Windows Os Is No Longer Running Properly After Spywarebot

[tkon]

Hello,

I downloaded and ran SpywareBot. It found many many files of spyware, including a lot of windows .dlls. Trusting the program, I deleted all the files that it found.

Now, the windows operating system is not working properly. The current bugs discovered so far are...

- the windows picture and fax viewer is gone, double clicking on an image does nothing. the thumbnails of the images do not display in the folders, and the filmstrip view also doesn't work

- the help and support part of the control panel is a dead link. So, there is no way to do a system restore to an old version

- the internet still works, but it cannot open my email website (gmail)

- itunes doesn't load

- the display of all the windows is different: mostly they are all white and the panels on the right are missing. The control bar went to being white.

...

How can I restore the operating system and make my computer functional again?

Thank you in advance for your help!!

- Talia

[shanenin]

is their an option to restore deleted files? Most programs like that have that option.

[tkon]

is their an option to restore deleted files? Most programs like that have that option.

Sadly, there is no option to do so. The files are also not in the recycle bin.

Any other ideas?

[JSKY]

First, if you can. Remove SpywareBot. (it's a bad thing)

If you have your copy of XP.

There are two types of repair on XP. When you boot with the XP disk. You will come to the first part that asks if you want to install or do a repair. This first repair is a command prompt type for a specific repair.

AT THIS POINT! If you click on install XP instead, you will see XP load files as it get ready to install the OS. When it gets done loading files, you will again be asked to install XP or to repair your current OS. At this second repair option, click to repair and sit back. XP will go through your whole system searching and repairing parts that have been changed or need to be replaced. BUT REMEMBER!! With any repair, you will need your CD KEY. And you MUST go to windows update and re-download some of the updates because the repair will remove some of them.

Hopefully this fill restore the missing files. Then go to the HJT section. HJT Section read the instructions and post a HJT log.

[martymas]

if you have to use the program scan in safe mode

and delete all in safe mode

i havent heard of the program

in the past

as there is no info on it

but with these spyware scanners they are all the same

when they are not safely used

spybot-jvc16-regcleaner are the same when not used properly

when i first got spybot there were no warnings about the dangers

on how to use it

and twice i had to reinstall windows

so now i leave well enough alone.

my advice is set your cookies to reject these

ads ect

and you can eliminate a lot of this stuff

not all but a hellova lot of it

marty

[Matt]

For assistance with malware, please read How To Post a Correct HijackThis Log in the Malware Removal Forum.

[tkon]

Ok, after much futzing, I just went for the full reformat. However, the reformatting has been saying "loading information file hivesys.inf" for quite some time now. Are there errors that can happen during windows xp install at this line? pre-emptively, this is the only windows xp operating system disk that i have.

thanks for your help all...

[shanenin]

Read errors are common during reloads. Did it get past that point?

[tkon]

No, it is still stuck there. Perhaps I should just turn it off and try again?

[shanenin]

I would definitely try it again. you may want to clean the disc. If you have two optical drives, you may have better luck using the other.

[tkon]

Wow. Yet another thing, this time about the internet:

the LAN is not be detected. After scourging many websites, I'm at a total loss for how to get this windows machine to detect the network adapter (ethernet port). Everything I find says that the LAN connection should is automatically detected. But, that does not seem to be happening here. Again, help?

Thank you thank you,

Talia

[shanenin]

Did windows install this time without any errors?

As to your Lan problem, you may need to install the driver for your ethernet adapter.

Open the "device manager", and check for devices that are not installed. Any problem or uninstalled devices will have yellow by them.

[tkon]

Yeah, windows installed (I did the quick version of the ntfs formatting, not the slow. Not sure if that matters).

The problem with the device manager is that, after searching the windows disk, the program tries to connect to the internet to find the right drivers. of course, it can't get to the internet.

Is there a way to get ethernet drivers another way?

(Again, thank you for your repeated help... I'm pretty sure that I would not have been able to figure all this out without it.)

[shanenin]

The quick format is just fine.

Do you have a driver disc that came with the computer?

What model is the computer?

You can download the driver with the computer you are using then copy the file to the computer you need to install it on.

[tkon]

i rustled up an intel disk that had a few drivers so now the internet is working! there's a few loose ends to tie up, but whew! in the clear. Thanks so much for your help today!

[shanenin]

Your welcome. Feel free to ask any question.