My Computer is basically screwed.

[TigerGlory]

I dont really know where to start guys. Im 90% sure that its a virus though, because we havent renewed Norton in a while, and we will soon, but cash is a bit tight right now, so we've tried to hold out a little. Anyway...

First of all, we get an error when we log on, it says userinit.exe and tells me that it has to close the application or whatever, it logs in fine, but no start bar or any desktop icons appear, just my background. I can fix that by opening taskbar and running "explorer.exe" but its annoying, and i'd like to fix that permanantley if i can. To top it off, my computer is running slower than normal, even though we have 8GB on the hard drive.

Question, can anybody get me a solution to this, without having to fork out money for the fix. Ive googled the error a couple of times, and the only solutions ive found have been programs that i need to pay to get the full access, such as RegCure and Registry Booster, and im not even sure they'll work at all.

 

[Vonsche]

Can you restore the file from your windows cd?

 

[roguless54]

There's plenty of little freebie tools you can download and use and tweak your computer with, some legit, some not so...

In regards to free Registry Cleaners i dont know many good ones but CCleaner is worth a try anyway, with a few simple clicks it'll scan your HD for junk files and delete them for you, freeing up more GB for your own use, and it also has a simple and automated registry cleaner. Worth a try.

In regards to you norton money issue, if your not making any cash transactions over the net, it might be perfectly safe to use a free solution to your computer security like i do, such as Avira or AVG for anti virus with some alternate spywares and firewall for free. I get these programs and more from www.filehippo.com

Its also worth having a look through your Startup files and give that a bit of a comb through, most virus put themselves set themselves to autostart with your computer and cause your comp to slow right down.

In regards the issues your having with just the background on display, there is a great site i stumbled across with hundreds of registry values to restore certain settings with xp http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm
search for the ones you need, download then double click the file and merge it into your registry, should fix the problem.

Good luck

 

[RooBuoy]

Google the error you're getting when you login exactly as you see it on the screen . I'm sure someone else has had the same virus. There will most likely be a link to a forum with instructions or something.

 

[TigerGlory]

Just downloaded and installed avast which scanned the computer, identified the virus, and deleted it for me. Everything is perfect now.

Thanks for your help guys.