Can't open System Properties

WinXP Home SP2. No matter what I do, I cannot get into system properties (ya know, where it shows how much RAM, the OS, the CPU, and you'd get into System Restore and the Device Manager from there too). If I right click My Computer and choose Properties, it gives me the error I have attached below. Same if I run 'sysdm.cpl' or try to go to the Control Panel. Any ideas?
Thanx!

BTW- there was some malware which is now gone (nothing major) but it had disabled the task manager too (which I have since re-enabled).

 

When you cleaned out the malware did you delete any user accounts?

Boot to safe mode and log on as Admin and see if you get the info.

 

Thanx but problem solved :celebrate :hyper

Apparently the malware had disabled the Control Panel in the registry. I searched thru the reg and compared several keys with the same keys on a healthy PC and found the offending entries. Two of these keys were:
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer
HKCU\ s a m e a s a b o v e ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
What I looked for was any mention of the Control Panel. On a healthy PC, the Control Panel should NOT be listed in these keys; so I deleted the entries. Then I rebooted, and now the control panel is back and working perfectly!