I used Reg Vac BIG MISTAKE I think

  • Thread starter Thread starter Lilly
  • Start date Start date
L

Lilly

I have a computer which was put together by my brother (
who knows more than enough to do that ) and programed by
him.
When I first received my PC,I was newer than a newbie.
The first time I went on the net I got infected with
the "My Way" browser page and could not get rid of it. I
did not want to call and bother my brother and have him
try to fix it long distance. So...I went through my
programs and found something called RegVac. It looked
like it could solve the problem so I used it. OOOPS! Bad
thing. I printed out almot three pages of very tiny
print, HKEY-CLASSES-ROOT/...... there are so many things
I couldn't begin to type them out.
Since then, a few months ago, not everything in my
Windows XP Professional program works perfectly. I am in
a beginners class and a couple little things are missing
when I compare my XP Pro to the instructors.
SO NOW...my question is, could RegVav remove parts of the
Windows XP Professional program? It did remove the "My
Way" intrusion, and a few hundred other things.
My next question is: should I reinstall everything and
start over? Ofcourse I have no idea how to do that, I
just want to know.
I hope this makes some sence , it is all so hard to
describe.
 
It would probably be simplest for you to save any data files that you might
have (to a floppy disk or CD-R / CD-RW) and then reinstall your operating
system from scratch. Chalk this up to learning - no harm in that. And by
going through the process you'll learn *way* more, believe me...

Basic Steps:
1. Save data.
2. Boot computer from Windows XP install CD.
3. Delete current partition.
4. Install on whole hard disk (implicitly create new partition). Use NTFS
and format from scratch - my recommendation.
5. Apply all the Windows Update Critical Patches. (Getting the Windows XP
and Driver Updates is optional but recommended). This requires Internet
Access.
6. Install current (2003 or 2004 version) Anti-Virus Software & make sure
you download all the updates.
7. Enable the built-in Windows XP Internet Connection Firewall (ICF).
8. Reinstall your applications.
9. Restore your data.

TO REITERATE: Make sure you install CURRENT anti-virus software and keep it
updated. Make sure also to ENABLE the built-in Windows XP Internet
Connection Firewall (ICF).

VULNERABILITY TO BLASTER WORM (and variants)
During your reinstall - prior to getting all the Windows XP Critical Updates
applied - your computer will be vulnerable to the Blaster worm. This is one
that "reaches out and touches you" via a vulnerability in the Windows XP
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) interface. I have found that it can get past
ICF in unpatched Windows XP.

For this reason, it would be best if you could do your reinstall & keep your
computer behind a real "hardware" firewall until you've got all the critical
patches applied. They're actually quite cheap if you want to go buy one
(most have rebates) - some go for about $20 CAD ($15 US) after the rebates.
Alternatively see if you can just borrow one from a friend. Examples:
D-Link DI-604, DI-704P, Linksys BEFSR41, SMC 7004 "Barricade" series.

Also: talk to your instructor.
 
Hi Lilly,

You may be able to fix your problem by going to Start>Run. Type "sfc
/scannow" (no quotes) note the space between c and /. Have your XP disk
ready. Afterward, go to Windows Update and check for updates.

HTH, JAX
 
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