Windows breaks down on all my computers on the same day!

Here are the problems I suffered on the same day...

1. My first laptop experienced a problem where when you start Firefox it quits straight away. The same happens to other programs such as IE, Task manager etc. Had to restore a backup I did a week ago.

2. My other Sony laptop experienced a total non-appearance of "connect-to menu" and the other networking items. Tried to uninstall the 4 Windows updates but could not as they would not dissappear from the uninstall menu. The whole system became very slow. Had to return to factory state.

This all happened on the same day.
What do you think, did the Windows updates make this or did I come under a virus attack?

Too much of a coincedence for all this to happen on the exact same day.
Thanks

 

have you made any hardware or software changes prior to this?

 

On the 1. I had a few BSODs coming from my BT card and maybe a USB mouse. (possibly also something else?) I removed them completely.

On the 2. I did not change anything.

 

well, problem #1 sounds like it could be a virus; something pesky like that just to annoy the user.

problem #2, i'm not sure what you mean by "connect to" ?

 

You press Start and then you have the "connect to" menu.
Or you go to the control panel and there you have the "Network connections".

So are you saying that BSODs could be a virus (in a boot sector or something)?
Any recommendations for a program that scans for those viruses would be amazing. Or just the closing of the programs that is the virus?

I currently running a, what I though, pretty tight ship. FSecure corporate AV + Ewido + Spybot + Adaware + CCleaner.

 

Well, most good virus scanners can scan in boot sectors. I know my McAfee can do that. It may eat up resources, but it does a good job keeping me virus free. Whenever I feel I'm being short changed by a program, I always go for a second opinion...another program.

 

i meant in regards to problem 1 where windows were closing upon opening, not the BSODs.

i feel like we're getting wrapped around the axle here; lemme start over.

ok, for the first computer (programs closing / BSODs). what happens if you create another profile and use that? do the programs still close automatically. and re: the BSODs, it sounds like you've found a solution for that or are you still asking about that ?

for the 2nd computer, are you saying that if you go into the control panel, you don't have a Network Connections icon? or you do have the icon but there is nothing when you explore it?

 

1. Restored a backup. So no problem for now.
2. I have the icon but nothing happened when I clicked it.

 

1. cool
2. can you right click on it?

 

I could and then pressing "open" did nothing. Very strange.
Enabling/disabling the modem in System also took about 5 minutes total.
It has to be caused by the Windows updates since I could not uninstall them!