Acemagic Is Selling SPYWARE! Don't Buy These Mini PCs

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  • Опубликовано: 22 ноя 2024

Комментарии • 141

  • @Imnotimportant555
    @Imnotimportant555 7 месяцев назад +69

    This is why I ALWAYS reinstall windows on ANY machine that I get. I first run Active@ to fully wipe the drives then I install windows from an ISO that I download. If I didn't install windows then I don't trust it at all and it will go NOWHERE near my network.

    • @mattscomputerservices
      @mattscomputerservices  7 месяцев назад +21

      That’s definitely an excellent model to follow however, majority of the people buying systems like this. Have no idea that they need to do this nor do they know how to do it. And that’s the real problem.

    • @Imnotimportant555
      @Imnotimportant555 7 месяцев назад +4

      @@mattscomputerservices This is very true. Many people are just not that tech inclined to know that they need to reinstall windows on machines like this.

    • @ronlevon4294
      @ronlevon4294 7 месяцев назад +8

      this will not help if virus/malware is present in bios, 0-sector of SSD or special partition in SSD that only visible in Linux (like we have in XBOX)

    • @nitinkumar29
      @nitinkumar29 6 месяцев назад

      Did you consider that they may even have spyware on the chip on the motherboard...many routers from China were found to have backdoor on a non-suspicious looking ic on the motherboard and that was 10 years ago.

    • @jp6568
      @jp6568 6 месяцев назад +5

      Wait until you learn about the Intel Management Engine

  • @3mar00ss6
    @3mar00ss6 6 месяцев назад +26

    someone needs to sue tf outta them

    • @carbonbomb4774
      @carbonbomb4774 Месяц назад

      You try to sue AT&T for the bloatware they put on the phones they sell new?

    • @S1LLY_uhhhh-Takeachance2
      @S1LLY_uhhhh-Takeachance2 Месяц назад +2

      @@carbonbomb4774 they have telemetry, not goddamn cookie stealers

    • @RingoYote
      @RingoYote 15 часов назад

      @@3mar00ss6 they legally can't, Acemagic is a Chinese company

  • @TheNetGuy
    @TheNetGuy 6 месяцев назад +6

    Bravo Matt - thank you for the detailed investigating here. I knew this couldn’t be an isolated incident and scary to hear infected PCs are still shipping to this day. Another RUclipsr called this a “buying opportunity” and gives them a pass believe it or not 🤦‍♂️ +1 sub from me!

    • @Leslielulu
      @Leslielulu 6 месяцев назад

      I heard that the company has already recalled all the problematic products. Maybe it's better to wait and see how the situation unfolds.

  • @Revan-
    @Revan- 6 месяцев назад +15

    Really unfortunate because I thought these Mini PC's were really cool pieces of tech. I even considered buying one. Whats the plan with all the units you bought then? Also I think it would be really cool if you did a video on the steps to nuke the PC and do a fresh install. I'm sure there's people out there who aren't very tech inclined who DID buy these and are frantically looking for answers.
    Also great video! Subbed 👍

    • @peters8181
      @peters8181 3 месяца назад +1

      I got one and nothing wrong with windows

    • @leewalton7403
      @leewalton7403 Месяц назад

      nothing wrong with windows lol don't trust it. seriously, wipe the hdd and install a copy from Microsoft. No company should be doing what these are doing & I suspect they will be in court soon(tm)

