IE6 problems since last updates

[songbird72]

Hello!  I am new to this site and am in the middle of Finals for school.  Have not the time go thru all 54 pages for IE!  Everything was fine until the last automatic updates for Windows in April.  I have Windows 2000 Professional.  ISP Bellsouth.  Have hotmail and yahoo.  DSL Fast Access Ultra.  AVG-Antivirus runs scan every morning; delete files and cookies every day; have Spybot which I run often; ZoneAlarm Pro firewall; Microsoft Anti-Spyware runs scan at 2am; no email toolbars; only been on computer since 2003.

I believe my IE is corrupted.  It is not listed in programs.  A Microsoft tech was trying to help me but could not because I am not the Administrator.  I bought this Hewlett Packard, Intel pentium II in 2003 from friend who built it.  The tech had me go into start-control panel-password to change to Administrator.  The guy I bought this from even gave me the password he uses.  It was not accepted.  On the desktop, I got his desktop, programs, and access to internet and not mine!  Tried change it back.  Now, I have to delete Administrator from login window and put User1 each time I boot up.  Never had to before.

My CD-Rom no longer will play cdr's.  I can play cd's of music however.  I get "invalid path file."  Need to use it for cdrom's that come with textbooks for school, for am going online get Master's.  Tried going into microsoft.com to download the IE Error Reporting Tool and an article said it comes with IE 5.0.  I have 6.0.  Tried search from start and not found.  Can't find it to download it.

I am not about to fiddle with the registry!  Especially here during finals lol.  I do not have a cd burner so cannot backup the registry.  I do not have Administrative access, even though I am a home personal user.  He did mail me the cd's for my Win2K however.  I will try to go to websites and get "page cannot be displayed."  I will try to check my mail in either hotmail or yahoo, and get a blank, white page and then it freezes.  I have defragged and cleared cache.

Microsoft tech advised me to do in safe mode and clean boot but am afraid to do so while going school.  I am on social security and lost my winzip for cannot afford it and need it to unzip files for school.  I have the latest Java.  Need it for school as I also need macromadia flash and 2 music programs which I have plus Windows Media Player.

I have searched for everything in microsoft site before coming here.  Lately, I can't even get into my email programs.  It will load real slow and then won't load.  Have to ctrl+alt+delete alot.  Please advise!

[soybean]

Hmmm, your friend built a Hewlett Packard computer?  I thought Hewlett Packard builds Hewlett Packard computers.

Have your IE ever been listed in Programs?  How do you normally start it?  Do you have a shortcut to it on the desktop or on a Quick Launch toolbar?

Did you get a Windows/Recovery CD with the computer?  That computer may not have come with a Windows/Recovery CD when it was new; instead of a CD, the Windows installation files may be on a separate small partition on the hard drive.  My point here is that I think you need to be thinking in terms of formatting, i.e. erasing, your hard drive and reinstalling Windows if you can't resolve the password issue.

Have you badgered this "friend" about the password problem?  Surely, he knows the password, or he should have told you he forgot it, although I would find that hard to believe.  How long has it been since you acquired the computer from him?   He should also be able to tell you whether the computer came with a Windows/Recovery CD or with a Recovery partition on the hard drive.

"I have defragged and cleared cache."  Which cache?  Have you run Disk Cleanup?  

[songbird72]

My friend gets computer parts wholesale and puts them together!  No, my IE has never been listed in Programs and in microsoft website it said to find the IE Error Reporting Tool to go to add/remove programs and get it there but cannot since it isn't there!  I click on the E on my desktop.

No, I did not get a Windows/Recovery CD with the computer.  It took me until a couple weeks ago to get him to mail me the Windows win2k cd's lol.  He said if any fixing was needed to be done he needed them in order to burn my files and things on cd and put them back.  I do not have a cd burner.  To format my hard drive wouldn't I need a cd burner?  I cannot afford one right now for am on SS.

I asked him about the password problem and he says it is the same password he uses on all the pc's he puts together.  No I have it it just was not accepted when I tried changing to Administrator.  Would get his desktop instead of mine, is icon to access the internet which was not IE; etc.  I acquired the computer from him April of 2003.  Thanks for your reply.