Re: desktop continually reloads...

Tech-Archive recommends: Fix windows errors by optimizing your registry

Tony Meyer wrote:

> Thanks Malke, but this registry entry has not made a single bit of
> difference. I still have the problem. I'm starting to think of a
> reformat and clean install... then I think of all my photos and music
> and documents I have neglectfully failed to back up, and the hours and
> hours of work in
> getting it back how I want it... any more ideas? cheers
> "Malke" <invalid@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:eFRNgx$iFHA.3448@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Tony Meyer wrote:
>>
>>> OK, here's another one. My son helpfully managed to get a trojan
>>> installed on my machine, a nasty piece of work called Puper-D. I
>>> nailed it ok, but then my desktop would continually reload, and
>>> freeze as Dr watson came up. I disabled the good doctor in the
>>> registry to see what the problem was, and it was an application
>>> error in explorer.exe. I reloaded windows XP pro as a repair
>>> install, assuming the trojan had damaged the OS, and now I'm not
>>> getting the error message, but the desktop continuously refreshes
>>> about every 12 to 15 seconds, and takes anything on it out. Any
>>> ideas whats causing this? Thanks so much.
>>
>> MVP Kelly Theriot has a utility that might help. It's on Line 157
>> here:
>>
>> http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm
>>

OK, not to panic! First of all, there are ways to get the data off. I'll
give you a few; if the instructions seem daunting then it's time to
take the machine to a good professional computer repair shop (not your
local equivalent of BigStoreUSA). There is no reason to feel shame at
that; I don't hesitate to take my car to the mechanic.

1. Take the hard drive out of the sick computer and slave it an another
machine with a working XP installation. Copy the files off using
Windows Explorer. You might need to take ownership of the files
afterwards:

Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP [Q308421] -
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=308421

Scan the files with a current version antivirus (not earlier than 2004)
using updated definitions before opening anything on your nice clean
computer.

2. Boot the sick computer with Knoppix, a Linux distro on a live cd. You
will need a computer with two cd drives, one of which is a cd/dvd-rw OR
a usb thumb drive with enough capacity to hold your data. To get
Knoppix, you need a computer with a fast Internet connection and
third-party burning software. Download the Knoppix .iso from
www.knoppix.net and create your bootable cd. Then boot with it and it
will be able to see the Windows files. If you are using the usb thumb
drive, right-click on its icon (on the Desktop) to get its properties
and uncheck the box that says "Read Only". Then click on it to open it.
Note that the default mouse action in the window manager used by
Knoppix (KDE) is a single click to open instead of the traditional MS
Windows' double-click. Otherwise, use the K3b burning program to burn
the files to cd/dvd-r's.

Now that you've got your data, you can address the problems on the
damaged Windows install. I suspect your computer is either still not
clean - I've never seen a machine that was infested with only *one*
type of malware and I do this for a living - and/or you have damaged
system files. Either perform advanced cleaning, take the machine to a
professional, or of course you can always do a clean install. With XP,
a clean install is always the last resort and there are things you can
do first, but get your data off immediately.

Let me know if you need more help.

Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User
.

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