NationStates Jolt Archive

My computer got infected last night, I ran my anti-spy programs to find and delete the problems, and now everytime I log on after typing my password, I get an error message:

Explorer.EXE - Application Error

The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000022). Click on OK to terminate the application.

So now, explorer won't load and all i get is a blank desktop with nothing but wallpaper.

:(

(Meaning, i'm using my grandma's computer to post here)

Sucks, man.

I wish I could help, but I'm a stupid republican. Sorry!

It means somebody has out a curse on your computer.
If you want to exorcise it yourself, you'll need some duct tape, copper wiring, 3 feet of 1/4 inch diameter rubber tubing, a banana, and a tub of peanut butter.
Or, you could get an experienced exorcist to do it for you.

*switches into more serious mode*
If you can't do anything with your computer, how are you posting at the moment?

Just reinstall windows. Or get a sledgehammer and smash up your computer. Then kidnap bill gates and make him buy you a new one that works properly.

If you can't do anything with your computer, how are you posting at the moment?
I'm using my grandma's computer to post here.

Just reinstall windows. Or get a sledgehammer and smash up your computer. Then kidnap bill gates and make him buy you a new one that works properly.
I tried to reinstall windows, but it won't work, cuz my reinstallation cd is service pack 1a, and i have service pack 2.

Just for the record, i use a Dell Inspiron 8600 notebook computer (or laptop as some call it), 60 gig hd, 256 meg ram, 1400 megahertz processor w/a speed of 1.37 gigahertz, and a Nvidia graphics card.

I tried to reinstall windows, but it won't work, cuz my reinstallation cd is service pack 1a, and i have service pack 2.

What do you mean? You should be able to just wipe off windows, install it anew and then download all the service packs you like.

can you restart in Safe mode and rollback? If not, try and get a boot disk (a 3 1/2" floppy disk with drivers on it for starting your PC) and run it off of that while you rollback. Other than that, reinstall or be forced to format.

I tried to reinstall windows, but it won't work, cuz my reinstallation cd is service pack 1a, and i have service pack 2.
You cant do the "repair" but you CAN reformat and start over ... sucks but it IS possible (and it is hard but if you have a full coppy of win xp you can mod it to include SP2 ... but its been a bit sence I have done that)

can you restart in Safe mode and rollback? If not, try and get a boot disk (a 3 1/2" floppy disk with drivers on it for starting your PC) and run it off of that while you rollback. Other than that, reinstall or be forced to format.
Well, I did run the anti-virus scans WHILE in safe mode. could that have been the problem? I also have system restore turned off.

My laptop doesn't have a floppy drive.

Well, I did run the anti-virus scans WHILE in safe mode. could that have been the problem? I also have system restore turned off.

My laptop doesn't have a floppy drive.

You turned off system restore and don't have a floppy? IDK what to tell you then.

You turned off system restore and don't have a floppy? IDK what to tell you then.
I turned off system restore becuase it seemed to interfere with some of my virus scans.

Well, I did run the anti-virus scans WHILE in safe mode. could that have been the problem? I also have system restore turned off.

My laptop doesn't have a floppy drive.
Unless you have a 10 year old PC, it should be able to boot from a CD or DVD. Just insert the Windows XP CD, reboot and see if the installer starts.

Remember to back up important data before reinstalling, a clean install will wipe the entire partition!

Unless you have a 10 year old PC, it should be able to boot from a CD or DVD. Just insert the Windows XP CD, reboot and see if the installer starts.

Remember to back up important data before reinstalling, a clean install will wipe the entire partition!
I tried to boot from the cd, but it didn't work.

Just to be sure, though, how do i boot from the cd?

My computer got infected last night, I ran my anti-spy programs to find and delete the problems, and now everytime I log on after typing my password, I get an error message:



So now, explorer won't load and all i get is a blank desktop with nothing but wallpaper.

:(

(Meaning, i'm using my grandma's computer to post here)

Put in your Windows XP (I assume XP) CD then boot off it.

Now, when it asks what to do, click "Install Windows". (Not "Repair using a recovery console" or "exit"). Let it load and just keep going forward. Wait until it gets to "Searching for previously installed operating systems". It should list your last windows instalation (the one that's broken). Hit "R". That will load Windows Repair. It basically reloads Windows but keeps all your files, settings, registry, etc. When that's done, you'll have to re-activate and stuff, but your computer should be working.

If not, you need to reinstall Windows from scratch.

If you need any help doing this (don't worry, I'm an expert on it: I average once per week), feel free to add me to MSN: j.m.boniface@gmail.com

I tried to boot from the cd, but it didn't work.

Just to be sure, though, how do i boot from the cd?
Put it in and hit your reset button. Most computers will give you the option to boot off the CD. If not, you might need to change a CMOS setting.

