# Computer question



## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

I have a computer (not the one I am using at the moment) and had a problem with Firefox so I Uninstalled it. Went to download a fresh copy using Internet Explorer which I never use. Now Explorer won't open.

Is there some way to download or install a browser without a browser?


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

Well, you could ftp a copy to your computer, transfer the file over a network or email the program to it.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

Sometimes the link becomes non functional from the icon.

Try to open the IE program from the Start/Programs list.

Firefox has been giving people a lot of problems with Adobe Flash. It freezes constantly. I have returned to IE until they sort out the problems.


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## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

Does Internet Explorer give an error message, or is it just a blank screen? Or does nothing happen at all when you click it?


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

Checked farther and no programs will open. You get the little blue circle, it spins for 3 seconds and disappears. Tried with several programs, none will open.

I just had this computer in the shop, they said they couldn't fix it but the only problem was in Firefox. I figured by uninstalling Firefox and downloading a fresh copy I might fix it, now it doesn't work at all.


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## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

Try doing a System Restore. Open the start menu and type "system restore" in the search box. Open the program, check "show more restore points". Look at the dates and select a restore point from just before you noticed the problem, and click "next" and "finish" to apply the restore point.

If you can't run System Restore, try restarting the computer in Safe Mode and then try running it again.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

Tried several times in different ways. Nothing works. No program will load if it takes more than 3 seconds. Cannot get it to start in Safe mode.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

Unfortunately it could be a lot of things.

The simple things to check are:

Check that the fans are clear of dust and debris.

Unplug the computer........wait a couple of minutes and plug it back in.

What was the original problem with Firefox ? It might render a clue ?


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

I think it's a virus. I kept getting a pop up box saying to load the latest version of Adobe Flash Player so I did. Next time it came up I loaded it again then went, hey I just loaded this so I tried to stop it. The program seemed to go into an endless loop which froze up the computer. So I took it to the shop they said it was shot so I bought a new one. Now I am trying to get the old one to work again. When I went to pick it up it was on the bench with the hard drive out, they stuck it together and I picked it up an hour later.

The computer is 3 or 4 years old and was working ok before the Adobe incident.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Rusty O'Toole said:


> I think it's a virus. I kept getting a pop up box saying to load the latest version of Adobe Flash Player so I did. Next time it came up I loaded it again then went, hey I just loaded this so I tried to stop it. The program seemed to go into an endless loop which froze up the computer. *So I took it to the shop they said it was shot so I bought a new one. *Now I am trying to get the old one to work again. When I went to pick it up it was on the bench with the hard drive out, they stuck it together and I picked it up an hour later.
> 
> The computer is 3 or 4 years old and was working ok before the Adobe incident.


What is the brand of the PC? I get the Adobe popups to load the lastest too..no problem for me.

What version of Windows do you have? What programs are listed when you go into the Start; Control Panel; Programs and Features.

List the current programs installed and if Adobe Flash Player Active X shows, UNINSTALL IT. Do a restart, or even a power up
restart for completeness..then try to see if the computer will function without Adobe Flash player.
It may be a software corruption in there that is causing the symptom.

1. What is your antivirus? Do you have Malwarebytes? Do you have any software tools to run on the computer to find
out what the problem is? 

I keep a few s/w tools on mine and I also have a backup computer (an old 32 bit HP Pavilion) that I can run in an emergency to keep my internet working, while I troubleshoot my 64bit, when I have time.

Taking it to the store/shop and having them tell you it is "shot" means that they don't have a clue what is wrong with it.

Loading problems from the internet can be a virus, malware or some software that is no longer running and needs to be restarted again SUCH AS INTERNAL SOFTWARE CORRUPTION. A restart using safe mode may not help in these cases.
If it is corruption, then a backup image (one that you should be taking on a external hard drive may help to restore
to the point it was at before corruption), should be able to prove that. 

It's too hard to describe in computers to tell you exactly where the problem is. In most cases it requires
some knowledge of PC hardware and Microsoft s/w versions you were running, 

Honestly, I don't understand how you guys use a computer day after day without maintaining it with specific software tools designed to clean it up and keep it running smoothly...analogous to an oil change and minor mechanical adjustments on a car.

