Help needed - Windows will not restore to earlier point

  • Thread starter Thread starter Subsea.UK
  • Start date Start date
S

Subsea.UK

Hi
My copy of windows XP home has started acting up and i think either a virus
or malware has gotten on to it.
Although i use an upto date copy of Norton AV and a malware program call A2
and nothing has been found by either.
The main symptoms are a search button and quick launch button have appeared
on the task bar and i can't get them to stop appearing.
The second is i have tried restoreing to an earlier point incase they came
in with an update or something but after going through the process and
rebooting i get the message that the system can not be restored to this
point pick another!!!

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Rgds
Kev
 
Hi

Have you checked your system for spyware?

Ad-Aware - www.lavasoftusa.com
Spybot - http://www.safer-networking.org/

As for System Restore, one or more of those files may have become corrupted:

Try turning SR off/on - but I'm afraid that you will lose any existing
checkpoints:

Right click My Computer, select Properties and then the System Restore tab.
Enable 'Turn off System Restore on all drives' and reboot your PC. After
that 1st reboot go back into SR and disable 'Turn off System Restore on all
drives' and reboot your PC again. After that 2nd reboot you should have one
new SR checkpoint
 
Here is the reference :-
Try repairing the Windows XP installation. To do so:
Turn off any antivirus program and BIOS-level antivirus protection. For
help, see the appropriate software manual or online Help.
Make sure that the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive is the first priority startup
device in your computer's BIOS settings. See your computer's documentation
for information about how to do this.
Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM in the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then
restart your computer.
When the "Press any key to boot from CD" prompt appears, press a key so that
your computer starts from the Windows XP CD-ROM.
When the computer starts from the CD-ROM, your hardware is checked, and then
you are prompted to select an option. Press ENTER.
Press F8 to accept the Licensing Agreement.
Your current Windows XP installation is listed, and then you are prompted to
select an option. Press R to start the automatic repair process. After
Windows XP is repaired, you may have to reactivate Windows XP if you changed
some hardware.
....
it is viewable at :-
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=322205&product=winxp

Let me know how it pans out.

(e-mail address removed)

Rod
 
Cheers Rod
I'll be looking at that, i have just downloaded another Malware detactor by
Lavasoft and it has found something called Blazefind another called
coolwebsearch and something called Alexa which are all spysoftware !! i am
gutted that Norton and A2 never found these or prevented them from getting
on the PC in the first place!! Just goes to show.
I'll be erasing these problem programs then doing a restore point and taking
it all from there.

Rgds
Kev
 
Hi, Kev.

Rod's suggestion is for what Microsoft calls an "in-place upgrade" or a
"repair reinstallation". For the official version of Rod's instructions,
see this KB article:
How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;q315341

AFTER the in-place upgrade, get your firewall and antivirus working again,
then visit Windows Update to be sure you have the latest Service Pack (now
SP2) and any later fixes (none yet, so far as I know).

Then, as advised so often here, be sure to "practice safe hex". Spyware and
much other malware are not viruses, so AV programs - no matter how good -
won't catch them or keep them from messing up your computer. You must get
and regularly use such programs as Ad-aware and SpyBot Search and Destroy to
get that garbage off and keep it off your computer. And remember that, with
any offer of free software or music or anything else, you usually "get more
than you pay for" in the form of spam - or worse. Most such garbage does
NOT get onto our computers by magic or by accident. We INVITE them to
infect us by accepting their "free" offers.

RC
 
Thanks guys, for all the input.
I understand about Norton being AV but i also run a program called A2 which
is supposed to be able to detect and delete adware/malware etc.......it's
not free so i rekon i should get some reasonable level of protection from
it!!!
As it happens i have purchased Ad Aware Pro and it has discovered and
cleaned several spy progs etc from the PC so everything is back to some
semblance of normality.
I hope it stays this way for some time!!!!!
Of now to find SP2 for XP

Thanks again to all who contributed.

Rgds
Kev
 
Subsea--

I think your problems are easily fixed.

"The main symptoms are a search button and quick launch button have
appearedon the task bar and i can't get them to stop appearing." I don't
know what your minor symptoms are. Here's what I'd do:

I am taking this info from an excellent site.

Troubleshooting Win XP, Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp.htm

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Save Settings on Exit (Line 54 right)
Restore taskbar to default functionality (Line 164 left)
Restore taskbar and start menu (Line 117 Left)
Restore taskbar grouping (Line 218 right)
Prevent Manipulations of the Taskbar (262 Right)
Taskbar Repair toolbar plus! (Line 298 Left)

Also for further reference:

See taskbar article here:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_t.htm

You may find this utility from Kelly useful:

Taskbar Repair Tool Plus!:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/taskbarplus!.htm

*System Restore/System File Checker/Repairor Upgrade Install*

I'm a big advocate of a repair or upgrade install as Rod suggested when you
get to that point, but I think you're hardly there.

