No programs, no system tools, no items on desktop..desperately need help

[firenat304]

I'm working on it.   

[firenat304]

I moved all the files over to my user account and made sure all of the programs are accessible from it as well.  I would, however prefer to not lose the CHASE user account if possible.  I am not completely comfortable with my abilities to do this correctly without losing something, and thus, don't want to delete.

To clarify what I asked before, should I run all scans etc from CHASE user, which is where the problem started?  Or should it not matter because I ran them from the administrator user?

My symptoms currently are:

Can not access system tools on the computer at all, on either user account.
CHASE user desktop is grey, has no icons and seems to be locked from me moving anything there.  The default screen normally is blue and says HP.
NATALIE user programs have to be located manually by going to My Computer> c:\program files\(filename)\.exe file.  There are no icons unless, I drag the .exe file to the desktop (which I have been doing), and it is not on the program list populated by the start menu either. 

What could be causing the absence of my admin tools?  This really concerns me. 

thanks, nat

[SuperDave]

Please do this even if you don't have the OS disk. If there is a missing or corrupted file, it will ask for the disk. Please let me know.

•Click on Start > Run and type sfc /scannow then press Enter (note the space between scf and /scannow)
*Let this run undisturbed until the window with the blue  progress bar goes away
SFC - Which stands for System File Checker, retrieves the correct version of the file from %Systemroot%\System32\Dllcache or the Windows installation source files, and then replaces the incorrect file.

[firenat304]

It took a long time to scan but when I came back to the computer there was no message of any kind.

[SuperDave]

Could you please run Unhide again.

Run the BitDefender Online scanner

Agree to the license and then select Scan. DO NOT CHANGE THE OPTIONS TO SHOW ALL FILES SCANNED. That will make your logs huge and we don't need to see clean files.

Once Bitdefender completes the scan:
Click-on the Detected Problems tab.
Then select Click here to export the scan report.

When the window comes up to save the report, change the Save as type: box to:
Text (Tab Delimited) (*.txt) and then in the File name box enter change to bdscan then click Save.

This will save a file named bdscan.txt. I would suggest saving it to the Desktop so you can easily find it. (take notice of where you save it so you can find it later).
This bdcan.txt file will actually contain HTML code that we can easily view later while reviewing your log. All we have to do is rename the file to bdscan.html.

If you do not follow these step, you will have an incorrect log or worse a log summary which is useless to us.

Post the bdscan.txt file as an Attachment.

[firenat304]

I ran unhide again. There was no change from that.  Then I ran bit defender from the link you included, but the process was not how you outlined (their website may have changed).  I did NOT run free anti virus or anything else.  It was the free online scan.  It did NOT give me an option to change the files scanned, nor did I see any deleted problems tab.  It only gave me an option to start scan (which I did) and then it automatically made a log  in a .txt file which I saved to my desktop and I attached it as instructed.  The log stated "No infections found".  The only thing I changed was the name of the file.  I included the date, in case this scan is run and saved in the future.
--Nat

[year+ old attachment deleted by admin]

[SuperDave]

I would say that your computer is clean. Unfortunately, I'm not well versed in user accounts and I suspect that is where your present problems are. I think we should do some cleanup and you can then start a new thread in the appropriate software forum.

To remove all of the tools we used and the files and folders they created do the following:
Double click OTL.exe.

• Click the CleanUp button.
  
• Select Yes when the "Begin cleanup Process?" prompt appears.
  
• If you are prompted to Reboot during the cleanup, select Yes.
  
• The tool will delete itself once it finishes.

Note: If any tool, file or folder (belonging to the program we have used) hasn't been deleted, please delete it manually.
***************************************************
To turn off Windows XP System Restore:

NOTE: These instructions assume that you are using the default Windows XP Start Menu and have not changed to the Classic Start menu. To re-enable the default menu, right-click Start, click Properties, click Start menu (not Classic) and then click OK.

1. Click Start.
2. Right-click the My Computer icon, and then click Properties.
3. Click the System Restore tab.
4. Check "Turn off System Restore" or "Turn off System Restore on all drives"
5. Click Apply.
6.  When turning off System Restore, the existing restore points will be deleted. Click Yes to do this.
7. Click OK.
8. Restart the computer and follow the instructions in the next section to turn on System Restore.

To turn on Windows XP System Restore:

1. Click Start.
2. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
3. Click the System Restore tab.
4. Uncheck "Turn off System Restore" or "Turn off System Restore on all drives."
5. Click Apply, and then click OK.
This will give you a new, clean Restore Point.
*************************************************
Clean out your temporary internet files and temp files.

Download TFC by OldTimer to your desktop.

Double-click TFC.exe to run it.

Note: If you are running on Vista, right-click on the file and choose Run As Administrator

TFC will close all programs when run, so make sure you have saved all your work before you begin.

* Click the Start button to begin the cleaning process.
* Depending on how often you clean temp files, execution time should be anywhere from a few seconds to a minute or two.
* Please let TFC run uninterrupted until it is finished.

Once TFC is finished it should restart your computer. If it does not, please manually restart the computer yourself to ensure a complete cleaning.
***************************************************
Use the Secunia Software Inspector to check for out of date software.

•Click Start Now

•Check the box next to Enable thorough system inspection.

•Click Start

•Allow the scan to finish and scroll down to see if any updates are needed.
•Update anything listed.
.
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Go to Microsoft Windows Update and get all critical updates.

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I suggest using WOT - Web of Trust. WOT is a free Internet security addon for your browser. It will keep you safe from online scams, identity theft, spyware, spam, viruses and unreliable shopping sites. WOT warns you before you interact with a risky website. It's easy and it's free.

SpywareBlaster- Secure your Internet Explorer to make it harder for ActiveX programs to run on your computer. Also stop certain cookies from being added to your computer when running Mozilla based browsers like Firefox.
* Using SpywareBlaster to protect your computer from Spyware and Malware
* If you don't know what ActiveX controls are, see here

Protect yourself against spyware using the Immunize feature in Spybot - Search & Destroy. Guide: Use Spybot's Immunize Feature to prevent spyware infection in real-time. Note: To ensure you have the latest Immunizations always update Spybot - Search & Destroy before Immunizing. Spybot - Search & Destroy FAQ

Check out Keeping Yourself Safe On The Web for tips and free tools to help keep you safe in the future.

Also see Slow Computer? It may not be Malware for free cleaning/maintenance tools to help keep your computer running smoothly.
Safe Surfing!

[firenat304]

I'm about to start the cleanup you have listed for me but I just wanted to take a second to thank you.....very much!!  I appreciate all of your knowledge and patience.  So THANKS!
--Nat

[SuperDave]

You're welcome. I will lock this thread. If you need it re-opened, please send me a pm.