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Last day I have formated my computer and installed a fresh copy of windows XP SP1. Then I tried to install MS Office 2007. It shows that it need SP2 or later. So I deceided to download SP2 from microsoft site which is 266 MB huge. I have started at night. On other day morning when i have started there is only xp wallpaper. windows explore.exe has been shut off. I even can't open the task manager to start explorer.exe. I restarted the computer and it opened well. After a few second explorer.exe automatically restarts and had an error of "send or don't send". If happens again and again. So I have installed Malwarebytes and scan all drives. He found 30 infected files from c drive. My computer was only a day older. Then that night i started downloading SP2 again after installing avast. But same happend it again. Avast is installed and working but it happed it again. Now i scan from malwarebytes again it found 2 infected files. Whats happening... How can i stop my computer behaving like this. Please Help...

Edited by Member #710047 because: n/a
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  • Latest Post Latest Post by vee_liang

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Repeated explorer.exe crashes after a fresh XP install plus detections from Malwarebytes strongly point to active malware or a bad shell/third-party extension rather than a simple Service Pack problem. The fact that explorer starts and then repeatedly fails (Windows Error Reporting "send/don't send") usually means a running process or DLL is crashing the shell; that process can prevent scanners from removing its files unless the system is cleaned offline or in Safe Mode.

Practical next steps (in order):

  • Isolate the machine (unplug network) to avoid reinfection and lateral spread.
  • Boot Safe Mode (F8) and run a full, up-to-date scan with Malwarebytes and an on-demand scanner (Avast/ESET/others). If a scanner cannot remove items while Windows is running, use a rescue environment (bootable rescue CD/USB).
  • Disable non-Microsoft startup items (use msconfig or Autoruns) and check the Application log in Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc) for the faulting module name that appears with the explorer crash — that name helps identify the culprit.
  • Verify the running explorer process path (Task Manager or Process Explorer). Legitimate explorer.exe runs from C:\Windows\explorer.exe; any other path is suspect.
  • Run repair utilities from an elevated command prompt:
    sfc /scannow
chkdsk /f

    Note: SFC on XP may require the original install media.

Other important items:

  • System Restore can hide malware; disable it and delete restore points before rescanning.
  • If infections persist after offline cleaning, a clean reinstall is the most reliable cure. Slipstream or install XP with SP3 (not an unknown SP2 copy), then patch fully and install AV before connecting to the internet. As suggested, only use official Microsoft update files and scan installers before execution.
  • Long-term: Windows XP is unsupported and highly vulnerable. Migration to a supported OS is strongly recommended.

Tools that help: Autoruns, Process Explorer, and reputable rescue ISOs (Kaspersky/Bitdefender/etc.). Back up personal data first and scan backups before restoring.

Member Avatar for vee_liang

Where did you download the SP2 products? Maybe the source of file was corrupted. Try to download it from the trusted site or best at Microsoft web-site. If you're PC is still new then the easiest way is to format it again then install the clean version of Windows then re-download the SP2.

Please download the installer then before you install it, scan the installer file using Malwarebytes.

Hope it helps.

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