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

I'm glad Rod wrote it up though, because knowing about it would save a lot
more people's settings and data keep them from losing their whole OS when
they were not backed up optimally.

Also fortunately, most behavior in Windows that people reflexly want to
blame on a virus fortunately isn't--it's just Windows being Windows. The
other problem is that symptoms that a virus can cause often are mimicked by
other problems.

I use a repair install when I can't boot up to Windows or someone else
can't, and I can't F8 to Safe Mode and use SR, and I've tried LKG and it
won't work.Something else to always consider running is System File Checker.
I use it when I have a broken IE or OE that SFC cannot fix, but I think you
just need to fix your toolbar here. SFC is run by putting "sfc /scannow" in
the run box or at the command prompt; I like to run the /purgecache switch
first. I also like to use the regedit in the third reference to point it to
the hard drive service pack's install files, and then I don't have to have a
CD handy with a slipstream of my current service pack. If you make a
slipstream it doesn't matter.

Windows File Protection Feature
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;222193&Product=winxp

Description of Windows XP System Filechecker
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310747&Product=winxp

Intro to SFC and Adapting it to the Latest Service Pack
http://www.updatexp.com/scannow-sfc.html

System File Checker Explained, Sort Of.....
http://users.westelcom.com/rogersr/sfc.htm

You haven't told us whether you are running Win XP SP RTM, SP1, or SP2 some
public build. With regard to SR, SP1 was an important milestone, because it
was quite unfortunate that while touting SR in Windows ME, taking it away in
Win 2K and restoring System Restore to XP that before SP1 there was a
"lockout" mechanism that was essentially roadblocking people from their SR
points. So while it gui looked like they had system restore,
physiologically or functionality wise they did not. The point here is that
if you haven't updated XP to either SP1 or SP2, you should if for no other
reason than to get your System Restore functional.

See:

Frequently Asked Questions About System Restore in Windows XP: What does
SP1 [and SP2] do for it?
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/plan/faqsrwxp.mspx

SR and AV
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;831829&Product=winxp

hth,

Chad Harris
__________________________________________________________

Hi
My copy of windows XP home has started acting up and i think either a virus
or malware has gotten on to it.
Although i use an upto date copy of Norton AV and a malware program call A2
and nothing has been found by either.
The main symptoms are a search button and quick launch button have appeared
on the task bar and i can't get them to stop appearing.
The second is i have tried restoreing to an earlier point incase they came
in with an update or something but after going through the process and
rebooting i get the message that the system can not be restored to this
point pick another!!!

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Rgds
Kev
 
hi,

Lavasoft ad-aware is not bad, but I found PestPatrol to be
even better. It found 24 items on my PC that Adaware
didn`t. I even have spyguard and spyblaster running in
the background. So don`t trust just one program to stop
Spyware/malware. But so far I like PestPatrol, it isn`t
free, but seems very good
-----$B85$N%a%C%;!<%8(B-----
Thanks guys, for all the input.
I understand about Norton being AV but i also run a program called A2 which
is supposed to be able to detect and delete adware/malware etc.......it's
not free so i rekon i should get some reasonable level of protection from
it!!!
As it happens i have purchased Ad Aware Pro and it has discovered and
cleaned several spy progs etc from the PC so everything is back to some
semblance of normality.
I hope it stays this way for some time!!!!!
Of now to find SP2 for XP

Thanks again to all who contributed.

Rgds
Kev


The Unknown P said:
You should know Subsea that faulting Norton AV for your spyware\adware
programs is a lack of understanding on your part.
Click to expand...
Norton is not designed
to
stop spyware\adware as these programs are not viruses that cause damage to
your system. They are add on programs, and like any program added to your
system, either voluntarily by yourself or unknowningly by going to the web
site that loads the spyware\adware without your knowledge, they are not
viruses. The problem is that by going to an internet
Click to expand...
site you virtually
sign
an electronic document of permission to add this sort
Click to expand...
of crap to your
system.
SpywareBlaster and SpywareGuard are excellent free
Click to expand...
programs that prevent
such
things from happening. Spybot Search and Destroy, Bulldog, and Adaware are
all free scanning tools to remove any existing
Click to expand...
spyware\adware from your
OS.
With a little knowledge and some excellent free tools,
Click to expand...
like those
mentioned,
you can prevent this from happening in the future. []:~)
Click to expand...


.
Click to expand...
 
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