You should reformat with NTFS, and do a fresh install of Win2k Pro...  Are there any other drives in this PC???  Upgrade them to NTFS also.

NTFS is just plain better than FAT32 anyway...

No other drives. just the one HD. He's a simple user.  What are the differences between NTFS and Fat32?  Before i go through another 45 minute to hour long process, do you know what may be causing this svchost.exe error on the suppose-to-be clean install, and if reformatting NTFS will do away with it?  

Thanks!


 

ok, i just read about NTFS vs Fat/ Fat32.. and see the obvious advantages of NTFS, and will reformat the system as NTFS.

I still wonder if this will fix this problem with svchost.exe and what I need to do to REALLY nuke the hard drive, so its a true clean install of the OS.

Svchost.exe is a generic host process name for services that are run from dynamic-link libraries (DLLs).  It starts services for hardware components also - you may have a W2K incompatible or bad device in your configuration.  Svchost attempts to start it and keep on failing.  Check the device manager to see if you are having any problem.
Right mouse click on My Computers, Properties, Hardware, Device Manager (be sure to click on show hidden devices) and look through the list for a device in error.

Before you go through another install boot to a clean DOS diskette, run FDISK /MBR to wipe out any possible boot sector virus.  Do an install and look for the errorneous device or chip.  You may want to look at the current system before you go through the process.

thanks Gnart, that sounds like the advise I definitely needed. As far as looking through the device manager, I'll do that first thing tomorrow.  

Can you tell me how to boot to a DOS diskette and do the run FDISK /MBR ???  Is there someplace I can go on the web from my own computer to download a dos boot disk?

you totally rock, thanks!

Were you plugged in to the Internet the whole time you were getting SVCHOST errors? Its a long shot but the blaster worm causes SVCHOST problems, see this extract from SOPHOS's website:

"Why am I getting errors associated with SVCHOST.EXE even if my computer is not infected with W32/Blaster-A?

If a vulnerable computer is probed by W32/Blaster-A, even if infection is not successful, the svchost service will fail. This will cause a variety of problems with other software.

To recover from these problems install the patch at Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-026 and restart the svchost service"


My guess is that possibly you are being port scanned by a blaster infected computer elsewhere in the world (There are lots of them!) and its taking out your SVCHOST service. I have seen computers dial up to the internet and get scanned within the first ten seconds of beng online... Suggest download and install the hotfix available at http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins/ms03-026.asp and then get a firewall and virus software etc.

It could be hardware too though, so if you're not connected to the internet during install then you can ignore everything I just said ;-)

Regards,

Joe

wow. ok, yeah, of all people, my friend could have very well had a boot sector virus on his win98 machine prior to it having problems (perhaps virus related themself) since he did a lot of.. downloading, so who knows. We didn't rule that out ourselves that it might be a virus still on the machine, we just werent sure if we were truly wiping the hard drive by deleting the partition during the new OS install, and evidently we were not.  But - I think everyone's pretty much right here, and all of your input and links are very much appreciated. I'll get back on here tonight and throw the points around for everyone who helped, but first I'm going to try to get over there to give this another wack.

thanks

Although this poses I think a good question for me to ask.  Lets say I go through the process of truly wiping the box from a dos disk, 'fdisk' etc, and I reinstall the new OS.  Obviously the first thing I'd do once the OS is installed is to go to the windows updates, and start the somewhat lengthy process of getting all the updates.

Since he has a cable modem plugged directly in, with no need for a router (only 1 computer),  how do I guarantee that he doesnt get port scanned again, and instantaniously infected?  

joesinc - i noticed this says windows XP in the download once I started it, is this also for win2k pro?

COOL! thanks. Will check in tonight after a few hours of sessioning with the machine.

Finally resolved everything last night. Here is what we had to go through, as an FYI - since you've all put in so much time and help.

1) kinda backwards, I forgot to bring dos disk over at first - so I got to a command line and did: format c:
2) came home and went to www.bootdisk.com grabbed dos 6.22 for FDISK (awesome.. totally easy to do, great suggestion)
3) FDISK/MBR  (couldn't believe it was so fast to FDISK/MBR, I thought it would take hours, was surprised it only took seconds)
4) Reinstalled OS from CD, formatting drive to NTFS
5) Decided that very likely the "hiccup" I was getting the day prior during installs when it would say something about "could not copy file SVCHOST.EXE" was due to either a simple scratch/error on the CDR that I was copying from, since I had just wiped everything, and it was unplugged from the net during install.  But this time through I didn't get that error when copying/installing files.
6) Now - fresh OS was installed and rebooted w/ cablemodem plugged in so I could go get the windows updates immediately.  HERES WHERE THINGS GOT INTERESTING.  First off, I HAD the windows patch for that virus on a floppy disk from my roommate for win2Kpro, (the link someone gave me above was in deed for XP, not 2000) so I copied that to the to the desktop but it wouldnt run until I had a service pack later than 2 or something.  And during the time it would take me to try to get that update, I started getting SVCHOST.EXE errors again.  Totally frustrated, I bagged everything on a hunch, and went and got McAffee's virus protection and personal firewall (bought online for direct download and use).  I got that same SVCHOST.EXE error several times through this and had to keep rebooting.

Turns out, that the first thing McAffee did was catch the friggin NACHI virus that somehow got itself onto the fresh box within literally seconds of being plugged in, and cleaned it up. Once that was done, and several reboots later, I was able to get the windows updates, run the virus exe patch, and he is totally up, running and protected.

thanks to all.. was definitely something that required several scenarios before I knew how to get through it.
tom

Just a note:  You are on cable modem so is everyone else on the block.  Basically, your PC and neighbors are on the same little network.  The neighbors are infected - so as soon as you connect your PC to the (little) network you are infected, it takes less than a second after your PC broadcast its presence.  That was the reason I recommended to leave it off the network and run it while you have a couple of beers to see if you have any hiccup.

Now, go fix the neighbors' PCs on that little network.  ;>)

right on. haha. the real trick was getting the OS installed and at least service pack i think it was 2 or higher installed so that the virus patch would actually run and install itself. that combined with the virus software catching/fixing the file was the real be-atch.