I use AVG PC TUNEUP....sure it costs me some money for a yearly licence to keep it current along with AVG virus, but
these two keep my computer running smoothly. I also have Advanced PC TWEAKER..which is a powerful s/w tool for
me to troubleshoot and correct any problems on my computer, short of a complete hardware fault on the motherboard,
or hard drive fault. I have an external terrabyte drive to capture my images and restore them if I have to back up past the corruption.


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## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

Definitely try to uninstall Adobe Flash Player since it may have become corrupted.

I've been assembling and troubleshooting PCs for almost 15 years, and very rarely would I consider a PC "shot" (unless it was literally riddled with bullets). It sounds like they just wanted to sell you a new PC.

It's important to remember that a virus can't physically harm your computer. It's just software. Unless there is something physically wrong with the hard disk or other hardware, it's a very simple process to reformat the disk and reinstall Windows. There are some very sophisticated viruses that may take up residence in disk boot sector or BIOS, but those are quite rare. 

If reinstallion of Windows failed, I'd begin looking at the hardware... the hard disk, the RAM, the CPU, and the motherboard... in that exact order. There are other things it could be, but that would rule out 99% of potential causes.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

nathan79 said:


> Definitely try to uninstall Adobe Flash Player since it may have become corrupted.
> 
> I've been assembling and troubleshooting PCs for almost 15 years, and very rarely would I consider a PC "shot" (unless it was literally riddled with bullets). It sounds like they just wanted to sell you a new PC.
> 
> ...


I agree. Rarely it is the hardware. I would venture a guess that it is some corruption or nasty malware that has snuck in with the download of what seems to be a legitimate update for an existing program on your computer.

*THIS IS VERY COMMON THESE DAYS.* You try to download an update from a site that is not verified to be from the actual s/w programme provider and some nasty malware sneaks in on the *back door of the download*. 

Running a PC and accessing the internet these days is treading on thin ice.
Without adequate protection, sooner or later it could happen to you..
some form of corruption that may require a complete restore. 
That requires scrub the disk and reload the old software programmes one at a time.

Very time consuming. I always keep a licensed copy of Win 7 with my computer, just in case and save all my files to Flash drives as well.

You need to have the s/w tools to save guard your computer. Antivirus is good as a protection tool, but there are many other forms of corruption and hijacking of your computer that the virus detection on your computer may not detect..such a MALWARE and Browser hijacking.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

nathan79 said:


> Definitely try to *uninstall Adobe Flash Player *since it may have become corrupted....


... I have had this problem also on my laptop (gift) ... this always pops up along with another message asking to install a Java (not the coffeee) program. I always decline. Another bad program was trying to install the latest Adobe Acrobat reader, my entire browser was hijacked and frozen to a pdf file! Arrggghhh ... to restore/uninstall. 

I think these days - in order to ensure smooth computer use for the web, you would need a couple of "workable" computers or devices (tablets, ipads) for backup or be prepared to spend hours trouble-shooting your corrupted one. :cower:


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

Well, if none of the programs work, it sounds like a corrupted FAT. The FAT basically is the directory which tells the computer where the programs are located on the hard drive. If the computer hung while doing an install, this could easily have happened. 

There are programs which can fix/rebuild it.


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## Letran (Apr 7, 2014)

some computer brands allow you to restore to factory defaults. (or even the windows full restore) This wiping everything out including viruses and youd have to re-install all your apps. 

But after this you will have your computer like the first day you brought home from the store.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Letran said:


> some computer brands allow you to restore to factory defaults. (or even the windows full restore) This wiping everything out including viruses and youd have to re-install all your apps.
> 
> But after this you will have your computer like the first day you brought home from the store.


I have found in the past that if you get the "blue screen of death" from the OS, the computer isn't going to be recovered with any 'safe mode" option on the restart.

It has to be purged, format the hard drive, and install Windows OS, then re-apply all the working programs that
you need...more downloading of course..unless you took an image before hand and can apply that to the reloaded OS.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Just a Guy said:


> Well, if none of the programs work, it sounds like a corrupted FAT. The FAT basically is the directory which tells the computer where the programs are located on the hard drive. If the computer hung while doing an install, this could easily have happened.
> 
> There are programs which can fix/rebuild it.


