This is all started when I accidentally allowed AntivirusXP Pro to infiltrate my laptop. I followed a number of steps to manually remove the malware, and it appears it has been destroyed entirely; however, since following one of the steps, Windows does not act normally.
Safe mode appears to work all right, but some programs (like Spybot S&D and SpyHunter) will not "open."
Symptoms:
1. Google Installer crashes whenever I start up or resume from standby, idling, etc.
2. "Floating point error" appears just after the desktop appears. Error occurs only once in each session.
3. Just after the Windows screen on boot, the regular black screen appears, and my cursor is active, but the Windows Log On window never appears.
4. Spybot S&D runs in the background, but I cannot "open" it (nothing happens when I double-click its icon, etc.).
5. System Restore does not initiate correctly. I can select a restore date, but the "NEXT" button cannot be interacted with. :\
I have found some rather odd additions to this...
5. If I use F8 to "Enable Boot Logging," I can generally get the WIndows Log On window to appear.
6. When the Log On window DOES appear, my keyboard is sometimes non-responsive.
7. If I have run any MS Office program (Word, Excel, etc.), Windows will not standby. When I try to stand by, I get an error that the MS program is connected to a network and that I must disconnect it before standing by. For the record, the program itself is not (or shouldn't be) connected to a network.
And one more little thing...
8. Since this morning, my mouse properties have been "blanked." The cursor automatically clicks and "grabs" anything I hover over. Also, the mouse scroll wheel in general does not work. My Control Panel::Mouse settings are being overridden, it would seem (the settings there have not changed).
Like I said, this is most definitely a software issue, but I'm stumped. The main issue is that I cannot log into windows without F8'ing, and sometimes that doesn't work. When it does work, I can't stand by and other little annoyances are plaguing me constantly.
I feel like I may have removed a file I shouldn't have, or I may have made a mistake in the registry (?), but I'm under the impression that I cannot repair my OS installation without wiping everything. This being my work laptop, that's not a good option for me.
Has anyone experienced or heard of an issue similar to this? I'm not afraid to play with regedit or msconfig, etc. I'm always very careful, so I kind of doubt that I messed up in the registry.
Enthusiastic and eternal thanks to anyone who can help with anything other than "wipe it!"
Jason
Safe mode appears to work all right, but some programs (like Spybot S&D and SpyHunter) will not "open."
Symptoms:
1. Google Installer crashes whenever I start up or resume from standby, idling, etc.
2. "Floating point error" appears just after the desktop appears. Error occurs only once in each session.
3. Just after the Windows screen on boot, the regular black screen appears, and my cursor is active, but the Windows Log On window never appears.
4. Spybot S&D runs in the background, but I cannot "open" it (nothing happens when I double-click its icon, etc.).
5. System Restore does not initiate correctly. I can select a restore date, but the "NEXT" button cannot be interacted with. :\
I have found some rather odd additions to this...
5. If I use F8 to "Enable Boot Logging," I can generally get the WIndows Log On window to appear.
6. When the Log On window DOES appear, my keyboard is sometimes non-responsive.
7. If I have run any MS Office program (Word, Excel, etc.), Windows will not standby. When I try to stand by, I get an error that the MS program is connected to a network and that I must disconnect it before standing by. For the record, the program itself is not (or shouldn't be) connected to a network.
And one more little thing...
8. Since this morning, my mouse properties have been "blanked." The cursor automatically clicks and "grabs" anything I hover over. Also, the mouse scroll wheel in general does not work. My Control Panel::Mouse settings are being overridden, it would seem (the settings there have not changed).
Like I said, this is most definitely a software issue, but I'm stumped. The main issue is that I cannot log into windows without F8'ing, and sometimes that doesn't work. When it does work, I can't stand by and other little annoyances are plaguing me constantly.
I feel like I may have removed a file I shouldn't have, or I may have made a mistake in the registry (?), but I'm under the impression that I cannot repair my OS installation without wiping everything. This being my work laptop, that's not a good option for me.
Has anyone experienced or heard of an issue similar to this? I'm not afraid to play with regedit or msconfig, etc. I'm always very careful, so I kind of doubt that I messed up in the registry.
Enthusiastic and eternal thanks to anyone who can help with anything other than "wipe it!"
Jason
