Good afternoon gents. Well, this is getting to be absolutely unbearable. My wife and I are the "proud" owners of a HP Netbook. Model 1000. I believe this is a pre-Atom processor since it is about 2-3 years old. 1. something Ghz processor(can't tell you rignt now. Explanation further below) 16Gb solid state hard drive, XP SP3(pretty sure it is home edition), 1Gb RAM. Now mind you, the slowness with some things I can manage. This is not a power machine and I realise it. It is great for checking the web from the easy chair and I wield it as this is written. However, there are some issues which are flatly driving me to the brink. Let me 'slplain.
Last year I managed to get the infuriating Google Redirect Virus. I finally nixed it with Kosperky's TDSSKiller. A freeware scanning tool that "cures" the virus. Things went along smashingly for a good while. Then about a month ago I started noticing more weird things. I use MSN Bing search now and it is affected as well since the first result is usually a redirect of some kind. It is not as insidious as GRV but I can tell it is not right. You can usually back out of the redirect page and go to the next result with no problems. Till yesterday. Actually, I noticed a few days ago it was acting odd and yesterday a simple search for rubbing compounds sent me to one of those bloody "your computer is infected with viruses! You firewall is turned off! Click here now to fix it!" And even though I knew what was coming it was too late. Any click of the mouse started an install of this crap. So I forced a cold start by holding down the power button till it shut off. I know it is not good to do that but hey, my choice was exactly what?
So I re-started it in Safe Mode and immediately updated Malwarebyte's and ran a scan. Sure as death and taxes, it spotted some stuff. THIRTY TWO things to be precise. I let it quarantine the malware and restarted normally. This is when the trouble really started. Now, every time I click an icon for an application or even choose it from the menu, there is an error. And it always involves something like 'rundll32.exe' and it either says "windows cannot open rundll32.exe because there is no program associated with it. Open Folder Options and associated with...) or you get a 'Open With' menu box and you have to browse to the programme you want to open and do it that way. Sometimes it works and other times it does not.
I suspected a bollocksed up registry so I tried to undo the damage by running the backup of the registry I had before trying any of the Malwarebytes or CCleaner apps. It will not allow it to reinstall. I tried the Roxio Back on Track software which I knew has an updated point about a week ago. No dice. It will not allow me to open it at all. Even after going through the Open With menu. What am I going to do with this thing? I cannot even access the System icon in the control panel page. Same errors. It is why I cannot tell you the exact processor.
I have no issues with wiping it clean and starting again but I do not want to jump to Linux just yet. Still too many issues with wireless and my comfort level is not there yet. The big issue is getting restore discs from HP. They offer it for fifteen dollars and I can locate a USB optical drive to do the restore/reinstall but I wanted your take on this first. If there are some steps I can take to at least straighten things up then a better scanning, registry editing or whatever can be undertaken. This is beyond infuriated. BTW, antivirus is Avira's latest free version and I think it may be an issue as well but I am not sure. Thank you for anything you can help me with.
Regards, Todd
Last year I managed to get the infuriating Google Redirect Virus. I finally nixed it with Kosperky's TDSSKiller. A freeware scanning tool that "cures" the virus. Things went along smashingly for a good while. Then about a month ago I started noticing more weird things. I use MSN Bing search now and it is affected as well since the first result is usually a redirect of some kind. It is not as insidious as GRV but I can tell it is not right. You can usually back out of the redirect page and go to the next result with no problems. Till yesterday. Actually, I noticed a few days ago it was acting odd and yesterday a simple search for rubbing compounds sent me to one of those bloody "your computer is infected with viruses! You firewall is turned off! Click here now to fix it!" And even though I knew what was coming it was too late. Any click of the mouse started an install of this crap. So I forced a cold start by holding down the power button till it shut off. I know it is not good to do that but hey, my choice was exactly what?
So I re-started it in Safe Mode and immediately updated Malwarebyte's and ran a scan. Sure as death and taxes, it spotted some stuff. THIRTY TWO things to be precise. I let it quarantine the malware and restarted normally. This is when the trouble really started. Now, every time I click an icon for an application or even choose it from the menu, there is an error. And it always involves something like 'rundll32.exe' and it either says "windows cannot open rundll32.exe because there is no program associated with it. Open Folder Options and associated with...) or you get a 'Open With' menu box and you have to browse to the programme you want to open and do it that way. Sometimes it works and other times it does not.
I suspected a bollocksed up registry so I tried to undo the damage by running the backup of the registry I had before trying any of the Malwarebytes or CCleaner apps. It will not allow it to reinstall. I tried the Roxio Back on Track software which I knew has an updated point about a week ago. No dice. It will not allow me to open it at all. Even after going through the Open With menu. What am I going to do with this thing? I cannot even access the System icon in the control panel page. Same errors. It is why I cannot tell you the exact processor.
I have no issues with wiping it clean and starting again but I do not want to jump to Linux just yet. Still too many issues with wireless and my comfort level is not there yet. The big issue is getting restore discs from HP. They offer it for fifteen dollars and I can locate a USB optical drive to do the restore/reinstall but I wanted your take on this first. If there are some steps I can take to at least straighten things up then a better scanning, registry editing or whatever can be undertaken. This is beyond infuriated. BTW, antivirus is Avira's latest free version and I think it may be an issue as well but I am not sure. Thank you for anything you can help me with.
Regards, Todd
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