Windows XP SP3 Issues After Virus / Malware Removal

I worked with chaslang in the Malware removal forum and got that all cleaned up on my parents PC. I am now running into operating system issues that I am pretty sure are remnants of what the virus/malware attacked. Here are the things I am noticing:
- Most Icons and program files will not open with click or double click. To get them to open I have to right click and then select "open"
- Internet Explorer will not fully open. I see it pop up and start to open but it then closes right away.
- I cannot get programs to install like Symantec antivirus. It pops up an error during installation that a folder for a shortcut link does not exist. You can click OK and the install program continues and gets all the way to the very end of the install bar and then it backs out all changes and says the install was interupted unexpectantly.
- Other programs will not install either. For instance, when installing mbam I get an unregistered class error and the installation never really completes. I can get it to run but after you close it out after the scan it no longer exists in the All Programs menu. The entry says it is "Empty". The program actually still is on the PC it just did not create a program entry or a shortcut.
- Windows Update will not run

I think that gives you the idea as to what is happening and why I thought it might be left over from the virus.

Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated! Chaslang was a great help in the Malware forum.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

Let's attack the icon problem first.

You might try deleting and re-creating the shortcuts.

If that fails, then:

Doug Knox has a good XP registry fix site, I've used these many times, good stuff. the one you need, I think is:

[FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]ICO File Association Fix (Restore the default association for ico files)[/FONT]

Save the file to your desktop and double click it, say yes when it asks you if you wish to merge this key to your registry. Reboot the computer and try to launch programs from the shortcuts.

 

As for the MSI issue, download WindowsXP-KB942288-v3-x86.exe from Microsoft at:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=8483

See if a re-install of the installer fixes that issue. Reboot after this install and try to run an MSI install.

 

Cipher,

Well, I tried all three of your ideas with no luck on any front. I was still struggling to get any antivirus program installed but did finally get Avast free to install and it found quite a few things on a boot scan that took me a while to get cleaned up. Several were trojans that the scanner was having touble deleting but I used the log to find them and cleaned them out of my Dad's sent mail and backup folder in Outlook Express.

I am sure that it has got some registry issues that if I could get XP SP3 to reinstall it would likely clear a bunch if not all of them up but I cannot get any Windows Update or Microsoft Fix-it files to install correctly. They error out and act like areas of ther registry have been cleared out or install locations spoofed or something like that. An example is when I was trying to install Symantec Endpoint Protection I got the following error: Warning 1909. Could not create shortcut Symantec AntiVirus.lnk. Verify that the destination folder exists and that you can access it. When trying to install XP SP3 I get an "unspecified error" when it is checking the system configuration to prep for the install.

I did create new shortcuts to try to see if that would work so that double-click on them would work. It really seems to be only those types of programs that would allow me to kill a virus that are affected. Like IE, Firefox, Virus Scanner or Malware Scanner programs, Windows Update, etc.

Any other thoughts on what I should try? Thank you for your help! It is very much appreciated!

Jeff

 

Since you had reports of malware, and I am unsure your machine is clean, I'm going to suggest you visit the Malware Forum: http://forums.majorgeeks.com/forumdisplay.php?f=35

This is one of the classic signs of malware. In addition to whatever its main nasty goal is, it attempts to deny you access to the sites and softwares that would help you fix it.

Please read and do the "Read Me First" thread before posting:
http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=35407

 

Hi,

I just had one thought in that I'm fairly sure that the file association fix you need is the "LNK" fix for shortcuts. I'd apply that one too. http://www.dougknox.com/xp/file_assoc.htm

It sounds like your EXE files are running OK since you could get program installers to run by double clicking the exe file. If you had to right-click exe files to run then you might want to run that fix also. (The fixes just set the entry to defaults for a fresh install of XP so they are safe.)

On the other problems it does seem strange that Chaslang would give you the all clear and yet you still seem to be finding malware. Cipher's suggestion to check back with the malware forum sounds like a good one.

 

Thank you both (sach2 and cipher),

I think we thought we were good to go as Malwarebytes was not finding anything and my logs looked pretty clean. I had not been able to get an antivirus program installed though until I tried Avast and that is when I started finding more Malware/Viruses. I'll go back over to the Malware forum and see if we can get my OS issues worked out. None of my scanners are finding anything now anyway.

It sure seems like if I could get the XP SP3 install to work that would fix up a good portion of my registry / locked file issues. I'll try the fix that sach2 suggested as well.

Thanks again!

Jeff

 

Software Forum Team,

We finished up in the Malware forum now and my logs are clean so I am ready to see if you have any ideas as to what to try to get XP acting nice again. I am listing below the things that I currently know are having troubles and they really seem to be related to XP registry corruption I am guessing.

1) I cannot get Internet Explorer 7.0 to work and cannot install a new one over the top. The installation errors out every time.

2) I cannot get the update waiting for the PC in “Automatic Updates” which is Internet Explorer 8.0 to install. It hangs during the “inspecting configuration” phase of the install package.

3) I tried to reinstall Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) over the top of the current install to try to fix some of the issues that are happening but it will not install. It errors out after getting pretty far along.

4) I tried to install a paid version of a Virus protection software – Symantec Endpoint Protection, and the installation gets to the final step or two and then errors out and reverses the changes made. The message says the installer was interrupted.

5) You cannot run Windows Update manually (although automatic updates are running as I was able to install several of them). I am assuming that this is related to Internet Explorer not working though.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. This is my 81 year old fathers computer and as soon as I have it back to normal I will be installing an Internet Security product with a good firewall.

Thank you!

Jeff