  • @Trick-Framed
    @Trick-Framed 2 месяца назад +2

    I received one of these to review last year. It had none of these issues. No built in Chrome. No super fast install. Still wanted internet to download MS updates, which I let it do (Why don't you have a hotspot adapter or another mitigation method so you can test these running netcode?) through my mini 4G hotspot. It was fine. It works fine. Plays some games but at 8GB of DDR5 4800 it's a bit anemic in the gaming dept. Oldrim runs fine, Skyrim not so much but you can get a locked 1080p 60 out of it. Emulation was fine too with CEMU, Dolphin and Redream running just fine on it without issues. Browsing was fine, I installed Chrome and watched RUclips on my 4k. It was fine with it. I had 13 dropped frames total and they were during the initial buffering. After that it was smooth and that was all on Wifi using a Hotspot. Connecting the ethernet cord to the wifi dropped some latency but not much. Jacking it directly into ethernet from a router and cable modem was also fine. Unfortunately, due to the slow HDMI ports on the unit (They didn't use 2.1) you can only see HDR in 1080p. And I feel they should have 12GB minimum in these as the iGPU is literally crying for more memory. The 16GB units run the games I tried with far less issues and at higher resolutions with marginally better performance. In all I had not a single issue. Now, the Beelink SER7 I have for review on the other hand? This is a unit you are better off installing your own OS on. I had to install Windows 11 myself as their copy was grey market like all these mainland Chinese brands use. Other than the Windows 11 issue though, the SER7 is a beast of a miniPC. Just too expensive. Mind you, for the price you still can't build a better performing mITX machine, so there is that, and it uses SO-DIMMS so memory is upgradeable. When the prices come down on the Zen 5 APUs it might be possible to build a comparable mITX for the price but only time will tell that story. I am so sorry you had to go through all of this and had all of these issues. I have a theory that the people tasked with sending out the products for these reviews want to see what you do with them and the malware is for that purpose. To spy on content creators. Which makes sense if you were a commie. They have no copyright laws or privacy laws per se. But I can't condone that. Ever. I can say that there was a time when the commie products didn't come with any OS. You had to supply your own and they were even cheaper for it. They should probably go back to that model. they may sell less, sure, but at least they won't have to deal with the spy department installing malware the rest of the company is unable to do anything about due to the structure of the business being state backed. Can't wait to see North Korean minipcs 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

  • @louman76
    @louman76 6 месяцев назад +5

    I have the ad08 version with the navwitus found in browser. Just did a clean wipe and install of windows…worked like a charm.

  • @shaunwilliams8077
    @shaunwilliams8077 24 дня назад +5

    I bought one in October 2024 and it is clean, no spyware or malware.

    •  9 дней назад

      Or more likely - now it's just hidden better...

  • @jamesb2877
    @jamesb2877 6 месяцев назад +11

    I run linux no spy ware or BSD If it can boot usb I am good to go.

  • @TheOmegaDMM
    @TheOmegaDMM 6 месяцев назад +24

    At this point I wouldn't trust Microsoft either. Os level ads is just as risky.

  • @gordo8189
    @gordo8189 6 месяцев назад +13

    Who buys a PC and doesn't do a clean install of the operating system?? AceMagic 'custom' builds might be spying on you, but plenty of 'big names' have been caught with their pants around their ankles for similarly invasive practices (we're looking at YOU rootkit Sony). Unless you go open-source, it's not a matter of whether or not you're being spied on but rather who you are choosing to allow to sell your information (we're looking at you AT&T, Verizon etc.). The age of privacy and anonymity is dead, and unless you work hard you ARE the product..

  • @fearless6947
    @fearless6947 Месяц назад

    I'm smiling throughout this video 😁. This guy has integrity.

  • @chj915
    @chj915 6 месяцев назад +2

    bought a new pc, wipe the whole disk, install whatever the OS you like, don't pay for the Windows OS unless it is free and comes with the pc.

  • @MrHturtle99
    @MrHturtle99 4 месяца назад

    More people need to see this. These computers are everywhere and I even considered buying the gaming cube one with the rtx 3060 on prime day. Good thing I didn't. Definitely earned a like a sub from me 😃

  • @orologi1000
    @orologi1000 3 месяца назад +3

    I have one of those and it didn't have chrome pre installed (or if it was pre installed it was a normal installation) and a third party antivirus found no spyware.

  • @benmobi
    @benmobi 2 месяца назад

    Well done on this. You are wrong in saying it's odd that you can set up without a Microsoft Account, that no other makes do this, In fact, there are several other makers of Mini PCs who do this (allow this). Good article overall.

  • @gerakore8948
    @gerakore8948 6 месяцев назад

    one thing to consider is the possibility of resalers doing this then it really would not matter what company makes the device

  • @martinparr193
    @martinparr193 4 месяца назад

    Rubber bands to hold the heatsink on is nothing new, I have a couple of those myself, bought off of Amazon. I recently bought their AX16 laptop for my daughter to use as her college laptop, I used partition magic to delete all partitions and then created a new partition and did a clean install of Windows using the Microsoft media creation tool. So far I am impressed with their laptop for the price that I paid, $399 on sale.

