Re: Will Windows XP Upgrade Help Me?

Your computer may have several levels of problems.

First, you already know it has some malware (virus, Trojan, etc).

As for the cleaning you mention, that sounds like mechanical cleaning, such
as vacuuming. That would not help with any software issues.

As for the floppy and CD drive, if they were working before you sent it out,
demand that the company that did the cleaning repair/replace them. If they
were not working beforehand, then you were merely guessing/hoping that some
sort of cleaning would fix them. It did not.

At this point I would suggest several fairly drastic actions:

1. Disconnect from the internet.
2. Get a new floppy drive and a new CD drive. Given the cost, I would go
for a DVD-writer, which also reads DVDs, and reads and writes CDs. A plain
CD reader will be cheaper, but not by much. Check both local stores and
on-line stores. Note that CD-reading is automatic with 98 and higher, and
that is all you need to install programs. But, CD\DVD writing requires
extra software. Some software often comes with the hardware, but it may
have minimal functionality. Better software can be purchased separately
(e.g., full Nero or full Easy Media Creator), and there are even some decent
free writing packages. Do not worry about these software packages, until
after you get the PC working and then want to write a CD or DVD:

http://www.deepburner.com/ (offers basic free burner and enhanced version
for a price)

3. Using either a boot floppy or a bootable CD, erase the hard drive. Not
just format, but erase/overwrite every single bit on it, including the boot
record. Use something like FDISK to remove all partitions, or a special disk
wiping software. See the following link for a bootable CD with many tools:

http://ubcd.sourceforge.net/

4. Create new partitions via boot floppy (i.e., FDISK) or via bootable CD,
partitioning or disk preparation tools. Choose FAT32 for 98 or ME. This
can be optional, if all you want is one big C:\ partition. However, I
strongly recommend a separate partition for personal files, if not a
separate hard drive.

5. Install your favorite operating system. Operating system CDs are
bootable, and will usually create one big partition (C:\), unless you
pre-make partitions, or perform a custom installation. If considering
upgrading to XP, first check whether your hardware meets the minimum
requirements for XP, and whether you have a full set of drivers for any
peripherals. XP will automatically handle most mice, keyboards, simple
monitors, some printers. You could run the XP upgrade advisor, free from
Microsoft, after you re-install ME. If things look good, then you could
either upgrade to XP, or better yet, do a clean install of XP. This advisor
can be downloaded on another computer and then copied to yours.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/upgrading/advisor.mspx

Hint: To be happy with XP, have a minimum of 256 Meg of RAM. And, more is
better. XP may run on 128 Meg or less, but you won't like it.

6. Before going on the internet, and before reading any DOC, XLS, etc.
(which might be infected), install an antivirus !!! Also install a
firewall. If cost is an issue, there are several free ones. Be sure to
check that they support your operating system. Some only support XP or
higher. AVG is a free antivirus that support 98 and higher, thus ME. See
the following links for some options:

http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloads29.html
http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloads34.html

Caution: Do not install more than one antivirus and one firewall. Two or
more may fight each other.

6. Also install a anti-spyware program, which is different than anti-virus.
A good free one is Spybot Search & Destroy:

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

Others are listed here:

http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloads31.html

7. Re-connect to the internet. You may need to run some installation CD
for the DSL. Contact your ISP about that.

8. Get some backup software, such as Norton GHOST or Acronis TrueImage, or
similar product. Get a USB hard drive, and make an image of the
C:\partition. Also make a copy (not an image) of your personal data. How,
in the event that the PC gets a software problem, whether it be a bad
install/uninstall or a virus, you will have the option to restore the PC.
Note that most backup/restore programs will not fix a boot record problem,
unless you backup/restore the entire hard drive. But, that can be done
separately via FDISK. The latest version of TrueImage is one that can
backup/restore the boot record as part of a partition backup. (If you have
one big C:\ drive partition is almost the same as whole drive, except for
the boot record.)

9. Install any other software, such as office suite, CD writer, etc.

10. Occasionally make a new image of the C:\ partition. Frequently make a
copy of your personal files. In fact, occasionally write personal files to
CD or DVD. Use standard optical format (not drag&drop), finalize (or close)
the CD\DVD, store in a dark, cool, dry place.

11. Update your antivirus definitions at least weekly !!! Some anti-virus
programs check for new definitions and pop-up asking you to download them,
some do it automatically (if you let them), but others require you to
manually go get them. Learn which type you have.

12. Check for ant-spyware updates every week or two. This is usually less
important than antivirus, but at DSL speed, it should only take seconds to
check and less than an minute to update. That is time worth spending.

Good luck.



"Topazprincess77" <topazprincess77@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1c09d555-f924-4bc1-af02-563d055825e0@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hello,
I have Windows ME OS on one of my computers, it came from a
questionable background with many viruses and spyware, I have tried
and tried to get this computer up and running. The original goal was
to get it online, I have DSL and it refused to load webpages. I spent
a little more than a week, night and day removing unwanted programs/
spywares/viruses/adwares/etc. Straightening out annoying settings and
so on, either way she worked beautifully....for a fews months, went
online and did everything you could ask of it.

And then...this is where it goes bad...because the of issues with the
computer there was no virus software on it...it was taken to a risky
website and it all went downhill from there. It started running slow
and was constantly lagged down with nasty bugs running in the
background all the time. I wanted to fix it the right way this time so
I figured my best shot was the get the floppy drive working, I sent it
to be cleaned out on the inside, removal of dust and what not. Well it
was returned without a working floppy drive or cd drive! Any disc put
in it now just whirrs for a few seconds and then does nothing.

If I get an XP upgrade will it still force the computer to boot and go
on with the install? As of currently it will only boot in safe mode an
area I know nothing about....

Any help would be appreciated...
Thanks,
Topaz.


.

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