PC appears to boot up but when we click on a user name to log in, we get that user's blank desktop image with no icons and after a couple of m inutes an error message saying Explorer. EXE Bad Image App or DLL c:\WINDOWS\system32\BROWSEU.DLL is not a valid windows image. Please check against installation diskette. I've run the express diagnostics test from the Resources CD that came with the PC and it passed all tests. I'm now running the custom test fro System Locks Up and so far no problems foiund. I'm typing this on a laptop. Anyone know how to fix this problem please? Andy 1 person needs an answerI do too

That file is a trojan and your computer is infected. Fixing this depends on whether you can get into Safe Mode and the level of your computer skills. If you can get into Safe Mode, go through the very thorough malware scanning steps described at the link below. If you can't get into Safe Mode, then from the same diagnostic menu try Last Known Good Configuration. If you can't do that, then you can try booting/scanning with one of the antivirus rescue CDs or pull the hard drive and scan it from a working XP machine. http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware Rescue CDs: http://www.avira.com/en/support/support_downloads.html - Avira AntiVir Rescue System (download the .iso) http://www.f-secure.com/en_EMEA/security/security-lab/tools-and-services/rescue-cd/ http://www.bitdefender.com/KB627-en--How-to-create-a-BitDefender-Rescue-CD.html (has download link) MS-MVP - Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!

Hello Malkeleah, Many thanks for your advice. I can get into safe mode but cannot get beyond the same blank desk top which appears after the user log in screen. I get the same error message described above, so I can't get to the start button to run any of the anti-malware programmes you mentioned. I tried the LaST Known Good Configuration but arrived at the same point of impasse. I burned the Avira and Bit Defender Rescue CDs but they won't run from safe drive if I ask the PC to boot from CD. Am I perhaps doing something wrong. I could open Task Manager but don't really know what I am looking for as I'm no PC expert- just an average end user. I wondered about System Restore but can't get to it. Any further guidance appreciated- otherwise it's an expensive trip to a computer shop. Can I buy a rescue CD that might do the trick? Regards Andy

You need to boot the computer from the antivirus rescue CD, not be in Safe Mode. Leave the CD-R in your optical drive and restart your computer. When you restart the computer you will see messages: 1. Possibly a message that says something like "Press F12 for temporary boot menu". If you have this message, press that function key. Use your arrow key to select the CD/DVD drive and the computer will boot from the rescue CD you made. 2. If you don't see a message about a boot menu you will need to go into the BIOS to change the boot order. This message will say something like "Press F2 to enter Setup". Press that function key and you will enter the BIOS. Find the section about boot and change the boot order to CD/DVD drive first, hard drive second. Save your changes and exit Setup. The computer will boot from the rescue CD you made. If that doesn't do the trick, you will need to either back up your data (see below for how to do this when you can't get into Windows) and do a clean install/factory restore of Windows or take the machine to a reputable local professional. Don't use a BigComputerStore/GeekSquad type of place. 1. Pull the drive and put it in a USB drive enclosure or use a USB drive adapter. Attach this to a computer running a working install of XP/Vista/Windows7. Use the working Windows Explorer to copy the data to the rescue system's hard drive and then burn the data to cd or dvd or copy it to an external hard drive. I prefer not to do this if I know the drive is infected because there is a chance of infecting the host system. In these cases, I use #2 below. 2. You can boot the target computer with a Bart's PE (XP only) or a Linux Live CD such as Knoppix or Ubuntu and retrieve the data that way. Here is general information on using Knoppix for data retrieval when you can't get into Windows: You will need a computer with two cd drives, one of which is a CD/DVD burner OR a USB thumb drive with enough capacity to hold your data OR an external USB hard drive. Download the Knoppix .iso and create your bootable CD*. If you are doing this in an older operating system (XP or Vista), you'll need third-party burning software like Nero, Roxio, or the free ImgBurn (Windows 7 can burn .isos natively). Burn as an image, not as data. Then boot with the CD you created and Knoppix will be able to see the Windows files. If you are using the USB thumb drive or the external hard drive, right-click on its icon (on the Desktop) to get its properties and uncheck the box that says "Read Only". Then click on it to open it. Note that the default mouse action in the window manager used by Knoppix (KDE) is a single click to open instead of the traditional MS Windows' double-click. If you want to burn CD/DVDs, use the K3b program. *If your computer only has one optical drive and you want to use that drive to burn data or need to test the drive, you can create a bootable USB thumb drive running Linux instead of a bootable CD. This website will show you how to do that - http://www.pendrivelinux.com http://www.knoppix.net http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/ - Bart's PE Builder Also see - http://lifehacker.com/5504531/the-complete-guide-to-saving-your-windows-system-with-a-thumb-drive And for future disaster recovery strategies - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Backing_UpMS-MVP - Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!