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Problem description: Received my desktop after having it back home around cousins for a year. It has since had extreme problems ever since they have deleted from it and downloaded into it whatever the hell they want. Chief annoyance is that it is constantly asking me which program to use to perform simple tasks like opening a web browser, or even unable to adjust something as simple as my now terrible screen resolution that makes me feel like an old fart. Attempted fixes: I have googled each issue I have run into so far with no change in having problems. I can't run anti-virus software because it doesn't exist, even though I see the files and folders pertaining to it. I can't install programs because the computer says things like "control.exe not found" and it's even asking me for executable files to open executable files. Thinking that it's a hardware issue, I have opened up my desktop to look inside, and everything is intact and properly connected. I have even checked the graphics card to see if there's something wrong with it, no physical damage is noticeable and attempts at adjusting the screen resolution through the control panel leads to the computer not knowing how to do it (telling me that it doesn't have the necessary executables to do it and that it doesn't know which program to use to perform the action). I have even tried updating the drivers and it has led to nothing but frustration as it asks me how to even install it, or it says that the file does not exist even though I just downloaded it. Recent changes: I don't know what my cousins did exactly, and none of the CCleaner or other cleanup programs I had downloaded are even functional. -- Operating system: Windows Vista Home Premium System specs: Can't run Dxdiag, but I know the model is a Gateway GT5426E, S/no: GCX71 210 00960. Graphics card is a GeForce 9600 GT. It has about 4 gigs of RAM, a 2.7ghz Dual Core processor. Location: USA. I have Googled and read the FAQ: Yes.
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| # ? Mar 22, 2013 01:01 |
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| # ? May 21, 2013 04:55 |
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Since it seems like a shitload of stuff has changed, isn't it a better idea to just perform a clean install of the operation system? Performing a clean install is often faster and better than unfucking all the changes made by someone on a system. Side note, performing a clean install also means you'll lose all your files saved on the hard drive.
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| # ? Mar 22, 2013 01:28 |
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Rz666 posted:Since it seems like a shitload of stuff has changed, isn't it a better idea to just perform a clean install of the operation system? I thought of it, but there's a lot of music on this along with pictures that I can't back up just yet considering that my laptop is shutting down by itself and every time I reboot is seems to freeze or is just calculating what to do for hours. I've figured that the hard drive is about to give out or something, so in the meantime I'm using this one to keep everything until I have enough saved up for a new desktop for gaming. The clean install is going to be my last resort for now.
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| # ? Mar 22, 2013 01:42 |
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Well for the issue: Pandasmores posted:it is constantly asking me which program to use to perform simple tasks like opening a web browser You can change the default programs for opening certain files: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-au/...mputer-defaults
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| # ? Mar 22, 2013 01:49 |
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Perform a fresh installation of Windows. You don't need to format the harddrive to do this, so there's no need to delete your files. There's really no way to get the system working short of that.
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| # ? Mar 22, 2013 04:36 |
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Alereon posted:Perform a fresh installation of Windows. You don't need to format the harddrive to do this, so there's no need to delete your files. There's really no way to get the system working short of that. In addition, a Ubuntu Live CD (USB stick) is a great method of copying music, files etc onto an external harddrive before you clean the machine off. In fact, if you're only using the machine for basic browsing and listening to music, replacing Vista with Ubuntu may not be a bad move at all :linux:
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| # ? Mar 22, 2013 14:54 |
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Stumbled across a few things that had to do with some of the problems I was facing. Apparently it was mostly registry errors, with my system needing to be restored to an earlier date. I'm running virus scans and everything just to make sure it didn't occur through a virus. Man, I can't wait til I get a new desktop. Thanks for the help. If it happens again, I'll just wipe everything clean and start from scratch. Linux sounds like it would be fun to mess with, so I might just go with that.
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| # ? Mar 23, 2013 16:51 |
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The main issue is that once you get to the point where the registry has been damaged like that, even if you can fix the most obvious problem you'll just keep running into things that are broken down the road until you get frustrated and do a reinstallation.
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| # ? Mar 24, 2013 14:59 |
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| # ? May 21, 2013 04:55 |
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Alereon posted:The main issue is that once you get to the point where the registry has been damaged like that, even if you can fix the most obvious problem you'll just keep running into things that are broken down the road until you get frustrated and do a reinstallation.  Guess I'll just invest in an external to make it through until my gaming desktop gets here.
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| # ? Mar 24, 2013 22:04 |
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