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[Entwood]

Neighbour has a problem .. wonder if anyone can help. System is a laptop running XP Home

She had a phone call from someone purporting to be microsoft, and idiotically went along with it. Got talked into making registry changes and installing some software. She realised it was a scam when told her windows licence had expired and it would cost £175 to renew it.

At this point she got slightly more sensible. Rang off and disconnected computer phone line. Uninstalled the software she had just put on. Ran a virus scan (clean). came to me for help ..

She can't remember what she changed in the registry, she just did as the guy told her.

What I have done :

Run "restore" and taken the computer "back" to last sunday, 20 June
Run SFC

Looking around her system, it worries me that control panel / system / remote is now blank .. both "Remote Assistance" and "Remote desktop" have dissapeared - probably by a setting in the registry

I have gone to admin tools/ services and disabled the two remote access service calls and the one remote desktop service call.

So, anyone any suggestions what else I can do ?? and where in the registry are the settings for putting remote access and remote desktop back into control panel ??

I have advised her that the best way to be certain is to reformat/reinstall but she is unwilling to do this.

Any ideas gratefully accepted ..

[Mr Skrunts]

She would be best to back up all her personal files before she does anything else (My Documents - plus any extra personal folders)

Then if she has her setup disks - XP and Drivers , then personally I would format it and reinstall from scratch.

I have advised her that the best way to be certain is to reformat/reinstall but she is unwilling to do this.

In that case why do people ask for advice  :-/

[Plomien]

Only real way to be certain of the system being safe would be a format/reinstall.
also run a spyware sweep on the PC (spybot is good)
install the 30 day trial of tune up utilities and that will grant access to remote desktop access for it to be disabled as well as a few extra speed up tweaks

[Kevin Wood]

Added to that, change any Ebay/Paypal/Online baking passwords, etc. just in case someone has been poking around and found something.

It's worth wiping a machine and starting again every so often anyway, so think of it as an opportunity for a tidy up.

Kevin

[mudflap]

Reformat / reinstall Windows is the safest bet, and change passwords on all web sites,  otherwise the consequences could be disastrous  :-/