Solve : really sick computer?

1.	Solve : really sick computer?
Answer» first of all i want to say what a great site this is. my home computer has been compromised severely and i found this site and printed several topics to try and none of them worked. first of all something disabled my mcafee install shield and virus scan. my taskbar is gone and i tried several of the methods ya'll posted to retrieve it and nothing worked. secondly, i tried to "system restore" and it tells me my computer is not protected by system restore and it wouldn't run. i checked all the settings for the task bar and it should show up. mcafee has given me some instructions to try to solve their issues but i have to have a dos prompt and don't know where to find it in xp. has anyone had any similar problems and could ya'll tell me where to get a dos prompt without my taskbar? thanksPress F8 while your computer is booting and choose a dos prompt from there.thanks i'll give it a tryLet us know how you go with the taskbar problem please.will dothanks for all the info available here. i'm afraid nothing has helped and i may have made things worse. as WELL as the missing taskbar and DISABLING of virus software the computer won't allow me to disable system restore. i tried to run a virus scan from grisoft several times and it stops somewhere in system32 files. i ran hijackthis but the computer won't let me on the internet anymore so i couldn't send file or e-mail it elsewhere. i copied cwshredder and adaware and loaded them and ran them. they found several problems which they "fixed" but it still doesn't work. my question is, is there anyway to just reload and start over? it's a fairly new computer so i don't have a lot of files i am concerned with saving. Quote is there anyway to just reload and start over? it's a fairly new computer so i don't have a lot of files i am concerned with saving. You should look into this. Before connecting to the Internet, install the FOLLOWING programs to prevent any security breaches: Virus scanners AVG Free -- Anti virus scanner Trend MICRO Housecall -- Online anti virus scanner. Anti spy/malware Microsoft Antispyware -- Anti spyware scanner. Windows XP Home and Professional only. Spybot Search & Destroy -- Anti spyware scanner Adaware SE Personal -- Anti spyware scanner Firewalls Use both a hardware and software firewall. Be advised as dual software firewalls may cause problems ZoneAlarm Free -- Free firewall - more user friendly Sygate Personal -- Free firewall - more configuration options Removal tools The following files are not substitutes for the ones described above. They are either diagnostic tools or removal tools for malware of a certain kind HijackThis -- Manual malware remover. Post the HijackThis log generated only if requested! McAfee Stinger -- Virus removal tool. No substitute for a fully functional virus scanner! CWshredder -- CoolWebSearch removal tool. Widely known and persistant Hijacker.i have installed cwshredder, avg and adaware and run them. they found some problems and "fixed" them but i wasn't cured. when i tried to install microsoft antispyware i couldn't get past the "genuine" verification. thanks for the link to info about erasing the hard DRIVE. i will try that and load the other things you listed before i start trying to reload the other software. Quote when i tried to install microsoft antispyware i couldn't get past the "genuine" verification This must mean that you have never installed Windows XP SP2. You should obtain a legal copy of Windows XP.actually i just got this desktop from dell less than a year ago with xp installed. i have a reinstallation disk that came with the computer. can i try reinstalling xp with that disk and see if it solves my issues?yes you can ........just disconnect pc from the net........place the disk in the drive........answer the questions on screen.....ok when you have re-installed winxp,scan for bugs,before connecting back to the net.i will try it, anydody know about a utility in newer dell's that takes your software back to it's original state without reinstalling xp? i just read about it somewhere and wondered if anyone had tried it. i'll do a search here, i believe it's called "dell pc restore by symantec". anyway, i'll let ya'll know what kind of luck i have Quote actually i just got this desktop from dell less than a year ago with xp installed. i have a reinstallation disk that came with the computer. can i try reinstalling xp with that disk and see if it solves my issues? That seems to be a very reasonable thing to do. Make sure you have SP2 on a CD and load it BEFORE connecting to the net. Make sure you have backed up data files you want to keep. Make sure you have downloaded any drivers you might need, unless you have a Dell Drivers/Utilities CD. Be sure and practice "safe surfing" in the future.

