Computer Problems...looking for opinions?

[TopCatGr58]

Hey folks and fellow geeks!
Apologies in advance for the length of post.

Okay, I've had my homebuilt system running for 1.5 years, installed my OLD PURCHASED Windows XP Home onto it, had to get the special 50 digit code from MS because it had already been used/registered with a totally different machine. It had been upgraded to SP2 and then SP3, running good quality Antispy/virus programs, recently checked for root kits and such=CLEAN.
Had been installing ALL MS autoupdate security updates and such all along.

I had been using IE7 because of the reported bugs with IE8 from a year ago, and I didn't like the IE8 interface/tools/menus layout. Well after some RECENT "routine" MS autoupdate pushes, and also the recent JAVA Auto Update and Flashplayer updates, I then tried to use IE7 and it wouldn't RUN. Would partially open, showing just large WHITE screen. I tried it with NO Add-ons, same thing.

SO...I thought it was finally fried, so I installed IE8. SAME thing, or worse, would pop up for second or so and then just close, no error messages, etc.!
A couple of other OLD programs also didn't want to work right...like a very old graphics editting program that I had gotten with an old scanner 10+ years ago! Picture Publisher version7. Just was telling me that I didn't have a Printer selected/installed....I had not changed it, and the printer still showed in the Printers CP applet. I found a newer version...10 for free download, installed it and it then worked.

The other program was a slightly newer but still old MediaFace 4.01 CD/DVD label maker/printer program...it actually stopped working/wouldn't load? I then downloaded their version 5, tried to install it and got some funny Install Shield errors, could never get it to work/install.

So..then I tried a RESTORE point...I've NEVER had to use a RESTORE before on this computer! I selected one a week prior to the updates. After it was done, my Graphics editting program and MediaFace would work, but IE7 would still not work...but I didn't try to Uninstall it before doing the RESTORE!

I've installed Firefox, and it works just fine. I know IE is wrapped up in the Windows OS, it's just that I've been used to IE, and would like to get it working, BUT I don't want to go thru a complete REINSTALL of the OS.

I've read online/searches that trying to use SFC may not work because of it being SP3 NOW, and the SFC I have on my original install is SP1, etc., or that IF it does repair things, I would have to go back and re-install Sp2 and 3?

I've got a second slave computer running XP Pro, Sp3, and have installed IE8 on it, and it's working, and am doing incremental update installs...custom selecting them 1 by 1, then checking IE8 to see if it's still working to see if I can figure out which update may have caused the problem, but not sure if it'll show/happen??

I don't really want to "bother" with the OS reinstall and then all of the other programs I would have to reinstall! I can use Firefox, and probably other browsers. Some of you may say just don't bother fixing IE, and use the other browsers. I'm still on the 1 week earlier restore point. Should I go back to the later IE8 original restore point to try to Uninstall IE8 before then applying the 1 week earlier restore point?? Fishing for ideas!

T.C.

[xswilly]

my 2 cents
you can dub around try this and that, spend weeks trying to get it right
and end up with a half baked system
bite the bullit and do the reinstall,
do the updates 1 by 1
maybe the 2nd time around all will be well
if you don't want to do this
shove a spare harddrive into your machine and try it on that
make sure your original one is unplugged
if it works plug your original one in and do it to that one also
computers are funny sometime the 2nd time around will work
or the third or fourth

[3Phase]

bite the bullit and do the reinstall,
do the updates 1 by 1

+1

T.C., the Restore points won't work for what you're trying to do, only drive imaging software and/or full system backups. You would go through a lot of uninstalling and rebooting then have to start all over from scratch ... eventually.

[SFSPECBIKER79]

restore

while you have foxfire, i would go to internet explorer website, and download and save it on your computer. in your documents folder. then try reinstall it 7 and 8 versions. if that doesent work i would do the start over with windows. but save all your files on another drive or disk.

[fredintoon]

- - - - Okay, I've had my homebuilt system running for 1.5 years, - - - - Fishing for ideas!

Hi TC,
while I'm OK with the rough end of bike fixin' with computers I'm in the position of a primitive giving a chicken to a witch doctor.
Seems your witch doctor will want two chickens or perhaps a goat.

[b.walker5]

Hahaha Fred. Hey TC if you need a goat for that witchdoctor give me a yell, the wifes got one that I'd love to see the back of...

[mrdigitech]

Uninstall/reinstall

I would uninstall all versions of IE from the control panel.

Delete the folder in the program files folder for IE.

There is a uninstaller cleanup tool that I cannot find at the moment, but Im sure I have it at home. I would run that. It cleans up all the installer files for a program.

Then reinstall whatever version IE you want to use.

Personally/professionally, i work in IT, I would not use IE for anything unless I absolutly had to. It is buggy and flawed in almost all of its versions.

Firefox is generally more stable and faster. Though I know it can be a pain to load some add-ons.

