What do you think of these symptoms?

[Kieron Capehorn]

Hi

I think I need to format my hard drive and reinstall Windows on my machine,
but I thought I'd post my symptoms here in case anyone has any less drastic
suggestions.

My laptop is incredibly slow when loading up. My first instinct was to run
msconfig and remove some of the programs from my startup list. When I tried
to run msconfig, I get the message "The application failed to initialize
properly (0xc0000006). Click on OK to terminate the application". When I
try to run my antivirus software (Sophos), nothing happens and my machine
freezes and has to be restarted. All of this happens when I am in safe mode
as well as in normal mode.

When I tried to backup up some files in preparation for a probable format,
some files failed to copy (Cyclic Redundancy check fail). This makes me
think I may even need a new hard disk. My adware checker (adaware) scans
for a while and then freezes without giving any results.

Microsoft Word will not open. I get an error reporting box and then get
asked if I want to open Word in safe mode.

A system restore to a couple of weeks ago does not fix any of these
problems.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Rich Barry]

Save your important data and format and reinstall.

 

[Elmo]

Hi

I think I need to format my hard drive and reinstall Windows on my machine,
but I thought I'd post my symptoms here in case anyone has any less drastic
suggestions.

My laptop is incredibly slow when loading up. My first instinct was to run
msconfig and remove some of the programs from my startup list. When I tried
to run msconfig, I get the message "The application failed to initialize
properly (0xc0000006). Click on OK to terminate the application". When I
try to run my antivirus software (Sophos), nothing happens and my machine
freezes and has to be restarted. All of this happens when I am in safe mode
as well as in normal mode.

When I tried to backup up some files in preparation for a probable format,
some files failed to copy (Cyclic Redundancy check fail). This makes me
think I may even need a new hard disk. My adware checker (adaware) scans
for a while and then freezes without giving any results.

Microsoft Word will not open. I get an error reporting box and then get
asked if I want to open Word in safe mode.

A system restore to a couple of weeks ago does not fix any of these
problems.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Try one of these Virus Removal Tools:

Avast! One tool for any current virus
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast-virus-cleaner.html

Symantec Virus Removal Tools
http://www.symantec.com/business/security_response/removaltools.jsp

F-Secure Virus Removal Tools
http://www.f-secure.com/download-purchase/tools.shtml

Kaspersky Virus Removal Tools
http://www.kaspersky.com/removaltools
________________________________________________________

Click Start, Run, type SFC /SCANNOW, click OK. If any files are damaged
or missing, they'll be replaced. You may need to reboot afterwards so
damaged files will be replaced.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Unexplained computer behavior may be caused by deceptive software
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/827315

Run a /thorough/ check for hijackware, including posting your hijackthis log
to an appropriate forum.

Checking for/Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm
http://aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?t=5878
http://wiki.castlecops.com/Malware_Removal_and_Prevention:_Introduction
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/data/prevention.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/tshoot.html
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm
http://defendingyourmachine2.blogspot.com/
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

When all else fails, HijackThis v2.0.2
(http://aumha.org/downloads/hijackthis.zip) is the preferred tool to use.
It will help you to both identify and remove any hijackware/spyware with
assistance from an expert. **Post your log to
http://forums.spybot.info/forumdisplay.php?f=22,
http://castlecops.com/forum67.html,
http://forums.subratam.org/index.php?showforum=7,
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30, or other appropriate forums for review
by an expert in such matters, not here.**

If the procedures look too complex - and there is no shame in admitting this
isn't your cup of tea - take the machine to a local, reputable and
independent (i.e., not BigBoxStoreUSA) computer repair shop.