XP - Device manager and services problem

[kyje69]

I am working on an XP system at home. It has much spyware and trojans and what not on it. All of the spyware is gone and the trojans have been quarantened by Norton.

I cannot access Add Hardware Wizzard, it won't run when I double click on it.

Device manager is blank.

All of the services displayed are disabled. If you select a service and double click on it it throws an error and the services window throws an error and closes. If you select the service, start, stop and the other tool are greyed out.

I am trying all of this as the Administrator in Safe Mode.

I have also tried as a user with administrative privledges in regular windows.

Please help.

Thanks,
Kyle

 

[Ste]

Repair windows or just install over it, (not reformat).

should fix.

 

[ShoobieRat]

Personally, if you had all that crap on the machine to begin with, yer safest bet is to wipe the drive and start fresh. Otherwise there's no guarantee some of those little demons won't come back up again.

 

[kyje69]

Repair

That is my plan to do a repair intstall. I would wipe it out but they have tax documents for the past few years on there.

I haven't tried a repair because they havn't given me thier XP CD yet.

Do you know if you can boot to a Windows 98 Boot Floppy and then change to the cd rom and run the setup for xp?

Thanks,
Kyle

 

[ShoobieRat]

Re: Repair

I would wipe it out but they have tax documents for the past few years on there.

That's why you make a backup before you destroy. And to be honest, if you're concerned about these files, the last thing you would want is a machine with potential problems lingering.

 

[kyje69]

Good Point

That is a good point. I am just looking to get the system running then present them with my recomendations.

Thank you for your help.

Kyle

 

[Ste]

U cannot use a win 98 CD to repair the XP OS, wanna guess why, cause they ain't the same.

 

[kyje69]

Not quite what I meant

I was asking if I could boot the system with a 98 boot floopy. Then I want to, D: and run setup from the XP CD that they got when they bought it. That is what I am asking. I know they are not the same!

Thanks,
Kyle

 

[ShoobieRat]

Nope.

Now go make yourself a set of XP boot disks and do it.