I'll look for that uninstaller cleanup tool tonight and I'm sure I can email it to you.

[MrOzz]

It is impossible to completely remove all traces of Internet Explorer from your computer. IE is tightly integrated with the operating system that when it is completely removed, it could result in a crippled system, or a highly unstable one. Also, a lot of Windows services and applications require the use of Internet Explore. Your best bet is to use a different browser. I use firefox and opera.

Just uninstall all versions of IE that you have. Then install The one you want.

I still use IE, but only on a few websites that require it.

Ozz

[strom]

Ugh... well...

Here it goes.
I work in IT. Have for quite a while.
I have been thinking of this and that suggestion, but the easiest way by far is to bribe the neighbor kid with some icecream/beer and let him sort it out or reinstall the system. Just make a backup first. On a detachable media. And hide it for the process.

[nate]

Will IE work if you boot into safemode?

[mrdigitech]

Yes

As long as you boot into "safe mode with networking" IE should work as well as any other network connections.

[foreda]

PC problems

I find it is easier to just back up all the inportant stuff and do a clean install. You will spend more time trying to look for fixes that may or may not work. I too do a lot of IT stuff at work and we do not run IE 8 at all.
Good luck!

[TopCatGr58]

Well, not sure what screwed it up, updates, or just combination of other quick programs that I installed trying to find a program to help a friend repair their corrupted powerpoint presentation file..that got damaged when their hard drive on their laptop started dying. I've fixed that laptop with new HD and reinstall. I'm not a novice to IT, do all of the repairs/cleanups for my coworkers and such.

I can't access Internet options in the control panel. Per a member on the yahoo list, checked and don't even have any entries for POLICIES in the registry. Made a slipstreamed SP3 into WinXP Home sp2 install disc with nLite, ran SFC, but it didn't fix it.

SO...looks like I'll be backup up my files, and doing the full reinstall. I had "fun" with MS when I built this system 1.5 years ago, installed the purchased version of Home XP SP2, getting a NEW 50 digit key to be able to Activate it since it had already been activated on another system 4 years OLDER...told them that it had died....wink/wink. I NOW know about the WPA.DBL and BAK files to COPY from System32, then reinstall in SAFE MODE after the initial install so I won't have to bother with the Re-activation, it'll already be activated since it's the same hardware...just reinstalling on same machine! Then I'll be finding a backup technique that will allow me to do a full install using a backup/ghost process, not an actual INSTALL!

Thanks to everyone for "trying", etc.!

T.C.

[TopCatGr58]

Update for anyone following!

Hey again fellow geeks,

Okay, did the OS reinstall last night with the slipstreamed SP3 which was nice. Did the WPA.dbl/bak files copy but it didn't work..apparently MS "fixed" that Validation hole in SP3, because it still requested me to validate. Fortunately, I had done so 2.5 years earlier when I built this system, and so EVEN though I plugged in the Original KEY, it was registered with this NEW HARDWARE at the same time I had gotten the 2nd 50digit key, and so it validated ONLINE just fine...no call to MS!

Installed the 90+ MS security patches, IE7 and IE8, and was still working, so I installed a Recovery/Backup utility called Paragon BU/recovery that I had been able to download LEGALLY(Cnet's Cheapskate email) for free with a full license key, and created a FULL system Partition backup at that point. Good thing too, because I then installed MS Office, my Video Editting prgs, Adobe Reader, WMP, and a few others, and 3 more security updates, and then BAM IE stopped working?! I had not been checking IE8 functionality after each new prg install (STUPID ME) and when I went to see IF I could find the previously recently installed security updates in Add/Remove prgs app, they were just listed by DATE, and they ALL had the same date, no time stamps. I looked Using Windows File explorer, but couldn't find the updates with the time stamps near the time that I had installed them, so I couldn't figure out which ones "might" have been the culprits!

SO....I got to TEST out the recovery disc, and lo and behold, it worked just great...only like 10 minutes to reinstall the sytem back to the point of the backup creation BEFORE IE had crashed. Then I incrementally installed the prgs and checked IE8 functionality, and to my surprise it was after I had installed an older graphics editting prg...Micrografx Picture Publisher 10(MPP). I then did a google search using a long string, and found an old Graphics Talk forum and info about a KNOWN bug with MPP and "IE6" actually, found a link to a guy hosting the IERegistryFIX file that MGfx had created, but Corel (which bought them out years ago) didn't have on their site. I then reinstalled MPP, and then ran the regfix prg, and IE8 then worked!

I just wish I could find out what registry hacks the little prg did, but at least now I can use my gfx prg AND IE8! Just wanted to post this for anyone else's benefit. To my surprise, when I was googling, THIS THREAD actually showed up on the 2nd page, just goes to show you how UP TO DATE google's web crawlers keep their database!

T.C.

[3Phase]

Way to go, T.C.!

Micrografx Picture Publisher 10(MPP) hammered IE8, that's one for the system notes, thanks!