symptoms (increasing in scope over time and inspection):

Originally friend could not access windows updates/email..then virus definitions no longer worked. Now norton 2003 displays critical error and requests re -install. After that, though successful, program does not work (tried all the trouble shooting steps on symantec site).

SFC.exe is missing and i can't find it on xp home disk to install it.

Active X controls do not work..even though they are enabled ..so not only does windows update not work..but i can 't use use online virus scanner sthat use active X. I tried one that worked with netscape. But this too fails on "infected" computer.

Rather than trying to repair windows at this point...i think i will have to wipe everything just in case computer is infected with anything.

Any thoughts? (no other computer to use to scan the "bad" one)

If i do reinstall from scratch....how do i make a windows XP sp1 disk with all the fixes so that the computer is not infected before it can be patched over the internet? (or perhaps windows native firewall will be able to prevent that)

TIA

edit: oh yes..the admin logs have picked up norton detecting "attempted file tampering" going back to beginning of january.

1) disconect other pc's from the network.
2) Disconnect this pc fro network.
3) install windows, confugure netwokring/dialup.
4) Enable firewall.
5) NOW, connect the pc to the internet and patch. youll be fine.

You could always slipstream SP1 into Windows XP
`http://www.windows-help.net/WindowsXP/winxp-sp1-bootcd.html


:x

^^^

either way it would have to be done on anotehr computer to avoid infection - so at thtat same time why not just install antivirus on computer before connecting to internet and burning windows update files to a cd