[bloodydingo]

Nope, it didn't open.

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Try appwiz.cpl

[wannabe1]

Try appwiz.cpl

[bloodydingo]

Ok, that didn't do what it should've done, but when I typed that in and pressed enter it closed the command session window, and just went to the blank desktop.

That at least did something, lol.

[wannabe1]

Do you have important files on that machine?

[bloodydingo]

Yes.

I know that I should know better not to have it all backed up somehow, but I have various scripts I've written, various other works as a writer, not to mention my vast music and pictures collection on this PC, and this PC only.

Is there no way to at least pull any of this stuff off and keep it somehow now?

[wannabe1]

Do you have an external hard drive available to you or can you purchase an external enclosure to put your hard drive into?

The two easiest ways to get your files would be to use a live linux distro and copy the files to an external hard drive...or put your hard drive into an external enclosure and copy the files to another machine until we get an operating system back on yours.

The latter choice is the easiest of the two. You don't want to copy any exe files or scr files, though. Those are the ones that virut infects and is why it is such a nasty virus. It's difficult to detect until you see the effects and by then it's nearly impossible to remove. As you have seen, nothing works...and that's what virut counts on.

With your recovery cd, you should be able to get your machine back up and running right pretty quickly. Then you can move your data back on and make yourself at home again.

[bloodydingo]

How much is it going to cost me to do the second option? I have absolutely no clue how to do either option, so I'll need help from someone on all of that. Whatever I do, I need to get it done ASAP so I can get back to work.

How can the Gateway CD I have help me if it uses files already on a system? How do I get a fresh Windows XP on my computer after I'm even able to get some of the files I need off of the HD as is?

[wannabe1]

The recovery cd will access files kept on a hidden partition on the hard drive. It will format the drive and reinstall the operating system just the way it was the day it was first purchased. That part should be pretty straight forward and not hard to accomplish.

External Enclosures are not expensive and are easy to use. You'll need to remove the hard drive from your machine and place it in the enclosure...then you can connect it to another machine using a USB port and simply copy the files you need from that to another machine or to removable media such as cd's or flash drives. Virut should not affect your data.

We can help you through all of this if you'd like. We've done it before and I'm sure we'll be doing it again. Virut is probably one of the most loathsome infectors around right now.

I hate having to give bad news, but I really do believe that your best option is to start fresh...not something I take lightly.

[wannabe1]

Most computer shops or office supply stores should have external enclosures. Some Examples

We'll need to find out just what HDD you have and get the appropriate enclosure.

What is the model number of your machine? We can get that out of the way so you can get started.

[bloodydingo]

What is the model number of your machine? We can get that out of the way so you can get started.

I'm not sure if this is all you need, but here you go:

Gateway mfatxstl el2 500

Yes, I'd like for you guys to help me through this if you can. I know that would be the quickest way to get me through this.

Edited by bloodydingo, 31 March 2009 - 08:43 PM.

[wannabe1]

Looks like it takes a PATA (IDE) drive.

You'll be looking for a 3.5" IDE enclosure.

The nice thing about having an enclosure is that you can put another hdd in it and use it for keeping backups of your files.

[bloodydingo]

Let me ask you this...

In the PC, I have two hard drives in it actually. Can I pull one of the, then reformat the other? I forgot that I have two HDs installed on this PC.

[wannabe1]

What's on the second HDD?

[bloodydingo]

The second HD has various files on it that wouldn't really matter much if I lost. All of the main ones I absolutely need are on the original, the main one.

[wannabe1]

Let me read up on the system recovery for that machine. If the recovery doesn't rely on the hidden partition, it's a possibility. If the partition is required, we'll have to go with the enclosure.