Who's still running FAT these days? On the newer version Windows OS, its NTFS.....the OP must have an ancient 32bit boat anchor to still be running FAT files on his hard drive. Pretty much all the modern PC are 64bit. 





> *NTFS is the preferred file system for this version of Windows. It has many benefits over the earlier FAT32 file system*, including:
> 
> The capability to recover from some disk-related errors automatically, which FAT32 cannot.
> 
> ...


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> ... I have had this problem also on my laptop (gift) ... this always pops up along with another message asking to install a Java (not the coffeee) program. I always decline. Another bad program was trying to install the latest Adobe Acrobat reader, my entire browser was hijacked and frozen to a pdf file! Arrggghhh ... to restore/uninstall.


I would suspect that is the case with Rusty's PC as well. Before he gets into a lot of work, cleaning his hard drive, reloading Windows OS again, and hours of work restoring it and the applications..
it's an easy thing to do to try and get rid of the corruption..UNINSTALL; DO A POWER UP RESTART; INSTALL 
the corrupted program again. 



> I think these days - in order to ensure smooth computer use for the web, *you would need a couple of "workable" computers* or devices (tablets, ipads) for backup or be prepared to spend hours trouble-shooting your corrupted one. :cower:


That's what I have. 

I have an old back up "boat anchor 32 bit HP Pavilion desktop, that I can swap in if the problem with my 64bit PC cannot be determined easily by my software tools onboard. When you rely on computers for a lot of shopping/banking/emails etc, you can't afford to be down for very long.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

I bought the computer from a friend who is a computer expert. Paid $475 for what was supposed to be a new computer, found out later it was thrown together out of second hand parts in a new case. Some friend.

Have had trouble with it before and I did not object to buying a new one, because I trade options from home and cannot afford a breakdown. Had been planning to get a new computer anyway.

Would like to get it going, use it to surf the net and reserve the new one for business. That way if I pick up a virus it will be on the old computer.

Have already uninstalled Adobe Flash Player

OS is Windows 7 Ultimate. I do not have a disc.

I see AdwCleaner and ComboFix which must be the shop's doing because they weren't on there before. Also CCleaner which has been on there since I bought it.

Nothing works. Anything that takes more than 3 seconds to load won't load. Computer will start up and give me the home screen, I can move the mouse around and click on things but nothing works except shut down and start up. Can Uninstall stuff and open Control Panel etc but not do anything.

Tried doing a System Restore, won't do it. Can get to the System Restore page but no farther.

Wiping clean and reloading is OK if no other alternative. But have no disc.


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## Video_Frank (Aug 2, 2013)

If you can start in Safe Mode, try to install and run Malwarebytes. You may also find this thread helpful.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

Tried several times to start in Safe Mode, won't do it. I held down F8 did not make any difference while starting.


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

carverman said:


> Who's still running FAT these days? On the newer version Windows OS, its NTFS.....the OP must have an ancient 32bit boat anchor to still be running FAT files on his hard drive. Pretty much all the modern PC are 64bit.


I was using FAT as a generic term, since it stands for file allocation table (as in telling the is where to find the file). NTFS, while a newer way of doing things, is basically the same idea. I don't update my vocabulary with each upgrade so I still think of proms, EPROMs, and other such names for the modern equivalents...

It always amazes me how much "new" technology is more of an upgrade to old stuff.


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

On your 2nd computer, you can set up a USB key to boot the bad computer from, once booted from the USB key you should be able to run Malwarebytes, CCleaner, etc. According to Microsoft, this should also let you re-install Windows. 

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/create-a-system-repair-disc
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/...indows-7-installation-disc-or-usb-flash-drive


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Rusty O'Toole said:


> Tried several times to start in Safe Mode, won't do it. I held down F8 did not make any difference while starting.


Safe mode doesn't always work..it depends where the corruption is..if the corruption is serious enough to prevent full recovery, then you need to do other things more drastic to recover the PC. 

For instance, if the corruption is in store allocated for a specific app, or in the registry, then you need to use more drastic tools to recover. 



