Computer to Fix

rctneil · 29 Nov 2009 at 16:23

Hey,

Just at someones houseto trying to fix their computer. The symptoms are:

XP:

Reverted to classic theme,
nothing showing in device manager
USB pen drives are not recognised therefore not able to be used
cannot connect to the net.

Running full malwarebytes scan now.

Any suggestions?

Neil

4T5 · 29 Nov 2009 at 16:30

rctneil said:
Any suggestions?

Neil

Wait for the scan to finish & teach them how to surf porn without messing there Pc up.

Duke · 29 Nov 2009 at 16:33

Could be anything, do the usual mem test, hd test, quick av scan.

Rabtech · 29 Nov 2009 at 16:38

Load msconfig and make sure normal startup is selected - sounds like multiple services are disabled - quickest way to re-enable them

Then do the normal scanning, use Combofix, your usual antivirus then Malwarebytes (although you probably have already finished running that).

Post back with your results.

alex24 · 29 Nov 2009 at 16:41

Format reinstall would be the quickest fix. You could do that in an hour probably. Only problem is data.

There's little point fannying around trying to fix windows problems (especially XP) when it's quicker to just install it again. I know it might not be at that stage yet, but bear it in mind. They're hours of your life you won't see again.

rctneil · 29 Nov 2009 at 16:58

Right, I aborted the Malwarebytes scan and brought the pc home to check out. Just turning on into Safe Mode then will run Malwarebytes on a full scan. Will post results here.

Will check that normal startup is selected.

Another problem it has is that sometimes when it's turned on. The XP splash screen shows with the blue loading bar but it just freezes.

Deleted member 77746 · 29 Nov 2009 at 17:09

question: ask the user if they have anything they want to keep, if yes backup
question: if the user has data backit up else format.

fastest way these days.

alex24 · 29 Nov 2009 at 17:13

I should add, before attempting any software fixes it's good practise to test all the hardware in a machine if you have time, and the symptoms indicate a possible failure. In this case they could (i.e. failed HDD, memory or even mobo). I'd do a hard disk test and run memtest86+ for a couple of passes to be sure you're not wasting your time on software when it'll need formatting again or similar.

SiriusB · 29 Nov 2009 at 17:13

I agree, I have reinstalled XP for much, much less. Whatever has happened to cause that list of problems is not likely easily fixed.

Backup their data and do a nuke. It'll be like new and probably take at most as much time as you'd spend trying to repair the damage. Except it's guaranteed to fix it

Deleted member 77746 · 29 Nov 2009 at 17:18

SiriusB said:
I agree, I have reinstalled XP for much, much less. Whatever has happened to cause that list of problems is not likely easily fixed.

Backup their data and do a nuke. It'll be like new and probably take at most as much time as you'd spend trying to repair the damage. Except it's guaranteed to fix it

dooood, quoted for troof! lol

Mattus · 29 Nov 2009 at 18:04

Answer:

backup
reinstall

Benefits:

quicker
definitely gets rid of malware

Duke · 29 Nov 2009 at 18:06

Mattus said:
Answer:

backup

reinstall

Benefits:

quicker

definitely gets rid of malware

Once the hardware is checked of course

Mattus · 29 Nov 2009 at 18:07

And providing you scan the backups to make sure you haven't backed up the malware, I should add!

theheyes · 29 Nov 2009 at 18:13

Use a live CD to back up considering the possible malware and the fact the USB ports aren't working.