Stooner: Do you have internet access on that PC?
If so, try the windows update, and maybe update it to SP 2 or 3?
Also, on the win update you'll have the option to install the .NET framework..

doccarnby: As the title says, I need help with it. My cousin has the amazing ability to just fucking wreck computers, and he was here for a week. You can imagine the shit he got up to (I can't). So, my brother's computer was ridden with viruses, shit he had no idea what it was that he'd never downloaded, his internet browsers took forever to start up and were hideously slow when they finally did, his games would black screen while he was playing them, ect.

So, I was trying to figure out what to do and we decided to reformat and install everything over again. He's using XP still, so I dragged out he XP disc and loaded it up, installed it, and now have it all running smoothly. However, now we have the task of installing all the necessary stuff.

We need to update the graphics card (a GeForce card), his sound card (Sound Blaster) and all the Microsoft stuff. However, to update his graphics card, we need .Net. Unfortunately, everything we try to install requires .Net 3.1 first, and we can't find that. The .Net Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 that is supposed to include it doesn't seem to.

It's odd, since I installed XP previously (on a laptop) and had none of these problems. His computer isn't particularly great, decent enough, yes, but I would imagine that something more recent would negatively affect performance.

gooberking: I can't help with the .Net thing, but I will offer the advice that sharing a computer with anyone of question is a bad idea. Especially when left alone or for multiple days. Someone should have enough respect for someone else's system to not just go anywhere and treat it like their own, but a lot of people don't have that respect. If someone views every system on the planet like their own personal gateway to porn and free-stuff-r-us, then don't let them touch anything, and don't feel bad when they get mad because you are spoiling their God given right to party online.

One alternative might be to install a small Linux OS for "visitors." Preferably one with no write access to your windows files. That way they can only do damage to a controlled area, and the odds that they will "contract things" in the first place is much lower. He may complain there are some fun things he can't do with Linux, but that might be the point.

doccarnby: Haha, yeah, my cousin's 12. I don't let him touch my computer for just that reason, but he needed a computer for school work while he was up here. When roped into fixing his computer (multiple times, actually, the times I've been down there) I've considered giving him a Linux system. I probably still should.

gooberking: 12 and trashing systems on a frequent basis. That's somewhat frighting. Maybe next time he can do his "school work" with everyone watching. And one good thing about Linux is the internet works real well for school work while some of dicey stuff less so.