Third-party technical information
1. General
1.1. Purging System Restore in Windows Me1.2. Purging System Restore in Windows XP
1.3. Restoring file associations
2. Editing the Windows registry
2.1. Warning about editing the Windows registry2.2. How to edit the Windows registry
2.3. Copying a registy entry
3. Editing other files
3.1. Editing Win.ini3.2. Editing System.ini
3.3. Editing Autoexec.bat
1. General
1.1. Purging System Restore in Windows Me
Note: this will delete any previously created restore points.
Go to Start|Settings|Control Panel. Double-click 'System', then click on the 'Performance' tab. Click 'File System' then click the 'Troubleshooting' tab. Select 'Disable System Restore' and click 'Apply'.
Now deselect 'Disable System Restore' and click 'Apply'. Click 'Close' and click 'Close' again. Restart the computer.
1.2. Purging System Restore in Windows XP
Note: this will delete any previously created restore points.
Go to Start|Control Panel|Performance and Maintenance. Double-click System, then select the System Restore tab. Click to select the 'Turn off System Restore on all drives' box. Click Apply. Click Yes.
Now click to clear the 'Turn off System Restore on all drives' box. Click OK. Restart the computer.
1.3. Restoring file associations
This example describes how to reassociate text files with Notepad. The procedure is similar for other file types and programs.
- Click on a text file.
- Hold down the Shift key.
- Right-click on the text file.
- Select Open With then select Choose Program.
- Scroll down to Notepad, highlight it.
- Select Always use this program to open these files.
- Click OK.
Text files should now open in Notepad when you double-click them.
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2. Windows registry
2.1. Warning about editing the Windows registry
This suggestion requires the use of the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE). Changes made to the Windows registry happen immediately, and no backup is automatically made. Do not edit the Windows registry unless you are confident about doing so.
Microsoft have issued the following warning with respect to the Registry Editor:
"Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious, system-wide problems that may require you to re-install Windows to correct them. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use this tool at your own risk."
2.2. How to edit the Windows registry
At the taskbar, click Start|Run. Type 'Regedit' and press Return. The registry editor opens.
Before you edit the registry, you should make a backup. On the 'Registry' menu, click 'Export Registry File'. In the 'Export range' panel, click 'All', then save your registry as Backup.
2.3 Copying a registy entry
Do this on an uninfected computer with the same version of Windows as the infected computer (unless instructed otherwise). Copying the entry is best done using an account that has read-only access to the registry.
- At the uninfected computer, on the taskbar, click Start|Run.
- Type 'Regedit' and press Return. The registry editor opens.
- Browse to the entry you intend to copy.
- With that registry entry selected, on the 'Registry' menu, click 'Export Registry File'.
- In the 'Export range' panel, note where the file will be saved to, click 'Selected branch' and save the registry entry as SophReg.
- Close the registry editor.
- Browse to the folder containing the file SophReg and copy it to floppy disk.
- Write-protect the floppy disk.
Go the the affected computer and insert the floppy disk. Browse to the A: drive and double-click the file SophReg.
3. Editing other files
3.1. Editing Win.ini
At the taskbar, right-click Start and select Explore. Search for Win.ini in the Windows folder and open it in Notepad.
3.2. Editing System.ini
At the taskbar, right-click Start and select Explore. Search for System.ini in the Windows folder and open it in Notepad.
3.3. Editing Autoexec.bat
At the taskbar, right-click Start and select Explore. Search for Autoexec.bat in the root of the C: drive and open it in Notepad.
