[peterrex]

Thanks for the help. I am now past the format and install and figuring out the programs to reinstall. I seem to have ended up with two instances of WindowsXP at the startup but I have ignored the second one and stayed with and validated the first. If there were a way to get rid of the second I would but otherwise I'll live with it for now I guess.
If you have any words of wisdom for future health I'm all ears. Thanks for the past advice. Peter

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are both windows on the same drive...did you partition the drive....have you tried the second windows os...

[happyrock]

are both windows on the same drive...did you partition the drive....have you tried the second windows os...

[Metahuman]

When you log in to the installation of your choice, you need to go back to your beloved DOS. ( Start > Run > CMD ) You then need to check which drive are you on (incase you have more than one drives). You can do that by looking at your screen and - X:\Documents and Settings\Max>. Here, 'X' is your drive.

Incase, you have just one drive type in %windir%. You will then know which is your 'Windows' directory. You can then delete the other directory, normally the 'Windows' directory.

Incase, you have more than one drives, it is way easier than this. You just need to verify your drive letter, go to your other drive and delete off the 'Windows' folder.

After this is done, you will need to edit your 'boot.ini' file. You can do that by right clicking 'My Computer' on your desktop > Properties > Advanced > Startup & Recovery > Settings > 'Edit'.

Here is the tricky part. You need to know which option do you choose when you login. From http://www.geekstogo...48#entry1036748, it seems that you use the first option. So, if this installation is working fine, you sure can delete the second line off your file. Before that I'd suggest you take a backup of your boot.ini file, incase this does not work. Hope this helps you! (:

[happyrock]

Im sorry this BB code has gone berserk on me the last couple of days and the cut and paste from my canned speechs
either adds something or leaves out something making the post come out screwy...get what you can from it...

Here are some tips, to reduce the potential for spyware infection in the future, I strongly recommend installing the following applications...

Detect and Remove Programs:
http://www.bleepingc...howtutorial=48" How to use Ad-Aware to remove Spyware
here are instructions on how to download, install and then use Ad-Aware.

http://www.bleepingc...howtutorial=43"How to use Spybot to remove Spyware
If you suspect that you have spyware installed on your computer,
Similar to Ad-Aware, I strongly recommend both to catch most spyware.

Prevention Programs:
Spywareblaster <=
SpywareBlaster will prevent spyware from being installed.

IE/Spyad[/url ] <=
IE/Spyad places over 4000 websites and domains in the IE Restricted list which will severely impair attempts to infect your system. It basically prevents any downloads (Cookies etc) from the sites listed, although you will still be able to connect to the sites.

MVPS Hosts file <=
The MVPS Hosts file replaces your current HOSTS file with one containing well know ad sites etc. Basically, this prevents your computer from connecting to those sites by redirecting them to 127.0.0.1 which is your local computer
Other necessary Programs:
An AntiVirus program is a must!
Whether it is a free version like [url="http://="http://<a%20href="%5dhttp://www.grisoft.com/"]="http://<a%20href="]http://www.grisoft.com/"AVG
or

Anti-Vir[/url ], or a shareware version like Kapersky, this is a must have.

A FIREWALL is a must have.
Two good free versions are
[url="http://www.zonelabs....ntent/home.jsp" "http://www.zonelabs....ntent/home.jsp]ZoneAlarm.

Sygate[/URL ]

Internet Explorer is not the most secure and best browser. There are safer and better alternatives available. I recommend Firefox</a>
And also see TonyKlein's good advice
http://forums.net-in...color="blue"]So how did I get infected in the first place?[/color] and Spyware Aid's spyware article:

[url="http://<a%20href="]http://www.spywareaid.com/index.php?file=sarticle&id=4b]Spyware, Adware, Malware: What it is [/b]</a>how it got on my computer, how to get rid of it, and how to prevent it.

Edited by happyrck, 27 August 2007 - 07:29 AM.