Programs Aren't Running

Well I have a problem where anything that has to go through internet explorer is not working. Also my system restore isn't working. And when i try to use any of these things I get the: System Restore.... has had a problem.... we are sorry for the inconvenience. Any ideas? This started happening about 6 weeks back.

 

If I reached a point where two major components of Windows (System
Restore & IE) had become unreliable, I wouldn't bother trying to
find and fix the problem. I'd just back up all my data and programs
to somewhere other than the master internal hard drive, and reinstall
Windows.

Might take a couple of days sitting in front of the monitor, but
then I'd be sure. That, of course, assumes a failing hard
drive had been ruled out as a problem.

Other members might offer less drastic things to try first, but
that's what I'd do, and have done many times over the years.

Once things are fixed, look into a reliable paid or free drive
imaging program. It will turn a 20 hour system reinstall into
a ten minute restore operation.

 

Well... I am not computer savvy and don't know how to do all that well, so... How would one go about doing that?

 

If it's an in-the-box commercial machine from a large
computer maker, there will be instructions in the Users Manual
on how to recover the system. Some sort of recovery method will
have been included with the machine. They probably also
have a telephone support number you can call. You can back up your
data on external media, like USB drives, CDs, etc.

If possible, get a computer-savvy friend or co-worker to sit with you
as you go through the process. Just be sure you back up your data
first, because a system reinstall usually wipes the drive clean
before it begins.

If you are a complete novice, with no geek friends, might be safer
to spend some money and have it done for you.

In any case, wait a bit to see if any other Wilders members
have better advice than me.

 

Hello and welcome to Wilders ionXevo.

I'm assuming you're using XP. You can try doing the following (you need your Windows CD),

How to reinstall or repair Internet Explorer in Windows XP
Running SFC

When you say, system restore (right-click My Computer icon on desktop>Properties>System Restore Tab) isn't working, is it greyed out or missing?

thanatos

 

Well, six weeks ago was during the summer, and that is a little fuzzy, even for me. I don't know much, but I can give you some specs.

1. Model - Dell Latitude d520 - i might as well trash this comp and get a new one -.-
2. Operating System - Windows XP
3. IE 5.5 - i think
4. Windows Firewall
5. Norton Anti-Virus
6. and besides that, the only things on my computer are Microsoft Office 2007, a few video games, and that's about it...
7. No new programs have been installed in over..... a year, and before that, the only thing I ever installed was Microsoft Office.

System Restore doesn't start, the window doesn't open. When I tried to run it I get the error box - the standard - blah blah...we are sorry for the inconvenience.

No friends who understand computers well enough. And family is more medicine than computer programing

 

To learn how to repair/reinstall Windows on a DELL, check this DELL support
link:

http://support.dell.com/support/top...rt/reinstall/reinstall_center?c=us&l=en&s=gen

Note the 800 number at the top.

If you end up going that route, reinstalling Windows essentially
brings you back to a factory-new position at zero cost.

 

I agree.