Ran Internet Cleanup, now programs won't open - why?

Question

I ran an internet cleanup program, deleting spyware, cookies, temporary files etc, but now my computer doesn't start properly - the background is just white, no program icons appear in the bar at the bottom right, and most program icons (i think all except Interent Explorer and AOL) are that symbol used to designate an unkown program, and they won't open. Often says 'cannot run that command'. I'm using Windows 2000 professional.

What could have caused this and how could i solve it?

Answer 1

System Restore it Which programme did you use?

Answer 2

Most program like that have a option to "undo" or "restore" the setting back to before you ran the cleaner.

I use the programs below and have not had any problems with them.

Download CleanUp---http://www.stevengould.org/software/cleanup/

Free disk space, make your computer run better/faster and protect your privacy - all in one easy solution. All for free!

Download RegScrubXP--http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=2048

Safely cleans junk out of the Windows 2000/XP system registry. All changes made to the registry are fully restorable to it's original condition. You can make an exclusion list of registry entries that RegScrubXP will not display as problems. You can sift through a list of file extensions, company names, run upon startup programs, Internet Explorer history, and uninstall programs to delete what you think is junk.

Answer 3

I don't know what you mean by an "internet cleanup", but it sounds like whatever you did, you altered the registry. Try to do a system restore. This is for WinXP, but it should be the same for Win2000 Pro. Click on Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools and select System Restore. You pick a day prior to the day you ran this cleanup program and let the system restore to that day. This restores your settings to what they were. Then restart the computer so it will accept the changes.

It also sounds like you need to download some Win2000 Security Updates. Try this link for more information;
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/downloads/win2k.mspx

Answer 4

I supose important files must have been accidentally deleted during the cleanup. That happens sometime when you run an auto cleanup like that. You may need to reinstall Windows to get the computer to run correctly again. I do not think that Windows 2000 has system restore, but you can check, and if it does just restore your computer to a time before you ran the cleanup and do not run it again.

Answer 5

You or the program you ran messed with the "Windows" registry. To restore it manually is almost impossible so, if you have a back-up of your registry before you ran that program, restore the registry using that back-up. If you don't, save all the files you want to keep to another disk or to another partition, and reinstall "Windows".