Answer»

first of all i want to say what a great site this is. my home computer has been compromised severely and i found this site and printed several topics to try and none of them worked. first of all something disabled my mcafee install shield and virus scan. my taskbar is gone and i tried several of the methods ya'll posted to retrieve it and nothing worked. secondly, i tried to "system restore" and it tells me my computer is not protected by system restore and it wouldn't run. i checked all the settings for the task bar and it should show up. mcafee has given me some instructions to try to solve their issues but i have to have a dos prompt and don't know where to find it in xp. has anyone had any similar problems and could ya'll tell me where to get a dos prompt without my taskbar?
thanksPress F8 while your computer is booting and choose a dos prompt from there.thanks i'll give it a tryLet us know how you go with the taskbar problem please.will dothanks for all the info available here. i'm afraid nothing has helped and i may have made things worse. as WELL as the missing taskbar and DISABLING of virus software the computer won't allow me to disable system restore. i tried to run a virus scan from grisoft several times and it stops somewhere in system32 files. i ran hijackthis but the computer won't let me on the internet anymore so i couldn't send file or e-mail it elsewhere. i copied cwshredder and adaware and loaded them and ran them. they found several problems which they "fixed" but it still doesn't work. my question is, is there anyway to just reload and start over? it's a fairly new computer so i don't have a lot of files i am concerned with saving. Quote

is there anyway to just reload and start over? it's a fairly new computer so i don't have a lot of files i am concerned with saving.

You should look into this.

Before connecting to the Internet, install the FOLLOWING programs to prevent any security breaches:

Virus scanners
AVG Free
-- Anti virus scanner
Trend MICRO Housecall
-- Online anti virus scanner.

Anti spy/malware
Microsoft Antispyware
-- Anti spyware scanner. Windows XP Home and Professional only.
Spybot Search & Destroy
-- Anti spyware scanner
Adaware SE Personal
-- Anti spyware scanner

Firewalls
Use both a hardware and software firewall.
Be advised as dual software firewalls may cause problems

ZoneAlarm Free
-- Free firewall - more user friendly
Sygate Personal
-- Free firewall - more configuration options

Removal tools
The following files are not substitutes for the ones described above.
They are either diagnostic tools or removal tools for malware of a certain kind

HijackThis
-- Manual malware remover. Post the HijackThis log generated only if requested!
McAfee Stinger
-- Virus removal tool. No substitute for a fully functional virus scanner!
CWshredder
-- CoolWebSearch removal tool. Widely known and persistant Hijacker.i have installed cwshredder, avg and adaware and run them. they found some problems and "fixed" them but i wasn't cured. when i tried to install microsoft antispyware i couldn't get past the "genuine" verification. thanks for the link to info about erasing the hard DRIVE. i will try that and load the other things you listed before i start trying to reload the other software. Quote

when i tried to install microsoft antispyware i couldn't get past the "genuine" verification

This must mean that you have never installed Windows XP SP2.

You should obtain a legal copy of Windows XP.actually i just got this desktop from dell less than a year ago with xp installed. i have a reinstallation disk that came with the computer. can i try reinstalling xp with that disk and see if it solves my issues?yes you can ........just disconnect pc from the net........place the disk in the drive........answer the questions on screen.....ok when you have re-installed winxp,scan for bugs,before connecting back to the net.i will try it, anydody know about a utility in newer dell's that takes your software back to it's original state without reinstalling xp? i just read about it somewhere and wondered if anyone had tried it. i'll do a search here, i believe it's called "dell pc restore by symantec". anyway, i'll let ya'll know what kind of luck i have Quote

actually i just got this desktop from dell less than a year ago with xp installed. i have a reinstallation disk that came with the computer. can i try reinstalling xp with that disk and see if it solves my issues?

That seems to be a very reasonable thing to do. Make sure you have SP2 on a CD and load it BEFORE connecting to the net. Make sure you have backed up data files you want to keep. Make sure you have downloaded any drivers you might need, unless you have a Dell Drivers/Utilities CD. Be sure and practice "safe surfing" in the future.

Solve : really sick computer?

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