Humpty

No probs with Returnil on several different XP/Vista installs here. Installed the new beta premium yesterday on this Vista drive and things seem ok atm. Using the memory cache setting so this virtually makes it the free version as most extra premium features rely on the disk cache method. Returnil Beta Testing

Wow, I've just won ?450,000 in a Microsoft lottery and I didn't even enter.

I can get XP running fine on smaller drives but with a minimum 256 meg sdram and probably even as low as 128 meg after tweaking. I wouldn't even think about using Norton 360 on a P3. As for adding a wireless network card to suit your setup you will probably need XP for the drivers but may work on ME.

How big is the drive and how much ram? Xp is a much better system. You'll need to get a network card in order to get on broadband which are fairly cheap. Avast could be a good choice for either ME or XP. Avast

LOL Had heaps of strife myself with Win98 but I had an ace up my sleeve then and which I still use now with XP and Vista - Ghost Images. And as much as it shames me to say but I was using Nortons Internet Security at one time with Win98 and I still remember seeing the Firewall and AV icons getting a big red cross stating "hey we're not working" after getting hit with a zero day.Can't remember which virus it was though. The old ghost images come to the rescue again on that one and it was bye bye Nortons.

If Sandboxie was around at the time not a single one would have bothered me. 12 Worst Viruses

5 times here and probably relates to the 5 ads that are in the reg. First 3 ads were red and the last 2 were green. HKEY_CURRENT_USER - Software - Foxit Reader - Mainframe. Here you should be able to see the ads which seem to be set to zero each time you untick "Advertisement".

You could check in services that the Themes service is set to auto and has started. Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Services. Or type "services.msc" no quotes, in the run command.

Some info on the paid/free version from over at Wilders Post No 16

Using Norton Ghost 2003 here and I use a boot floppy to execute making/restoring images. I think that the free offer for Paragon may be still available even though expired.Will have a look around.

I think even though free Firefox still generates millions of dollars. Firefox Makes Millions

I must be in Western Sahara cause I ain't downloaded it as yet. "Western Sahara - 0" SpreadFirefox

Don't have FF 3 atm so can't check out the supposed robot mascot. Article and Other Tips

Websense? Security Labs? ThreatSeeker? Network has discovered a substantial number of spam messages utilizing a reliable social engineering trick that lures users to download a Microsoft critical security update. Article and Screenshot

Rest of Article

You could have a look at Kelly's Add or Remove and maybe Kelly's Tips and Tweaks.

Is there a different security setup on the laptop that may be the cause?

Let's see what I would try in that situation if I had no ghost images to restore from. First I would turn off the computer, pull the plug from the power supply and hold the start button in for at least 30 seconds to dissipate any static. (Hazel's tip) If still no go then probably boot from the XP cd and try a repair install maybe. That's all I can think of ATM.

I've just remembered something. I've got my Vista installed hard drive hooked up and XP Antivirus ran fine.

Can you post the link from where you "bought" or downloaded CC? CCleaner is a free app.

I just downloaded and ran XP Antivirus which is a rogue of the same family as to what we are discussing. Generates a fake XP Security Centre urging the user to buy for full protection. 71 exploits found when there are none. Terminated all processess running inside the sandbox then deleted the contents and not a skerrick remains. A reboot with Returnil active would have achieved the same.

Antivirus 2008 updated to Antivirus 2009. Even over at dig I saw an endorsement for a top 5 antispywares review and all of them were rogues of the zlob/vundo variants. Malwarebytes Rogues

Revetec, a little known company from the Gold Coast region of Australia, may be on to something huge: they?ve created an engine that is 50% smaller, 50% lighter, has 50% lower emissions and is cheaper to manufacture than a conventional internal combustion engine of the same horsepower. Oh yeah, did I mention that it doubles the fuel economy too. What that means is a car like the 2007 Toyota Yaris, which is rated at 40 mpg on the highway, would get 80 mpg with a Revetec engine. Article

5. Dark Matter: Scientists think it makes up the bulk of matter in the universe, but it can neither be seen nor detected directly using current technologies. Candidates range from light-weight neutrinos to invisible black holes. Some scientists question whether dark matter is even real, and suggest that the mysteries it was conjured to solve could be explained by a better understanding of gravity. Top 10 Bizarre Things in Space

Good news and welcome back rridgely.