Windows 8 Store strange url?

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MartinTheMartian

Honorable
Apr 14, 2013
3
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10,510
I just got a laptop with Windows 8 factory installed. Many apps in the Windows 8 store cannot be directly installed, so they say "Get app from publisher" with a link "Go to publisher's website". The publisher at the bottom left hand corner is always in Chinese characters. The "publisher's website" in every case is (just in case it's a malicious site, I'm going to add some extra letters in here... disregard the capital letter Xs) getXdeskXtopXapp.com, which was apparently registered a month ago by a Chinese guy.

I know what you're thinking. Same reason I came here. This looks so fishy. There's *no way* that this is legit. It seems to be this way for all of the apps I try to find in the store that aren't typical Windows 8 "metro" style apps.

Can somebody give this a shot and let me know what publisher comes up? Search the app store for Filezilla or Peazip. Hover your mouse over "Go to publisher's website" on the left, or even the support link on the bottom right. Does it have the real website or is it all at the fishy domain?

I can't find anybody online referring to this site and it's only existed for a month. I haven't installed anything except EasyBCD (to fix a bootloader problem after installing linux beside Win 8), Chrome (from chrome.google.com) and Peazip from sourceforge.
 
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unksol

Splendid
Sep 12, 2011
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I would highly suggest you go to the real windows 8 app store. Instead of the beyond obviously fake www.windows8appstore.com. And why would you look for real software in the app store anyway? Download it from the publisher/maker.

The url is obviously not Microsoft. They have start8 on the main page and a bunch of scam apps. Trick scam links on product pages. The file information page is not Microsoft design. They have Android and iPhone app links. Their contact page is not Microsoft. It is copyright 2013. I mean everything about it screams fake/scam.

My favorite right at the bottom page "Windows 8 App Store is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation."

Use obviously scam/fake/suspicious sites and you get scam/fake/suspicious links.
 
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MartinTheMartian

Honorable
Apr 14, 2013
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10,510


I am using it from within Windows 8! I click on the Search charm on the right side of the screen, then App Store (or Apps, I forget exactly), and search for the program I'm looking for. I come from the Debian/Ubuntu world, so I am used to sticking with whatever's in the official repository.

EDIT: In case my original post wasn't clear, I attempt to search the official Windows 8 store for apps, since I'd like native metro (whatever they call metro now) apps and get notified of updates. The only way I found to search the Windows 8 store is via the charm menu. It often finds apps that don't have an official metro version, so the link from the actual store says "get this from publisher's website", but every time I've seen this (see the programs named above), it's the same link to the obviously non-Microsoft site. Thanks for helping me try to figure this out! If it's a scam, it's somehow in my factory version of the Windows 8 store.
 
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unksol

Splendid
Sep 12, 2011
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In would assume someone hijacked your store link then. I don't see that you installed any virus protection, but there was probably some preinstalled crap at least. Or the manufacture set it wrong. Or something. Don't have one to play with. The real windows store is here

Http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/apps#Cat=t1

The links are like you say in the fake ones website. Doubt you'll find desktop apps in the real windows store, especially open source. But I'm on my phone so it's not playing nice with their search
 
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SchizTech

SchizTech

Judicious
Jan 16, 2011
5,278
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There are Desktop apps listed in the Store. Also I found the same links in the Windows Store app. There's really no such thing as an unprotected Windows 8 either since it has the upgraded Windows Defender which is actually MSE in all but name.

 
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SchizTech

SchizTech

Judicious
Jan 16, 2011
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? Who's a Pirate? The OP says he got a new system with Win8 preinstalled and I purchased a legal upgrade from Windows 7
 
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unksol

Splendid
Sep 12, 2011
7,060
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27,960
Can't tell you how or why it's going there doing what your doing. Do you at least have to use your Microsoft account to access it? You're supposed to have to sign in as I understand it.

Maybe hijacked. Maybe the manufacture set it to a different store they get kickbacks from or something or got paid to mess it up. (wait they'd never install crapware on a new PC. My bad)

Anyway regardless of why, is it like that in the Microsoft store on the website? If so fine, Microsoft is jacked up. maybe this fake one is just copying. If it's not like that or not there, and I can't imagine it will be, I wouldn't touch anything from wherever your store or app or whatever is taking you with a 10 foot pole.

 
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MartinTheMartian

Honorable
Apr 14, 2013
3
0
10,510
The laptop was purchased last month directly from a major manufacturer's website (I am hesitant to mention the company now, since it looks possible that they have sold a laptop with malware). The copy is not pirated. The whole reason I'm here is to see if other people are seeing the same thing or not.

If it makes a difference, I am logging in with a local account. If I choose to install a metro app, it asks for my Microsoft account and password (at least it did the first time I tried). I changed passwords for my important stuff last night (using linux, I am assuming that the Windows system is compromised). I will be contacting Microsoft today.

I don't think I installed anything from the strange domain. I think I am paranoid enough that I just opened up a browser and navigated to the actual sites myself. But the system must still have gotten modified sometime between when it was being assembled and yesterday - how else would it keep trying to direct me to this domain?

Thanks for the assistance, guys!

Edit: the laptop came with McAfee, but I think it was only a month of free use, so a few days ago, I switched to Windows Defender and Windows firewall. It has always been behind my router's firewall. It is strange that I am not the only person here who sees these links. I will stick to Linux until this gets sorted and try reinstalling windows from the rescue partition later. It will be very interesting to see if this happens from the factory image. In the meantime, if anybody else can verify that this does or does not occur with them, please reply!
 
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