> Because user-based Registry settings are loaded from a user-specific path rather than from a read-only system location, the Registry allows multiple users to share the same machine, and also allows programs to work for less privileged users. Backup and restoration is also simplified as the Registry can be accessed over a network connection for remote management/support, including from scripts, using the standard set of APIs, as long as the Remote Registry service is running and firewall rules permit this.





> As the Registry is constructed as a database, it offers improved system integrity with features such as atomic updates. If two processes attempt to update the same Registry value at the same time, one process's change will precede the others and the overall consistency of the data will be maintained


You really need to invest in some tools to troubleshoot and clean up your PC.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Rusty O'Toole said:


> I bought the computer from a friend who is a computer expert. Paid $475 for what was supposed to be a new computer, found out later it was thrown together out of second hand parts in a new case. Some friend.


Happens a lot. Motherboards,cpus and hard disks/peripherals are all modularized. You can build them from parts if you know what you are doing
and it will run reliably.


> Would like to get it going, use it to surf the net and reserve the new one for business. That way if I pick up a virus it will be on the old computer.
> 
> Have already uninstalled Adobe Flash Player


And? It still won't come up from a restart? Adobe Flash player app is not the problem then.



> OS is Windows 7 Ultimate. I do not have a disc.


You really need to buy your own licensed software. Buying it from a friend who loads in his OS software could get you into trouble with MS.

Your computer can send out information to MS to verify whether its a licensed copy or a pirated copy. If it thinks it's a pirated copy, you will get warning popups from MS to buy licensed software sometimes. It's a chance you take buying "second hand".
All you need is Windows 7 Home Premium, but I'm not sure that W7 is still available online..most Discs sold now are Win 8.1 but I buy my PC stuff from an online store. 



> I see AdwCleaner and ComboFix which must be the shop's doing because they weren't on there before. Also CCleaner which has been on there since I bought it.


Combofix is a malware/spyware cleaner. 



> Windows includes a Disk Cleanup tool, although it’s a bit hidden. This tool frees up space on your hard drive by deleting useless files — old temporary files created by programs, temporary Internet files for Internet Explorer, Windows error report logs, and more. You can run this tool at any time to free up disk space.





> AdwCleaner is a program that searches for and deletes Adware, Toolbars, Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUP), and browser Hijackers from your computer. By using AdwCleaner you can easily remove many of these types of programs for a better user experience on your computer and while browsing the web.





> The types of programs that AdwCleaner targets are typically bundled with free programs that you download from the web. In many cases when you download and install a program, the install will state that these programs will be installed along with the program you downloaded. Unless you perform a Custom install, these unwanted programs will automatically be installed on your computer leaving you with extra browser toolbars, adware, and other unwanted programs. AdwCleaner is designed to search for and remove these types of programs





> *Nothing works. Anything that takes more than 3 seconds to load won't load. Computer will start up and give me the home screen, I can move the mouse around and click on things but nothing works except shut down and start up. Can Uninstall stuff and open Control Panel etc but not do anything.
> 
> Tried doing a System Restore, won't do it. Can get to the System Restore page but no farther.*
> 
> ...


 You need to find out first if your PC is 32 bit or 64 bit and buy a licensed s/w disc to reload it.

I bought my MS Win 7 discs (both 32 and 64bit) from Tigerdirect.ca.


*Here's how you find out what you have:
*
Find your computer icon on your PC screen.
click on it to get the popup.
Find "properties" at the bottom of this popup
Click on that and you will get your system information 




At $100 after tax +shipping, you need to ask yourself if its worth it to continue to troubleshoot after spending another $100 for it. It's the luck of the draw now...you may get it working with a complete reload of new s/w
if its software corruption..or not... if it happens to be a motherboard issue or hard disk problem. 

64bit PC: (newer PCs)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5213932&CatId=4622

32bit PC (these are the older PCs)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5213931&CatId=4622


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

carverman said:


> 32 bit s/w will NOT work on a 64bit machine.


Sure will, I have a 64 bit i5 using a 32 bit Win7 OS.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Just thought of another option to determine if your problem is s/w or h/w.

Rather than buy your own copy of licensed MS Win 7, first you could try and perform a "clean boot" . 

This will allow the computer to come up in a minimum configuration (drivers and applications) to at least see if you can do something with it. 

