Ask Windows XP Expert Walter Clayton About Spyware

My daughter's pc at college is now telling her that she needs to register
windows. It is a 3 year old DELL running Windows XP Home edition. She is
connected to her schools network. She was getting very slow response times
and tried to shut down and reboot. The pc "froze" on her and she powered it
off. It will let her power up in SAFE MODE.

Did she clobber her user profile? What else could cause this. She has
Norton Antivirus and runs Zone Alarm firewall software.

Any help would be apprecaited as I attemp to help her this weekend.

"OMD" ha scritto nel messaggio
...
My daughter's pc at college is now telling her that she needs to register
windows. It is a 3 year old DELL running Windows XP Home edition. She is
connected to her schools network. She was getting very slow response
times
and tried to shut down and reboot. The pc "froze" on her and she powered
it
off. It will let her power up in SAFE MODE.

Did she clobber her user profile? What else could cause this. She has
Norton Antivirus and runs Zone Alarm firewall software.

Any help would be apprecaited as I attemp to help her this weekend.

Click Start-- All Programs- Accessories-- System Tools --click Activate
Windows, what is the results?


--
Michele N.
MCSE MCSA Windows 2k - 2003
OCA Oracle 9i

Hi, OMD.

Are you sure (is she sure?) that it says "Register"?

Many people confuse "register" with "activate". Activation is mandatory and
must be done within 30 days of installation or WinXP will refuse to run.
Registration is purely voluntary and failure to register certainly won't
shut down her computer. Registration gives Microsoft information about the
USER (name, address, etc.); activation gives only information about the
computer (CPU, hard drives, etc.).

Of course, a registration request may be coming from someone other than
Microsoft: Dell? Her college or its network? Was this copy of WinXP Home
pre-installed on the computer when it was new?

Of course there's always the possibility that the registration request is
coming from some form of malware. :( Not a virus, necessarily, but some
of the many spyware, adware and other non-virus malware prowling the
Internet. Antivirus software won't stop this. Has she run a program like
Ad-Aware or SpyBot Search & Destroy recently? These (and many others) are
free and effective.

But she should never receive a demand from Microsoft to register Windows!
It sounds bogus to me..

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX

Microsoft Windows MVP

"OMD" wrote in message
...
My daughter's pc at college is now telling her that she needs to register
windows. It is a 3 year old DELL running Windows XP Home edition. She is
connected to her schools network. She was getting very slow response
times
and tried to shut down and reboot. The pc "froze" on her and she powered
it
off. It will let her power up in SAFE MODE.

Did she clobber her user profile? What else could cause this. She has
Norton Antivirus and runs Zone Alarm firewall software.

Any help would be apprecaited as I attemp to help her this weekend.

R.C.
The pc is a three year old DELL and has been working fine.

Now that I am on-site, it said Windows needs to be ACTIVATED. It could NOT
connect to the internet because it could not detect the connection and I do
NOT have a cable for dial-up connection.

I tried a restore from last good copy while in SAFE Mode and now I get three
error windows that pop-up while re-booting.

The messages a Winlogon.exe Entry Point Not Found The procedure entry
point RegisterFormCLSID could not be located in the dynamic link library
ole32.dll. This window comes up twice.

The third window is: services.exe Entry Point Not Found The procedure entry
point RegisterScmCallback could not be located in the dynamic link library
umpnpmgr.dll.

PLEASE HELP.. Any ideas what to do now?

"R. C. White" wrote:

Hi, OMD.

Are you sure (is she sure?) that it says "Register"?

Many people confuse "register" with "activate". Activation is mandatory and
must be done within 30 days of installation or WinXP will refuse to run.
Registration is purely voluntary and failure to register certainly won't
shut down her computer. Registration gives Microsoft information about the
USER (name, address, etc.); activation gives only information about the
computer (CPU, hard drives, etc.).

Of course, a registration request may be coming from someone other than
Microsoft: Dell? Her college or its network? Was this copy of WinXP Home
pre-installed on the computer when it was new?

Of course there's always the possibility that the registration request is
coming from some form of malware. :( Not a virus, necessarily, but some
of the many spyware, adware and other non-virus malware prowling the
Internet. Antivirus software won't stop this. Has she run a program like
Ad-Aware or SpyBot Search & Destroy recently? These (and many others) are
free and effective.

But she should never receive a demand from Microsoft to register Windows!
It sounds bogus to me..

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX

Microsoft Windows MVP

"OMD" wrote in message
...
My daughter's pc at college is now telling her that she needs to register
windows. It is a 3 year old DELL running Windows XP Home edition. She is
connected to her schools network. She was getting very slow response
times
and tried to shut down and reboot. The pc "froze" on her and she powered
it
off. It will let her power up in SAFE MODE.

