ad-aware hang

Sorry about the OS version. Luckily it is even easier to change owner on 2K than it would have been with XP-home, for instance.

- Open windows explorer and right-click on the drive icon
- left-click properties (bottom of the drop-down)
- click on the security tab, on the advanced button, on the owner tab then pick the user account you want, tick the box for "replace owner ..." and click OK. It may take a few minutes but it should do the deed for you.

After that, click on start, on run, key in cmd and click OK. When the window opens, key in the following and after you press ENTER, give the answers needed to have the chkdsk done at next reboot then boot.

Code:

chkdsk c: /r

When that finishes and you are logged back on,
- open IE and under tools~internet options, delete all temporary internet files and cookies and close IE
- go to control panel, add/remove programs and do a repair of IE

Note to all: the attached picture is what she sees in windows explorer.

 

Sorry I didn't get back with you sooner Phyllis. I got called away on a family emergency. Spybot and Ad-aware both have options to run at startup if any entries marked for removal were unable to be removed within Windows. You can shut off those options and/or choose not to allow them when running the program. In Spybot, click mode on the toolbar and select advanced. Then, from the left pane, select settings button then settings again. Scroll down to Automation section and make sure the only thing selected is under system start heading, that being no automation.

I also wanted to post a picture she sent to me showing the properties window on the rouge files/folders.

Newt,

Are these something that could possibly be located/identified/deleted in DOS? (does W2000 have DOS? You know I'm a bit unfamiliar with that OS. ) These are definately some strange critters. Cannot be moved, renamed, zipped, emailed or even attached for file transfer so that I could examine them. My understanding is that they appeared after undoing an overclocking of the AMD CPU.

 

Dave - for all practical purposes, XP-Pro = Win2K Pro.

I was hoping to get some specific path info from the pictures but what she sent makes it look as if the file-name-info is scrunged on the whole drive if you look at it via windows explorer.

I have a sorta vague memory of seeing this sort of thing before as a display anomoly related to an IE issue and with a FAT32 file layout. I'm hoping the repair things I posted will correct that piece.

No 2K does not have DOS. It is running on the same NT engine that NT4/2K/XP use. However, with a FAT system, booting from a DOS floppy will give you access but I'm really thinking the files we are seeing are the main OS files but with names scrambled so that removal would break the PC.

If the repair stuff I posted doesn't take care of at least a majority of the issues, I'll be leaning toward suggesting a complete wipe/reinstall but using NTFS this time since I don't remember ever seeing this sort of thing with it.

Phyllis - even though this thread deals with your PC, you should probably read and then ignore Dave's last post and this one.

 

Newt, I don't have a security tab on the c properties. I tried to send a snap shot, but it doesn't appear to work on this bbs. Perhaps I don't know how to do it. Sorry I'll send it via email. Thank you both so much!

 

I have not been able to solve my issues. Waiting further instructions, ideas and solutions

 

I've lost track given the length of the thread Phyllis but if you run XP-home, you will need to start in safe mode and log on as Administrator to see the security tabs.

 

I'm running windows 2000. Can you tell me how to log on as administrator? Thank you.

 

If you have the classic logon box (where you type in the username to logon), then just type Administrator and hit enter. Chances are there has never been a password for the Admin account.

 

Still no change. I can't do anything with these weird files & folders, not through dr. delete, move on boot, safe mode I can't check disk, I signed on as administrator, I can't find a security tab. I still can't defrag my harddrive and I can't even scan on line with housecall or panda. It tells me that my browers isn't supported that I need at least ie 4.0. I have ie 6.0. I can't seem to find my ie6.0 in add/remove programs to reinstall or fix it. The athlon is running windows 2000. I emailed a snap shot of the results of the latests recommendations from Newt & Noahdfear. I need a sobing smiley

 

This is sounding worse and worse.

Some things to try from the Recovery Console and a command prompt so some typing involved.

With the system set to boot from CD as the first option, boot up, select the option to repair your 2K install and then the option for recovery console.

Delete the existing pagefile and reboot. Possible that the junk is stuck there. Note that you won't initially be able to see or delete pagefile.sys but this trick will work. Type the following and press ENTER after each line

CD \
Copy boot.ini pagefile.sys (and if it asks about overwriting, say yes)
Del pagefile.sys
Exit

The PC should now reboot normally after you remove the CD. A new, clean pagefile.sys will be created at that time.