Love the new technology. Hate the new zero privacy creepshow that seems to come along with it.
 
Good luck, dood.

Some where along the line I was hijacked. It all looked legit which is the spooky part.   Btw, it all started by me clicking the windows ad in the taskbar. The Windows 10 icon. The annoying one
 
I didn't find the right driver for my Edirol FA-66 in win 10 either 

I like W-10 so far but I'm not secure enough to put it on my DAW. I thought I had a problem on the lappy but a reboot and W-10 fixed itself. It really seems to be a jam up OS. Just study up on the security options, there are tips all over the tech sites.
I'll likely update my DAW sometime in the spring... it's nothing I can't wait to do, W-8.1 is working just fine. I figure everything should be up to speed by then. I updated the Line6 driver last week and the UX-2 works good with W-10, the Octa-Capture, I haven't tried but I think it was Fireberd who said his Octa and Studio-Capture were both working on W-10.
 
You cannot stop technology, like someone said, "you roll with it, or it will roll over you".
 
I don't intend to be an old guy driving a 30 year old Buick with a 50 year old hair style... same with technology and other things. I think deciding you're going to like something before you get it helps a lot. Like when I went from lined bifocals to progressives... I was told that a lot of people had trouble adjusting and brought them back. I decided that I was going to like them, I got them and never looked back. Never had a minute's trouble adjusting. It's like that with the new Windows UI, you can still get the old desktop, IE is still there (I tried EDGE but it rearranged my favorites and I don't think it is as secure). Metro never bothered me in W-8, I just click and get the desktop if I want it or use the tiles if I want to. I think all the drivers will soon work and from what I hear W-10 isn't nearly as picky about drivers as previous Windows OS'.. and you have a 30 day window to roll back to 7, but don't look back... just do it, when you get ready.
I DO like it better than W-7, it's about the same as W-8 to me as far as use... but I don't use 8 for general surfing.
 
Sooner or later you'll need to jump... you know that right? Safest... wait till after Christmas but make up your mind to like it and GO! That's my advice.
 
J