[garysemailpleasenospam]

My computer is bogged down by viruses. My Virus Scanner (McAfee) has been deleted and I can't cut and paste... svchost.exe is always at a hundred percent and I can't even burn CD's anymore to save my music and documents. Anyways that is besides the point. I have given up and I want to format my hard drive and just start over.

Can anyone give me good detailed instructions on how to do so? I am pretty computer illiterate.

Things you should know- I don't have a floppy drive, only a CD-ROM drive. I do not have reinstallation CD, but I do have a new unopened copy of XP Professional. Also if you know how maybe I could back up my files, that would be wonderful.

Please help.

-Gary

[Advertisements]

Do you have Internet access?

[admin]

Do you have Internet access?

[garysemailpleasenospam]

No, I am afraid to infect my school's network.

[austin_o]

Do you have a bootable McAffee cd? I run Norton myself, and the install cd is bootable which provides some means of scan/cleanup in a situation such as yours.

Work your way through the malware guide at the top of this forum: http://www.geekstogo..._Log-t2852.html

If you still have trouble post a hijack this log in the malware forum at:

http://www.geekstogo...o_Here-f37.html

[garysemailpleasenospam]

I don't have a CD Austin O. I got McAfee from my AOL service.

[gerryf]

not sure how to respond to this as we have several people going in different directions...

Before blowing away the OS, you do have Internet (obviously), is there are reason you cannot follow Austin's suggestion in going to the other forum?

Any software can be copied to a cd and installed on your PC...

[garysemailpleasenospam]

My internet comes from my secondary laptop, or as I call it the uninfected one.

[gerryf]

but you can still download software, post logs and get information using the second computer and a floppy disk

[garysemailpleasenospam]

But I don't have a burner on my secondary laptop or a floppy drive.

[garysemailpleasenospam]

So does anyone know how to format laptops without a floppy drive?

[gerryf]

sure, I just wanted to save you from all that, since 98 percent of all computers can be saved....if you really want to wipe out your drive, boot with your windows xp cd...at the prompt, elect to install a new system...a couple screens in you will be given an opportunity to delete the exisiting partitions...choose the one where windows is installed.

then reboot again, start a new setup, have windows setup create a new partition, then format, and off you go to the races....

[garysemailpleasenospam]

I'm sorry if I came off testy, its just that I am so frustrated with my computer. I want to format my hard drive but there is very little I feel I can do.

[gerryf]

don't worry, I can tell you're frustrated....just would prefer to fix rather than blow things away

so....

did you read what I posted? Will that work for you?

Do you have a windows xp cd?

[garysemailpleasenospam]

Yes, I followed through the forums with no avail. I tried downloading different virus scanners, but my "windows installer" is broken. And when I tried having the internet scans, they said something about Active X. But I already lowered my settings... ::sigh::

[gerryf]

I still don't know if you got my point about how to do this...I asked if you have a windows cd, twice, no reply.

Well? Are you good, or do you need more detailed instructions...