IE7 won't stay open and other bad things...

I just upgraded Norton 360 Premier today on my main work laptop computer and sh*t hit the fan. I'm using my home pc in the meantime, but desparately need my laptop working properly to get work done and meet my deadlines. I don't know if it is a virus or if Norton notgood it up (they won't take any responsibility and told me to call Microsoft…so I cancelled my upgrade since they wouldn't even try to help me). Anyway, here are my issues…

1. After downloading, I discovered that I can't open Internet Explorer 7…it'll start to open, but after 1-2 seconds it'll close. Sometimes (but not all) I get an error message indicating that it can't open and will shut down. I tried to open through "safe mode", through "not loading add-ins"…but nothing works…

2. After rebooting, I get an error message "RUNDLL: Error Loading C:\windows\otaworuc.dll The specified module could not be found". I googled the .dll file name and found absolutely ZERO on it…so I have no idea what this message means…

3. I tried installing AVG Free Virus protection in the meantime…by downloading the file on my home pc and sending it via e-mail to my work laptop (yes, I can get email through Outlook)….but it wouldn't work, I get the standard error message indicating it can't open and will shut down.

4. Also, I thought about doing a system restore…but for some reason it was turned off and no previous restore points were available (that I could see anyway)…so this indicates that it may be a virus, right??

Please, please help me out. Hopefully it is not a virus, but a quick fix…Your help is GREATLY appreciated…

I did manage to get a HJT log….

📎hjt.txt

Reason for edit - HJT logs not allowed here - uploaded as attachment

I'm not a malware expert but It doesn't look like you have any malware on your computer, unless it's the O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Uyefib] rundll32.exe "C:\WINDOWS\otaworuc.dll",Startup.

You can get rid of the otaworuc.dll error at boot by running HJT again, scrolling down to the following, checking it then click on Fix checked.

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Uyefib] rundll32.exe "C:\WINDOWS\otaworuc.dll",Startup

That will remove the startup entry.

To be sure your computer is malware free, go to the Spyware / Malware / Virus Removal forum, read the info there and follow the posted directions. Once you receive a clean bill of health, come back here if you have any additional questions or concerns or it turns out not to be a malware problem.

Please be patient as that is a very busy area. If you do not receive a response in 3 days, post a message here: http://forums.whatthetech.com/What_Do_If_Y…ays_t78698.html

For the IE7 problem, try uninstalling it from Add/Remove Programs then download and re-install it from here: Windows Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP

Just realized you posted this same problem 3 times on this site. I know you want help but this is a definite no-no. Also, since you have already posted in the malware removal forum, please wait until they give you a clean bill of health before doing anything here. If you change things while they are working on your computer it pretty much totally invalidates what they are doing, wasting their time and yours.

Thanks for the help! I really appreciate it! And I know what you mean about the multiple posts…and I truly apologize. Actually, I posted in the Microsoft Windows forum by accident…I thought I was in the Virus/Malware forum and when I couldn't find my post, I then posted in that forum. After that, I saw a forum specifically for browsers and thought it might be a good idea for that one, too. I totally forgot to remove the initial post in the Microsoft form…which I'm mixed about since you hopefully provided a good fix…which I'm about to do now. Thanks again for your help…and I sincerely apologize for the multiple posts…I promise to be more aware next time.

Not a problem. I just hope my ideas can help.

For the record, this is your thread in the malware forum: http://forums.whatthetech.com/IE7_won_t_op…gs_t111455.html