MANY problems with Windows XP

Well here's my problem. Rather, here is my mass of problems. I built a computer a few months ago, and with some trouble finally got it working (simple no0b errors). However, after running the Windows XP Home Edition repair so that my old hard drive/Windows installation would recognize my new computer, I found that I couldn't do many things. These include:

1. Switch User: Whenever I hit Switch User instead of Log Off, I cannot log onto the other user. When I hit Switch User, it goes to the Welcome screen, but then when I click on the picture to log onto the other user, all it does is flash very quickly to the background of the desktop switched FROM, then a blue screen of the same shade as that of the Welcome screen (also very quickly), and then returns to the Welcome screen. This occurs no matter which username I have switched from. Also, if I hit switch user and then click on the same username to return to that desktop, it works fine, logging back into that screen name - and if I use the Log Out function, I can easily log onto the other user.

2. Windows Update: Yea, this is a fun one that I know is bad for my computer. Basically, whenever I try to run Window Update, it doesn't work. Even when I try to go through the Windows website to download updates (i.e. SP2), it says that there was an error:

[Error number: 0x8007043B]
The website has encountered a problem and cannot display the page you are trying to view. The options provided below might help you solve the problem."

I did try one thing which was reccommended to try and get Windows Update running, but I got another error from that:



3. Network Setup Wizard: I can't create a LAN. It's definitely not a hardware problem, as I'm currently online... I just can't create a network. When I run the Network Setup Wizard, I get this error:

[h3]Cannot complete the Network Setup Wizard.[/h3] An error occurred during configuration of the network on this computer. You can configure your network manually, or you can run the wizard again with different settings.

I went to the nsw.log file after one attempt, and got this:

Network Setup Wizard Log
Attempting to set computer name
Old computer name is the same as new computer name - not setting.
Setting server description (comment): Dana's computer
Attempting to set workgroup name
Workgroup name is the same as the old one - not setting.
The Sharing configuration is unavailable.
Adapter Configuration for Home Networking failed.
Shared Printer: hp psc 1300 series

Don't know if it helps, but there it is.

4. Hmm what else.... Well, my computer does freeze sometimes when I'm playing a 3D computer game, and even two or three times just when all my stuff was loading after logging into my desktop. And when its in a game, it's often right after I start it. When I say freeze, I mean everything stops completely, all programs cease (i.e. I'm playing Halo with Windows Media Player in the background, and when the screen freezes, the music also stops).

5. This is an odd one. Every once in a while - maybe about every hour or so (there is no set time when it happens), a little thing pops up on the taskbar, just like a program opening. But it disappears in less than a second. Nothing pops up on the screen, just on the taskbar, and some Windows sound plays. Here is an example:



Though I have not seen this happen in the last few days, I do hear a seemingly random beep (I believe that it is the "Windows XP Ding" sound, though i can never keep it in my head long enough until I find the Windows sounds folder) upon around the same frequency as that window popped up. I did realize that I had some pretty bad spyware in my computer, but I got rid of it... I don't believe that it caused that program-seemingly-opening occurrence, as I am pretty sure that it was happening before I obtained the spyware.

AYE! I know there are more things, but I can't think of them. So anyways, what I'm wondering is: do you think that these problems are fixable, or should I just run the Repair (or whatever it is that replaces all the Windows files, yet keeps all my documents and installed applications) from my Windows XP Home Edition Upgrade disk? And if they are fixable... HOW DO I FIX THEM?!?!?!?!?!?!

hehe yea I'm gettin pretty annoyed here... I've looked many places for solutions to most of these problems, but haven't found anything that has helped. So any input is greatly appreciated!

UGHHH....ok i'll bite on this one **huddle up**

your system is f'ed up, to say the least. And the biggest thing that clued it in was "i had substantial spyware on my system", "windows update error" or there alike. chances are you had so much of it that it has done lots-o-damage. It may take more than one or two sweeps to get the spyware out. but its deeper than this. i noticed your running azurius in your programs bar (open source). is it firewalled? i know it says to make an exception but unless you have horrible download rates i wouldnt do it. they are prone to hackers/spyware and such depending on how long you keep those bit torrent programs open. I know this, cause its happened to me once with another bit torrent prog. and limewire. all these lead to viruses etc. so hope you have the antivirus running too.

now we got that out of the way, as far as the other errors go and im still not quite sure what your saying here....but it seems to me you are trying to update a bugged o/s that is actually missing chuncks of the o/s files. some of the registry sounds like its been wiped out, deleted, or missing. this is a big problem if so.

thirdly-i assume you kinda know what you are doing as you said you built your own system so im not taking you for a novice on this. therefor, this is only my input and hope it helped some or at least opened new doors. so hope you dont get all tore up about my input. i figured this was a good time to get that out of the way.

now for the options. whew we're almost done. with the errors you are getting, and im sure youve got more than you mentioned, its probably best to start fresh instead of patching up the old. save what files you can on a zip/external or whatever means and just dump the o/s, reinstall, smile again. in that order there are just too many critical errors on your system and it may only get worse.

Yea, sounds good - I'll reinstall tomorrow... or rather today

As far as the spyware, it was jsut one thing that I had installed, I was suspicious from the start of it, I have no idea why I even got it... However, that was the only thing that Ad-Aware detected on its scan, other than stupid little crap.

Azureus - Yea, I even thought of editing it out of that screenshot, just so nobody would say anything about it.. hehe
Yes, I have Norton Internet Security and Norton Antivirus. Oh hey! that's another thing! I don't kave the Windows Firewall!! Its just like... not there! I click on the "Advanced" tab under Local Area Connection Properties, where the Firewall usually is, but it says: Windows cannot display the properties of this connection. The Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) information might be corrupted. Yea. So. Even more crap. wo0t. DEfinitely gonna reinstall in the morning... or afternoon, whenever I wake up...