  • @epsileth
    @epsileth 4 месяца назад

    They fixed it quick. Always a good idea to image and wipe the drive.

  • @onknight
    @onknight 3 месяца назад +1

    Here's what you do don't connect it to the internet. Burn a copy of Windows to a thumb drive and format and overwrite the the OS no more spyware

    • @PeterDB90
      @PeterDB90 2 месяца назад +1

      Make sure to get the key first. If it's not listed on the outside of the machine or in the paperwork, you'll need to first boot it up without connecting it to any network and once you get through the setup and get to the desktop, go to settings and find the windows key, write it down, and THEN go ahead and reinstall fresh windows that you downloaded onto a flash drive from a different PC.

    • @azumashinobi1559
      @azumashinobi1559 2 месяца назад

      ​@@PeterDB90 appreciate the advice gonna do this myself

  • @artlandmarknyc
    @artlandmarknyc 3 месяца назад +3

    Just format and install a clean windows with the key they provided

    • @PeterDB90
      @PeterDB90 2 месяца назад

      Are the keys typically listed on the outside of the machine?
      I bought one anyway planning to do a clean install, but I figured I'd first boot it up while not connected to any networks so that I can go to settings and retrieve the key, and then do a clean install with a USB flash drive that I download Windows to using a different PC and use the key I got when prompted.

    • @artlandmarknyc
      @artlandmarknyc 2 месяца назад

      @@PeterDB90 yes there is a key or you can open cmd and run command "wmic path softwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey"

  • @PubRunner
    @PubRunner 6 месяцев назад +10

    Just a thought is there anything loaded into their bios that could reinfect a fresh window install?

    • @mattscomputerservices
      @mattscomputerservices  6 месяцев назад +3

      It’s not impossible and I did think of that but it’s probably very unlikely, as it’s not only complicated to setup (doesn’t really rule it out but it would require some dedication) and based on the spyware I found it’s all fairly surface level so I doubt that it’s that deep but I’ll see if I can scan it for anything I missed.

    • @PubRunner
      @PubRunner 6 месяцев назад

      @@mattscomputerserviceswhat about moonbounce or similar?
      It would be ideal as it can be used as a launchpad.

  • @Zman01
    @Zman01 4 месяца назад +2

    I have had one of these pc’s since November of last year, but it didn’t come with chrome pre-installed, infact I’ve never installed chrome on that pc, however I still want to be sure it’s not infected. I use Malwarebytes free version, but I’m wondering what software you used to scan the computers in this video.

  • @PeterDB90
    @PeterDB90 2 месяца назад

    I bought one anyway - I plan to use it as an emulation machine that will not be connected to any networks (I will put all the data on a flash drive and then transfer it to this mini PC). Unless they can somehow get my data from my TV via HDMI cable or are able to retrieve it from my controller (or KBnM) that I'll be connecting to this thing, there isn't a way for them to get any of my data from this machine out to wherever they can steal it.

  • @regwatson2017
    @regwatson2017 6 месяцев назад +1

    Amazon won't do eff all about it. Even when told many times they don't even remove software like Norton's that is geolocked but being sold in Countries that can't install and use it.

    • @mattscomputerservices
      @mattscomputerservices  6 месяцев назад

      Honestly that’s what I think needs to change even more, because I see so many scam products these days on Amazon that it’s just ridiculous and whenever I report one it takes a while before anything seems to be done if at all. The best example of this would include the scam SSDs that I’ve made videos on in the past I’ll report them to Amazon support and usually they’ll still be sold for another month to two after that before being taken down.

  • @dj_paultuk7052
    @dj_paultuk7052 6 месяцев назад +1

    You can still setup a local account when doing a Win11 install, i build about 10 machines a week so do this all the time.

    • @mattscomputerservices
      @mattscomputerservices  6 месяцев назад +1

      My concern was more that it didn’t allow you on the initial setup prompt you to setup your device with a Microsoft account. It was bypassed. Plus to bypass it on the official windows installer you have to enter command prompt. Which is why I brought it to attention.

