Downloaded Programs won't open

[Josh_in_Cali]

Ok, someone got onto my computer and deleted like everything out of my local settings folder. The Temp, Temporary Internet Files, Apps, etc. folders are now essentially empty.

I have a few programs I've downloaded from the internet that I use like wxripper and the such. These programs won't even start now, and give me a message box saying that whichever program I chose has enountered an error and needs to close. It only happens with some of them though, my AVG which was downloaded from the internet works just fine.

Are these problems related?

Also, I have tried going to the sites again and re-downloading then opening the files and it doesn't seem to help at all.

Any ideas?

(Using Windows XP)

 

[dark_legacy2006]

i dont think there is anything in there to essential that would prevent you from running applications, if there was something deleted that was important i would probably repair windows (get important files back on), just using a WIndows XP CD

 

[Josh_in_Cali]

Right. Well, my computer is relatively old, like 2004-ish, and I don't think I have an XP cd because me mom gave me the computer and I don't remember her giving me a cd at all. I will check around... but you say there shouldn't be anything in there really important then?

Can you think of another reason why only some of the downloaded applications give me te error message while others don't?

And I hoped using system restore would fix the problem, it doesn't.

 

[Josh_in_Cali]

Something else I've noticed, the programs that won't open and show errors aren't in my add/remove programs menu. The downloaded programs that do run properly are in there. (I thought maybe uninstalling them and then re-installing them would help).

So if they aren't in there, how can I uninstall them... or aren't they even installed on my computer?

 

[GameMaster]

Well you can always try and see it; find the installer and reinstall you don't have to uninstall it first ( in most of the cases, not ).
If you get to need to uninstall it first there are some uninstallers which may have a bigger database...

 

[Josh_in_Cali]

Ok, so I go to the site needed to download wxrippe again, download it, and run it and encounter the same problem. This is really a problem. Does anyone know of this happening before or a way to fix it for sure? Super bummer :'(

 

[Josh_in_Cali]

FOUND THE PROBLEM. So I took my cd drive I use for burning to another computer in the house and put the necessary files on my jump drive. But the other computer wasn't using xp like me, it was using ME. So it made me download all of this .net framework stuff, and I figured, why not try to do that on my original computer? I guess somehow my .net framework had gotten messed up or something, because I downloaded the 3.5 version and everything works perfectly now. Just wanted to let you all know in case you encounter this or someone else has a problem later! YES!!! I'm so frickin happy.