Did she clobber her user profile? What else could cause this. She has
Norton Antivirus and runs Zone Alarm firewall software.

Any help would be apprecaited as I attemp to help her this weekend.

Hi, OMD.

The pc is a three year old DELL and has been working fine.

If that computer was bought with WinXP preinstalled, then you should be
asking Dell, not Microsoft.

When Dell (or any other Original Equipment Manufacturer) licenses the
Windows operating system from Microsoft, a major part of the deal is that
the OEM - not Microsoft - will provide support for any computer sold with
Windows installed on it.

Another part of the deal is that THAT copy of Windows is licensed only to
THAT computer. The OEM handles activation for that copy.

So, whether your problem is with activation or with support, you need to
discuss it with Dell, not Microsoft. Their support website is at
http://support.dell.com, but that might not help if you have no Internet
connection from that computer. I'm trying to find a voice telephone number
on that site and not having much luck. The site is really for Dell computer
owners and I can't get very far without information from the packet that
came with the computer.

Can your daughter find the owner's manual and other documentation? Her
activation code should be there, along with telephone numbers and other
contact information. Since I've never owned a Dell, I don't have access to
any of that.

Since you obviously do have some kind of Internet connection, you might
drill down from that Support site to find this page:
http://forums.us.dell.com/supportfor...rd.id=sw_winxp

That is a peer-to-peer forum (like this newsgroup) where you can discuss the
problem with other Dell owners. I tried to look in the FAQ to the Software
Reinstall Guide, but the first thing it asks for is the Service Tag (which I
don't have, of course) and the second is the Product Model, which you didn't
tell us yet. All you've told us is "a three year old DELL".

If you have access to the Usenet, you can ask the Dell gurus at
alt.sys.pc-clone.dell how to solve this activation problem. That is another
peer-to-peer newsgroup, not sponsored or monitored by Dell employees.

If your daughter has a retail copy of WinXP, rather than the preinstalled
OEM version, then these comments don't apply and we should be able to help.
If that is the situation, please post back with more details.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX

Microsoft Windows MVP

"OMD" wrote in message
...
R.C.
The pc is http://forums.us.dell.com/supportfor...rd.id=sw_winxp
and has been working fine.

Now that I am on-site, it said Windows needs to be ACTIVATED. It could
NOT
connect to the internet because it could not detect the connection and I
do
NOT have a cable for dial-up connection.

I tried a restore from last good copy while in SAFE Mode and now I get
three
error windows that pop-up while re-booting.

The messages a Winlogon.exe Entry Point Not Found The procedure
entry
point RegisterFormCLSID could not be located in the dynamic link library
ole32.dll. This window comes up twice.

The third window is: services.exe Entry Point Not Found The procedure
entry
point RegisterScmCallback could not be located in the dynamic link
library
umpnpmgr.dll.

PLEASE HELP.. Any ideas what to do now?

"R. C. White" wrote:

Hi, OMD.

Are you sure (is she sure?) that it says "Register"?

Many people confuse "register" with "activate". Activation is mandatory
and
must be done within 30 days of installation or WinXP will refuse to run.
Registration is purely voluntary and failure to register certainly won't
shut down her computer. Registration gives Microsoft information about
the
USER (name, address, etc.); activation gives only information about the
computer (CPU, hard drives, etc.).

Of course, a registration request may be coming from someone other than
Microsoft: Dell? Her college or its network? Was this copy of WinXP
Home
pre-installed on the computer when it was new?

Of course there's always the possibility that the registration request is
coming from some form of malware. :( Not a virus, necessarily, but
some
of the many spyware, adware and other non-virus malware prowling the
Internet. Antivirus software won't stop this. Has she run a program
like
Ad-Aware or SpyBot Search & Destroy recently? These (and many others)
are
free and effective.

But she should never receive a demand from Microsoft to register Windows!
It sounds bogus to me..

RC

"OMD" wrote in message
...
My daughter's pc at college is now telling her that she needs to
register
windows. It is a 3 year old DELL running Windows XP Home edition. She
is
connected to her schools network. She was getting very slow response
times
and tried to shut down and reboot. The pc "froze" on her and she
powered
it
off. It will let her power up in SAFE MODE.

Did she clobber her user profile? What else could cause this. She has
Norton Antivirus and runs Zone Alarm firewall software.

Any help would be apprecaited as I attemp to help her this weekend.

"Chris Norred [MSFT]" wrote:

Hello and welcome to our first Ask-the-Experts discussion, moderated by the Windows XP Expert Zone Community. This is a new trial effort and our goal is to make it easy for you to ask questions and find answers on a specific topic from a recognized expert in the online community. We’ll continue this discussion in the newsgroups for one week and our volunteer expert will select one or two questions each day and respond. Other experts and users online may also chime in with advice. At the end of the week, we hope to have a single thread filled with good information that can be preserved for the benefit of other users in the future.

