Guest b_hansen Posted September 29, 2007 Posted September 29, 2007 I seem to have been hit by a virus, which has messed up some parts of the operating system. I've been told that reloading the operating system (Win XP Pro) is a good idea. But if I do, will it mess up other things on the disk, such as my MS Office settings, Explorer cookies and history, etc.?
Guest Malke Posted September 29, 2007 Posted September 29, 2007 Re: Can I reload WinXP Pro without wiping out other stuff on thedisk? Re: Can I reload WinXP Pro without wiping out other stuff on thedisk? b_hansen wrote: > I seem to have been hit by a virus, which has messed up some parts of the > operating system. I've been told that reloading the operating system (Win XP > Pro) is a good idea. But if I do, will it mess up other things on the disk, > such as my MS Office settings, Explorer cookies and history, etc.? Yes. A clean install will wipe out everything. http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html - Clean Install How-To http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Reinstalling_Windows - What you will need on-hand You might try cleaning the computer first. Since I don't know what "hit by a virus" entails or what you've tried, all I can suggest is: Go through these general malware removal steps systematically - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware Include scanning with David Lipman's Multi_AV and follow instructions to do all scans in Safe Mode. http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Multi-AV - instructions http://pcdid.com/Multi_AV.htm - download You can also check to see if there are targeted removal steps for your malware here: Bleeping Computer removal how-to's - http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/forum55.html When all else fails, run HijackThis and post your log in one of the specialty forums listed at the first link above (not here, please). Standard caveat: If the procedures look too complex - and there is no shame in admitting this isn't your cup of tea - take the machine to a professional computer repair shop (not your local version of BigComputerStore/GeekSquad). Please be aware that not all local shops are skilled at removing malware and even if they are, your computer may be so infested that Windows will need to be clean-installed. Have all your data backed up before you take the machine into a shop. Malke -- Elephant Boy Computers http://www.elephantboycomputers.com "Don't Panic!" MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User
Guest HeyBub Posted September 29, 2007 Posted September 29, 2007 Re: Can I reload WinXP Pro without wiping out other stuff on the disk? b_hansen wrote: > I seem to have been hit by a virus, which has messed up some parts of > the operating system. I've been told that reloading the operating > system (Win XP Pro) is a good idea. But if I do, will it mess up > other things on the disk, such as my MS Office settings, Explorer > cookies and history, etc.? You CAN reload XP, but that won't get rid of the virus unless the virus has infected an operating system function. The virus could just as easily attack some utility not involved in a re-install process. For example, viruses are known to propogate via Microsoft Word documents, IM files, and stale beer. No, make every effort to erradicate the virus in situ.
Guest Ken Blake, MVP Posted September 29, 2007 Posted September 29, 2007 Re: Can I reload WinXP Pro without wiping out other stuff on the disk? On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 17:22:01 -0700, b_hansen <b_hansen@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote: > I seem to have been hit by a virus, which has messed up some parts of the > operating system. I've been told that reloading the operating system (Win XP > Pro) is a good idea. But if I do, will it mess up other things on the disk, > such as my MS Office settings, Explorer cookies and history, etc.? Yes it will. Reloading the operating system by doing a clean reinstallation will remove *everything* that is currently on the drive, including your data and all the things you mention. Answer *all* of the following questions, please: What virus do you have? How do you know it's a virus? What antivirus software do you run? Did you try to use it to remove the virus? What happened? Who told you to reinstall Windows? It's very seldom necessary. -- Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User Please Reply to the Newsgroup
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