[smiffy]

It seems that i have a large amount of problems with my PC... Lots of dll files appear to be missing, i have a fair amount of malware and spyware.

Will reinstalling XP solve this problem?

Can i do it without losing all my files??


I have the XP disk, however, it is an 'upgrade.' On the box, it says "ATTENTION! The enclosed program will search your hard disk and/or CD to confirm your eligibility for this upgrade. The software will install only if you are a liscensed user of one of the following products:

- Microsft® Windows® 98
- Windows 98 Second Edition
- Windows Millennium Edition.


Any guidance on how to go about doing this? Will the disk cause me problems??

Many thanks,

- Smiffy.

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I guess i worded that wrong.

What i really want to do (i THINK) is to wipe my PC clean and start again...

[smiffy]

I guess i worded that wrong.

What i really want to do (i THINK) is to wipe my PC clean and start again...

[Spike]

Hey there smiffy, check this out:

http://www.geekstogo...howtopic=101068

Cool

[smiffy]

Thanks.

But my problem is, will the XP UPGRADE work??


If i system restore right back to the beginning, will i get rid of all the spyware and will the missing files be retrieved?

[smiffy]

And why is my most recent restore only 3months ago???

[Spike]

If i system restore right back to the beginning, will i get rid of all the spyware and will the missing files be retrieved?

No, to do this you have to go to the malware forum. After you have rid your computer of malware, you can then start on trying to repair the files. If you update to Service Pack 2 this may fix damaged files. You dont have to goto the malware forum, if you rather want to format let me know.

So please read this: Read This Before Posting A Hijackthis Log (Click on the link)

That will give you steps that will help you clean up 70% of the problems yourself. Then please download "Hijackthis" and run Hijackthis with log. Save the log file here: Malware Removal - HiJackThis Logs Go Here

When you have followed all these steps. A Geeks To Go Staff Member will help you fix your problem.

(Note: Please be patient, the "Malware Forum" is a very busy place and a two or three day wait is not unusual.)

Thank you and goodluck.

[fleamailman]

system restore isn't failsafe against malware or else there would be no malware forum here. For malware, there really is only two options, reinstalling or putting up a hJT log in the malware forum. I would go for the second option because for at least three reasons: you won't lose anything program or data wise, you will learn something about malware removal and it may just be something silly needed only a minor tweak. However, if you feel that it is a phicical problem then system restore or system repair are two options going. Up to you but best to do the log thing link below. btw I have linked you directly to the start of the things you will need to do before you post the log. go luck then.

http://www.geekstogo..._Log-t2852.html

[smiffy]

Thanks, but i have already done that!!

I can't boot in safe mode (I get the message "A problem is preventing Windows from starting properly. Check the liscence of computer.").

Urgh.

[smiffy]

Oh, and my question is still unanswered, will the UPGRADE work if i reformat??

[fleamailman]

Could you give a bit more detail like from what you are upgrading from exactly, window98 or window2000? but your original question was will you lose data if you reinstall, different things here. If you do a repair of the system with a copy of XP you lose nothing, it just reinstalls the files of XP correctly deleting the corupted ones but this is not the same as reinstalling the system per say, where normally its save/reformat/install/load everything new. Now are you talking about repairing XP or talking about an upgrade form a privious system.

Edited by fleamailman, 03 April 2006 - 06:18 AM.

[Johanna]

An upgrade cd will prompt you for the earlier version Windows cd during the reinstall. To completely wipe the drive would cause all data and program loss. If you don't want to clean the malware manually, save as much data as you can before you start a reinstall. You can try an XP repair to restore missing dll files, but I doubt it will "cure" your malware problems. If you can't boot the computer at all, data recovery might be impossible. What happens when you try to boot Windows regularly?

Johanna

[smiffy]

I'm not upgrading, I'm on XP. It's fine.

What worries me is when i reformat completely, will i be able to use the upgrade disk that came with my computer.

When i boot normally, all is well. I just can't log in in safe mode. I'm worried that soon, i wont be able to log in at all...

How do i repair XP?

[smiffy]

Oh, and can i remove the files from HiJackThis when NOT in safe mode?

[Johanna]

I'm guessing you have XP Home??
http://www.windowsxp...sreinstall.com/

Johanna

[smiffy]

Yeah. Cheers.

You dont happen to know about the HiJackThis safe mode situation do ya?