What should you do if your computer suddenly starts malfunctioning and doesn’t meet your needs? Or if you can no longer access the Internet using your PC?
Computer viruses or spyware may be the culprits behind these frustrations, even if you regularly update your malware protection software installed on your PC. So, what should you do when these tools are not perfect and may still allow some malicious software to infiltrate your system?
If you’re unable to access the Internet, the best initial step is to use the built-in tools available in Windows—here we’ll use Windows XP as an example. The first step is to restart your PC in Safe Mode. Booting the PC in this mode will prevent most software on the system from loading with the operating system, including any software that may be causing your PC problems; only the essentials required for Windows XP to operate will start. Begin troubleshooting from here. To boot your PC in Safe Mode, press the F8 key as your system starts up and select Safe Mode. Note that Windows XP will boot a bit slower than usual. Now you can run scans to detect and remove any malware or implement any measures to restore your system.
Another way to return your PC to normal is to use the System Restore feature in Windows XP (Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Restore). This feature allows you to restore your system to a previous state, provided you have created a restore point in System Restore. Select the desired point in time, click OK, and then wait for the system to restore itself.
A better approach is to clean up the list of programs that start every time Windows boots up. This is also one of the ways that malicious software exploits to attack your PC. Windows XP has two applications that help you check which programs start with the operating system.
The best application to check startup programs is System, located in Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Information. When the application launches, select Software Environment | Startup Programs. Here, you’ll see a list of software that starts with the operating system, including the absolute paths to the applications, their configuration settings, the accounts under which those programs run on your PC, and the registry key settings…
But what are these applications in that list? If your system can still access the Internet, you can check the database at www.sysinfo.org; otherwise, you may need a knowledgeable friend to assist you.
Unfortunately, System Information only provides information; it cannot help you change those settings. No worries, as you also have Windows System Configuration—an hidden application that you can only start by going to Start | Run, typing msconfig, pressing Enter, and waiting for the application to launch. Switch to the Startup tab and uncheck the applications you do not want to start with the operating system, then click OK. The system will prompt you to restart.
If you cannot access the Internet, the issue may lie with Internet Explorer, as the browser may be loading too many applications known as Browser Helper Objects (BHOs). These are add-ons for the browser, such as toolbars or other features you have downloaded online to enhance IE…
You might try using Start | Run and entering the command regedit. Wait for the Registry Editor to launch, then navigate to the key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerBrowser Helper Objects. This key contains entries related to the BHOs; you can check them using someone else’s PC to refer to the database at www.sysinfo.org.
However, the inability to access the Internet could be due to other issues that may require time to investigate and find additional solutions. The steps we have discussed in this article are not exhaustive but aim to provide the most basic steps to help your PC return to normal operation.
