IE problem

[Jyeshta]

Please forgive me if this is the wrong group to ask in.

This morning I was using Internet Explorer in a "safe" site when
suddenly I lost the top menu bar and the whole look of it changed. My
newsreader is now also strange, using a different font than before.

I am doing an online virus scan.

I removed IE from Add/Remove Software in Control Panel.* Should I
reboot before I install a fresh copy from Microsoft? Will Windows
2000 Pro Service Pack 4 with all updates except one non-critical
update run until I can install IE, or should I install IE over the
copy that's still on the computer?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

*I thought I would get the option to repair IE, but I didn't - it was
connected to something like Q***** with a string of numbers after Q
and I panicked and just removed it. I am assuming the Q***** was an
update.

Gail

 

[John John]

You should run Ad-Aware as well as Spybot Search & Destroy before you
re-upgrade IE. Chances are if you got a BHO or other they will still be
there after you do another IE upgrade.

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
http://www.safer-networking.org/

John

 

[Jyeshta]

Thanks for your advice, John. But now, I did not yet reboot, which
will end the removal process of IE, but IE is now back to normal. Do
I dare to reboot and then install the fresh copy of IE? The online
virus scan came up clean.

Thanks so much.

Gail

 

[John John]

Sooner or later you're gonna have to reboot... or eventually there will
be a power failure! For all it's worth you didn't remove IE, it can't
be removed (at least not with Add/Remove Programs). All you did is
revert it back to the version that was installed when Windows 2000 was
installed. If there are temp files to be processed upon reboot you may
as well reboot and get it over with then upgrade IE again. Unless you
can find and remove the temps and run calls for the shutdown/reboot
routine the installation of the new IE upgrade may be unpredictable, so
I would reboot before upgrading again.

John

 

[Jyeshta]

Thank you, John!

Gail

Sooner or later you're gonna have to reboot... or eventually there will
be a power failure! For all it's worth you didn't remove IE, it can't
be removed (at least not with Add/Remove Programs). All you did is
revert it back to the version that was installed when Windows 2000 was
installed. If there are temp files to be processed upon reboot you may
as well reboot and get it over with then upgrade IE again. Unless you
can find and remove the temps and run calls for the shutdown/reboot
routine the installation of the new IE upgrade may be unpredictable, so
I would reboot before upgrading again.

John

 

[John John]

You're welcome.

John

Thank you, John!

Gail

 

[Jyeshta]

To follow up - I finally rebooted and the computer restarted fine,
with IE and all. I installed all the critical updates. IE no longer
appears in Control Panel's "Add / Remove Software" and I don't know
what to make of that. Only other worry is that my computer runs VERY
LOUD and makes an awful grinding sound from time to time. It's been
doing this for quite some time now, so I don't know what to think.

In any case, thank you again, John. I very much appreciate your help.

Gail

 

[Dan Seur]

A grinding, (or buzzing, or humming) sound can be either very serious
(if from a hard drive, it's the sound of doom) or minor (if from a case
or CPU fan, that's a cheap and simple do-it-yourself replacement, or
possibly just moving an errant wire away from the blades). You probably
have to open the case to diagnose.

If it's a hard drive, get your important data backed up elsewhere ASAP.

To follow up - I finally rebooted and the computer restarted fine,
with IE and all. I installed all the critical updates. IE no longer
appears in Control Panel's "Add / Remove Software" and I don't know
what to make of that. Only other worry is that my computer runs VERY
LOUD and makes an awful grinding sound from time to time. It's been
doing this for quite some time now, so I don't know what to think.

In any case, thank you again, John. I very much appreciate your help.

Gail







---
avast! Antivirus: Inbound message clean.
Virus Database (VPS): 0603-0, 01/15/2006
Tested on: 1/15/2006 1:45:04 PM
avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2004 ALWIL Software.
http://www.avast.com

---
avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean.
Virus Database (VPS): 0603-0, 01/15/2006
Tested on: 1/15/2006 1:52:10 PM
avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2004 ALWIL Software.
http://www.avast.com

 

[Jyeshta]

Thank you, Dan! I want to get an external drive to copy my C drive
onto ASAP, but money is the problem. That grinding sound has been
going on for a very long time, many many months at least. Thank you
again. I'll probably have the nearby computer shop take a look at it
for me because ever since I moved cross country, I've developed a fear
of doing stuff like that myself. (I know that sounds ridiculous.)

Gail