PC Windows 7 Help please (sorry, not Stag related)

[thebadleys]

Andrew,

If you put the CD in the drive and restart the PC it should boot to the CD, then go to the install option, it should give a further option to repair Windows.

[Andrew S]

Thank you all, this gives me hope and will try tomorrow. Thanks again

[Motorsport Micky]

As Isis recommends I use Malwarebytes, there is a free version which performs very efficiently and is easy to use. I chose to update my copy up to their Pro version (now called Premium) with a lifetime licence for £22. It's especially effective in picking out malware that my Norton Internet virus checker can't get near, it also will run happily alongside such virus checkers and not trip each other up.

If a program has been loaded which is causing problems and you think it was last Friday go into Control Panel and open the Programs and features file. Go into the View selection on the top toolbar and change it to View, there are various views Thumbnails etc, maybe 6 different ones but you need a view which gives a description of the Program and with it a date of installation. If there is any program logged there (there will be 40 or more at least with all the various programs to run the computer) and it has a date of last Friday or Saturday make a note of the program and any identification of it, then right click on the program which will ask then if you wish to delete it. If it was me I'd delete it and the close the Control Panel down and then also restart the computer. If it's that program causing the problem you will have binned it and you'll be back to a working version as previous (it will be in Recycle bin if you need to Restore it in the event it wasn't that program). Then I should run the Malwarebytes free program to cleanse the system and hopefully you're up and working. To give you an idea how effective Malwarebytes is after running my Norton Virus checker the Malwarebytes will often pick up malware the Norton doesn't because it runs in a different manner, it's got my vote.

Micky

[fool73]

If basic things like defrag and disk scans wont work I would check your hard drive out (actually thats usually the first thing I check when doing any kind of PC work - everything else can be replaced and if the drive is on it's way out, the more you use it the more chance it will fail further). I would normally do this using a parted magic boot CD or USB - see http://partedmagic.com/
Unfortunately it is no longer free but it's only a few quid and worth the price many times over to my mind. Alternatively you can install gsmartcontrol (http://gsmartcontrol.sourceforge.net/home/). You would have to download this using another PC and transfer it across as this PC does not have internet connection at present. Gsmartcontrol is on the partedmagic CD but you can download a windows version.
If any errors show up in gsmartcontrol, or anything shows up in pink or red, then you have problems. If not, try running the scans under the "perform tests" tab. If that all checks out OK I would next try the sfc /scannow and chkdsk /f as per my earlier post as the next steps. After that I would make myself a boot time Anti-virus CD using another PC. Of the free ones, I would try kaspersky, AVG and Avast.
That brings another thought to mind. The AV CDs I mention and especially parted magic would be useful for testing your internet independently from windows. Parted magic should allow you to connect to the internet with a browser using wired or wireless connection. That will allow you to rule out any physical issue if the internet works.
If you don't have the means to make a parted magic CD I am happy to send you a copy (a copy of the version when it was still free of course!). Same goes for the boot time Anti-Virus CDs.

[pagan]

Another useful tool is Hiren boot disc, boot from cdrom or usb.
A variety of tools are on it.

http://www.hiren.info/pages/bootcd

[Andrew S]

Thank you all again, cant wait to have some time to work on it

Andrew