Administrator Password

[Tom Hatfield]

My e-mail address is: "(e-mail address removed)"

In January, 2004 I updated my computer to Windows XP
Home Edition. This morning, when I turned on my computer,
I received a message from Microsoft to update my software.
After doing so, I was instructed to restart the computer.
When I did, I received the following message:

"Windows could not start because the following file is
missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\system32\c_437.nls"
I was then instructed to insert the Windows XP disk,
following the instructions and when requested to do so
to type the letter 'r' When I did this I was then
asked to type in the "Administrator Password" I do
not know what this means.

I then telephoned Microsoft and they advised me that
this cannot be given out over the phone.

Please advise me how to proceed.

Thank you,

Tom Hatfield

 

[David Cook]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you were tricked into
'updating' your computer with a virus. There are known variants
of such emails being forged to APPEAR like they are legitimate,
complete with logos and (erroneous) statements that the msg
is virus-free, etc, etc. But, these msgs come from evil-doers, not from
Microsoft.

Microsoft NEVER sends out emails or other notices that include
attachments telling people to upgrade/update any software.
(The only SECURE way to
update a Window OS is for you to use the Microsoft-website
called 'Windows Update'.)

If you DID execute any attached bogus 'update', you now need to
run a good anti-virus program, such as Norton or McAfee.
(Make sure you install any updates to the anti-virus program
first to bring it up to date.) This should be able to clean off
any virus that you may have infected your machine with.

(As an entirely SEPARATE matter, you also need to educate yourself
enough to learn/understand about difference between user accounts that
are 'limited' vs those that have 'administor' privilege. That is what was
meant in the bogus email...they wanted you to be logged into any acct that
has
administor privilege and supply the password to that user-account, if it
has one. It is recommended but not required that such accts have
passwords.)


Hope this helps...

Dave

 

[David Cook]

Oops, sorry, I may have mis-read/mis-understood what you
saw. You may have just seen a browser msg, saying to use
the Windows-Update site. If that's what happened, it was
legitimate. Then something else has caused a file to be missing, such
as an earlier virus or spyware or whatever.

Once you have done a virus-check, if you still have that msg
after a re-boot, then try running the 'repair' cmd built into Windows-XP.
Go to a cmd-window (under an 'administor-privileged' account) and run the
command:
sfc /scannow
which will scan the file-system and try to restore the critical OS-files.
(It will require the Win-XP CDROM to do that.)

Hope this clarifies it...

Dave

 

[Ken Blake]

In

My e-mail address is: "(e-mail address removed)"

In January, 2004 I updated my computer to Windows XP
Home Edition. This morning, when I turned on my computer,
I received a message from Microsoft to update my software.

Did this message come with an attachment telling to "update your
software" that you ran? Or did it tell you to go to the Microsoft
site to update the software.

If the former, it wasn't from Microsoft, but was a message
containing a virus from an imposter claiming to be Microsoft.
Microsoft *never* sends patches by E-mail.

 

[Plato]

In January, 2004 I updated my computer to Windows XP
Home Edition. This morning, when I turned on my computer,
I received a message from Microsoft to update my software.

MS doesn't send messages like that.

 

[Alex Nichol]

"Windows could not start because the following file is
missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\system32\c_437.nls"
I was then instructed to insert the Windows XP disk,
following the instructions and when requested to do so
to type the letter 'r' When I did this I was then
asked to type in the "Administrator Password" I do
not know what this means.

Under those circumstances the password needed is usually blank: just hit
the TAB key to bypass it, then Enter


How did you get the message to install this Update? Was it from Windows
Update (OK) or in the form of an email with attachment, which definitely
is not? That would not be from Microsoft, but some malicious source
trying to get you to install a trojan or spy program. If it was that, I
would boot the machine hitting F8 as BIOS info goes black, take
Safe Mode - Command Prompt
and in that type
C:\Windows\system32\restore\rstrui.exe
which loads System restore. Choose a date previous to your doing this
and restore to that