[Tinysparkle]

Hi Everyone,
Here's the problem.
Everytime I turn on my computer, it takes me to a "Choose User" screen. I try to log into my user, and it says "logging in" then immediately after it "logs out". It will not even let me log into "guest" user. How can I fix this? Will I lose my files? Is there a way to keep my files from being removed, or saved? I tried to log in "safe mode", but it will not let me. In fact the option doesnt even seem to be available anymore. I do not have a cd from xp to boot from.

(just to give a little background, before the log on issues)

My computer had a ton a viruses. My internet stopped working, my tool bars changed etc. I purchased an anit-virus cd and my computer blocked it from dowloading. The company then told me to dowload malware bytes, to see if that would remove it and allow me to download the anti-virus program. I downloaded malwarebytes from a different "clean" computer on to my flash drive. I then downloaded it onto my virus infested computer. After it located the trojans it removed them, and I ran my anti virus program. It prompted me to restart my computer, once it did, thats when my log on issues began.
I know a little bit about computers, but not very much. Any help would be appreciated. I have a lot of irreplaceable pictures and files that would be devastating if I lost.
Thanks for your time, Sorry so long

<3 Tinysparkle

Edited by Tinysparkle, 04 March 2009 - 09:56 PM.

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you can remove the drive and slave it to a working system to get your data...

or you can try puppy linux...
get puppy linux...Get puppy-2.16-seamonkey-fulldrivers.iso download it and burn it to cd
..
if you don't have a burning program that will burn .ISO files go here and get burncdcc ..a small FAST no frills iso burning program...

NOTE...do not put a blank cd in until burncdcc opens the tray for you
1. Start BurnCDCC
2. Browse to the ISO file you want to burn on cd/dvd ....in this case its puppy-2.16-seamonkey-fulldrivers.iso
3. Select the ISO file
4. click on Start

make sure in the bios the cd drive is the first boot device....

put the cd in the cd drive..boot your computer....puppy will boot and run totally in ram...if your hardware is is good working order you will know...
after you get it running and your at the desktop...you take the puppy linux cd out and then you can use the burner to copy all yor data to cd/dvds
you can also use it to backup your data to a external usb harddrive..just have it hooked to the computer when you boot up with puppy...
==========================
quick guide for saving data...music..files on a system that will not boot using puppy Linux..


after you get to puppy desktop..
click on the drives icon...looks like a flash drive...top row..it will list all the drives connected to

your computer...

click on the red icon for the drive you want to mount...in this case its a flash drive ...puppy will

mount the drive..the drive icon turns green when its mounted...
minimize the drives mounter window..you will need it again in a few minutes..
drag the right edge of it sideways to shrink it to its narrowest size...about half the width of the screen...then drag the window to the right edge of the screen...

now click on the icon that looks like a filing cabinet (kind of yellow) on the main drive...it should
already be green..
you will see a list of all the folders on the main drive Usually your C: drive..shrink that window to
the narrowest you can..about half the width of the screen...drag that window to the left side of the screen...
at this point you should have 2 windows open on your desktop..the flash drive on the right side..
go back to the folders on the C: drive...click on the documents and settings folder...then your user
name or all users..find the folders that has your data..
drag and drop the folder with the data you want to make copies of to the flash drive window...

your options are to move ..copy ect...JUST COPY..if its to big you will have to open the folder and
drag and drop individual files until the flash drive is full...(I have a 120 GB external USB drive for
big data recovery jobs and a 4 GB flash drive for the smaller jobs)..after you get the files copied to
the flash drive...
Click on the drives mounter you minimized earlier
UNMOUNT THE FLASH DRIVE by clicking on the green icon..you will once in awhile get error messages when
unmouting the drive..ignore them..when the flash drive icon turns red again its safe to remove the
flash drive..trot on over (stroll if you want to look cool) to another computer and plug in the flash

drive and copy all the data files ( I drag and drop) to the other computer..
make sure the other computer can read them...

now delete the data on the flash drive...take it back to the misbehaving computer and plug it in

again..click on the drives icon again and repeat until you have all your data transferred to the working
system..


remember this...DATA THAT YOU DON'T HAVE AT LEAST 2 COPIES OF... IS DATA YOU REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT

Edited by happyrock, 16 March 2009 - 10:37 AM.

[happyrock]

you can remove the drive and slave it to a working system to get your data...

or you can try puppy linux...
get puppy linux...Get puppy-2.16-seamonkey-fulldrivers.iso download it and burn it to cd
..
if you don't have a burning program that will burn .ISO files go here and get burncdcc ..a small FAST no frills iso burning program...

NOTE...do not put a blank cd in until burncdcc opens the tray for you
1. Start BurnCDCC
2. Browse to the ISO file you want to burn on cd/dvd ....in this case its puppy-2.16-seamonkey-fulldrivers.iso
3. Select the ISO file
4. click on Start

make sure in the bios the cd drive is the first boot device....

put the cd in the cd drive..boot your computer....puppy will boot and run totally in ram...if your hardware is is good working order you will know...
after you get it running and your at the desktop...you take the puppy linux cd out and then you can use the burner to copy all yor data to cd/dvds
you can also use it to backup your data to a external usb harddrive..just have it hooked to the computer when you boot up with puppy...
==========================
quick guide for saving data...music..files on a system that will not boot using puppy Linux..


after you get to puppy desktop..
click on the drives icon...looks like a flash drive...top row..it will list all the drives connected to

your computer...