    • @dj_paultuk7052
      @dj_paultuk7052 6 месяцев назад

      @@mattscomputerservices I find on the official installer / usb (Current), all you have to do is pull the ethernet cable at that point, click next. 2 mins later it times out and offers you a local account. As soon as you do that, plug ethernet back in and continue.

  • @marinevet7273
    @marinevet7273 7 дней назад

    So what comparable pc would you recommend?

  • @1Conquistador
    @1Conquistador 5 месяцев назад

    I just wiped the drive & flashed regata OS on it, working fine now!

    • @DanDan10101
      @DanDan10101 4 месяца назад

      What about the lcd display?

  • @resistnonexist
    @resistnonexist 2 месяца назад

    Reminds me of the superfish spyware Lenovo had on their systems back in the day

  • @blackopal3138
    @blackopal3138 2 месяца назад +1

    Ya, I contacted my seller to ask if I had to pay MS for windows 11, cz it just felt dodgy using it with no account, lol. now I have a new problem maybe Did they make some with 'mini pc' on the top light, instead of ACE Magic?? Or does that mean I got a copy/knock-off? I bought it on AliExpress

  • @cyberjack
    @cyberjack 6 месяцев назад +1

    if you install windows 11 offline it will automatically skip having to make a Microsoft account ... very useful if you don't want one

    • @mattscomputerservices
      @mattscomputerservices  6 месяцев назад +2

      That’s true, but on this install, there wasn’t an option to set up the device with a Microsoft account to begin with. Which shows how this device was being setup on a custom install of windows.

  • @SSpees
    @SSpees Месяц назад +1

    Is it possible some are clones from china. ?

  • @LieutenantLapdance
    @LieutenantLapdance 5 месяцев назад +1

    Well that's how they sell those mini PCs so cheap... they're selling your data as well! I wouldn't be surprised if this was bigger than just some gray market Windows installs, there's got to be a lot of breaches based on this kind of malware.

    • @EnterpriseKnight
      @EnterpriseKnight 5 месяцев назад +1

      I guess the deal is still pretty good if you format the hell out of it.

  • @apanapane
    @apanapane 5 месяцев назад +1

    Thank you for this eye-opening video. Made me decide to not buy their products.

  • @HairyScrambler
    @HairyScrambler 5 месяцев назад +1

    So it’s just on the OS or is there also firmware level malware? If you really want to buy one of these machine you might as well scrap the drive. At which point just buy a minisforum

  • @TacitusSapientia
    @TacitusSapientia 12 дней назад

    format ALL DRIVES, few times over, delete partitons, make new ones, then reinstall win from reputable source

  • @popthatbeep
    @popthatbeep 2 месяца назад

    Hi, i have this pc, got it as a gift. Haven’t use it yet. What should I do if I want to use it? I really don’t know about these malware and virus. What should I tell my local pc stores tech if I want to clean install it? Would it be able to use it normally? Including the screen thing?

  • @blackopal3138
    @blackopal3138 2 месяца назад

    Ya, but your sller bought it from them and should be able to get the credit and pass it on to you.... I bought mine in the 3rd week of November. The BT sucks, and the cursor is constantly sticking/delay. Like, long enough to get timed out of a poker hand, it's ridic

  • @JetSkiDessie
    @JetSkiDessie Месяц назад

    Thank you!

  • @kpadalldotablet1009
    @kpadalldotablet1009 2 месяца назад +1

    Please do not buy any Chinese brands. You'll regret it. ACEMAGIC is a GREAT example. Besides, their SSDs, chip sets, caps and everything else Chinese brands use are just complete crap.

  • @firstname2022
    @firstname2022 17 дней назад

    Thank you.

  • @travisbonzpiercy2660
    @travisbonzpiercy2660 2 месяца назад

    This is crazy and scammy as hell and they did acknowledge it and totally gave some bogus ass answers. I have not and will never buy anything from this company. All retailers should blacklist this company.

  • @bondjovi4595
    @bondjovi4595 6 месяцев назад

    So does BackMarket. I have a PC with locked bios to prove it.

