RandyL

Hi; Good points maynard. It could also mean you have malware. Follow the steps below. After you perform the SUPERantispyware steps go into Super's Preferences>Repairs, and perform the following repair followed by a restart. Remove Explorer policy restrictions. Malware is the term used to describe computer infections such as Adware, Spyware, Viruses, and Trojan Horses. You will need to run at least two malware scanners as well as an Antivirus scanner that are listed in the following instructions. Anti-Malware and Anti-Virus scanners perform different tasks. The reason to run multiple scanners is to ensure that no single scanner is missing something. The time it takes will vary depending on your system and your internet connection. Typically the SUPERAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes scanners will take between 30 and 90 minutes. The Eset online scan should take between 1 and 3 hours. In most cases, these scans will suffice to clean and disinfect your computer. For best results print the following instructions and bookmark this Web page To keep this guide printer-friendly, use your cursor to highlight the contents below. From your browser select File - Print and in the printer dialog box under "Print range" click the Selection choice to print out these instructions for removal of malware. http://kixhelp.com/wr/images-freepchelp/printer-selection.gif Follow these instructions carefully. Download ATF-Cleaner from Snapfiles.com to remove "junk" files from your computer that may contain malware. You can also download it from Majorgeeks.com When you run ATF-Cleaner, check the items as shown below for Main. For FireFox, be sure to click on the FireFox tab on top and check the items as shown below for FireFox NOTE: If you don't have FireFox or Opera installed then they will be grayed out and can be ignored Then click on "Empty Selected".http://kixhelp.com/wr/images-freepchelp/atf-cleaner01.gif . http://kixhelp.com/wr/images-freepchelp/atf-cleaner02.gif Install and run the free version (not the Professional version) of SUPERAntiSpyware from www.superantispyware.comAccept any prompts to allow SUPERAntiSpyware to install the latest rules and infection definition files. You do not have to send them your e-mail address, just click next. You can leave the automated check for updates on. You can uncheck "Send a diagnostic report to research center" if you don't want to send the information. DO NOT allow SUPERAntiSpyware to protect your Home Page settings. On the Top Left select the Scan your computer button. Make sure there is a CHECK MARK on all Fixed Drives. Click "Perform a Complete Scan". Click "Next" and reboot the computer when prompted to do so. Install and run Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware from this link. Malwarebytes - click to directly download the application Accept all defaults for the installer and then click on the Quick Scan and click Next. If any items are found allow it to clean them and then Reboot your computer. Disable your internet security by right clicking on its icon (usually located in the system tray next to the time display) and choosing "Exit", "Disable", or "Shut Down". Run an online scan with Eset from http://www.eset.com/onlinescan You must use Internet Explorer for this online scan. FireFox, Opera, etc will not work for this scan. Accept the terms and click "Start". Once the scanner is ready, check "Remove found threats" AND "Scan unwanted applications". Click "Start" to begin the scan. When completed restart your computerMake sure your internet security is enabled, and then please return to ExtremeTech.support - Free PC Help and tell us how the computer seems to be operating. At that time, you will receive instructions to assist you in removing malicious programs from your Add/Remove program list if warranted. __________________

Glad to hear that brad. If you figure out how you did it let us know. In any case come back again. RandyL

Sorry I didn't ask that right. In any case you appear to be on high speed internet access. Not dialup. Check back brad. Someone may have an idea on your problem. RandyL

Hi brad; If the default messaging section is grayed out it should mean that OE is already set as default. I'm not sure why it keeps going offline. It appears you are not on dialup. Correct? RandyL

Hey! I use Vista. I'm just not happy about it.

Fantastic. Thanks for letting us know. You should be OK now. If you have any more problems just let us know. RandyL

Thanks maynard. You're a true gentleman. And we sure are glad you are here.

Hi greenbeermonkey; I like your name. Please do let us know how we can help. We will do our best. The mods, techs and members here are some of the best. RandyL

Thanks for the info Ron. I was afraid a more thorough manual cleaning might cause a bigger problem. So I won't point to a possible file at this time. Thanks everyone.

