Unrelated to Game Editor: Computer Problems. Help please.

[BlarghNRawr]

So i just got back from a 2 week vacation a while ago and turned on my computer. I found out that my 2 brothers have been using it while i was gone and all of a sudden it doesnt like to work properly. The problem is this:

Windows seems to have reset itself somehow, but it did not do it correctly. My original desktop graphic has been replaced with a default light blue background. Most of my Shortcuts/icons/programs are gone off the desktop as well (for some reason it left a few (3d animation program [3D max], drafting program [autocad], my mmo [Counquer online], itunes, and quicktime) but i used to have at least 30. My taskbar has been reduced to one size when i used to have it streched out an extra width to make room for more windows. As well as the shortcuts there too (at the bottom left next to start). The windows all have strangely small [_][◙][X] buttons at the top right. A few programs have been moved around (main ones i noticed were Paint and Notepad) and a bunch of programs no longer work, such as Project64 (emulator), Ares (fileshareing, like limewire or frostwire), and google chrome. The internet is also painfully slow now...
whats strange is about a month ago my iTunes stopped working, but after this strange "virus" it started working fine again.

I tried running a virus scan (Avira antivirus), but it didnt find anything at all. My brother tells me all they were doing while i was gone was using club penguin (don't worry... i dont play it), MSN, and facebook. It MAY have been caused by a bad program or perhaps something i downloaded from Ares, even tho i mainly downloaded Music and ROMs (only legal ROMs and music is legal in Canada... Just so you know) but im not sure.

Any help at all would be very appreciated. I cant do much of anything on my computer now. Even another place i could go to get help would work. If no one knows i can just send it in somewhere....

Thanx ahead of time
-Blargh'N'Rawr

[BlarghNRawr]

Desktop

Picture of the desktop, and a window open.

also i forgot to mention that it did not let me edit or change anything about the display (desktop, screensaver, toolbarsize, etc) except for the colour scheme of windows and toolbar (i changed it to silver if you didnt notice, the way i had it before...)

thanx again
-Blargh'N'Rawr

[EDIT] one more thing:
I have Windows XP

[factorman2]

do you have trustedinstaller.exe on your computer? That screwed mine up and almost took my computer completely away from me.

[jimmynewguy]

probably a virus, 2 things i would try, restore point, and if none is available then re-install windows, all your files will be stored under a folder called windows old, so really the only thing you would have to do is re-install all the software on your computer. Take a tip from a guy who has people who are dumb with computers in their family and break it all the time: Every time you leave your house for a long period of time (even 2 days) make a restore point before you leave. That way if it's broken when you get back you have an easy fix

[factorman2]

probably a virus, 2 things i would try, restore point, and if none is available then re-install windows, all your files will be stored under a folder called windows old, so really the only thing you would have to do is re-install all the software on your computer. Take a tip from a guy who has people who are dumb with computers in their family and break it all the time: Every time you leave your house for a long period of time (even 2 days) make a restore point before you leave. That way if it's broken when you get back you have an easy fix

Some viruses can disable system restore (usually newb ones.)

[DST]

Back up your data and reinstall xp.

most computer guru's will tell you that when you bring your pc to have them fix it, they don't try to 'save' your xp installation.

they backup your data, and reinstall xp.

XP is disposable. Why keep an xp around if it possibly still may have a virus on it?


oh, and NEVER LET KIDS DRIVE YOUR CAR OR YOUR PC!!!!!!!!!