The Dink Network

A question from a computer illiterate

June 21st 2005, 12:25 PM
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Hi again. I figured I'd drop this question by since this is probably the most computer-savvy message board I've visited on the internet. So here goes:

Okay, so I was doing a Windows Update on Windows XP yesterday and an Ad-aware virus scan, and there were a few files that Ad-aware detected, but could not remove so I chose the option of removing them after the next system reboot. Then, I clicked the "Restart Now" option after the Windows Update was complete so the Service Pack 2 would become effective, and that's when things started going for the worse. Ever since, my computer has been stuck in an endless rebooting and restarting cycle right up to before Windows loads up, and none of the options I know of (pressing F8 at startup and entering VGA or Safe mode or using "Last Good Configuration") has made any difference at all. I really don't know what to do, and I don't want to reformat my hard drive because there are important files that I can't lose, but it seems like I don't have much of a choice.

So here's the question to the computer/programming experts of the board: what should I do, or is there anything that I can do to fix this? I'm assuming this is a virus, so is there any way to restore Windows without reinstalling and losing all the data on my computer
June 21st 2005, 01:53 PM
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carrie2004
Peasant She/Her Canada
*chomp* 
Well,I have win98 so I'm not sure if this will work but you could try it...

Restart while pressing ctrl and it should bring up the choices of starting in safe mode,etc,
or going to windows prompt(?) I type in scanreg/restore and it brings up a list of
backup registry files and I often have to try 3 or 4 times to get one that will restore
previous registry files.It's like rewinding to a few days before.If that works and you're
able to start windows and use it normally but still have ad-ware that you can't remove,
I would go to http://www.pcpitstop.com and run a scan through them and it should
tell you how to remove the file or files.

EDIT: They also have free virus scans and full computer scans and should reccomend what to do in case of problems.
June 21st 2005, 03:27 PM
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redink1
King He/Him United States bloop
A mother ducking wizard 
Hmm. My guesses:

1) A combination of Ad-Aware activity on restart as well as the recent installation of SP2 removed some critical files, or changed some critical settings. As a general rule, only allow one program at a time to 'do it's thing' on restart.

2) SP2 doesn't like your computer. This has happened to others as well.

Either way... I'm not sure how you would go about fixing it If you have the original Windows XP install CD, you can try to insert that before the computer boots up, and it should give you access to some sort of 'repair console' of sorts. There might even be an automated 'repair' option.

If you could at least get back into Windows, you could use System Restore to go back to a point before you did anything... darn.

Couple things I found.

1) You don't happen to have a UMAX Scanner hooked up, do you?

2) You might be able to remove SP2 using the Recovery Console.
June 21st 2005, 04:21 PM
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merlin
Peasant He/Him
 
Do you still have the SP2 Setup file, or did you do the Easy Install? If you do, try reinstalling it from the recovery console.

How far are you getting in the bootup process? Do you get to windows, are you getting a STOP error, etc? And it even reboots in Safe mode?
June 21st 2005, 04:48 PM
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Striker
Noble She/Her United States
Daniel, there are clowns. 
Well, see you actually went and installed SP2 in the first place, that's your problem.
June 21st 2005, 07:23 PM
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SimonK
Peasant He/Him Australia
 
I did a SP2 update a while back, had problems with a few programs (such as blender) promptly uninstalled using the revert/recover to older version, and things went back to normal. (As normal as Windows can be)

I just get told that updates are ready all the time, personally, I think they should be called downdates.
June 21st 2005, 07:48 PM
peasantmp.gif
I'm gonna guess it's the second one, because I just remembered that a while back, I installed SP2 onto a laptop and it had a similar problem, but for some reason Windows loaded under Safe Mode, unlike this time, so it was pretty easy to use System Restore to fix that problem.

As for the scanner, the only external hardware hooked up to the computer is the cable modem and a printer, so I that's ruled out.

Well, I didn't think I had the original disc anywhere, so I made a Windows Setup Disc (that's the same as a Startup Disc, right?), but was dumbfounded when I looked around my computer, and found that there was no floppy disc drive to be found! I'd never even noticed this - how odd. Anyway, I guess my only chance left is to find someone with a Startup CD or, as someone else suggested, find a way to hook up this hard drive to another to transfer the files before reformating the entire drive (could the infection, if it is a virus, spread to the host drive though if I found a way to do this?).
June 21st 2005, 07:52 PM
peasantmp.gif
Yeah, I have automatic Windows Update on my computer, and the wizard did all the work.

The bootup process goes right up until JUST before Windows loads, the loading screen with the multi-colored Windows emblem just disappears and the screen goes black for a few seconds, and then I hear the whirring sound as the computer reboots itself again. And yes, I've tried every option I had - Last Known Good Configuration, Safe Mode, VGA Mode, normal Windows, every option they gave me but no matter what it always reboots.
June 21st 2005, 07:57 PM
peasantmp.gif
I have Windows XP, and none of that really applied to when I start up the computer (when I pressed or held down Ctrl, Windows just started up regularly). I guess the different versions make them little too incompatible for that to work. :/ Thanks anyway though.
June 21st 2005, 08:05 PM
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merlin
Peasant He/Him
 
I have two guesses:

Guess 1)
Somehow your computer was changed from an ACPI HAL in Windows to a Standard PC one (It's in Device Manager under Computer). I see 3 options here:

1) Find the XP Install disc and do a Repair Install. That should replace the HAL and extract a new kernel.

2) Put your hard drive in a friend's (or your) old computer and boot into windows that way.

3) Reinstall windows in it's place. You shouldn't lose any data.

Guess 2)

Your video drivers/card is bad. Or something ate your registry. Try moving your video card to another slot if it's PCI. Put one in if it's integrated. Try another one if it's AGP. If something ate your registry, you're pretty much forced into a reinstall unless you know EXACTLY what's wrong.
June 21st 2005, 10:54 PM
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Tal
Noble He/Him United States
Super Sexy Tal Pal 
I might be one of the few people on this earth that has never had a single problem with updating Windows, other than the minor irritation of downloading an update only for it not to install (which was easily fixed by, of course, downloading it again).

(Since some junk post caused this long-dormant thread to be bumped, I'd like to take this opportunity to add that, as of 2018, my streak of luck has ended and I've had a hand-me-down Gateway PC cease to boot immediately after a major Windows 10 update. Cheers!)