ardvark:
I am overwhelmed by your kindness and willingness to help by going the extra mile. Thanks to everyone else who has also offered help. bob3160, thanks for the link—I don’t know what to do with it, but know that ardvark will, for whom it was probably meant anyway.)
This will be a very long post. I will enumerate questions so that they can be picked out easily to respond to. A couple may be repetitive because I notice that your male brains zero in on the main concern, and the questions I ask that deal with what may be considered peripheral issues aren’t noticed. Believe me, I am so thankful for you guys and your brains—this is not a criticism, just a female observation.
In case I haven’t made it clear—I have no money for buying new software or a new computer, etc., so a rescue is needed. I would love to have a faster pc with (I guess) Windows XP, and a fast internet connection. Not an option now.
1. Ardvark, I spoke to one of the people my sister was able to direct me to for advice. Here is the gist of what he said: I need the OS CD that was used to install the os that is currently on the pc, and that I need the registration number, key code, etc., whatever the identifying number is. (He said that what was used sounds like it might have been a “distributor’s” copy, which could be used to install the same OS on many new pcs, and that the same serial number would be used on all the pcs.) Do you agree??
2. He said if I could put in MY OS CD obtained from the company from which I purchased the pc, I could look to see if there’s a file with “key code” or something similar in the title to see if it has the key code. Does that sound feasible to you?
3. As to determining the “nature” of the CD I got from the company and what its contents are, this is all I know about it at this point: Evidently (and again, I have not seen this, it was told to me by someone who inserted it into his pc to look at it) it starts with Open CD>English>Win 2000> Pro, and there are then many folders, including Setup.exe.
The CD has “Win2K Pro” written on it with a marker pen (if I had been more savvy four years ago, I should have realized this was not all it should be, so to speak, but, . . .)—it is not an official factory copy.
4. But even if this CD is a burned copy with a “bad burn” or missing files, wouldn’t the fact that it’s not the CD the guy used to install the OS the last time be the reason that Window Files Protection message says “the CD you have provided is the wrong CD”?
5. Do I understand correctly: if my CD is okay (meaning that it really is a workable OS CD, even if it is a copy), it should be usable by Windows to restore the “unrecognized file versions,” even though it is not the CD used for this current install??
6. What does COA and OEM mean, ardvark?
7. Would my setting Hidden files to be shown (as explained in my first post) have allowed viruses to spread to the system files more easily?
8. Are system files and registry files synonymous?
9. If the system files referred to by WFP are restored (somehow), how could I find out if viruses caused the problem?
As I said in my first post: Since he’s returned the pc, I’ve still had recurring warnings of viruses and Trojans from the antivirus program. I’ve run several scans and moved all that were found to the Virus Chest, then deleted them after a while. From time to time, more warnings alert me to viruses, etc., and I move them to the chest. I don’t know if they are the same ones coming at me from hidden areas on the pc or new ones with the same names coming from the internet.” The last two thorough scans I ran did not find any viruses from doing the actual scans.
Does avast scan the Registry?
Can avast scan flashdrives (though I don’t have any, I need some, and since they are plugged into a port, I’m not sure how avast’s protection works with them—yes, I’m very ignorant!)?
If the system files are miraculously restored, would running an avast boot-time scan be more helpful?
10. May I ask these questions to do with viruses in this post? Having to move all this—or spread it out to the Virus forum would be very confusing for me. But what is the protocol? I am asking them since I am concerned that’s the reason this WFP problem arose.
11. My computer, which I’ve always turned off nightly, has been on for over a week and a half because I’m afraid that if it’s having a stability problem, it might not restart. Please give me your opinion as to whether you think it is more harmful to leave it on right now (could that make viruses more apt to spread) or to turn it off.
12. ardvark: Here is the information for my computer:
Dell Optiplex GX1 Pentium III Intel
Model # MMP
Serial Number 963WI
I don’t know if the company I bought the pc from was the original purchaser of it or not. I learned of this computer because a former boss worked there at the time and was trying to help me out. He left there several years ago. He is one of my references, and I don’t like to bother him unless it is possible-job-related reasons so as not to become a pest. I say this to explain why I haven’t asked him if he could give me any contact info to ask questions of them. The person who “set up” the pc for me may not be there any longer either, etc.
At any rate, the name of the company is Encore Development Inc. I have looked up the address and phone number, but that’s the extent of my “research.” If you want to pursue contacting them—or urge me to do so—I will divulge or use the info as the case may be.
13. What is a “restore CD” exactly?
What is a “boot disk”?
Are they synonymous?
How do they differ from an operating system CD?
Believe it or not, I have so many more questions I could/need to ask. You guys are probably saying, “Yikes! Just the facts, ma’am.” But I do try to explain—and ask—everything I deem pertinent. If it makes you feel any better, I have a vicious headache from trying to keep my posts (I have several different ones going) straight, replying to them, understanding everything in them—not to mention, the plethora of “challenges” facing me in the rest of my non-computer life areas.
Again, though I need to resolve all problems ASAP, I may lag sometimes in responding to your help. It is never because I don’t appreciate your time and effort.
