windows screwed up after home search assistant removal...

negative-sleepnegative-sleep
edited March 2005 in Spyware & Virus Removal
okay, i went thru and followed the instructions on getting rid of the HSA...

now my computer is kind of screwed up.

Copy and Paste functions are gone

clicking on links doesnt always work....to even activate my user name here i had to manually type in the URL in my email...which i had to check thru outlook express because IE was screwed up...

i am figuring i got rid of a dll file or some other file that was important on accident. I have tried a recovery installation but after asking for my admin password it just goes to a black screen with C:\windows and when i type something it tells me to hit HELP for a list of commands...which is great but none of the commands seem like they would start any sort of recovery program...

also the taskbar comes and goes i have to go find control panel and taskbar and start menu to get it to appear and it takes a few times before it does...

when i minimze windows, they do not go into the taskbar like usual, they just minimze into little rectangles above it, then the only way i can get to different windows i have open is to use the alt-tab function....


is there anyway i can fix this without reinstalling XP(not really an option, compute rprobably wouldnt make it anyway)

Comments

  • Buckeye_SamBuckeye_Sam Columbus, Ohio
    edited March 2005
    It's going to be very difficult to advise you what to do without seeing a hijackthis log. Here is a very basic fix for HSA.

    You may want to print out these instructions or save them to your desktop as a text file with Notepad because we will be restarting into Safe Mode later on in the fix and you might not be able to access the Internet.
    1. Prepare CWShredder for use:
      • Download CWShredder.
      • Save CWShredder.exe to a convenient location.
      • Please do not do anything with it yet.
    2. Prepare AboutBuster for use:
      • Download AboutBuster.
      • Unzip the contents of AboutBuster.zip and an AboutBuster directory will be created.
      • Navigate to the AboutBuster directory and double-click on AboutBuster.exe.
      • Click "OK" at the prompt with instructions.
      • Click "Update" and then "Check For Update" to begin the update process.
      • If any updates exist please download them by clicking "Download Update".
      • You should not run the program yet so click "Exit".
    3. Prepare cwsserviceremove.reg for use:
      • Download cwsserviceremove.zip.
      • Unzip the contents of cwsserviceremove.zip (cwsserviceremove.reg) to your desktop.
      • Please do not do anything with it yet.
    Reconfigure Windows XP to show hidden files:
    Click Start. Open My Computer.
    Select the Tools menu and click Folder Options. Select the View Tab.

    Under the Hidden files and folders heading select "Show hidden files and folders".
    Uncheck the "Hide protected operating system files (recommended)" option.
    Uncheck the "Hide file extensions for known file types" option.
    Click Yes to confirm. Click OK.

    Boot into Safe Mode:
    Restart your computer and immediately begin tapping the F8 key on your keyboard.
    If done right a Windows Advanced Options menu will appear. Select the Safe Mode option and press Enter.
    To return to normal mode just restart your computer as you normally would.
    1. Run CWShredder:
      • Double-click on CWShredder.exe.
      • Click "Fix ->" and click "OK" at the prompt.
      • CWShredder will scan and clean your system of CWS files.
      • Click "Next->" and then "Exit".
    2. Remove the offending service:
      • Double-click on cwsserviceremove.reg you downloaded earlier.
      • When it asks you to merge the information to the registry click "Yes".
    3. Run AboutBuster and save the logs:
      • Browse to where you saved AboutBuster and run AboutBuster.exe.
      • Click OK at the directions prompt.
      • Click Start and then OK to allow AboutBuster to scan for Alternate Data Streams.
      • Click Yes to allow it to shutdown explorer.exe.
      • It will begin to your computer for malicious files. If it asks if you would like to do a second pass, allow it to do so.
      • When it has finished, click Save Log. Make sure you save it as I need a copy of it.
    4. Clean out temporary files:
      • Start | Run | type cleanmgr | OK
      • Let it scan your system for files to remove.
      • Make sure Temporary Files, Temporary Internet Files, and Recycle Bin are the only things checked.
      • Click "OK" to remove them.
      • Click "Yes" to confirm the deletion.
    5. Restart your computer normally to return to normal mode.
    6. Free TrendMicro Housecall scan:
      • Vist the TrendMicro Housecall website.
      • Select your country from the drop-down list and click "Go".
      • Choose "Yes" at the ActiveX Security Warning prompt.
      • Please wait while the Housecall engine is updated.
      • Select the drives to be scanned by placing a check in their respective boxes.
      • Check the "Auto Clean" box.
      • Click "SCAN" in order to begin scanning your system.
      • Please be patient while Housecall scans your system for malicious files.
      • If not auto-cleaned, remove anything it finds.
      • Click "Close" to exit the Housecall scanner.
      • Choose "Yes" at the HouseCall message prompt.
    7. Prepare your reply:
      • Please post a fresh HijackThis log
      • Please post the AboutBuster log.
      • Please note any complications you had.
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