[emmpe]

The problem: When I try to install BootBack it won't, setup log claiming "bad magic in MFT record". When I try to open the diagnostic .bat file from the (very helpful) people at BB support there's just a black flicker for a split second. Same when I try it the 'run' prompt way. So I try cmd.exe. Nope, black flicker, won't open. Run chkdsk, it says fixed this and that and everything's just fine. I try Sysinternals ntfinfo - black flicker. Nothing in System Log except claims of 'bad sector' on different drives different days, including a never-used flash-card drive.
Configuration is WinXP Pro SP2 with updates until May on dual core Athlon 64. Permanently running apps are KIS 6, Prevx2, Spysweeper, Boinc client and a Steinberg dongle. If there's anybody who recognises these symptoms I'd be happy to at least get a hint to where to start searching for some kind of solution.

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right click on your c drive open properties, then tools. click the chk disk for errors an hit the check now tab. when the box opens check both options and then restart your pc. see if the bad sectors can be repaired then we'll work on getting the cmd.exe back just for the heck of it in your system 32 folder find the cmd.exe and right click properties and security. make sure all the allow boxes are checked for the account your using.

Edited by krmooo, 13 June 2007 - 09:30 PM.

[krmooo]

right click on your c drive open properties, then tools. click the chk disk for errors an hit the check now tab. when the box opens check both options and then restart your pc. see if the bad sectors can be repaired then we'll work on getting the cmd.exe back just for the heck of it in your system 32 folder find the cmd.exe and right click properties and security. make sure all the allow boxes are checked for the account your using.

Edited by krmooo, 13 June 2007 - 09:30 PM.

[emmpe]

Hi, and thanks for answering. Sorry I couldn't reply earlier - there's been a storm and a power blackout in my corner of the world. I've run chkdsk a couple of times, and it's always the same, no problems or at most some minor error fixed. All security tab boxes are checked for cmd.exe (you guessed right, they weren't before, overlooked that), but it still doesn't run; it's the same for everything that uses cmd type prompt, like NTFSinfo.

[krmooo]

anything with the .exe extension isnt opening? if you would look for any of these files in your system and system32 folders ..BSZIP.DLL CMD.COM
NETSTAT.COM
PING.COM
REGEDIT.COM
TASKKILL.COM
TASKLIST.COM
TRACERT.COM
i just want to eliminate any chance of a particular virus or its remnants, that renders the cmd.exe useless if its all clear in there and you can run regedit let me know

[emmpe]

None of those files is present (by the way, I've run all the malware eaters I've got, from Kaspersky to IceSword, so I reckon my system's about as clean as it will ever get). And it's not the .exe files that are affected, it's seemingly only the ones that use a comand prompt kind of interface, including a .bat file from BootBack support, intended to generate some log I think. I can't be sure of this, of course, but I've run a couple of .exe things and they work fine. So does regedit.