[MrDevildog]

I bought a computer from a friend for my daughter & i dont have a windows disk for it & this machine has an outdated version of norton on it. long story short, she went, from what i'm guessing, to a [bleep] site & now she has MAD popups. I installed a popup blocker but it seems to be overwhelmed & cant handle them all. I believe she has a virus & the machine needs reformatted since there is a section that won't defrag & it will not allow updates to be installed, here is my question: Can I use my OEM windows to reformat or will I have problems or can I use it for a repair install & do you think that would work? or should I just buy a new windows disk & reformat. ( money is real tight now since I'm laid off right now.) so all input is welcomed. Also I'm an amature with computers.


Thanks in advanced for the advice.

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Can I use my OEM windows to reformat or will I have problems or can I use it for a repair install & do you think that would work? or should I just buy a new windows disk & reformat. ( money is real tight now since I'm laid off right now.)

no..the oem disk wouldn't be an option...as i'm sure that this disk belongs to another computer that is currently running...by the EULA for xp you cannot install it on more than one machine at a time (and the EULA of an oem version is even more funky in that you cannot install it on another hardware platform other than what it was sold with...very ambiguous as to what that means)...your best option would be to buy another XP disk...you can find oem disks that aren't that expensive (less that $100)..

there is however a chance that this computer has a recovery partition...is this a custom build pc or a name brand...like dell or compaq or something like that?

[dsenette]

Can I use my OEM windows to reformat or will I have problems or can I use it for a repair install & do you think that would work? or should I just buy a new windows disk & reformat. ( money is real tight now since I'm laid off right now.)

no..the oem disk wouldn't be an option...as i'm sure that this disk belongs to another computer that is currently running...by the EULA for xp you cannot install it on more than one machine at a time (and the EULA of an oem version is even more funky in that you cannot install it on another hardware platform other than what it was sold with...very ambiguous as to what that means)...your best option would be to buy another XP disk...you can find oem disks that aren't that expensive (less that $100)..

there is however a chance that this computer has a recovery partition...is this a custom build pc or a name brand...like dell or compaq or something like that?

[MrDevildog]

sorry i dont have the specs right now because its at the ex's house, but it does have a backup partition on it & i think it came from an office or someplace like that,oh, it a HP.

[dsenette]

if it's an HP (and maybe less than 3 years old) try pressing shift + f10 during boot...then choose the option for full recovery or destructive recovery...or something to that effect...this will bring the machine back to the way it came from the factory

[MrDevildog]

ok, I'll try that! thanks for the prompt responses. I'll let you know one way or another if it works.

[MrDevildog]

ok, heres the poop, my wife just tried rebooting & she held down shift+f10 & shes now getting the active desk top recovery window then the popup blocker comes up, then another window comes up saying sytem shut down then it disappears & the machine seems to b loading, then a security warning comes up to install "Trust Provider" and she has a blue screen, then after a couple minutes the toolbar & start are there but she cant click on them. I think i have a big problem here.

[MrDevildog]

to add more to my last post, she is also getting a popup from windows saying "your computer is in danger" & there is also a red circle with a white 'x' is on the toolbar. she said this window has popped up 3 times now.

[silverbeard]

Ad-aware should help.

[dsenette]

that computer is officially INFESTED

Please go to the malware forum and follow the instructions at the top....Especially the CLICK HERE.

That will give you several steps that will help you clean up 70 percent of all problems by yourself. If at the end of the process you are still having difficulty (and you may not be) then post a hijackthis log in THE MALWARE FORUM forum.
(Posting HiJack This logs in any other forum other than the malware forum is forbidden. If you post an HJT log in any other forum, it will be removed and it will take you longer to get help, so please make sure you only post HJT logs in the malware forum)

If you are still having problems after getting a clean bill of health from the malware expert, please return to this thread.

[MrDevildog]

I've been playing with it most of the weekend, trying to get it going, & now it loads up to the start & i can get into the start menu, so i ran the spyware remover & then i tried to open "My Computer" & it froze. meanwhile her internet provider mailed her a letter stating she has a virus. so instead of playing with it & probably messing things up more than what they are, I took it to a shop to get repaired.
Thanks for all the input & help, & i've learned alot.