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Windows XP doesn't open - NEW PROBLEM


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#1
thedarkprince

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Hi,

I'm a first time user so will need a fair bit of help on this.

First of all, i had trojan-spy.html.smitfraud.c on my pc and i was starting to perform the first steps of the clean up (ad-aware, AVG, etc...). After the AVG scan and clean-up an error message appeared but before i could make a note of it, the pc shut down.

When i came to reboot the pc, Windows XP froze. However, i can log on in safe mode.

Is there anyway i can fix this?

The other problem is that i don't have the XP disc as it was pre-loaded on to my pc. I'd have to take it back to the shop if its needed and they'd probably charge me a small fortune!

Thanks in advance :tazz:

Edited by thedarkprince, 09 May 2005 - 01:39 PM.

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#2
Dæmon

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I'm not totally sure if it'll work, but it's worth a try..

Boot up in safe mode, go into My Computer and right-click on the c: drive. Select properties. Under the 'Tools' tab, click 'Check Now' under error checking.

If it tells you that it will schedule a disk check for when the computer is started again, reboot.
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#3
thedarkprince

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No joy with that i'm afraid. The same thing happened when it rebooted.

The thing i don't understand is how it loads up in safe mode but not normally?! Is there anyway of finding out what files are missing/corrupt?

Thanks for your help anyway Daemon :tazz:
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#4
p_mii_nawy

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do you know where the trojan is? ie c:\program file\ etc. if you know where it is try kill box. here is a link to one of my post.
http://www.geekstogo...01
it is post 4. try that. also make sure that when you do it, be in safe mode.
PMN
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#5
thedarkprince

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I can only open in Safe Mode so cannot download anything and unfortunately it's not a program i have downloaded before.

Can i run a manual search for it? Or would it not come back with anything? Or is there a common place where this file can be found, seeing as so many people seem to have the same trojan?
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#6
nestorey

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you should be able to loggon in safe mode with networking enabled. that way you cn at least download the file. as far as reinstalling xp all you need is a os disk from anywhere to reinstall it. there has to be someone you know with a copy. there should be a license number on the side of yur box for your xp edition. once you get a hold of a install cd use that license number as the key. if your running pro i guarentee there's a disk of pro lying in the bottom of someones drawer. ask the IT guy to burn you a copy...if he starts stressing tell him about the license number. Don't take any guff from those swine...
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#7
thedarkprince

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Yeah, i've got the XP license number on the front of the pc, i just assumed i'd need the exact same disc for it to work.

Well, i'll try and get hold of one and see what i can do.

Will logging on in safe mode with networking definitely allow me to d/l the file? Am at work at the moment so will not be able to try until i get home at 3pm GMT.

Thanks for your help :tazz:
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#8
thedarkprince

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I can't seem to open in Safe Mode with Networking (or whatever its called). I can only open in just the normal Safe Mode.

As for the XP disc, i found out that i received a HP disc which contained XP and and all most of the other software. Unfortunately, i can't find it now (it was 3 years ago ;) )

So does anyone else know what i can do? Is there a scan i could do to find out the missing/corrupt file(s)? At least then i could copy the file from my brother's laptop and see if that would work :tazz:

You never know, it may work.... ;)
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#9
thedarkprince

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Ok, new problem which i think is a bit of a showstopper ;)

Now i can't seem to even open up XP in Safe Mode ;) I get the message saying Windows can't open because Windows\System32\config\system is missing.

The thing i really need to know is can i copy the file from the latop (my brother's - no XP disc either :) ) onto a CD and then copy it in to the appropriate folder? I would need some instructions on this though.

A quick response would be great people :tazz:
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#10
p_mii_nawy

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you will not be able to copy that because windos uses it for somethig and is locked when you are running any pc. there is a program called ERDNT, that backs up the system and lets you copy any system file ie: sam, system and all the good stuff in there. i think that it is a bad idea if you copy the system file fropm the laptop to your pc. they are different and could mess up your stuff. you really need to get a hold of the xp cd to repair your system.

Edited by p_mii_nawy, 09 May 2005 - 03:41 PM.

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#11
thedarkprince

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Ok, looks like i'll be giving that a miss then ;)

I guess the search for a cd continues....

Thanks for your help guys :tazz:
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#12
thedarkprince

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Ok, here's the latest development.

I had to do something called a hard-disk recovery, by hitting F10 before Windows tries to load up. I did a non-destructive recovery because I had files that I needed to backup. This all worked fine and I managed to back everything up.

I then decided to run a destructive recovery which basically reformats the hard disk to get rid of any nasty trojans, viruses and spyware still lurking. Here’s where a new problem arose, after it had finished it started to reboot and an error message came up saying:

NTLDR is compressed
Press CTL+ALT+DEL

Any ideas how to get around this?

Cheers guys :tazz:
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#13
gerryf

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I would do a nother recover, first using a floppy boot disk with fdisk to remove all partitions
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