Restart, and hit whatever it says to Enter Setup/CMOS settings/whatever. It's one of the first things that loads.

You need to find something, usually in General Setup to change your boot order. The one I find best is CD ROM, A, C. That way, it will boot off of a CD before it tries to load Windows. Try changing that, then restart with the CD in.

I tried to boot from the cd, but it didn't work.

Just to be sure, though, how do i boot from the cd?
You just have it inserted while the computer starts. If it doesn't work, your computer might not support booting from a CD, but it's more likely that you have to change the boot order in the BIOS.

You cant do the "repair" but you CAN reformat and start over ... sucks but it IS possible (and it is hard but if you have a full coppy of win xp you can mod it to include SP2 ... but its been a bit sence I have done that)
Um, you can repair. It will just replace the SP2 instalation with a SP1 one. I do it all the time.
And you don't need to reformat to install anew.

w00t! 1k!

Um, you can repair. It will just replace the SP2 instalation with a SP1 one. I do it all the time.

w00t! 1k!
alrighty. can you post me through it? (i can add you to MSN later, when my computer's fixed, alrighty?)

alrighty. can you post me through it? (i can add you to MSN later, when my computer's fixed, alrighty?)
Ok.

First, you need to change the CMOS settings for boot order. Restart your PC, then enter Setup. It'll be the first thing that loads, and will usually say something like "Hit F1/Del/Etc. to enter Setup". Go to "General Setup" (or something like that) and change your boot order to CDROM, A, C (or something with CDROM first). Then Save and exit. This will restart your computer.

Now put your Windows CD in the drive and restart again. It should now ask you if you want to boot off the CD. Hit yes or whatever it tells you to hit to boot off the CD.

Now, you have to wait for the Windows installer to load. This might take a little while.

When it's done, the first thing it will ask will be to either Install Windows (Enter) or Repair Using a Recovery Console (R or something) or Exit Setup (F3). Hit Enter to Install Windows. It will give you the EULA and you hit F8. Next, it will search for previously installed operating systems. It should list your broken one there. It will give you the option to repair it (R) or install a new copy of Windows (Esc). Hit R to begin the repair. Now, you have to wait. The setup process is just like installing from scratch, so you have to sit there and install your CD Key and such.

When it's done loading files, it will reboot. Don't boot off the CD again, just let it load normally. It will boot into Windows Setup automatically. Just don't remove the CD.

When it's done installing, it will reboot again. Windows will load, and everything should work fine. All your settings and desktop, files, etc. will be just as they were, however, you will need to reactivate.

If you need any clarification on any point, just post. I might need to know the model of your laptop (basically what company made it) to help with the Setup though.

I need to go, however if you have any problems please e-mail me so I can get back to you.

Everything should be correct, and editing setup isn't hard, as long as you know what your looking for.

Cheers, and I hope this works for you!

Alrighty. Now i have another problem, which started just before the explorer.exe application error 0xc0000022 problem:

I downloaded something, and all of a sudden, an Internet explorer thingy was plastered onto my desktop by some sort of adware/trojan/virus/whatever. I knew it was an IE thing once i right-clicked on it. so i went down and clicked "view source" or something like that, and got the html:
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<!----
***** This file is automatically generated by Microsoft Windows *****
--------><HTML><HEAD>
****** http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1252"></HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#000000>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: url(file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Eugene/Local%20Settings/Application%20Data/Microsoft/Wallpaper1.bmp) no-repeat 50% 50%; LEFT: 0px; WIDTH: 1024px; POSITION: absolute; TOP: 0px; HEIGHT: 768px"></DIV><IFRAME
id=1
style="Z-INDEX: 1002; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; LEFT: 0px; WIDTH: 1024px; POSITION: absolute; TOP: 1px; HEIGHT: 767px"
name=DeskMovrW marginWidth=0 marginHeight=0 src="file:///C:/WINDOWS/screen.html"
frameBorder=0 scrolling=no subscribed_url="" resizeable=""> </IFRAME>
<OBJECT id=ActiveDesktopMover
style="LEFT: 0px; VISIBILITY: hidden; WIDTH: 0px; POSITION: absolute; TOP: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px; container: positioned; zIndex: 5"
classid=clsid:72267F6A-A6F9-11D0-BC94-00C04FB67863></OBJECT>
<OBJECT id=ActiveDesktopMoverW
style="Z-INDEX: 1001; LEFT: -1px; VISIBILITY: hidden; WIDTH: 1026px; POSITION: absolute; TOP: 0px; HEIGHT: 769px; container: positioned"
classid=clsid:72267F6A-A6F9-11D0-BC94-00C04FB67863></OBJECT>&nbsp;
</BODY></HTML>


Screenshot:
http://img145.echo.cx/img145/9072/ugh7mg.jpg