Help! Incredibly Distraught!

Hokay so yesterday my cousin came over and told me he could get rid of all my problems (I got a rather nasty virius or maybe it was a trojan I don't know right now)...now he does work up at the computer help desk at the univeristy around here. So I am thinking this will be fine. He downloads this think called Autorun, and then proceeds to shut down the computer and reloaded it back up in safemode where he runs the auto run on myside of the computer ( I have a dell Deminsion 2400 with windows xp, and there are two user accounts, my dads (which is the adminestrators) and mine) he then proceeds to take the autorun and delete with the autorun all the system32 files. So then after he deletes these files he goes over to my dad's side of the computer and then goes directly into the system32 file, and sticks them directly into the recycling bin, and then he puts a file in there called userinit.exe. He doesn't actually empty the recycling bin, but still, then he is surprised when the stupid thing won't start up and goes grabs my windows restore disk and then proceeds to mess it up even more. So now what I have is my computer telling me a need to register windows, and then when I go into safe mode it'll log me on and then log me right back off again. So anyways my question is this (besides how the heck did he get the job at the help desk) can anything be done? I have several things on that computer, that I got...less than honestly, shall we say, and obviously I really don't have a back up for any of them.

I would like to add that I am seriously computer fixing handy cap so any advice, please include intructions lol.

 

do the actvation of windows and it should all be good

 

You should find a sticker on the PC (if it's a desktop it's on the tower and on a laptop it's underneath) it will be mainly blue and yellow with a long number with letters as well split into 5 sections,(12345-ABCDE-12345-ABCDE-12345) this is your activation code.

click "start/control panel/system maintainence/system this should bring up a screen with all your system details,scroll to the bottom of the page and you will see in blue "activate windows" click that and it will ask you if you want to "type in a new number" click that and put the number you found on your PC in there, it should then give you a screen to say "windows is activated"

as for all the data you had if your (so called) friend has re_formatted your HD i doubt if you can get it back.

there are some data recovery programs out there but they are not free and to be honest i do not know how good they are. (i have never used one)

Good luck

 

Thank you very much I was afraid of that, *sighs*. At least I will be able to get the comeputer working, my next question is, the virus that I had on it to begin with, will it still be on there?

 

Ok, so am I just reinstalling the the stuff, and if so would I need reinstall both the Dell Software, and the Windows Software as well? I am sorry to be such a bother.

 

If by Dell software you mean all the trial software that's included then no you don't need it as you, like most just want to be rid of it. If it's drivers etc., then they do have to be installed. There is a program called PC DeCrapifier that will help you clean up your system.

 

Hokay so, I just wanted to give a quick update. I reinstalled windows. This was the site I used here . So now everything is running pretty well. I was pareniod and looked for my System32 file and found it in C:Windows/LastGood.TMP and I found Userinit.ext in C:Windows/Prefetch. Are these where they are supposed to be at? If they aren't should I move them? And if so where? Also, now my computer is showing everything supper big. Is there any way I can make it back to it's normal size, and not so big.

 

Your doing very well.

If you are having no problems with the system starting up then don't move those files at all, they are obviously fine where they are.

As far as your PC showing everything big:
1. Go to a blank space on your screen and "right click" with your mouse, select Properties.
2. In the Display Properties menu select the "Settings" tab. Here you will find a Screen Resolution slider, the higher the ratio you choose the smaller objects will come, slide it to the right and click the apply button, if you don't like it the first time "don't accept" and slide it further to the right, until you find the setting you like (look at pic). If for some reason you can't go any further to the right then it will be your Display Driver.

Try above firstly if this doesn't work we will need some more info so we can find the right Video Driver (display) for your PC.

 

Thank you ^_^
Ok so now I can't slide the little sliddy thing over any what so ever on the Screen Resolutions. So now what do I do?

 

Now goto your start menu and "Run", in the little run box please type.........dxdiag.......without any dots (..). On the first page it will have "System Model" can you please say what that is (motherboard).

After this goto "My Computer" right click with the mouse, to Properties, click on the Hardware tab and then select the Device Manager button, can you see any ! or X against any of your system devices (Video/Display is what we are looking for here).

 

How did you go Lady?

It seems you need a display driver and your set.