Got hit with a virus on vista home basic and now access denied to user account settings and system restore even in safe mode. I am signed in as admin. On OS dvd it will not allow upgrade. shows all music etc but only as a shadow. will not allow downloads of maleware remover. spybot found nothing. diagnostics show good c drive. will not allow c drive access except in safe mode but allows no access to permissions or changes. Once I can acccess my files, I will make a backup copy and reload OS. It does allow that. HELP!!

Hi, Please enable the build-in Administrator account in Windows Vista in Safe Mode to check. If the issue persists, In-place Upgrade could be under consideration. Note: After performing In-Place Upgrade, your personal data and installed programs usually will not be removed but we may need to run Windows Update to install all the available updates for your system to update these system files to the current version. This troubleshooting process is time consuming. Your patience is highly appreciated. As to the steps of In-Place Upgrade, I still would like to explain that it will reinstall all system files with this method. You may need to reinstall some applications to upgrade some files to a higher version, because they may be replaced during the installation of Windows. It will take about two hours to repair. Your personal files and settings will be kept as they were after the installation. However, it is always recommended to backup the important information and files to other partitions or other disks before doing it. If you would like to perform the In-place Upgrade, let’s refer to the following steps. 1. Start the computer by using the current Operating System. 2. Insert the Windows Vista DVD in the computer's DVD drive. 3. Use one of the following procedures, as appropriate: If Windows automatically detects the DVD, the Install now screen appears. Click Install now. If Windows does not automatically detect the DVD, follow these steps: a. Click Start, type Drive:\setup.exe, and then click OK. Note Drive is the drive letter of the computer's DVD drive. b. Click Install now. 4. When you reach the "Which type of installation do you want?" screen, click Upgrade to upgrade the current operating system to Windows Vista. Regards, Please remember to click “Mark as Answer” on the post that helps you, and to click “Unmark as Answer” if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread. ”