Firstly, I apologise if this has been posted before and I just haven't seen it!  Also I'm not the best with technology so please be patient with me!

Last night I was having problems with Windows Media player, it wouldn't let me play files saying I needed a 55 codec or something.  This had happened once before and when I rebooted it was fine, so this time I rebooted.
When I did it came up in what looks like Safe Mode but isn't.  Since then I have ...
rebooted - no change
tried adware scans -  showed a date miner in the registry which I then deleted (was called Alexa, if that helps)
virus scans - showed nothing
system restore - wouldn't restore the pc to an earlier time

After all these things FAILED to help I tried the reinstallation cd.  Now this means that system restore will not configure to an earlier date.  The cd was eventuall successful in running but it hasn't MADE any difference.  Also I am unable to run the startup disk as it will just boot normally and no prompt screen comes up.  I have tried to create a new startup disk but it won't format or write new disks.  

Basically I have no idea what caused the problem and as a result have no idea what to do now.  Any help would be much appreciated.  I realise that I haven't given much information to go on.
There tend to be a lot of Videos and and Music files that need Extra Codex , if it is a  matter of a lack of codex you can down load a free codex pack call Kazaa lite Mega codec pack , i use this and i have no problem playing almost any file

also some people recomend VLC , its a differnt media player that works Well, i like media player thopanboy, what in the world are you doing with your avatar?  You're taking a image that's actually 216,700 bytes and 664 x 1000 pixels and using it to display an avatar of 43 x 65 pixels.  And, BTW, just earlier today when I checked, you had it set at 65 x 98 pixels.  Are you changing the display dimensions, thinking that doing so will somehow make the underlying image file smaller?  It won't.  And, that IS exactly what you need to do.  Make the underlying image file smaller.  

Here's an optmized version of your image, at 65 x 98 pixels, that's only 2,663 bytes, or about 1/100 the size of your file:


Please, please, please take it and use it.The codec isn't the problem.  It's more the fact my system has gone neanderthal since then.  It now has gone back to IE5.5 and won't work in anything else than the 16 colour setting.  Thanks Soybean, i figgured that the BOARD would scale the image , ill use the one you fixed cheers

Tell us what Version of Windows you Running , and make up a "hijack this" log and post it up here there are a few guys who know the inside and out of all that Giberish, and might be able to help you better if you post all the info you can Quote

Tell us what Version of Windows you Running , and make up a "hijack this" log and post it up here there are a few guys who know the inside and out of all that Giberish, and might be able to help you better if you post all the info you can

The codec isn't the problem.  It's more the fact my system has gone neanderthal since then.  It now has gone back to IE5.5 and won't work in anything else than the 16 colour setting.