GG-Duo said:
I use Firefox. I have Ad-Aware. and I have Norton Anti-Virus.
However, my computer seems to be behaving in the strangest way today.
For example, the computer ceased to detect my sound card, yet I was still able to play .wav files. The Windows GUI kept on resetting itself to the "Classic" style every couple of minutes... and the options to switch it back to "XP" style literally disappeared from the Properties.
Anyway, I think I've got the sound card thing fixed by re-installing Windows over itself, but now the GUI reset thing is becoming more frequent.
I can't get SP 2, because the Windows Update webpage crashes Internet Explorer.
I've tried the SP 2 Network Download executable instead, but it said RPC not available
GAHHHHHHHHHHH!!
These problems only started to appear today, by the way.
Any advice? I know my post is kind of jumbled, but I really need some sleep...... thanks.
Only thing I can think of is you have some virus/malware that your antivirus and ad-aware can't find because it's already running and hiding itself from you, AND/OR your signatures are out of date. A virus/ad-ware scanner with old signatures is totally useless.
The problem is Norton and Ad-Ware can detect stuff
before it infects your system, or
is in the process of infecting your system... but once your system is actually successfully infected and the virus is active, the virus or malware can take steps to defend itself from your scanning programs and stop itself from being removed.
It becomes much harder to remove viruses/malware once this happens.
What I'm going to suggest is installing a second copy of XP onto you hard disk for troubleshooting. The idea is, you need a clean virus free and stable environment to do the scan, so any virus or malware already infecting your machine can't mess with the program doing the scanning.
You will be able to pick which copy of XP to boot from a boot menu that will automatically be enabled when the second copy of XP installs itself.
Step 1: Get a clean OS onto the system:
If you do NOT have an XP CD with SP2 built-in (slipstreamed):
a. UNPLUG YOUR NETWORK CABLE!!! COMPLETELY DISCONNECT FROM ALL NETWORKS!
b. Boot off your XP CD.
c. Install a second copy of XP
in a different directory (call it XP2 or something).
d. Turn on the XP built-in firewall immediately after it boots. DO NOT USE THE INTERNET FOR ANYTHING UNTIL YOU HAVE THE FIREWALL ENABLED.
e. Plug the network cable in.
f. Download a new clean copy of the SP2 Network Install directly from MS. Save it, you'll need it again.
g. Run the SP2 setup. Reboot after it's done.
h. Once XP SP2 has booted up, plug the network cable back in.
You should now be safe enough for step 2.
If you DO have an XP CD with SP2 built-in (slipstreamed):
a. Boot off your XP SP2 CD.
b. Install a second copy of XP in a different directory (call it XP2 or something).
Go to step 2.
Step 2: Now that you have a clean, virus free environment, scan and clean your system.
After you've done this, IMMEDIATELY install your Norton AV, UPDATE THE SIGNATURES, then scan and clean your whole machine.
Download ad-aware and spybot, UPDATE THE SIGNATURES, and scan and clean your whole machine.
Hopefully this should kill the virus/malware and remove it from your original XP.
Once you're done with that, UNPLUG THE NETWORK CABLE. BE SURE TO UNPLUG IT.
Boot back into your original XP, and tell XP to install over itself like you did before.
DO NOT PLUG THE NETWORK CABLE IN.
After that's done, immediately run the XP SP2 install you downloaded from before. You should have saved it away somewhere in step 1f.
Once your original XP has SP2 installed, you should be safe, and it should be ok to plug the network cable back in.
PS:
gblues suggestion would also work. A format and clean install of your system will get rid of everything, including the virus, (and all your existing stuff unless you back it up first).
Just make sure you UNPLUG THE NETWORK from your computer when you run the install.
The VERY FIRST THING you need to do BEFORE you plug the network cable in is TURN ON THE BUILT IN FIREWALL.
After that, immediately download and install SP2 before using the internet for anything else.