Hi all; Depending on what the malware was it might still be in the system restore files. As such it might come back. Run the scans that seth suggested before doing anything else. They will probably find more. Then post back please with more details on any malware they find.

I thought so. Maybe this computer still needs cleaned. The poster wasn't clear whether infections were found. Or cleaned. Thanks.

Hi team; Looks like we're in agreement here. If this fixes it great. But what would cause this in the first place? I have seen a possible cause of a virus. RandyL

I think that's it in a nutshell nimbers. Post back if you need any more help. RandyL

Hi again; Back up your registry to a location you can access. In the registry editor click File. Click Export. Choose a location to save it to. As for file type I always choose "All files". Click ok. Go back to the Winlogon folder. In the right pane double click Shell. Replace the text with "explorer.exe" without the quotes. Notice the small e. Click OK. Exit the registry. You might need to reboot. Let us know how it goes; RandyL

You make me laugh maynard. You missed the "not". I do the same when I suspect issues. So far so good. It's always been unrelated to malware. But at least I ruled that out first as a cause. Always a good place to start when issues arise. At least it can be ruled out if nothing else. Good advice for everyone.

I completely understand your choice of a paid version maynard. I would tell you mine but I would'nt want to get ripped a new one. It's not Norton. I've never used 1, 2 or 5. Except TrendMicros free Housecall scan so I can't comment on them. The free ones that AdvancedSetup mentioned I have used to clean up systems that were running unprotected. They did a good job detecting and cleaning after the scans. SuperAntiSpyware usually finished the job. I mention the free ones for other viewers of this thread. I respect your choices and the reason behind it. Glad to have you here maynard. Take care.

Hi again; I'm not familiar with your old or new provider so I'll venture some possibilities without real knowledge. Some providers will allow or offer to get your emails for a limited time from your previous ISP. It's called email forwarding. They do this to get you to switch over in hopes of getting your long term business. It makes your transition easier until you notify everyone of the change of address. As to whether it works with Outlook Express (Please note that you should always specify in every post whether it is Outlook or Outlook Express) or just web mail is up to the Internet Service Provider. As for myself I've never seen an instance where you could send mail through a client like Outlook Express using a paid ISP once you cancelled your account. If they allowed that these days it would open up endless spamming possibilities. For instance I could spam for months after only paying for one month. Email Clients also make it easier to send multiple mails. Years ago you could send and recieve mail from a free hotmail or yahoo account through a client like OE or Outlook but not any more unless you pay. The bottom line is you probably never will be able to send mail via OE through a ISP when you don't pay them any more. If you can via web mail it will most likely be temporary. If you can receive mail via web or a client like OE from a terminated ISP it is most likely tempeorary too. If you want to send and get email on an ongoing basis from your terminated ISP account check to see if they offer that service. It will not be free. At least not through a client like OE or Outlook. Different terms apply to different ISP's. MSN or AOL comes to mind.

Hi nimbers; Do you still have a paid account with ntl (virgin)? If not then that could be the reason. RandyL

Hi ali" Your system should also have the ability to create DVD recovery disks. I suggest you create them right away. RandyL

If you can't get to run use Ctrl Alt Delete to open the Windows Task Manager. Click New Task. Type regedit. Click OK.

Hi atm; Can you you get to the "run" box? I would like to see what's in your registry. If you can type "regedit" without the quotes. Then navigate to the Winlogon folder. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon Once there look at Shell in the right pane. It should say explorer.exe RandyL

I'll bring it up with Bob. Even my permissions are messed up so I don't have access to those settings. A lot of others too. Yes there are things to work out yet but I'm still limited to what I can do for now.

Now that's what I call thinking outside of the box.

Good old Jeff. Always funny.

My point is that even though the machine is malware free and running smoothly it could still be at risk for future infections or problems such as slowdowns if it still contains active programs of dubious nature. We all know that many "free, fun, cool programs by themselves can be harmless but often times carry potential risks or a high price that the user is unaware of. If IMsweet is still installed I myself consider it an issue based on the part of the EULA I posted. The EULA clearly states that the program is a security risk and that it allows them to use the processor. To me that's asking for trouble down the road.