"Pc Angel" and recguard.exe are driving me nuts, please help :(

Ok i got this serious problem with software that came preinstalled on my gateway. It's causing me problems and i don't know how to get rid of it. I contacted gateway tech support and the information they gave me was bull.

I tried to delete the "pc angel" partition myself but my partition program (paragon hard disk manager 6.0) doesn't even see it! Now i'm hosed and i don't know what to do

Ps there's also this "recguard.exe" crap that's causing me headaches and i can't find a way to uninstall it.

I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER GATEWAY PC AGAIN. Please help me

 

In your case, I would zero my harddisk and reinstall my computer from scratch, but my guess is that you won't like to do this.

 

but how? the program i use for things like that (paragon partition manager 6.0) doesn't even see the partition or my windows parition!

 

Hello,

Try GParted, bootable Linux CD.

http://gparted.sourceforge.net/

Boot from CD. If you want, delete the partition you don't like.
Or even delete the entire partition tree, start from scratch.
Do you have a Windows CD at hand?

Mrk

 

yes i have a windows cd at hand. but it's my legit windows xp home edition slipstreamed with service pack 2.

the thing is. why can't i delete this partition without trashing my whole hard drive

before i try gparted i'm gonna try paragon hard disk manager 8.0 SE. if that don't work then i'll try gparted.

 

kks paragon hard disk manager 8 managed to delete the partition. it was a 6gig fat32 formatted partition. i deleted it and then created it again and formatted it NTFS (i'll use it as my back up drive).

kk something is telling me there's still more to do though. even though i can create, delete, view, copy files to/on the newly formatted partition, i have a feeling that the protection is still active. there's a folder on the drive called "system volume information" or something and when i click on it, it gives me an access denied message. is this normal?

 

That's normal for an NTFS partition.

 

Indeed each partition has such a hidden folder with access denied. That's a system folder and that's why it is hidden for newbies. Of course when you turn hidden OFF in folder options, you can see these hidden folders.

 

I have a similar setup on my e-machines zopzop. I get the system volume information denial too. I have show hidden files and folders options selected also.

OT zopzop, I only have restore disks that came with this computer. Did you make your xp disk from your restore disks and if so, could you point me in the right direction so I don't have 3 restore disks with all the junk included?

 

no. i had a legit copy of windows xp home and i slipstreamed sp2. the reason i was so dead set against reformatting my gateway is that my gateway came with windows xp media center edition (i dont' have a standalone copy of that, only the crappy restore disk gateway gave me).

if it's possible to legally make your own standalone version of windows from the restore disks manufacturers give you, i don't know how to do it.

 

I use nLite (freeware) to create a customized "WinXP Installation CD".
nLite has so many options to change Windows, that you have to prepare it on paper first.

 

Thanks zopzop. I couldn't get e-machines to send me a xp home disk. I know there is a way to do it, but have yet to have anyone confirm that they did it. If I run an sfc/scannow and windows asks for the disk, I don't have one . I hear that I can point it to the i386 folder though. Oh well, I'll keep searching.

I have the "pc angel" too on my d: partition which is FAT32 3.3GB. I can't even look at the contents. I also have the paragon 8.0SE and have considered changing that partition to NTFS, but I don't know how that would effect a recovery if necessary. Lesson learned, my next machine will come with Windows OS disk.

Cheers, innerpeace

@ericalbert, can you use nlite without a disk? Does it just need your current active windows os?

 

AFAIK, you need your original "Windows Installation CD" to create a customized one and you cannot use your current active windows os. I'm quite sure of this.

 

Thanks, That's what I figured. On my restore disks, I have several copies of the i386 folders that I think is essential to making a regular OS disk. I'll keep looking, thanks.

 

As far as I remember, nLite also makes it possible to add Service Packs, security patches and even Third Party Applications and alot more. I'm still studying nLite.

 

look at this! http://www.howtohaven.com/system/createwindowssetupdisk.shtml

 

Creating a "Windows Installation CD", based on a pre-installed Windows System seems to be an answer for dear member "innerpeace".
How do you know your harddisk is CLEAN at that moment ?
This method can only be trusted after an off-line Windows-installation from scratch.
nLite is based on an original clean "Windows Installation CD".

 

bless you! if this works, i owe you big time

 

Here's another link, if one works, let me know. I may have to buy a new burner soon, so I can't attempt it.
http://www.easydesksoftware.com/recovery.htm#XP

 

Good stuff.Thanks. I used to have a hewlett packard that came stuffed with useless demos and had no xp cd.Just a darn recovery floppy.If my xp became somehow unstable I had to use that floppy.That would of course put all the crap back