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06-20-2010, 11:45 PM
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#1 |
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Member (3 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 6
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Weird desktop problem
I'm using Windows 7 32-bit.
A couple weeks ago I did a routine Windows update, when it was finished I logged on to my account to discover that my desktop had disappeared. All that was there was the recycle bin, the start button, and a black wallpaper. I can't change my background. I have two hard drives, you see, I moved most of my important files and folders to my second hard drive, including my desktop last year since I was running out of room on my 160GB C drive. Every time I start up my computer I'm treated to a new temporary desktop that's located in a nonexistent folder on my C drive, as opposed to my regular desktop on my G drive. I can browse my G drive but I can't use many applications. I've tried to fix my problem by doing system recoveries, but to no avail. Until I get this fixed I'm unable to use 1TB and $2,000 worth of programs. Please help me. Last edited by HoboBob24; 06-20-2010 at 11:46 PM. Reason: clarification |
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06-21-2010, 11:47 AM
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#2 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Ada, Michigan USA
Posts: 270
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Hi
At this point I guess I would put in the Windows 7 DVD and run a repair install. It shouldn't take more then a half hour and will probably restore Windows to working condition and shouldn't require the re-installation of your software. If you haven't done a back up I would do one once you get everything up and running again. Windows will do it's own but I use Norton Ghost. If you are short of room on your second hard drive, an external USB drive is pretty affordable now. Mike |
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06-21-2010, 12:06 PM
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#3 |
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Member (3 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 6
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Thanks, Mike! I'll try that right now!
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06-21-2010, 02:03 PM
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#4 |
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Member (3 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 6
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Nothing's working. Every option I choose on the disk leads to an unknown error.
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06-21-2010, 03:39 PM
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#5 |
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Served with Pride
Staff
Premium Member
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: near the left coast of Michigan
Posts: 14,565
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I had the same thing last week with a customer's infected Vista machine. None of the normally used programs would remove the bugger. I ended up identifying the infection using MS Malicious Software Removal Tool. It couldn't remove all of the infection so I uninstalled AVG and installed MS Security Essentials instead. After running a full scan, I rebooted and got nothing but a BSOD. Absolutely NOTHING I could do would fix the bsod. Ended up convincing the customer to upgrade to Win7 and I did a reformat and clean install. If you have all your programs saved, you may want to try the MS tools too but just be ready for a nuke and pave!
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06-21-2010, 04:05 PM
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#6 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Ada, Michigan USA
Posts: 270
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Hi again
If you haven't done so give "Malwarebytes" a try and see if it finds some kind of male-ware. http://www.malwarebytes.org/ Just download the free version. I use this all the time but my friend had a bad infection last week, he was unable to get into anything. No internet, no programs, no antivirus, the works, I brought MalwareBytes over on a stick and booted his computer in safe mode. Malwarebytes installed and ran and found almost 40 infected files and registry entries. After cleaning and rebooting everything worked like new. Hope this works for you! Mike Last edited by MikeMoss; 06-21-2010 at 04:09 PM. |
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06-21-2010, 05:09 PM
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#7 |
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Served with Pride
Staff
Premium Member
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: near the left coast of Michigan
Posts: 14,565
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You're spot on, Mike, with using Malwarebytes. Hopefully, Bob doesn't have the nasty I had to deal with as MBAM came up clean on that machine.
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06-21-2010, 05:49 PM
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#8 |
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Member (3 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 6
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Malbytes' free version gives me an error dialogue box when I try to perform a full scan, it says I haven't selected an object to scan whenever all boxes are checked.
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06-21-2010, 06:30 PM
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#9 |
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Saved by grace
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Indiana
Posts: 1,397
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Have you tried it in safe mode?
__________________
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06-21-2010, 08:02 PM
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#10 |
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Member (3 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 6
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Yeah, just tried that, the same error occurred.
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06-21-2010, 08:41 PM
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#11 |
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Guest
Posts: n/a
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One thing you could try before a nuke and pave is to pull the suspect drive, slave it to another computer running good anti-malware protection and scan it. I would suggest malwarebytes be one of the programs on the computer that you scan with.
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06-21-2010, 10:57 PM
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#12 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Ada, Michigan USA
Posts: 270
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Hi
Does it do the same thing if you select "Quick Scan"? I don't know what's happing, it sounds like it doesn't see the drive that it is supposed to scan. |
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06-22-2010, 04:05 PM
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#13 |
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Member (3 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 6
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It does, Mike.
@usnavyretired I'll try that as soon as possible. |
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