This week, our expert host is volunteer MVP Walter Clayton who will be discussing the topic of spyware and adware and his experience helping users in the newsgroups deal with spyware issues. Walter is an IT professional from Frankfort, Kentucky. He is a self-trained computing pro with 20 years of experience, and he has been helping people in the online community for many years. Walter is a recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award for his volunteer efforts helping Windows users over the past five years.
A quote from Mr. Clayton:
“I enjoy working the newsgroups because it forces me to think and learn. Everyday I get a slightly different perspective on something or see a new situation or problem. There is also the challenge of keeping communication skills sharp. Determining the answer to a problem, and communicating it in the newsgroups can present its own set of challenges, especially at times when the wrong answer can leave the user in a no-boot situation.�

Our Ask the Experts discussion is different from the live chats hosted on the Windows XP Expert Zone Community site (http://communities2.microsoft.com/ho...iteid=34000077).

In these discussions, you may not get an immediate answer. The hosts will check-in at a time convenient for them and answer questions. You can post a question any time. Then you may want to add the discussion to your Favorites list in Internet Explorer (Click Favorites, and then click Add to Favorites). You should check back later in the day, or the next day, to see if your question has been answered. Click the Refresh button to see if any new posts were added while you have been reading. If you’re more comfortable using Outlook Express or another newsreader, please do.

To post a question or reply in this discussion, using the Web-based newsgroup reader:
1. Click Reply.
2. If prompted, sign in with your .NET Passport.
3. Edit the subject line if you like.
4. In the Reply form, type your message or question in the Message box.
5. Review the text you typed in the Body box to make sure it says what you want; you cannot revise your message after you click Post.
6. To receive e-mail notification when someone posts to this thread, select the Notify me of replies check box.
7. Click Send.

This is a new trial effort and your feedback and assistance are appreciated. We’ll keep links to these discussions in the Windows XP Expert Zone Community Columns Archive
(http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...s/archive.mspx).
Truly
Chris Norred
Editor
Windows XP Expert Zone Community

--
al haifa


"Chris Norred [MSFT]" wrote:

Hello and welcome to our first Ask-the-Experts discussion, moderated by the Windows XP Expert Zone Community. This is a new trial effort and our goal is to make it easy for you to ask questions and find answers on a specific topic from a recognized expert in the online community. We’ll continue this discussion in the newsgroups for one week and our volunteer expert will select one or two questions each day and respond. Other experts and users online may also chime in with advice. At the end of the week, we hope to have a single thread filled with good information that can be preserved for the benefit of other users in the future.

This week, our expert host is volunteer MVP Walter Clayton who will be discussing the topic of spyware and adware and his experience helping users in the newsgroups deal with spyware issues. Walter is an IT professional from Frankfort, Kentucky. He is a self-trained computing pro with 20 years of experience, and he has been helping people in the online community for many years. Walter is a recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award for his volunteer efforts helping Windows users over the past five years.
A quote from Mr. Clayton:
“I enjoy working the newsgroups because it forces me to think and learn. Everyday I get a slightly different perspective on something or see a new situation or problem. There is also the challenge of keeping communication skills sharp. Determining the answer to a problem, and communicating it in the newsgroups can present its own set of challenges, especially at times when the wrong answer can leave the user in a no-boot situation.�

Our Ask the Experts discussion is different from the live chats hosted on the Windows XP Expert Zone Community site (http://communities2.microsoft.com/ho...iteid=34000077).

In these discussions, you may not get an immediate answer. The hosts will check-in at a time convenient for them and answer questions. You can post a question any time. Then you may want to add the discussion to your Favorites list in Internet Explorer (Click Favorites, and then click Add to Favorites). You should check back later in the day, or the next day, to see if your question has been answered. Click the Refresh button to see if any new posts were added while you have been reading. If you’re more comfortable using Outlook Express or another newsreader, please do.

To post a question or reply in this discussion, using the Web-based newsgroup reader:
1. Click Reply.
2. If prompted, sign in with your .NET Passport.
3. Edit the subject line if you like.
4. In the Reply form, type your message or question in the Message box.
5. Review the text you typed in the Body box to make sure it says what you want; you cannot revise your message after you click Post.
6. To receive e-mail notification when someone posts to this thread, select the Notify me of replies check box.
7. Click Send.

