For now I'm going to treat this as a windows 7 question instead of a virus question.

A couple of weeks ago I uninstall my McAfee 2012 version and install the 2013. At the time I tried to get it to use the windows firewall instead of McAfee's. I couldn't really get it to do that and ended up with, I thought, McAfee firewall. With my messing around, I may have had no firewall at all.

A few days later I got my first real intrusion on my computer since I've been on the net in the early 90's. It locked my browser and said it wanted money. A LITTLE work, a virus scan, and things seemed normal. Before the scan I found SOMETHING CALLED 'Quinn Beset Fete Preen Lucy' in my startup items. The scan removed that and three trojans, and quarantined a few things.

Anyway to make this shorter, I then found that McAfee firewall wasn't working, and neither was windows firewall. I couldn't get either to work. Trying to set windows firewall to 'recommended settings' I would get error code 0x80070424, and the Advanced Security snap-in window had an error 0x6D9.

Thinking McAfee was interfering, I've uninstalled it and installed Microsoft Security Essentials. Still can't get windows firewall to work using info found on the net.

Realizing that I may still have a virus, but I may just have a messed up windows 7 installation, I would like to just reinstall windows 7 over my current installation to fix the firewall. If I understand this, I can just do an upgrade install.

Is this possible? Will it keep my settings, links to programs, and all that kind of stuff? If this doesn't work, I'll start working on this as a virus.

Thanks
HarryIf it is a bad virus, it will get into your programs and settings and into things you would not even imagine.
You may want to use a tool that scans your computer for a bookable CD. You need to have an Ethernet connection to the internet. Th CD will try get a virus update from a site and then run a full scan on your system.
One such is made by Alvira. There are others. Such a tool The do NOT require the OS to be working. It will will boot from a spacial Linux kernel.
http://www.avira.com/en/download/product/avira-antivir-rescue-system
I believe this is the safest thing you can do now. However, you may wish to post again in the virus section ans see what they say.
BTW, doth. thou have a backup?Repair Install of Win7...

If you still show signs of infection AFTERWARDS which is still possible visit our Malware section and follow the Guide for posting your logs....My harddrive has 4 partitions with one (G:) set aside for system IMAGE. I had set up the computer to make an image every once in a while, and delete the oldest image when full. Something didn't work right and the computer kept saying the drive was full. I did something to make it stop that. Even though my G: drive still shows it is nearly full, doing what I think is the correct procedure to restore an image, the computer says there is no image. So I don't know what's going on there. If there is an image, I would think it is very old, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, I had seen stuff on the net about reinstalling windows 7 as an upgrade right over the previous installation. And it shouldn't cause any real problem. I looked on Microsoft Knowledge Base, but still wasn't sure I should do a reinstall. I did find the page 'Repair install of Windows 7' that Patio has pointed me to. Since no-one has jumped on me with 'DON'T DO THAT,' I'll go ahead and do the repair.

I'll let you know what happens. If this doesn't work, I'll look for other solutions including what Geek-9PM has pointed me to. And probably back here in the Malware section.

Thanks for the help.
HarryDid you not read the link above ? ?
It has detailed instructions for a Repair Install...Yes Patio, I saw the link, and that is the repair I'm going to do. Thanks again.You're Welcome...sorry i didn't see that in the Post above...
My posts can be kind of long and wordy. One has to read them closely to figure out what they say.

Anyway, I did the reinstall, and windows firewall is working. So far everything seems to be fine, but I haven't finished checking.

If I have any problems I may be back. Thanks for the help folks. Have to make a pot roast now.If you need any help with that ...let us know.