Windows SP 2 problems

[Rahulio1989300e]

Hello there, this is going to be a bit of a long post, but I really need to figure this out...

IBM THINKPAD T43
PM 2.0GHZ
512MB RAM

I got my laptop near August 15th. since then, I have fully updated Windows XP and if ran like a charm until 2 days ago.

The Problem, all of a sudden, many things stopped working.

Here is a list of those things:

1. Windows update website would not load, the browser (IE6.0) opened the URL of the update site was in the box, but then the status bar at the bottom said Done.
But the window was white!

2. I cannot change my User accounts as the screen never loads

3. I can not load the IBM Rescue and Recovery software through windows, when I click on the icon to launch it, the windows pops up, the little blue bullets are there, the backround image of the harddrive with numbers on it is there, even the grey button, but there is no text on the button...

4. IBM Update software does run, but alway fails at 32%.

5. When I choose to edit the options in Norton 2005, I cannot navigate to anything else, the side menu on the left side does not respond to anything, I mean when I click on a piece of text, a dotted grey box forms around the word, but nothing happens.

6. Comcast.net does not fully load.
The website gives me this text:
Why am I seeing this message?
If your Web browser is stuck on this page, Comcast.net may have a conflict with your Internet security software. Click here to chat live with a Comcast support representative who will walk you through the steps to resolve this issue.

The are a few other things too!

Since then, I have uninstalled Norton 2005, I have tried placing things in the Windows Firewall exception list, but nothing is changing...

PLEASE HELP!

[GomJabbar]

If I had to guess, you got infected with a nasty virus.

I am not really sure if you can repair your Windows or not. You might give Symantec a call to see what they recommend. You can reinstall Norton by pressing the blue Access IBM button, choosing Protect & Recover > Recover your computer data > Recover preinstalled software. If this is successful, boot up into Safe Mode by turning off the computer, then press F8 about once a second at the beginning of the boot sequence until you get the Safe Mode boot menu. Once in Safe Mode, do a hard disk virus scan. I'm not too optimistic the above will work.

Probably what you will have to do is turn off the computer, wait 5 seconds, then press the blue Access IBM button at the beginning of the boot sequence to go into the Rescue and Recovery workspace. From there, choose to Restore Factory Contents. You will lose all existing data on your hard drive when you do this. As soon as you have done this, update Norton antivirus first. You should install and use a software firewall as well, such as Kerio or ZoneAlarm. There are free versions of these.

Maybe I am wrong about the virus, but when multiple things go wrong such as you describe, I think virus.

[Rahulio1989300e]

Thank you sir, for your very fast response.

I will try the above after I back up some very important files.

[Rahulio1989300e]

ummm, yeah, the IBM Access button does load the menu in windows, but it does not work at all, when I click on the lcons and other stuff like that, it ends up not doing anything! I guess a reset will have to do.... (From start up...)

[jdhurst]

SP2 has been out for a long time now, and IBM ThinkPads are particularly well certified for it, especially the new ones with SP2 preloaded. Older machines want new drivers, but that is easy with Software Installer.

So, I agree with GomJabbar about a virus. You might also check for spyware (Ad Aware) if you haven't already re-imaged. ... JD Hurst

[Kyocera]

Just another view here, I thought virus at first, still looks like it, but you might get with symantec about possible conflicts with Comcast. Comcast may use plugins that Symantec does not like. May have screwed up your browser. Google: problems with comcast.net.