SP2 doesn't allow some programs to run

[adam]

After I install Service Pack 2 on my XP Home machine, several programs do
not run. Specifically, they launch briefly (for less than a second) then
suddenly close on their own. The programs that don't run include:

-Internet Explorer 6.0
-Outlook Express
-Norton Antivirus
-Windows Media Player
-MSN Messenger
there are probably more...

MS Office products and other spyware removal tools work fine, however.

When I uninstall SP 2 everything is ok. I have tried 'sfc /scannow' but
that doesn't help. All the drivers are up to date. Booting into safe mode
doesn't help. There are no viruses and no spyware on the machine. The
Windows Firewall is disabled.


Suggestions? thanks

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Sounds like you might have a virus.

Free online virus scans:

Trend Micro - Free online virus Scan
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp

Panda ActiveScan - Free online scanner
http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/com/activescan_principal.htm

BitDefender Free Online Virus Scan
http://www.bitdefender.com/scan/licence.php

===

You may need this...
Go here, read the instructions and download and copy to 3½" disk and take
home and run it on your machine.

McAfee AVERT Stinger
[[Stinger is a stand-alone utility used to detect and remove specific
viruses. It is not a substitute for full anti-virus protection, but rather a
tool to assist administrators and users when dealing with an infected
system.]]
http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/

 

[Malke]

After I install Service Pack 2 on my XP Home machine, several programs
do
not run. Specifically, they launch briefly (for less than a second)
then
suddenly close on their own. The programs that don't run include:

-Internet Explorer 6.0
-Outlook Express
-Norton Antivirus
-Windows Media Player
-MSN Messenger
there are probably more...

MS Office products and other spyware removal tools work fine, however.

When I uninstall SP 2 everything is ok. I have tried 'sfc /scannow'
but
that doesn't help. All the drivers are up to date. Booting into safe
mode
doesn't help. There are no viruses and no spyware on the machine.
The Windows Firewall is disabled.


Suggestions? thanks

What programs did you run to determine that there are no viruses and/or
spyware on the machine? What version NAV are you using and were the
definitions current? Is this an OEM machine? Is it a laptop? If either
of those, did you check on the OEM's website for any software updates,
etc.?

Tell us more about your machine so we can help you narrow down the
reason SP2 isn't working for you.

Malke

 

[adam]

I have Norton 2002 fully updated and running weekly scans. Spybot got rid of
all the spyware it found, and I think I ran Spysweeper once also. It's a
fairly new Dell P4 desktop, and it's not OEM. There are no other Windows
updates left to run, just SP 2.

thanks for your help

 

[Malke]

I have Norton 2002 fully updated and running weekly scans. Spybot got
rid of all the spyware it found, and I think I ran Spysweeper once
also. It's a fairly new Dell P4 desktop, and it's not OEM. There are
no other Windows updates left to run, just SP 2.

thanks for your help

NAV 2002 is obsolete and should be replaced with a current version av. I
like EZ-Trust (www.my-etrust.com) rather than NAV 2005. Make sure your
version of Spybot is 1.3. From your post, I wouldn't be able to say
that you are 100% sure your machine is clean. Start by really cleaning
up. Here are standard troubleshooting steps for malware removal:

1) Scan in Safe Mode with current version (not earlier than 2003)
antivirus using updated definitions;

2) remove spyware with Spybot Search & Destroy
(www.safer-networking.org) and Ad-aware (www.lavasoftusa.com). These
programs are free, so use them both since they complement each other.
There is a new version of CWShredder from
http://www.intermute.com/spysubtract/cwshredder_download.html. I would
not install the other Intermute programs, however. Alternately, there
are CoolWebSearch malware removal steps at
http://www.silentrunners.org/sr_cwsremoval.html. A combination of
HijackThis and About:Buster (http://www.majorgeeks.com) works well in
removing homepage hijackers. Always read the instructions before
running a spyware removal tool. Be sure to update these programs before
running, and it is a good idea to do virus/spyware scans in Safe Mode.
Make sure you are able to see all hidden files and extensions (View tab
in Folder Options);

3) If you are running Windows ME or XP, you should disable/enable System
Restore because malware will be in the Restore Points. With ME, you
must disable System Restore completely. With XP, you can delete all but
the most recent (presumably clean) System Restore point from the More
Options section of Disk Cleanup (Run>cleanmgr).

4) make sure you've visited Windows Update and applied all security
patches. Do not install driver updates from Windows Update;

5) run a firewall.

Malke