OK, here's one for you MS gurus: I have a client who recently had a local "expert" remove a bunch of "infected" files from a WinXP Home box. Problem is, I have no way of knowing which files were removed, compared to the actual infected files (I don't have access to the machine, since it's in Maine and I'm in NJ...) The problem shows it's ugly head when she opens IE and tries to login to a secure server - no go.

I had her do "Help | About" to see which version of IE she had, and it turns out there is NO encryption listed, and NO VERSION in the About box.

What I need to know is, should I walk her through reinstalling IE, followed by a Windows Update, or is it worth bothering with? Should I have her do a reformat/reinstall of the O/S? I tried to walk her through using Windows Update, but her browser can't even access the update site.

Any ideas?

(I have no idea which virus was supposed to be on the system, or if that was even the case at all. Some local wannabe tech who's taking self-study Windows 101 courses did the job for free while working at Burger King...)