Hi, i am having problems with my Windows XP 8400 Dell Dimension. Once i startup my PC, after a few seconds my menus go from the normal blue menu to this

This happens in windows explorer and all other menus aswell. Another thing is that there is no sound execpt the classical music during user login. Windows also detects new hardware: Multimedia audio controller. I have a Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2, and have already reinstalled the drivers for it but still have this problem.
Another issue i am having is that i cannot visit certain websites like Gmail.com for some reason. I get an error message in internet explorer saying unable to display the webpage. I thought that all of these problems were due to a virus but upon running a system scan there was nothing.
Can anyone help?

This sounds alot like spyware.

Note that certain spyware can be equipped with a virus. Removing only the virus fixes half the problem in this case.


To explain why the skin changes during boot. When you start your computer, you get to the login procedure (possibly first the welcome screen, depending on the amount of active users present).

The login procedure is being run by the account Administrator. So if the Admin account has a certain style/background set, you'll see that during the boot. It then loads the settings from your own account, and thus it changes everything.


To fix the background issue: Right-Click the background and select properties from the popup menu. Go to the Appearance tab and from the dropdown menu, select Windows XP-style. Then Apply and press ok.

The other errors look alot like failing hardware drivers.

Since you do hear sound during startup, but it fails afterwards, you might want to try logging in as Administrator, and see if you still have things working there. If so, you should create a new profile, copy files over from the old, and use the new profile instead.

If you have it working as Administrator, let us know, and we can provide you a guide on how to create a new userprofile in Windows XP. (you need Admin access for creating a profile, and it cannot be done with the user that has this trouble).

I have the same menu settings enabled for all users and i have the same problems with all of them (including new ones i have recently created). The same thing goes for the Administrator account.
As far as spyware, I have not detected any with Norton Antivirus.

Norton antivirus is not a program for antispyware.

It may find a little bit of spyware, but it certainly isn't reliable, nor ment to be for protecing you against spyware.

You should try Spybot Search&Destroy and Adaware to scan your pc. There are more spyware scanners, but first see if they find anything.

Your best option here probably is reinstalling windows.

You can always fix something that is broken, but most of the cases you cannot fix it 100% making your system a tidbit less stable. Add up to alot of occasions, and your system becomes unstable.