problems completeing OS repair on a virused computer

[RoyG]

Greetings Everyone:

I am new here - found you looking around the web for a source of technical help, as I am not a Windows expert. I looked around your forums for something similar to my question, but they are voluminous and I didn't see my subjects.

My wifes's computer (P-II 350MHz 162MByte RAM, Win98SE, IE5.5 Outlook Express 5.5, Zone Alarm PRO, Norton AV 2004 and AdSubtract) was recently hit by a virus/worm - I was unable to determine exactly which one(s).

In any case, I tried the route of SpyBot-SD, AdAware, HijackThis and many other fixes - none of them repaired the problem and usually the computer was left in a worse state after each attempt. Finally, after exhausting my ideas and my wife's patience I renamed the Windows directory and forced a completely new install of Win98SE.

Then I downloaded IE6.0 and OE6.0 and got her back on the web - machine working nicely now - fastere than it has been for years. However, IE6.0 is a different animal from 5.5 - some things work differently and I can't find out how to turn some features ON. So I am here to ask a few questions.

Also, I need to recreate her email accounts (she runs an on-line business) from thisd computer - forcing the new Win98SE install of course severed the links to her old email files, though I did record the locations of those files before doing the deed. So here are my questions:

In IE5.5 , when doing a search on the desktop, there was a drop-down list of previous search targets which appeared if you clicked the down-arrow. This list does not appear in IE6.0, and I can't find any control setting that addresses turning it on. Is this feature still there, and if so, how do I turn it on?

When I recreate her email accounts, I will start with blank files - assuming there is mail waiting this NEW mail will be downloaded. What I want to do is to re-connect her email accounts to her OLD email files, so she retains access to all her old emails. If I could have upgraded the existing OS without having to force a clean install I could probably have imported her old email files - is there any way to get them back now - into the new OE6.0? As I said above, I recorded the folder locations on the HD of each of her four email accounts.

A last question - for my information: where is the Registry in Win98SE? What is it called? I need to get the registry keys for some computer games she purchased from Pop-Cap and Game House and insert them into the NEW registry so she can use them again. Right now the games think they are on evaluation and have 10 or so starts left to go. I am assuming that this is possible - is it?

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can give,
Roy J. Gromlich

[brad]

We could research this forever but since you've done as posted, why not fdisk/format/and Clean Install?
brad

[Cactus]

[RoyG]

[Ranger Bob]

[Ranger Bob]

[RoyG]

[Cactus]

[RoyG]

Thank you for confirming that is how it SHOULD work - I was not certain that I clicked the correct boxes. In any event, that has no effect - selecting both of those items does NOT cause the drop-down list tobe saved, or toappear.

I sort of remember that during the IE installation there was a question regarding auto-complete. (I was doing this at 2:30AM) I do not remember how I answered it, but is it possible that something was not loaded as a result of giving the wrong answer to that question? If that IS the problem, how can I fix it? Hopefully without going back and re-loading IE all over again.

Roy J. Gromlich

[RoyG]

[noby]

[RoyG]

[Ranger Bob]

[Gecko]

[icecube]

I repair computers for a living--if you had taken it to a qualified tech, you wouldn't be knee deep in quick sand right now. Getting your wifes email working could be just the thing to put you back to square one if you had a virus problem. Plus your old registy is toast--you saved yourself $80 and lost a lot of items that were easily recoverable