Re: Reinstall by an XP fix, or must I wipe clean and install?

From: Rick \ (rick_at_mvps.org)
Date: 08/05/04 

Date: Wed, 4 Aug 2004 21:31:42 -0400

Hi Wayne,

Reinstalling without formatting and starting clean will be pointless if you
are infected. It will also be pointless if there is a hardware issue.
Reinstalling is overkill, and if you use the pc in the same manner
afterwards, you will likely simply become infected again.

Suggest you start in Safe mode by hitting F8 at boot, and see if the
problems still occur. If not, you know it's a software issue. Start by
running stinger (http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/, download it first) in Safe
mode, then look to programs like Adaware and Spybot to help clean up.

Adaware www.lavasoft.de
Spybot www.safer-networking.org

This one can help you avoid these programs from being installed in the first
place:
Spyware Blaster: www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html 

-- 
Best of Luck,
Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone
www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
"Wayne G. Dengel" <wgd.roaming@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:6xeQc.418$Po1.117@nwrddc03.gnilink.net...
> Have a serious XP Home Ed problem.  Sometimes applications load properly,
> othertimes they do not (load at all).  Cannot execute a Norton Live
Update.
> When switching from one XP account to another, an apps will load, at other
> times it will not.  All very irratic.  E-mail and access to web sites,
both
> are working fine.  MS Word, Excel and Access work fine all with their
> respective account settings.
>
> It was suggested that I wipe disk clean and reinstall all from scratch.
>
> Question:  Given that Norton does not (has not found) find any viruses in
> 'C' drive (using current set of their definitions), will XP allow me to
> install by a 'fix', i.e. install by overlaying, or is it recommended to
wipe
> the disk clean and start from scratch?
>
> Best Regards,
>   Wayne
>
> BTW, my machine is acting as an e-mail proxy server!  Rcv numerous msgs
> (Symantec flags) that my pc, 'server',  could not send the da-dah-da
> message, all are msgs that I did not creat or send to the stated, unknown
to
> me, recipients.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

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