GETTING UNTANGLED Though I wasn’t making any headway, I tried some of the solutions recommended on the Internet. Most tell you to start by booting up in Safe Mode. Although I couldn’t do much in Safe Mode, I still had access to all of my files.
Luckily, I have an external hard disk. When I plugged it in, Windows recognized it, even though I was in Safe Mode. I took this opportunity to back up all the data files on my hard disk. What a joy!
Next, I looked for the files that weren’t in the My Documents folder, like my Outlook Express e-mail. I couldn’t find this file anywhere, but fortunately one of the Internet sites I visited explained how to locate it (Tools>Options>Maintenance and click on Store Folder). After backing up all my data files, I was ready to blast WinReanimator into kingdom come.
On my desktop, pressing F10 during bootup will initiate a complete “destructive” restore of the original programs shipped with the computer, which means the hard disk is reformatted before the software is installed. So I did it. When the dust settled, WinReanimator was nowhere to be found.
Getting the computer back to where it was isn’t a simple task. You don’t realize how often you upgrade software over the course of time. And there was one file I did forget to back upthe file that contains all my e-mail rules.
Long ago, I gave up trying to use message rules against e-mail spammers. Instead, I relinquished my inbox to the spammers and instituted rules for everyone else, i.e., normal people who don’t try to change their e-mail addresses every day. When all the rules are functioning, my inbox becomes my default spam folder. Adding all the rules again was a chore and, worse yet, I still don’t know where the rules file resides.
In any case, my computer’s back in top form, zipping along until the next virus traps me. But now with a backup on my external hard disk, which I’ve disconnected from my computer for safety’s sake, I’m caring less and less about the struggle between the good guys and the bad guys.
Reprints
