Explorer and general settings problems

Hi, Windows no longer saves settings on my computer, and in

• 
  IE the advanced list of setting, and the folder option's view list of setting are blank

• 
  My computer says that IE and explorer are set to block ActiveX, so if i try to use the explorer in web view, nothing works, but i can't turn activeX on.

• 
  My desktop emptied itself and lost the background

• 
  The Startmenu which is now empty except for the basics (eg. Accessories, IE, Dos-prompt)

• 
  I can't copy/paste files, create shortcuts

• 
  When i turn off my pc windows should save my option you choose (eg shut down, standby) but now it doesn't.

I have reinstalled windows but that didn't work.

 

I reinstalled over the top, i would rather not format my drive.

Well actually it was after a virus scanner had found about 60 copies of Win32.PariteB on my computer, the program restarted my computer and when it came back, all the problems started.

No I didn't think of running Scandisk.

I don't have the manufacturer's diagnostic program.

 

I used Avast, there are no copies of Win32.PariteB left.

 

Have you tried "scanreg /restore "? It will often restore your desktop and many of the settings. Boot to a DOS prompt from a cold start by repeatingly hitting the F8 key when as the computer starts, type in "scanreg /restore" (note the space before the / and no quotes) and pick a rb000?.cab file dated before you lost the settings etc. I don't know if your over the top install will have deleted the saved "rb000?.cab" files, you can check in C:\Windows\Sysbckup to see if any are there and the dates.

 

unforunatly scanreg didn't work and scandisk returned no errors or problems

 

If the antivirus has a "quarantine" check to see what files it has quarantined. Run System File Checker (see Help) and reinstall any files that are listed as in the quarantine (maybe it has log of what was removed if there is no quarantine). Norton Antivirus crippled my sister's system that way.
SFC will also list all your Windows Updates.

Matt
Edit: If you did the reinstall from within Windows, it would be better to boot to a startup floppy and run setup from there. Windows cannot replace files that are in use at the time.

 

thanks mattman i'll try that and something i should have mentioned, I'm using a small virus remover-it can't do anything else except repair files(not even delete them) and the computer in mind isn't connected to the internet.

 

unforunatly it didn't work. also alot of programs (eg windows Media player, age of kings) keep trying to install or setup the program everytime they are run.

 

What could happen if I copy some files from my windows directory to the other computer windows directory (they both have the same version, from the same disk, and both have never been updated)

 

Ray, as I mentioned Windows cannot copy files that are in use. I have made a backup of a drive by using three HDDs, one running Windows and copying Windows from the second to the third.

If Windows files were the problem, SFC or the reinstall should have repaired them (you tried running Windows setup with booting from a startup floppy?)

I originally thought that it was a registry problem like John B suggested. The restoration of files was an afterthought when the registry restore did not work. It may be possible to trace what registry keys were removed by the antivirus/antitrojan (if you did it may be possible to find "healthy" keys on the other computer and reinstall those). To me it would be easier to backup, reformat and do a fresh install, the system may still be "sick" after all that work.

Matt

 

well i formatted it, only lost a few things, but it all works fine now.

 

How did you boot the machine to do that overtop re-install ?

If you booted from the HD then there may well have been files/programs in use that did not get overwritten properly.

BillyBob

 

Seems like it was not responding to normal repair techniques. Sometimes those techniques can work "magic ", somestimes "sort of ", sometimes not at all. A reinstall will not repair the registry (maybe it does at the low levels), I have found it the best way to restore a damaged system. I have never found that a a reinstall from the startup floppy has left the system in worse shape (did one today on this system, problem turned out to be the drivers though). If I'm baffled by a problem I will always try a reinstall.

Viruses, Antiviruses and Operating Systems do not play well together

Matt