  • @Supervisor360
    @Supervisor360 2 месяца назад +1

    what doesnt have spyware nowadays

  • @cicievie
    @cicievie 3 месяца назад

    how about beelink ser5 max ?? im planning to buy it

  • @BeyondLumen
    @BeyondLumen 5 месяцев назад

    Wipe the hard drive via DOD Gautam format 3x then you can do a clean install of Windows Xo not use the ace magician system restore don't install anything ace magician find the hardware IDs and download the drivers take about 1hr for everything to be installed no virus no worries

  • @goouimeko
    @goouimeko 7 месяцев назад

    What is the best laptop that stays cool for gaming?My price budget is 1200.What is the best thing for me to get?I would love your advice for help

    • @mattscomputerservices
      @mattscomputerservices  6 месяцев назад +3

      First, I’ll say most gaming laptops have a cooling issue that’s pretty standard with this past generation of hardware. But one system that I have really enjoyed using did include some thermal results in my last laptop cooler round up is one from Asus: amzn.to/44iV1QF
      It’s probably a little above your budget right now, but it may be worth saving for. It’s a really solid machine.

    • @mattscomputerservices
      @mattscomputerservices  6 месяцев назад +1

      Also, depending on the deal, this is the cheapest you can get a RTX 4070: amzn.to/3QoIUvT

    • @mattscomputerservices
      @mattscomputerservices  6 месяцев назад +1

      One more option to look at is this system from Lenovo. I’m actually working on a review of a system similar to this one and I like it quite a bit. amzn.to/44iVaDH

    • @goouimeko
      @goouimeko 6 месяцев назад

      Thank youu

  • @declanheerey3776
    @declanheerey3776 6 месяцев назад

    I bought one of these PC's............had it attached to my network for over a week before I worked out what was going on (I was busy)........Google Chrome installed and loaded with spyware..............absolutely no support from Ace Magic OR Amazon

    • @DanDan10101
      @DanDan10101 4 месяца назад

      How did you find that?

  • @rch5395
    @rch5395 6 месяцев назад

    You can bypass it with cmd (the Microsoft acount requirment)

  • @forgwrap
    @forgwrap 4 месяца назад +2

    im probably gonna buy one and shove linux on it

  • @chrismurphy2769
    @chrismurphy2769 6 месяцев назад +4

    That's a legit review.
    "They sent me free review models, so I bought consumer ones to fully review them..."
    Also, he bought enough to make a class action lawsuit all by himself.

  • @BenjaminWSong
    @BenjaminWSong 6 месяцев назад +1

    Install your own OS. You don't just consume food from random strangers, eh? Just purchasing Mac is another solution if you don't know how to install your own OS.

    • @PeterDB90
      @PeterDB90 2 месяца назад

      I consume food from strangers all the time. Nearly 100% of the food I consume is from strangers, except for the couple of things here and there that I harvested myself or got from friends/family who grew it themselves. What are you talking about?
      Every time you buy food from a grocery store, restaurant, fast food, food trucks, literally every time you BUY food, you are consuming food from strangers. For most people it's nearly 100% of the food, and for the rest it's more than 50%.

  • @friendly_pyro
    @friendly_pyro 2 месяца назад

    If i change the SSD, the spyware gets removed?

    • @foxtrots5223
      @foxtrots5223 2 месяца назад

      Yes it will but you will have to reinstall the os onto the new SSD

    • @friendly_pyro
      @friendly_pyro 2 месяца назад

      @@foxtrots5223 yippe

  • @pyronic120120
    @pyronic120120 4 месяца назад

    wow good thing i saw this. just bought one cause it was the cheapest. i shall perform aclean install on mine as soon as it arives

    • @lizethmartinez-arias9238
      @lizethmartinez-arias9238 4 месяца назад

      Is there a way you could explain how or show how to do this I ordered one recently and I don’t even know this was possible

    • @calvinengle2020
      @calvinengle2020 3 месяца назад

      ​@@lizethmartinez-arias9238look up how to download the version of Microsoft os you want on there and put it on a USB drive and just wipe the ssd and reinstall fresh you can lookup vids on how to do all of this.. gl and hope it works

    • @PeterDB90
      @PeterDB90 2 месяца назад

      @@lizethmartinez-arias9238
      Just search "how to do clean Windows install" and they will take you step by step. It's something that's a bit too long to describe over comment section. You will need a flash drive, preferably one that's MBR formatted, but if not, you can format it into an MBR drive yourself with some software. Anyway, the point is you need to look it up.

