Windows 2000 messed up

In the last couple of days I have received calls about Windows 2000 machines with problems. Both machines have the same problem although theres no link between them, different customers, different locations etc.


Control Panel - The icons now appear down the left side of the window where the descriptions would normally appear, the right half of the window is blank.

Printers - All the printers have dissappeared. When I try and add one it tells me the spooler isnt running. When I try and start the spooler it tells me the subsystem isnt there.

Add/Remove programs - Nothing in this window apart from accross teh top it shows the labels for the buttons that should be shown down the left hand side.

HiJack This shows a bunch of files with svchost missing.

I'm totally lost, it has to be an update or a virus but most antivirus programs wont even launch if were lucky enough to get them installed.

And I cant defrag the drive either.

 

Re: Windows 2000 messed up - SOLVED

I had an epiphany.

After seeing the hijackthis log and the missing svchost.exe file I checked the logs for Clamwin and sure enough it reported an infection of svchost.exe with a Trojan virus that was then removed (along with the svchost.exe file).

I expanded svchost.ex_ from the i386 folder of the Win2000 CD back into the system32 file on the pc then ran sfc /scannow from a command prompt.

All the printers re-appeared, the control panel is back to how it should be, the add/remove program list is back and working and all the other little problems are also gone.

Just thought I would post the solution in case anyone else falls foul of this problem.