The other day I tried to click on Add and Remove Applications in the Control Panel and I got this error: Access to the specific device, path, or file is denied. I need to get into my control panel, but none of the programs will open. Any suggestions?

Hi frenzel2k, hello everyone "Access to the specific device, path, or file is denied." Sounds to me as if system policies have been applied to the system. Does this system happen to be a client on a (corporate) network? Post back, and we'll see how to go on from there. :-) Best Regards, The Count, Co-webmaster of mesich.com

You have a CoolWebSearch variant on your system (a browser hijacker). Download and run from your desktop CW-Shredder. Let it fix what it finds, reboot. Now you are going to have to replace your copy of control.exe, (it's a bogus file, delete it) with a fresh copy from your Windows cd or your cab files. That file belongs in your Windows folder (C:/Windows). That should get you back going. Two other programs you should have on your system are SpyBot and SpywareBlaster. Spybot will get rid of any spy/adware and if you hit the immunize button, it will prevent problems. SpywareBlaster sits in the backround and prevents problems. MrC CoolWebSearchChronicles