  • @AnthonyChopra
    @AnthonyChopra 4 месяца назад

    maybe also use a Format tool on another windows to compleatly wipe the SSD as i found some hidden parts in my old old SSD from 2017
    after fully wiping it then its prob okay
    tho even getting a new SSD is the best tbh and intall waht ever os you want

  • @bobsmith5096
    @bobsmith5096 4 месяца назад

    I bought mine in 2022, has anyone had problems with units from this time? Thanks

    • @peters8181
      @peters8181 3 месяца назад +1

      There is no problem this guy is full of BS to get views.
      12k views and only 500 likes.
      He is full of it

    • @PeterDB90
      @PeterDB90 2 месяца назад

      @@peters8181 He's not the only one who reported on finding malware on the machine preinstalled

  • @OsX86H3AvY
    @OsX86H3AvY 6 месяцев назад

    when the biden team tells us as they did the other day about foreign countries in our infrastructure i think of all the cheap IoT products, mini PCs, TV boxes, emulators, etc., we buy everday...this here is an obvious thing...I expect we Americans are building the world's largest botnet for them ourselves.

  • @jameshurley224
    @jameshurley224 3 месяца назад

    Most likely they're using a bootleg os from the Internet

  • @LORENZOCOLALONGO
    @LORENZOCOLALONGO 3 месяца назад

    What possible ?

  • @RandomBSOD
    @RandomBSOD 6 месяцев назад +3

    you're about 2 months late with this video. acemagic already released clean (iso) images for the windows re-install as the software required for the lcd to work is only included in the aforementioned image.

    • @mattscomputerservices
      @mattscomputerservices  6 месяцев назад +9

      Actually the point of this video was to raise awareness that the issue isn’t resolved because if you can still by a system from them today with spyware then it’s still an issue that needs to be addressed.

    • @CareyHolzman
      @CareyHolzman 6 месяцев назад +2

      @@mattscomputerservices You are buying old inventory. The issue was fixed months ago. Wake up!

    • @mattscomputerservices
      @mattscomputerservices  6 месяцев назад +13

      The old inventory needs to be pulled then. Because people are still buying these PCs unaware of the consequences, so it’s important to raise awareness that they haven’t taken care of this issue completely if they’re still selling systems with spyware two months later.

    • @gabrielfuertesm148
      @gabrielfuertesm148 5 месяцев назад +1

      ​@@mattscomputerservicesbut is secure? Now?

  • @33yoal
    @33yoal 6 месяцев назад

    Just a thought, if you or others are so worried about spyware, telemetry, etc. , why are you using windows? Linux anyone...

  • @kiendra
    @kiendra 6 месяцев назад +1

    I accidentally read the thumbnail as delaware 😭😭💀💀💀💀

  • @JeffStadt
    @JeffStadt 4 месяца назад

    I find this very funny. Pretty much all devices (PC,Phone,Streaming Devices, etc) has some sort of malware and or spying software. Bios crap needs to be hard coded in the eeprom of the bios chip. I find it really hard to think that this is done. Software maybe. just reload this thing

  • @declanheerey3776
    @declanheerey3776 6 месяцев назад

    DO NOT BUY ONE OF THESE PC's - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED......I bought mine from Amazon in Feb 2024!!!!

    • @peters8181
      @peters8181 3 месяца назад

      And I bet you found nothing wrong with it

  • @goouimeko
    @goouimeko 7 месяцев назад

    😊

  • @theethans898
    @theethans898 5 месяцев назад

    Buy barebones get drives from reputable source

  • @davebcoolin
    @davebcoolin 4 месяца назад

    Reason not to purchase

  • @SignalChange
    @SignalChange 6 месяцев назад +1

    Funny how he's worried about a bit of spyware on his system when windows 11 is entirely filled with trackers, telemetry, os level shenanigans.. no-one should run it, regardless of what PC its on. Not to mention ' a very specific os installation cd for making a local account ' pish.. just install it without the network connected.

  • @francescof1470
    @francescof1470 4 месяца назад

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