You have to login as administrator to do this. To find if you have an adminstrator account; go to Start; Control Panel and look for 
'USER ACCOUNTS". 

Then..... Start; msconfig.exe, startsearch and find System Configuration utilities and press enter.
General tab ; click on selective startup, 

select Load startup items, then ok.

Here's the MS link so you can print it off to follow it better. (Perform a clean boot) 

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135/en-us#Video


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

cainvest said:


> Sure will, I have a 64 bit i5 using a 32 bit Win7 OS.


What is a 64bit i5..is that an iphone?


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

carverman said:


> What is a 64bit i5..is that an iphone?


You've never heard of an Intel Core i5 processor?


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

cainvest said:


> You've never heard of an Intel Core i5 processor?


Yes I have, just confused it with an iphone5 ..not enough info.

Ok, I'm not getting into a technical arguement on which 64 bit processor you can run a 32bit OS, but speaking from my own experience, I wasn't able to do it (for some reason) when I tried to install a 32 bit load from my old HP PAVILION desktop to my 64bit Intel Core 2 (Duo core) CPU on my newer desktop.

I was switching over from Win7 Ultimate (pirated copy), that somebody on Kijji sold me along with my current used desktop. After about 30 days, I started to get black screen warnings from MS telling me that it was an illegal copy and to buy genuine MS s/w. 
I already had a 32 bit licensed MS Win7 copy that I bought for my old used HP Pavillion (32bit)

When I tried to boot it in from my MS Win7 media disk, the precheck came back and told me something to the effect "that your computer is a 64bit system and you are trying to load a 32bit OS system into it"

Unfortunately, I don't remember the exact reason why it would not go any further to boot in the 32 bit OS s/w. 

It was too long ago. *I can't remember now if I formatted the disk..that may have been the reason*, as the MS check probably went out and found that the current OS was 64BIT. Maybe that was it..don't know.

I just ordered online a 64bit version of MS s/w and it loaded ok and booted up fine. 

The other thing is that this new 64bit processor I have now is so much faster than the old 32bit HP Pavilion..which is only a backup now.


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

carverman said:


> Ok, I'm not getting into a technical arguement on which 64 bit processor you can run a 32bit OS, but speaking from my own experience, I wasn't able to do it (for some reason) when I tried to install a 32 bit load from my old HP PAVILION desktop to my 64bit Intel Core 2 (Duo core) CPU on my newer desktop.


No problems, just wanted to point out for those that already have a 32bit OS that they don't need to go out and buy the 64 bit version for a newer machine. Also, 32 bit applications still run on 64 bit machines/OS's in case people are wondering.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

cainvest said:


> No problems, just wanted to point out for those that already have a 32bit OS that they don't need to go out and buy the 64 bit version for a newer machine. Also, 32 bit applications still run on 64 bit machines/OS's in case people are wondering.


Ok, point taken. I deleted my previous post comment about not being able to. I investigated some online documents from MS and it appears that you can run 32bit OS on a 64bit processor..if you want to.
However, if you have a 64bit processor and don't have the CD with the licensed s/w and need to buy it, I would think then it's better to get the right sized OS for your CPU.

In my case, the precheck, when I loaded in the CD with the 32bit OS, failed to apply on the 64bit processor. 

I just assumed that I could just replace the existing illegal 64bit copy of Win 7 Ultimate, that I got with the used computer and that would be it..but I didn't check into the detail of how to apply it, so if the hard drive had 64bit partitioning, and I didn't partition it before trying to load it with the 32bit OS, it would probably come back with some error, and the precheck gave me the error string. 


I should have partitioned and formatted the disk first..my fault, and it cost me another $100 for the 64bit OS HOme
Premium that did load in, on top of Windows 64 bit Ultimate and it come up from the restart after the load. 

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/windows7/ht/format-hard-drive-windows-7.htm

Live and learn as they say. If I ever need to do it again, I would partition and format the hard drive, but I tried to take the easy way and it didn't work for me initially.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

Made a system repair disc on my new computer and put it in the old one. Will not load or open automatically. Both are 64 bit. Can I open it manually? Tried to but it wants to know what program to use to open and I don't know the answer to that.

Somehow I ended up on the net using Bing and it works, opens pages on the net. But I can't open any program using the screen icons, it tries for 3 seconds and quits.


