Windows File Protection

[saxman]

Operating System - Windows 2000 Professional (with SP4)
Processor - Intel Celeron (533MHz)
Memory - 256MB RAM



I can't figure out how to get rid of this Windows File Protection error. Here's what it says:

Files that are required for Windows to run properly have been replaced by unrecognized versions. To maintain system stability, Windows must restore the original versions of these files.


Insert your Windows 2000 Professional CD now.

I found my Win2K CD and stuck it in. The message disappeared, so then I waited a minute or two. Nothing happened, so I restarted the computer without the CD again. After Windows began booting up, the same error occured. I have tried everything I can think of and can't get rid of it. I would have thought it would unpack the file(s) from the contents on the CD and reinstall. As you know, the contents are compressed, so I have no way of manually copying them if I was to find out what files were corrupted or replaced.

I'd appreciate any assistance you can offer. I can get by with this error, but I'd prefer to make it go away (without having to stick the CD in) because it's simply annoying.

[Overclocked Doc]

Try a system file repair. Start the computer from the CD and select New installation > F8 > repair current installation. You will need to have your key numbers handy and reinstall all Microsoft updates once done. (Install SP4 first then check for further updates).

[danjwalker]

start, run sfc c:/scannow
that will fix it if you gave the 2k cd.
this is system file checker

[Disk_Contented]

It's possible the files are replaced at boot time by a trojan or similar. I would run a full security scan.

[saxman]

Originally Posted by Overclocked Doc

Try a system file repair. Start the computer from the CD and select New installation > F8 > repair current installation. You will need to have your key numbers handy and reinstall all Microsoft updates once done. (Install SP4 first then check for further updates).

I tried this before the other two replied.... and now nothing opens. IE won't open without crashing, it keeps trying to install something that isn't there, and so on. Explorer wants to shut down whenever I try to open anything that uses it. Nothing works at all. My stuff is all there, but none of the programs on my computer work anymore... they all give errors. MS Office, IE, Explorer, Visual Studio, etc. It's a damned good thing I have a backup of all the important files I use for my business. But now I have a computer that's a p.o.s. I have nothing to use to update the inventory, to get my business e-mail, etc. How do I go about fixing this????

[Overclocked Doc]

Can you boot into "safe mode", with out problems? It sounds like you may have "Spyware" or the likes attempting to start. If possible check your start registry for any suspicious entries.
If you have access to another machine you might consider "slaving the harddrive" and extracting all your personal files, then perform a "fresh install".