click on the red icon for the drive you want to mount...in this case its a flash drive ...puppy will

mount the drive..the drive icon turns green when its mounted...
minimize the drives mounter window..you will need it again in a few minutes..
drag the right edge of it sideways to shrink it to its narrowest size...about half the width of the screen...then drag the window to the right edge of the screen...

now click on the icon that looks like a filing cabinet (kind of yellow) on the main drive...it should
already be green..
you will see a list of all the folders on the main drive Usually your C: drive..shrink that window to
the narrowest you can..about half the width of the screen...drag that window to the left side of the screen...
at this point you should have 2 windows open on your desktop..the flash drive on the right side..
go back to the folders on the C: drive...click on the documents and settings folder...then your user
name or all users..find the folders that has your data..
drag and drop the folder with the data you want to make copies of to the flash drive window...

your options are to move ..copy ect...JUST COPY..if its to big you will have to open the folder and
drag and drop individual files until the flash drive is full...(I have a 120 GB external USB drive for
big data recovery jobs and a 4 GB flash drive for the smaller jobs)..after you get the files copied to
the flash drive...
Click on the drives mounter you minimized earlier
UNMOUNT THE FLASH DRIVE by clicking on the green icon..you will once in awhile get error messages when
unmouting the drive..ignore them..when the flash drive icon turns red again its safe to remove the
flash drive..trot on over (stroll if you want to look cool) to another computer and plug in the flash

drive and copy all the data files ( I drag and drop) to the other computer..
make sure the other computer can read them...

now delete the data on the flash drive...take it back to the misbehaving computer and plug it in

again..click on the drives icon again and repeat until you have all your data transferred to the working
system..


remember this...DATA THAT YOU DON'T HAVE AT LEAST 2 COPIES OF... IS DATA YOU REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT

Edited by happyrock, 16 March 2009 - 10:37 AM.

[Tinysparkle]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this for me. I have searched everywhere trying to find answers. I'll go out and purchase a large flashdrive so that I have more space on it to work with (my current flash drive is very small, I'm sure it would be easier with one that has more GB.)
Thanks Again for you time,
I'll reply again once I'm done completing the steps you have laid out for me

Tinysparkle

[happyrock]

your welcome...

[Tinysparkle]

Oh! I forgot to mention Something!

Last night while looking through my cds, I found a Toshiba Recovery and Applications/ Drivers Media instructions cd that came with my computer. (I tried posting this question in another thread, but they closed it saying I couldnt post it because it correlated with this problem.) Would this be easier to use (or is it even an option, I don't even know what the cd is really for) than using the option you already provided me?

Also, by running this cd will I lose pictures, files, etc.?
It says on the cd "The enclosed media will allow you to completely recover or selectively re-install software on your toshiba computer. " How would I know what to install?, Is this safe, or will I lose files. The only thing I really want to do is be able to log in and save/back up files.
Sorry for so many questions, I just am not sure which route is better to take, if this is even another (or easier) option. If you think the first option u provided is better, Ill just do that, I just wasnt sure if this would of any help.

Thanks for your time,
Tinysparkle

[happyrock]

if you run the Toshiba Recovery cd ....you will be putting the system back to like the day it was made...and you will lose all your data in the process...

[Tinysparkle]

Great to know, I do NOT want to do that !

You wrote in your instruction to

make sure in the bios the cd drive is the first boot device....

How do I do that? Does it have anything to do with pressing f12 when your first turning on the computer, boot from, and changing it to cd/dvd? I'm new to this lol, probably sound crazy asking something thats probably very simple.

Thanks!
Tinysparkle

[happyrock]

yep..

[Tinysparkle]

I did it. I downloaded puppy to a cd, popped into my laptop. turned on the laptop again, changed it to boot from cd/dvd. It started as usual with no changes at all. Nothing happened, other than it loaded windows, and it brought me to the same welcome screen I cant log into. Its like I didn't even put in the cd.

[happyrock]

you have to burn the puppy cd as a .ISO image...you can't just copy it to the cd...go back a few posts to the one that has the burncdcc instructions to burn the file as a image (.iso)

[Tinysparkle]

Okay. I just downloaded burncdcc. I'm downloading puppy again to burn using this program.

[Tinysparkle]

Hello there,
Alright, I followed the instructions and unfortunately I have no luck, not sure if I'm doing something wrong, or if its my computer. Here's what I did:

First I downloaded the "puppy" to my computer from the web link provided.
I then downloaded burncdcc from the weblink provided.
From burncddd I browsed untill I found the "puppy" .iso file
I clicked on start, waited until the cd was finished.
Once finished, I turned on my laptop, right away I opened the cd compartment, placed the cd inside.
I then pressed f12, and changed it so that my computer would boot from the cd.
I pressed enter, my computer booted back up, with the same issues. I heard the cd scanning. It took me to my log in screen on windows, and still wouldn't let me in.
I thought maybe the cd did not dowload correctly, I downloaded again, burnt another one, tried again and it didnt work.

Tinysparkle

[happyrock]

this time leave the puppy cd in the cd drive and boot with it already in the drive...then as soon as you see press F12 to change the boot order ..do it

[Tinysparkle]

Still no luck. The same thing happened. It just takes me to windows. I hear the cd running, but nothing has changed.

[Tinysparkle]

Okay! I got in, tried it again and it worked. I'm on the puppy screen. How do I get to my files? I cant seem to find any of my old stuff.