Hi Guys,
Back from a few days away, and now I am back to figure this stupid thing out.

Merlin,? ?:laughing@:

You have no idea how hysterical it is that you came up with that idea. It's brilliant, (if I do say so myself,) it is also where I started from before posting on this site.

I thought that perhaps I had some missing or damaged files that I could repair by reinstalling XP, but I had just recently installed SP2. Several days after the SP2 install, I lost my Windows firewall and when I tried to get to the settings I get the error message, "due to an unidentified problem, Windows cannot display Windows Firewall Settings."

When I went to control panel there was originally an option to repair SP2. When I selected it, my PC crashed. On reboot, the option to repair was gone. So I did some research on repairing or reinstalling SP2. The info I got off of the Microsoft site, was that if I reinstalled SP2 over SP2, I would not be able to uninstall it in order to reinstall XP. So I started looking at other options and that's when I got to you guys, thinking maybe the answer was in my HJT log.

So here I am back where I started, and I guess I am going to have to find a way to repiar SP2, (I knew that thing was going to be a problem? Everything is coming up clean now, so I guess something corrupted or deleted a necessary file from SP2. Funny thing is, when I installed Zone Alarm, the firewall reenabled itself, but I still have no access.

Hengis, may this thread doesn't belong here any more, but I would sure like some opinions and thoughts.

Right now, "I'm so rumbly in my tumbly, time for something sweet..."

TTFN? :lol:

Teresa

Hi there Tjnbarbour , welcome back :-)

I don't know what option you mean to repair SP2 , i haven't seen that before but if you do a reapair install of windows then updates and services packs get uninstalled automaticly (everything else stays) so that you can install a clean copy of SP2 afterwerts:


from:
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm


Hope it helps :-)

:-) Hey Joe,

Thanks, I've spent most of the afternoon trying out all the time wasters in the General Chat area. "What a maroon." :lol:

Yeah, that Repair option was there only once, I can't find anything on it at Microsoft either.

Anyway, just wanted to double check with you about the reinstall. Maybe they fixed this, but I've read a number of things that said SP2 is a problem, and doesn't uninstall the way most of the other upgrades do, and that you can actually really mess up your computer if you don't uninstall SP2 first. Trouble is SP2 won't uninstall.

You are really good, so I will trust you, but I have to ask, you know?

I don't mind :-)

No , a repair install without removing SP2 shouldn't cause problems. sp2 gets removed thats all , here's another quote:

Right on,
Hopefully they fixed it. Cross your fingers for me. I'm going for it. If you don't see me for awhile, send the Marines. :wink:

Talk to you later.

T.

The Marines? Naww the Seal's ...

SP2 is in your add remove programs... Just make sure you have the box clicked that say's show updates... If I were you I would save my important stuff to a cs or dvd, do a low level format on the hard drive and do a full reinstall of XP, that way nothing will be there that was there b4 and it will be nice and brand new and I can show you some tricks b4 you do this to make the pc run even smoother and faster!
Sorry don't know anymore quotes from PoohBear :-D

TTFN
Merlin