Trouble w/Windows Installer, Office 2003, Network Connections

The other programs would be QuickBooks, Quicken, MS Office, etc. Yes the "shop" said it would be a certain dollar amount to clean up the computer & have it running as it did when I first got it. He did not give me anything in writing & I haven't paid anything yet. Thanks, Mary I just got off the phone with the shop. The guy said it would take a couple more days. He said he has removed a bunch of spyware & that it was time consuming. I told him I had already run anti-spyware but he stopped me & said that several programs needed to be run in order to catch everything. At that point I backed off. He's got the computer now & it's kinda out of my control. I'll be thankful to get it back & won't ever take anything to his "shop" again. A friend had used him before & said he was good. I checked our states Better Business Bureau & he didn't have any reports - bad or good - about his business which started in 2005. Granted he hasn't been in business real long but………. I'll have to mark this down a lesson learned. Mary

Hello to all! I wanted to give an update. Still don't have the computer back. I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau - not that, that will help with what I've gone through, but at least I've filed a complaint. The "shop" has fixed the hinge but is still "working" on the reason I took it in there in the first place. Being a one man shop - he has taken on the "southern way" of doing things - Not in any kind of hurry to get things done - except when yelled at. I will make sure "when" I pick it up that everything works as it should. I need advice on what he has told me so far - which is- that the computer had a lot of viruses & problems that stemed from that. My question is - Is that possible given the things I went through with everyones help on this web site? He's going to wipe everything off & reload. I'm hoping to get my life - I mean my computer - back tomorrow. But to be truthful I"m sure it won't be until Monday…. (Which puts it as being at the "shop" for 3 weeks.) What are your thoughts about Norton? He (the shop guy) likes the corporate version of Norton? Thoughts? I started looking into getting a new notebook but the options are a little limited if you want XP Pro SP 2 & I wasn't real thrilled with the programs that came with them. I was checking on Toshiba's web site & Dells & a couple of others. Is there anywhere else I could check that I can trust? (I need the notebook so that I can easily transport from place to place.) My best to everyone, Mary

That is probably a better choice then the retail Symantec AV product but I would recommend not installing it, but instead installing AVG Free for Anti-virus and Comodo for a firewall. Does a very good job and uses a whole lot less resources.

Thanks, Where do I go to get them? I've not been a big fan of Norton because it really bogged everything down. I installed it on my computer 2 years ago & quickly uninstalled it a day or so later. Mary

Sorry, I should have provided that information in my previous post.

AVG Free - make sure you get the Free one
Comodo Personal Firewall - also make sure you get the Free one

I'll add two more that I use and like. I like them for their defensive capabilities.

Spybot Search and Destroy
Spyware Blaster