This is a new trial effort and your feedback and assistance are appreciated. We’ll keep links to these discussions in the Windows XP Expert Zone Community Columns Archive
(http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...s/archive.mspx).
Truly
Chris Norred
Editor
Windows XP Expert Zone Community

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx

--
Jonny
"Kate" wrote in message
news
i recently bought a new laptop and it didnt have microsoft office. i
purchased microsoft office and installed. everything was working fine for
a
while but now i can only open microsoft word in safe mode and start with a
new page i cant open any of my documents and being in college this is very
annoying. dow you have any idea what could be wrong with it? i tried
systems
restore and nothing happened. id be very grateful if you could help.

i recently bought a new laptop and it didnt have microsoft office. i
purchased microsoft office and installed. everything was working fine for a
while but now i can only open microsoft word in safe mode and start with a
new page i cant open any of my documents and being in college this is very
annoying. dow you have any idea what could be wrong with it? i tried systems
restore and nothing happened. id be very grateful if you could help.

Control Panel, add/remove programs, select change, do a repair. If that does
not work then just reinstall it, you will not lose any of your saved work.

--



remove 999 in order to email me



"Kate" wrote in message
news
i recently bought a new laptop and it didnt have microsoft office. i
purchased microsoft office and installed. everything was working fine for
a
while but now i can only open microsoft word in safe mode and start with a
new page i cant open any of my documents and being in college this is very
annoying. dow you have any idea what could be wrong with it? i tried
systems
restore and nothing happened. id be very grateful if you could help.

Hi,

First, I would locate normal.dot under your user profile and delete it. If
that is not helpful, then insert your Office CD and allow setup to begin -
one of the options will be a repair installation. Or, if you cached it
locally during setup initially, open Word and click Help/Detect and Repair.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone
www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

"Kate" wrote in message
news
i recently bought a new laptop and it didnt have microsoft office. i
purchased microsoft office and installed. everything was working fine for
a
while but now i can only open microsoft word in safe mode and start with a
new page i cant open any of my documents and being in college this is very
annoying. dow you have any idea what could be wrong with it? i tried
systems
restore and nothing happened. id be very grateful if you could help.

That was nice. Thank you Jonny.

Kate, there are two placed to repair Office. Try them both in this
order:
From Add/Remove Software in the Control Panel. If you click Change
button once you have Office hi-lighted, you will get the option to
Repair the installation. Have your CD's on hand.
The second, is within each application under the Help menu there is a
Detect and Repair option. It is recommended that you select both the
restore shortcuts and restore default settings.
Now don't open other peoples documents on your system, you get exposed
to a lot of shyte that way.

"Jonny" wrote in message
...
| http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx
|
| --
| Jonny
| "Kate" wrote in message
| news | i recently bought a new laptop and it didnt have microsoft office.
i
| purchased microsoft office and installed. everything was working
fine for
| a
| while but now i can only open microsoft word in safe mode and
start with a
| new page i cant open any of my documents and being in college this
is very
| annoying. dow you have any idea what could be wrong with it? i
tried
| systems
| restore and nothing happened. id be very grateful if you could
help.
|
|

"Kate" wrote in message
news
i recently bought a new laptop and it didnt have microsoft office. i
purchased microsoft office and installed. everything was working fine for
a
while but now i can only open microsoft word in safe mode and start with a
new page i cant open any of my documents and being in college this is very
annoying. dow you have any idea what could be wrong with it? i tried
systems
restore and nothing happened. id be very grateful if you could help.


Now that you are in college, your teachers will require that you use
capitalization when appropriate. Maybe you need a new keyboard, one where
the Shift key works.

"can only open in safe mode"
"can't (added apostrophe) open documents"
The reason you chose to hide the error messages, what happens when you try
opening in normal mode or your documents, or whatever behavior is noticed
that leads you to deduce that Word isn't working would be?

The newsgroups for Word would probably provide a more focused community on
that product. However, be more detailed in what is happening.

--
How to post:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375
http://www.newsreaders.com/guide/netiquette.html
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/usenet/emily-postnews/part1/

On Mon, 2 Jan 2006 18:18:02 -0800, Kate wrote:

i recently bought a new laptop and it didnt have microsoft office. i
purchased microsoft office and installed. everything was working fine for a
while but now i can only open microsoft word in safe mode and start with a
new page i cant open any of my documents and being in college this is very
annoying. dow you have any idea what could be wrong with it? i tried systems
restore and nothing happened. id be very grateful if you could help.

Did you activate your Office programs? If not activated, they will only
start in Safe Mode.

--
Sharon F
MS-MVP ~ Windows Shell/User

Sharon F wrote:
On Mon, 2 Jan 2006 18:18:02 -0800, Kate wrote:


i recently bought a new laptop and it didnt have microsoft office. i
purchased microsoft office and installed. everything was working fine for a
while but now i can only open microsoft word in safe mode and start with a
new page i cant open any of my documents and being in college this is very
annoying. dow you have any idea what could be wrong with it? i tried systems
restore and nothing happened. id be very grateful if you could help.


Did you activate your Office programs? If not activated, they will only
start in Safe Mode.

That may not be true if it is the Educational edition.

Rick