You'll be reloading not just the Windows operating system, but you'll also have to re-apply all the security updates, re-install all your software, and reload all your personal files from a backup.
But in some cases, it is necessary. The upside is that a reinstall is the only way to be certain that you have a truly clean error-free and virus-free system to work with. Then insert your Windows Setup CD to begin the re-installation process.
But in many cases, a complete reformat and reinstall is not necessary. If your computer won't boot up, see my article on Hard Drive Recovery and you'll find some tools you can use to fix a damaged partition or master boot record that's preventing your computer from starting.
If you can boot up into the Windows desktop, and you're seeing error messages that weren't popping up a few days ago, try System Restore to return your computer to a working state. If your computer is still running slowly, or if you have a problem accessing the Internet, I recommend that you do a thorough anti-virus and anti-spyware scan.
In many cases, clearing out malware infections on your computer will take care of the problems you're experiencing.
If you still have problems after trying all of those remedies, you should consider a "repair install". This process will delete Windows XP configuration files that are messed up, and replace them with fresh copies of these files from the installation source CD or hard drive.
No data or application files will be deleted so everything should still work when you're done. A repair install can be a little tricky, at least the preliminary steps. But fortunately there's an excellent tutorial on how to do a Windows repair install. The whole repair process should take only a few minutes, unless your Setup CD has a version of Windows that's older than what's on your system.
This can happen if you've applied a service pack such as SP2 or SP3 after the initial Windows installation. If Setup warns you about this, you MUST follow the instructions for creating a "slipstream disk" or you'll end up replacing important system files with outdated copies. Should you repair or replace a corrupted Windows XP installation?
Repair is faster and preserves data and applications on your hard drive. But if a repair is imperfect it can cause new problems. Also, some stubborn malware is very hard to remove with repair tools. Many people prefer to reformat the drive and do a clean installation from CD. That takes longer, and then there's the pain of re-installing all your application software and restoring the backup copies of your data files.
You did make backup copies, didn't you? If you don't have a recent backup copy of your data files, a repair is probably your first resort. Make a backup of all your data as soon as the repair allows you to use Windows XP again. Then, you might want to reformat and do a clean installation. Do you have something to say about repairing a Windows XP system? Post your comment or question below This article was posted by Bob Rankin on 15 Jan Posted by: Mike Dickson 19 Jan I have been having problems with XP and Internet access.
I have deleted these and now can't download them again. I also tried downloading Google Chrome, denied. After reading your recent article I installed MSE, appears to work fine. I do not want to do a complete XP reinstall. Is there anything you can think of that I might have installed that simply blocks competitor products? Posted by: Denis Joseph Trainor 19 Jan Bob, Can I buy a cd with a program on it to clean my hard drive Thank you.
I have been using Majic Jack until 2 weeks ago when it also told me I had no Internet connection I spent 3 hours on a chat line with them until I was cut off. This is my only phone access and the most pressing of the things I have been denied. Posted by: Bill Knowles 20 Jan You mention chose XP in the article. This OS appears to be close to burial, according to Microsoft.
Do you have anything as to how to do the same thing for Vista, or Win7. Posted by: Dave 20 Jan After I thought I successfully eliminated a trojan horse using a malware application I was instructed to restart my computer.
Now when I attempt to log in to Windows XP the computer logs me in and immediatley logs me off again. This happens when I log in with any of my three users, none of which are password protected. The same thing happens if I start up in safe mode. Posted by: Des M 20 Jan However I cannot bring back my desktop and task manager to work.
Any comments please? How do I activate everything again. Ran your program but half my desktop icons are still missing. Every two minutes, my computer tries to log onto the net by itself presumably to do more bad things. What else do I need to do? Thanks for the tutorial on how to remove it. What should I do with that? Should I manually delete it? There are also 3 other files there with the same sort of series of numbers.
Should I delete them too? Well, I wish my story had a happier ending. I followed all the steps, ran the MBAM, and when the computer rebooted, the desktop was there, at least some of it the background had also been eliminated.
I opened the still-hidden fils and folders but the missing documents and pictures were greyed out, in some folder, and. I thought about going to a re-set point, but that option is not in the start menu.
Hi Patrik, thanks for the info, it really helped , but i am still unable to see my desktop normally, however i can see it through cmd prompt, not able to see all programs in start menu, pls help. Will not let me do a system restore and Still trying to log onto the website without my prompting. Just ran Kaspersky in safe mode. While this page has been VERY helpful in getting me, a mere computer layman, to get this Windows XP Repair virus off to some extent it still appears to have a hold on my computer as my files are still hidden.
Malwarebytes only found 3 files:. To anyone. If your Start menu is empty you need to use the following steps: Click Start, Run. It will open a contents of Temp folder. Right click to Start button. Select Open. These ones had the shortcuts appear on my desktop after the virus removal but they are still hidden and do not appear in the Start Menu at all.
They are also in the Programs Folder on the C Drive but still ghosted. Patrick I followed your instructions but still missing programs at start menu. The only programs there are the new Malware and Spybot which I just loaded.
I do have my desktop Icons. I cannot find Office but if you go to control panel add and delet programs the programs are there just hidden some where. Any ideas? One other thing. I had to reinstall Spybot Search and Destroy after the virus was removed because it would not respond.
There are several suspicious files inside the Update Folder that add up to 8. They have names like:. I had to reinstall Spybot under a new name to get it to go and I suspect these files. Could this be related o my problem and if so how do I remove them? I found my programs and desktop icons by going to start menu right click and going to properties and making sure it says read only box checked instead of Hide like mine was. But I still cannot open outlook due to missing files and also my internet provider keeps tring to be changed when I click on it?
I wish there was a fix? Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you! I think this virus might have destroyed the computer. When I tried to locate the folders to rename, I did not see any with the numbers or letters as indicated. Any thoughts? Hard drive error. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Window. Malwarebytes Anti-malware, list of infected items.
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Part 1. Whether you know it or not, Windows takes a snapshot of your PC every so often — at least by default upon installation — and you can always restore your system to that snapshot. This effectively turns your PC back in time to before the virus existed, destroying it. Download an antivirus program if you can. Download other anti-malware software.
Not only is doing so thorough, it may not even be a virus you're dealing with: you could be a victim of a Trojan or another type of malware. Repair Windows if antivirus and other antimalware software don't work. After that, follow the onscreen instructions, choosing to repair Windows instead of reinstalling -- this way you keep your existing files.
Perform a total install of Windows. If you've got your original XP install discs, a full install might help clear things out. After that, follow the onscreen instructions, choosing to totally reformat your hard drive when presented with the reformat utility.
Virus repair of Windows XP is difficult and fraught with increasingly diminishing returns the older the operating system gets.
Consider an upgrade to your operating system if all else fails or if you'd like to have fewer problems in the future. Part 2. Some viruses require Internet access to be able to hide, so you need to cut off their Internet supply to find them.
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