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## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

A system repair disc has to be made on the same computer. It's a preventative measure, but in your case it's too late for that.

If you're desperate it might be time to look into reinstalling Windows.

You can download an ISO image for your version of Windows here: http://www.w7forums.com/threads/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-image-downloads.12325/page-2#post-124821

Download this file on your "good" computer. You'll need a blank DVD. Right click on the file and select "open with" > Windows Disc Image Burner

Here's a guide on how to install Windows 7 from DVD: http://www.wikihow.com/Install-Windows-7-(Beginners)

This is 100% legal, but you will need an official product key to activate it after 30 days.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

Found the boot menu (F12). Floppy is highlighted (first on list) Hard Disc has a + beside it.

Instructions at bottom of page say up arrow down arrow : move Enter:accept ESC:Exit but none of these work, does not respond to keyboard or mouse.

Both are wireless if that makes a difference.

Later..... tried a wired keyboard, it made no difference


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

I do have an official, legal disc for Windows XP that came with an older computer, would that be any good?

Don't know if I want to spend $100 to fix an old computer especially if it may or may not work.


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## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

Yup that would work. The instructions to install would be the same.

You still need a key though, so hopefully it's with the disc or you have it copied down somewhere.


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## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

Try using the + or - keys to change the boot order. Every BIOS is a little bit different.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

When trying to do a system restore the computer came up with a file ufguido.exe which did not work.

I did a search and found 2 files by that name. The first one that came up was in C\Users\Valued customers\Appdata\Roaming\Icmip... and dated 23/12/2014 10:06AM 65.5KB which was about the time I started to have trouble

The other C\Program\Data\Icmipowi 13/07/2009 7:56 PM 307 KB

Could this mean something?

The disc won't work anyway, it was made on another computer. Is it too late to make one off the defective computer?

Some programs work and some don't


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

+ - don't work. Wonder what would happen if I deleted the newer ufguido.exe file?

Later. Tried to delete and it wouldn't delete. Also it brought up the old 2009 file even though I clicked on the newer one.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Rusty O'Toole said:


> When trying to do a system restore the computer came up with a file ufguido.exe which did not work.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


*You may have some serious corruption there, why try and make another disk?*



> computer came up with a file ufguido.exe which did not work.


That appears to be somebody's executable file that got onto your hard drive. 



First of all, try some of the basics available to see if the hard disk is still ok.

You could try the Standalone chkdsk utility
(Windows has to come up for this to work though) 

In the “system32 (black window) cmd.exe line

You can specify: *Chkdsk C:* (or E:
The utility will scan the selected disk looking for errors such as
Unindexed files or bad sectors

If you want this utility to fix any errors: you have to
Specify chkdsk /f C: (this will repair any errors during the scan)

*To be able to run the CHKDSK utility
*
1. Go to START
2. Type cmd
3. Right click on the cmd prompt icon
Select “*Run as administrator*” (note you will need to do this each time
you invoke chkdsk in the system32 executable window)

It will then pop up a window called {user acct change} and ask you
“do you want the following program to make changes to this computer”
Click on “YES”… (a system32 cmd.exe black window will pop up)

In this window , type in the cmd line *chkdsk C:*
The utility will run and find any unindexed files or sector errors etc
If none found, it will come back with:
“Windows has checked the file system and found no problems” 

If you want the utility to try an fix any found problems
Type: *chkdsk /f C: *


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

nathan79 said:


> Yup that would work. The instructions to install would be the same.
> 
> You still need a key though, so hopefully it's with the disc or you have it copied down somewhere.


Usually it's a sticker that will be on the plastic case that comes with the CD. 
Normally, you would copy this over to the cardboard jacket that the plastic case came in, the plastic case,
or the cd itself. It's a 25 digit key separated with hyphens between each group of alphanumeric characters.

If you don't have the valid product key that came with the XP CD disk, you won't be able to install, as it
will ask you for a valid product key before proceeding, not to mention:

1. Going into BIOS and editing the boot disk to be the DVD reader/burner that has the XP CD.
2. Formatting and partitioning the hard drive
3. Reloading all the drivers for XP as they are not compatible with Win 7.


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