Can't access my programs

robertprov

New Member
Hi, I am a newbie with a HP Pavilion dv5 notebook pc. I am using vista home premium with a 64-bit operating system. I have Avast free antivirus installed. I started getting messages from Vista Defender that my computer was being attacked by viruses, spyware and trojan horses. When I clicked "remove all" they wanted me to buy something. I restarted my computer and I am no longer getting the vista defender warnings, but I can't access several programs like windows media player, yahoo messenger etc. Also, the icons for these programs disappeared from my task bar. When I try to launch these programs from the start menu I get a message that says "Windows cannot access the specified device, path or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item". I'm the only one that uses this computer. I really appreciate any help or advice that anyone can offer.
Robert
 

My Computer

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion Elite
    CPU
    AMD Phenom 9850 Quad-Core Processor
    Motherboard
    Some Amount of Motherness
    Memory
    6.O GB RAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA nVIDIA GeForce GT 240 512MB DDR5
    Sound Card
    Some Amount of Soundness
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Two Monitors: HP w1907 & Acer P191w
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 & 1440x900
    Hard Drives
    WD Caviar Blue 500GB
    PSU
    Some Amount of Voltageness
    Case
    Hp Pavilion Elite Case
    Cooling
    Some Amount of Coolingness
    Keyboard
    HP: Model Number: KB0911
    Mouse
    HP: M/N:M-SBQ133
    Internet Speed
    Comcast: 20 MB/S
    Other Info
    I have two monitors! I play Call of Duty: Black Ops & Modern Warfare II - Both on PC. Contact me through my website: ChaseKurry.com
Sounds like you're infected.

Thanks Americano, I was afraid of that. So I should get an external hard drive and put my pics and music on there? How do I restore it to factory condition once that is done?

Yeah, I have an external hard-drive I use to back-up my pictures, videos, music, etc.. it's never a bad idea to have a back-up of your important files.

Here is the link to a HP Support Document regarding restoring to factory condition
:

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...957&prodSeriesId=499885&objectID=c00608578#A5



Reinstalling the operation system
The Windows operating system (OS) can be reinstalled, using the PC System Recovery Suite on the hard drive, without destroying any existing programs or user data. This action is normally only performed to correct a serious operational problem with the PC. If the PC is not operating in the Windows operating system, see Recovering from the recovery disks .
Reinstall the operating system using the default recovery options
Use the following instructions to reinstall Windows using the default recovery options.

  1. Connect PC to the AC power adapter.
  2. Close all programs.
  3. Click Start , click All Programs , select System Recovery and click PC Recovery .
  4. When the recovery options are presented, select the option to perform a PC Recovery and click Next .

    NOTE: On the first attempt to correct an OS problem, select the option to perform a Microsoft System Restore and click Next . See Performing the Microsoft System Restore for information on the Microsoft System Restore.
  5. The PC will restart and display a Welcome to PC Recovery message. Click OK to continue.

    NOTE: You may also access HP Recovery Manager at any time by restarting the computer and pressing F11 repeatedly before the Windows load screen appears.
  6. On the System Recovery panel, click Next .
    PC Recovery will display "Backing up user data and settings."
    PC Recovery will begin recovering Windows XP and application files.
    PC Recovery will begin recovering user data and settings.
  7. Upon completion, PC recovery will display "The PC Recovery was successfully completed. Click restart to restart your PC or click Turn Off to turn off the PC. Click Restart .
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion Elite
    CPU
    AMD Phenom 9850 Quad-Core Processor
    Motherboard
    Some Amount of Motherness
    Memory
    6.O GB RAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA nVIDIA GeForce GT 240 512MB DDR5
    Sound Card
    Some Amount of Soundness
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Two Monitors: HP w1907 & Acer P191w
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 & 1440x900
    Hard Drives
    WD Caviar Blue 500GB
    PSU
    Some Amount of Voltageness
    Case
    Hp Pavilion Elite Case
    Cooling
    Some Amount of Coolingness
    Keyboard
    HP: Model Number: KB0911
    Mouse
    HP: M/N:M-SBQ133
    Internet Speed
    Comcast: 20 MB/S
    Other Info
    I have two monitors! I play Call of Duty: Black Ops & Modern Warfare II - Both on PC. Contact me through my website: ChaseKurry.com

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion Elite
    CPU
    AMD Phenom 9850 Quad-Core Processor
    Motherboard
    Some Amount of Motherness
    Memory
    6.O GB RAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA nVIDIA GeForce GT 240 512MB DDR5
    Sound Card
    Some Amount of Soundness
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Two Monitors: HP w1907 & Acer P191w
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 & 1440x900
    Hard Drives
    WD Caviar Blue 500GB
    PSU
    Some Amount of Voltageness
    Case
    Hp Pavilion Elite Case
    Cooling
    Some Amount of Coolingness
    Keyboard
    HP: Model Number: KB0911
    Mouse
    HP: M/N:M-SBQ133
    Internet Speed
    Comcast: 20 MB/S
    Other Info
    I have two monitors! I play Call of Duty: Black Ops & Modern Warfare II - Both on PC. Contact me through my website: ChaseKurry.com
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