Techies, Please Help.

[deadohsky]

I shut down my computer before i went to work today, when i turned it on when i got back home it didn't start right up into windows, it was in safe mode and ran 'chkdsk' on all files.

When it finally started up everything was changed. My browser (opera) is acting like its the first time i've used it, speed dial is erased, bookmarks are erased, the font is in bold. Windows media player only recognizes two of my albums even though the rest of the music is still on the hard drive. When it's still loading start up programs a notification window pops up twice saying windows media sharing encountered a problem and had to close.

I tried to use system restore and got a notification window that says 'c:\\windows\system32\ATL.DLL is either not designed to run on windows or it contains an error.'

Also in the toolbar it says that updates are available. I installed them and restarted and it still says there are updates available; the same two.

Any ideas as to what happened? I have never experienced anything like this before. Any help would be appreciated.

[lxskllr]

I'd start by backing up any data you can't afford to lose. Then run some malware scans. I like Avira a/v, and Malwarebytes. If those come back clean, check your hd for problems. I like HdTune.

[danielan]

Did you reboot out of safe mode after the chkdsk, etc?

If not, do so.

If you have, then run a anti-virus scan (if you don't have one you could try avast! It's free and decent) then an anti-spyware (I use spybot - also free and decent).

Dan

[lxskllr]

I compiled a new boot cd tonight. Here's a copy/paste of the mail I sent my clan mates...

I compiled a new Windows rescue CD tonight. If anyone's interested, they can get it here...

http://ubuntuone.com/p/9Cq/

I included a folder of useful tools inside one of the directories. I was tired, and didn't feel like learning how to take the time to do it properly, so I put it in the SuperAntiSpyware language directory. You'll have to run that program before the directory appears though. Specifically the file is located here...

B:\superas\Language and the folder is called SystemTools That can be drag/dropped to your main hd once you boot to the CD if you want to use it on your regular install. That folder has a file called NirLauncher.exe If you click that, it'll launch a handy menu that shows all the included tools. Clicking the Package up/down buttons will change the tool set between the NirSoft tools, and Sysinternals suite tools. The tools can also be manually run by going to the individual directories. There's 1 other folder in there called processhacker-1.11-bin which won't show up in the launcher above. You can only use that by browsing to the folder.

Keep in mind that the above tools will light up your antivirus like an xmas tree. They're all clean, but due to the nature of some of the tools, they mimic functionality a lot of viruses have.

I don't know how fast the server is, so download may be slow. You'll have to burn the .iso to a disc as a .iso Simply drag/dropping it to a CD won't work. My preferred burner for images is Imgburn.

[Simplysnus]

What version of windows are you on?

[deadohsky]

Yeah, i did reboot out of safe mode. So far i have run a few virus scans and they did turn up some infected files, deleted those and still no different really. Can't run system restore, media player just shuts down when i try and play any music ('encountered a problem and must close').

I have vista. Haven't really experienced the headaches i hear a lot of people complain about with it, it has run pretty good up until now.

[lxskllr]

A reinstall's probably the way to go. There's some nasty viruses out there now that are hard to detect, and even harder to get rid of. Cleaning the system could be a huge time sink, and a reinstall could end up being quicker.

[deadohsky]

That's what i was thinking. The system won't even download updates anymore; stalls at 68 percent.

Any advice as to how to go about doing that as i do not have a OS disc, it came installed when i bought the computer and did not come with any windows discs.

[danielan]

Is there a sticker on it with the code?

If so, ask around and find an OS CD - the sticker is the license.

What brand is it? IBM's often have a cool OS restore feature.

[lxskllr]

Do you have a rescue partition? If so, you may be able to use that. If it's one of those deals where you're supposed to burn your own discs using a utility they provide, you may be screwed. Your best bet would be to torrent a copy, preferably one that exactly matches your oem. At least look for a generic oem copy, and stay away from any that are advertised as being cracked. What brand is your machine?

Edit:
What version of Vista are you running?

[deadohsky]

I do have a rescue partition, no idea how to utilize mind you, but it's there.

What's the danger in cracked versions? It's an HP (a6000n if i remember correctly, i moved the internals to a different case).

[lxskllr]

Trojans, root kits, key stealers... If it isn't original, you can't guarantee it's safe. It may be, but there's no guarantee. There's no guarantee with anything torrented unless you can verify the MD5, but I'd feel safer with one that isn't cracked. I'm assuming you've backed up any data you need. Seeif there's a special key press on boot up that's for recover purposes. Barring that, press F8 on bootup, and see if there's any interesting options available there. I'll look up your machine, and see if I can find any useful information.

[lxskllr]

See if this page is of any help...

http://www.ehow.com/how_4841280_use-...partition.html

Found with a Google search of "hp recovery partition vista"

Edit:
I don't want to be THAT GUY who says install Linux for every Windows issue, but if you aren't terribly attached to any Windows only programs, it may be worth a shot. Ubuntu's a nice O/S, fully modern, pretty, and easy to use. It isn't Windows though, and there'll probably be some growing pains if you went that route. Anyway, it's something to think about. It's nice having an O/S the company WANTS you to download :^D

[deadohsky]

In hindsight, that was a stupid question about the cracked versions lol. I used the recovery partition, thanks for the link. I dont know what i did to mess it up that bad but it's obviously better now. Just have to re-download and install the important things in the coming days.

Before all of this happened i was looking into Linux, Ubuntu actually, was just waiting until i have the funds for a second hard drive so i can have one dedicated to each. Pretty much just need windows for the game Spore. Beyond that game, i'm not chained to windows. Definitely looking at it a lot more seriously after this fiasco.

Thanks a lot for all of the help lx and dan. Sincerely appreciated.

Edit: Not that it really matters anymore but it's vista home premium.

[lxskllr]

See if there's a way to create an install disc from the recovery partition. Now's the time to do it, before your hd goes south :^D Barring that, keep your eyes open for install discs you can copy. That way you'll be ready if the need ever arises.

Edit:
Btw, I'm glad you got it figured out :^)