i recently recieved a new hard drive, installed windows 2000, with service pack 2, and installed adware, spyware removal tools. when i try to enable win2k's built in firewall for the LAN connection, it tells me there is an error, and wont open up connection options. but i can still access the LAN. when i attempt to remove programs through the dialog box, the box doesnt load properly, it is just one long text string. i cannot paste any text i copy, i cannot open any links in new windows(not even from left shift), and im getting a funky layout for my control panel window that i cannot seem to fix. however, all of this is fixed when i run sfc /scannow with the win2k disk in. however, a few hours later it happens again. i also run adaware regularly, and it also detects nothing. in addition to those two, i use cwshredder every so often to make sure i havent been infected by coolwebsearch, hijackthis to check for browser hijack attempts, and spybot search and destroy. all of these programs are coming up empty handed, even after deep scanning the registry. is there any reason why my windows files are being corrupted repeatedly after i restore them?? ive never had an issue like this on my network back home, and i havent heard of this before either. also, i downloaded both sp3 and sp4 but im unable to execute them, or any installation programs. windows media player also wont open properly. these are all trivial things, i know, but they indicate a larger problem that worries me. please get back to me as soon as you can, and i will keep searching for answers here. thanks again!

If the cmd sfc /scannow works then something is definitely corrupting the files. Have you run your anti-spyware programs while off line and in SAFE boot mode? You could also check for virus. Use the Task Manager to see what programs are running. If you see something unfamiliar, end its task and then run your anti-virus program. Another way to check for virus presence is using a DOS program. Go to http://www.f-prot.com/download/home_user/ They have an anti-virus program that you can download that fits on a floppy/CD. Download the program and transfer it onto a floppy/CD. Then boot using a Win98 boot disk to an A: prompt, replace the boot floppy with the F-Prot disk and type f-prot.exe c: and press Enter. You can get the W98 bootdisk from www.bootdisk.com If you are using the CD then type in X: and press Enter (X is the CD Rom drive letter, use the letter for your CD Rom drive). Then type f-prot.exe c: and press Enter After that you might need to run a repair to your OS. If you are not sure how to do it, please repost. Hope this helps.

i have solved my problem, and im going to post this to hopfully help others. for some reason, which i still cant identify, my files were getting corrupted. i ran sfc /scannow to restore my files and then unplugged my network cable. once i finished restoring, i checked all of my add programs files and removed all that seemed unnecessary, or unfamiliar. there was a program called recommended hotfix (insert random sting here) but it wasnt m$ affiliated like the other ones. so i deleted that as well, and rebooted. ran adaware and spybot again and a program called stinger, and havent had a problem since. strange, but i hope this helps. thanks for your help guys :)