Windows 7 - Control Panel

For some reason I can't access control panel. When I click to open I keep getting
"Windows Explorer stopped working, Windows explorer is restarting" then it goes back to desktop. Please help!!!

BF

Have you run a virus scan lately? More than likely it is DEP (in system control panel) but since you cant get there yooou options are limited

Do you have a backup that we can restore?

Do you have the win 7 dvd to do a reapir install?


Ken J+

I think the best course of action, like Ken said, is the repair install equally beneficial would be a System Restore, at least two weeks prior to the problem to insure that it is prior to the virus infestation.

But the first problem is to get rid of the virus, if that is indeed the cause. Run your A/V and remove anything that is found. To be sure that you are virus free. After that I would go to this site (I have used it) and test again. It is Symantec, a major A/V manufacturer who are trying to sell their product, so they give the free test hoping to find something, so you buy
Free Virus Scan - Free Antivirus Software | Norton Security Scan


Repair Install

Here is a copy of our excellent tutorial, giving detail on how to perform a repair install.

I'll run the virus scan when I get home. The repair install sounds good but my installation is not an upgrade. I had XP prior. Will it still work?

To avoid any miscommunications. You had XP and then you bought the full retail or upgrade DVD and you did a clean install? If that is what you are saying the Repair install will work.

Can you access the Control Panel in this way: click and hold the Windows key and press R, then type: control and hit the Enter key or OK.

That should work. Good luck.

Jim Pickering

Some malware will crash services. I notice Vundo will cause major instability and is not detected by a lot of anti-Malware or AV software.

I personally use Avira Free for AV, actually catches infections unlike avg...
and i use Malware Byte's Anti-Malware to clean up spyware/malware from all machines. Shop tested this is the best anti-malware software i've used. I must tell you though that some anti-malware software do not fully remove infections like that. Files are left behind that may force the malware to re-install itself after removal.

So best practice would be to install avira first, install malware byte's anti-malware (get it from download.com, main page in the numbered list of most popular).

Update malware byte's, do a full system scan. If you have avira installed then during the scan it may go off due to finding some hidden infections that aren't picked up by your AV software initially.

IF YOU SEE Vundo in the detected list you MUST run combofix to finish removing the infection. google combofix (bleepingcomputer's forum will have the download link). I cant tell you honestly how many hundreds of machines that have come through our shop that have been infected with vundo and all had AVG installed...

Cleaning the infection will save you from having to repair the OS (which doesnt really fix it if there is an infection and is a waste of time) be SURE before you run the repair. The only time I've had to repair the Os after cleaning were from malware that destroyed Rundll32 (not allowing you to run anything at all like windows doesnt know what to do with an exe) or damaged some other system service(s).