Document Scrap won't budge!

[William2002]

Hi Everyone,

You guys have helped me solve seemingly unsolvable things before, so I come to the pool of knowledge when I'm stumped.

I tried saving a backstage picture from Lavalife to my hard drive, and something happened and I ended up with a "document scrap" (from another work document that I had been working on earilier in the day), on my desktop which won't go away. If I try to click on it (right or left), it becomes highlighted and freezes itself and everything else on the desktop.

However it seems as if I can run other programs: Internet Expl, Outlook Express, word, excel, etc.

Any suggestions as to how I can delete this unsavory piece of junk?

William

[Paul Komski]

Which OS are you using? You may be able to delete it from DOS. But I would also run a spyware detector such as Spybot and an antivirus scan ASAP.

[William2002]

Hi Paul,

I'm running widows 98 and upgraded to 1.4 ghrtz and normally its running pretty slick. I've had Norton anti-virus running for a few months now and have not had any viruses since I started running Norton anti virus, so I don't think it's that, but may run a scan tonight anyway.

Since I'm not a computer expert, how do I delete it from DOS? And where do I get spybot from? Twocows?

William

[Paul Komski]

Get antispyware, antivirus and antitrojan from the thread at
http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15179

Try that first - good to get clean anyways.

If necessary we'll try the DOS tutorial later, unless someone else has time to do it now for you. Got to rush you see.

[Budfred]

Make sure your Norton Antivirus is up to date too. If you haven't been updating it, you could have picked up something more recent. However, it is more likely that you picked up some spyware or a trojan. Norton AV doesn't scan for most of these. Spybot or AdAware will be able to find and remove most spyware and some trojans. If the doesn't work, you may want also download the trial version of Trojan Hunter and run that.

For deleting from DOS, you have to boot into DOS (usually using a Windoze Startup floppy disk) and then specify the location of the file with the DEL command. Try the security scans first and resort to the DOS approach if needed. You will need to find where the file is located to do this.

[Fruss Tray Ted]

One more way that might work and hasn't been suggested yet.

Click on My Computer> then Windows> then Desktop. Highlight the document and try deleting it.

If that doesn't work, right click on the scrap and in properties, post what the DOS line says. Just curious...

[Paul Komski]

First reboot to a DOS prompt or to a boot floppy (minimal boot setting - usually number 4).

at A:\>
type C:
at C:\>
type cd windows\desktop
at C:\windows\desktop
type dir /p
(if there is a long list; pressing any key will scroll on down)

Look in the left column for the file in question. If it was a long file name it will now have been shortened, with an ending similar to myfile~1 xxx (where xxx is the file extension with a space in front of it instead of a dot)

To delete that file
at C:\windows\desktop
type del myfile~1.xxx (substituting for what you actually discover and including the dot before the file extension)

Unless you have previously enabled DOS undelete (most unlikely), typing the del command is final; so make sure you only delete files you are sure about.

glossary: (and note the /ordinary and \back slashes in the above)

X: = changes to that drive
cd = change directory
dir /p = directory listing one page at a time of the directory you are in at that time
del = delete

But please still scan your system for malware.

[William2002]

I just did what Fruss Tray Ted Said...right click on "Ny Computer, then through the window to display destop, then right click on the listed scrap item and BINGO! it's gone! I will still download the anti-trojan and the spyware to check the rest out. Thanks guys--you are the best!

William is happy

[Paul Komski]

Nice one FTT - so simple!

Wish William had discovered it 10 minutes earlier!! :D LOL