Error 372 & XP 2010 virus

[sicknoob]

Hi, I'm having a tough time getting malwarebytes onto my system running XP.

I can't connect to the internet right now - so I've been loading the suggested files onto a memory stick instead.

However, even in safe mode, I can't move files off the memory stick onto the desktop (in fact I can't move any files at all).

I think the virus I have is the XP 2010 virus: http://forums.malwarebytes.org/index.php?showtopic=38629 and when I try to run malwarebytes straight from the memory stick it results in a '372 error: failed to load vbalgrid from vbalsgrid6.ocx' message.

To address the '372' error I tried to follow the instructions from the administrator in post 3 here: http://forums.malwarebytes.org/index.php?s...=vbalsgrid6.ocx but the error remains (again, I had to run the files off the memory stick instead of the desktop - so I'm not sure if that makes a difference.)

Should reformatting the harddrive and reinstalling the OS get rid of all my viruses? I've never wiped a computer before, but I think mine might be sick enough that it would be best to start from a clean slate and then install malwarebytes as a preventive measure going forward.

I would like to be able to move files first so I could move some files that aren't backed up (most are).

Thanks for any help and suggestions.

[sicknoob]

Please have a moderator close this post.

Based on the fact that I wouldn't have many programs to reinstall I decided to try wiping the drive.

Hopefully that will fix the glitches and I can add malwarebytes to a happy machine (swear, turn my head for one second and he's shooting heroin between his ctrl-alt-del keys).

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to help on these boards.

[Maurice Naggar]

Hello,

Your choice is the safest long term and probably the quickest in terms of time to do it and also gets you a working system faster.

Make sure you have at hand the Windows XP CD and also, a fresh new copy of your antivirus that is downloaded from a clean pc and saved on transportable-media (CD-DVD or clean thumb drive).

When you are at point of re-installing o.s., I'd recommend you have the pc disconnected from internet until after the o.s. is installed, plus the antivirus is fully setup and running.

See Windows XP Clean Installation - Partitioning and Formatting using Windows XP CD by Ramesh Srinivasan, MS-MVP & AumHa VSOP

Also Clean Install Windows by Michael Stevens, MS-MVP

I would urge you to follow the directions very carefully.

If your system did not come with an XP o.s. CD, follow your pc manufacturers directions.

Some OEM manufacturers supply Recover CD's which will make your efforts to wipe & install go faster.

If the OEM did not supply a recovery CD, they usually have a recovery partition on the HD.

If the latter, please follow the makers' instructions.

Also, if the system software came with a free-trial version of an antivirus, be sure to uninstall it as it will be out-of-date.

Get an antivirus of your own and never go on the internet without one.

Other members who have similar issues & need assistance please start your own topic in a new thread. Thanks!

This is now closed.