Need help with my PC, any guru around?

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I think I got into trouble while downloading, but I'm not sure.

I was downloading MP3 music files, and had to turn off my firewall (ZoneAlarm) for file transfer to take place. I had several files in queu and download time was going to be hours, so I left my computer on and unattended. (I know, you'll tell me that was dumb. I shouldn't leave my pc unattended while dl'ing.)

Now when I got back to my computer I noticed that the "my computer" icon is changed to "x". Nobody but me has been near my computer since I left it, and I'm sure the "my computer" icon was named that this morning.

I ran virus scan (on program files only so far), came up clean.

I'm afraid and paranoid that someone could have implanted a trojan horse or something. And I'm afraid to turn off and reboot my computer.

-How could I find out if something was messed with inside my computer?

-How can I find out if there's a trojan horse or something similar in it?

-Does the "my computer" icon being renamed to "x" means that I might have a problem if I reboot, i.e., my HD not being recognized at startup? Can I just rename it, and if so how?

I turned ZoneAlarm back on now, and alerts are turned on. I want to see if something is trying to get out from my computer.

I hope someone can help me!

-- Chris (!@#$@pond.com), March 25, 2000

Answers

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-- Chris (!@#$@pond.com), March 25, 2000.

reboot...windoze gets messed up when the screensaver inits...you should be fine...

-- Uncle Bob (unclb0b@aol.com), March 25, 2000.

If you are running Window95/98, NT, before you reboot, go to Windows Explorer and make sure that the "Show all files" setting is turned on. Change to the Windows directory and look for your registry files. There are two files to look for....System.dat and User.dat. Check the file date. If it is today's date and the time of your download, look for the backup copies of the registry files. They are called System.da0 and User.da0. These will probably have a different datestamp on them. If the datestamp is prior to download and you recognize it as a date that your system was functioning correctly, rename the System.da0 file to System.dat and User.da0 to User.dat. (You will have to rename the originals to something else first like System.yuk and User.yuk or it will give you an error message).

BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN WORKING WITH REGISTRY FILES. IF YOU DELETE THEM YOU WILL HAVE TO RE-INSTALL THE ENTIRE OPERATING SYSTEM. If you are not sure what to do, call your tech support center or local computer store.

It is odd that the icon changed on your desktop. It happens though, and it is probably just a coincidence.

-- LZach (lisa@texasnetworks.com), March 25, 2000.


I agree with Uncle Bob. I've found that 99 times out of a hundred, all I have to do is reboot.

Even I haven't had anyone dig around in my files, Chris. I seriously doubt anyone would want to mess with you.

~*~

-- (Ladylogic@....), March 25, 2000.


Chris,

It's very likely that one of the downloaded files caused a small corruption in the icon file. Right click on the icon and then choose "Rename". Type in My Computer and then click OK. It's highly unlikely that anyone is hacking into your computer.

-- Jim Cooke (JJCooke@yahoo.com), March 26, 2000.



Hi Chris,

I don't think I've ever seen the rename My Computer to X before, but I'm also sure that I haven't seen many of the strange events that can happen on a computer. This is kinda wacky, but Windows is also kinda wacky. I pretty much agree with the above comments. It is possible that the long download had some sort of data transmission error that sent Windows into never never land.

I would suggest that you get the latest version of of one of the virus programs, like Mcafee or Norton, and check out your system just to be sure. But if I had to take my best guess, I would write it off to the Wacky World of Windows. Keep a close eye on your computer for a while, and if all else seems normal, oh well...

Good luck! <:)=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), March 26, 2000.


if your system crashes you can rename system.dat to system.old (like lisa said) and then rename system.1st to system.dat. reboot and windoze will reload the os and drivers. the system files are hidden files BTW.

-- Uncle Bob (unclb0b@aol.com), March 26, 2000.

Thanks everyone. You gave me a course of action. First I'll do what Sysman suggested, thorougly check for virus with latest version, then I'll save a copy of system as Lzach said. Then rename My Computer icon and reboot.

-- Chris (!@#$@pond.com), March 26, 2000.

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