Posted on 01/24/2005 9:47:17 PM PST by Big Guy and Rusty 99
Ok. I am in a major catastrophe right now. My Microsift explorer was riddled with viruses and other bad things. I tried to repair it. I fiddled with it for hours until all I could see was red.
I stopped using explorer and started using netscape. It still caused me problems even though I wasn't even using it anymore. Apperently, it is embeded into the windows program. Yeah, bill Gates. I removed explorer from my machine using add/remove programs. It still was giving me problems. I went and removed explorer compnents by hand.
Now, everything is messed up. I am having all kinds of strange errors. I can not read the windows disc anymore. I can not seem to download explorer from microsoft's site and i can't network my computers in the house anymore.
Well said :)
"
"A:\Format C:"
That's just mean :)"
Not as mean as 'FDISK'.
Hey I do a low level format about 2 times a year...
Ok I assume this is the IE browser and not Windows Explorer, right? If you don't want to use IE, there are other browsers you can try. Netscape doesn't play nice and I wouldn't recommend it. What is your OS? It's easy to put IE back in the add/remove Windows components program. However, if you manually removed some parts of IE or perhaps accidently deleted parts of explorer.ex, then it might be time to panic. Unless you have XP, then system restore can recover from your tinkering...
Oh, and going forward, you SHOULD install a Linux operating system for your web browsing and email needs. There are several flavors that are as easy as MS Windows now. Save MS Windows for gaming only. It's a lot more rare to be attacked by using MS Windows for games only and not email or web browsing.
First of all download AdAware
After installing it run an update on it, then scan your system. It will find the nasties, and hopefully get rid of them.
Follow up after you have done this.
Also do what wolicy_ponk said.
Gotta hand it to you, a good format every now and then does wonders for the soul.
First off, your able to use the net which tells me your system is not that far gone. There are many many things you can do.
1. Install a Spyware killer program. Do a deep system scan, get all that nasty stuff out, sounds like you have some.
2. Goto download.com there are many free anti virus programs that you can download, see if they help.
3. Many people confuse viruses with simple spyware or bad installs of software, have your tried doing a system restore from a couple days ago?
4. If all else fails and you need to do the nuclear option. Go out and buy yourself a thumbnail/flash drive. Copy all your bookmarks, important emails, text files and such to it. Do a fresh format of your hard drive and reinstall windows or use the system recovery software (if your system comes with one). Import the saved files from the thumbdrive to your system.
5. If you do a Fdisk, Full format, reinstall and are still getting errors, it sounds like a harddrive issue. Check with the company that makes your hard drive and see if your hard drive is still under warrenty. Most will send you a replacement very quickly.
6. If none of the above work. Take the hard drive and drop kick it. Buy and new hard drive. This is a very easy operation - send me a pirvate email and ill guide you through it. Once the hard drive is mounted you will install a fresh copy of windows or your system restore disk. Its pretty painless.
If you have any questions feel free to contact me via private message, ill get your system up and running.
1. Calm down. The fact you are posting means you are online and limping along.
2. Ignore the jokers who are telling you to reformat, install Linux (geeks)
3. If you are Windows based -- go to www.Norton.com (my favorite) or mcafee.com -- both have some freeware, but it is easier and chaper in the longrun to just buy their packages. Norton Antivirus is the best I have seen.
Pay the 50 bucks, download the scan, run it, you'll be OK.
Which Explorer did you delete. MSWin Or MSIE. Both are embedded to each other.
Microsift products are garbage. Go with Microsoft.
A:\format c:
you can download bootdisks from bootdisk.com
Good advise, but Norton most likely won't solve this problem. Sounds like a good ol' IE adware based browser hijacking.
Seriously though . . .
if you have important stuff on the drive . . .
1. Buy a modest new hard drive and install it in place of the original hard drive.
2. Install windows and the appropriate anti virus software.
3. Reinstall your old hard drive and clean it with the antivirus software.
4. take your time recovering your data from the old hard drive.
if you don't have important stuff on your hard drive, then wipe it and start clean.
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