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BAD_POOL_CALLER after Windows XP "repair"


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#1
badPC-badPC

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This all started with WinPC Defender malware... so far every step at intervention has made matters worse. Here is the history...

Initial attack was detected by McAffee and supposedly dealt with.

But one consequence was that the network was whacked. TCP/IP protocol was non-functional. And it was not possible to uninstall/reinstall as advised on a number of other posts I read.

Also, I found that if I ever attempted to start in Safe Mode, the keyboard was non-functional (separate post on that), so I was never able to follow various other protocols that have been described.

In exasperation (and probably this was a mistake), I tried booting from the WinXP distribution disk and have it "repair" itself. After copying many files, setting up and saving the configuration, rebooting, and going through many more installation steps, I got a BSOD with this info: BAD_POOL_CALLER
STOP: 0X00C2 (0x0007, 0x0CD4, 0x00340045, 0xE167A11C)

Have restarted several times with the same result. Now it is no longer possible to start in Safe Mode.

There is more verbiage that I did not include which has to do with recently installed devices--in my case there are none. The only device I have that was not factory installed is an external USB disk and that is not new.

Other posts I have seen on BAD_POOL_CALLER suggest using Memtest86+ to test memory. I tried following the instructions but have not succeed in making a bookable CD that works. But I have no reason to believe there is a memory fault anyway.

Right now it seems I have exhausted my options. Can anyone help. Please...? Thanks!!
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#2
rshaffer61

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From what you have said I am to believe you can not boot into normal mode either?
If so, I advise you to :

Please go to the "Malware Forum" link in my signature below and follow the instructions at the top
Especially the "You Must Read This Before Posting A HijackThis Log".

That will give you several steps that will help you clean up 70 percent of all problems by yourself.
If at the end of the process you are still having difficulty start a topic and post the requested logs in THAT forum.
Once the malware technicians have cleared out any infection and given you a clean bill of health, and if the problem continues then feel free to post back here and we can investigate the problem even more.

Add a link to this topic so that malware tech can see what steps have been taken here
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#3
badPC-badPC

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Thanks for your reply. Right, I cannot start windows in any mode.

Sorry, I am new to the site and didn't figure out that there are separate fora for different topics. On my way to Malware Forum...

thanks
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#4
rshaffer61

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Since you cannot boot into normal mode then that has to be fixed first before going to malware forum
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#5
badPC-badPC

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What do you suggest? Windows XP forum?
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#6
rshaffer61

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Well lets do a repair installation. This time we'll do it step by step.

Insert your Windows XP compact disc (CD) into your CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart your computer.
At the first post screen start tapping the Del key to enter system bios
Find the Advance Options or Boot Sequence screen
You will need to change the boot sequence so that the cdrom is first and the hd is second
Press F10 to save and exit, press ok to accept
The system will now reboot

When the "Press any key to boot from CD" message is displayed on your screen, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD.

When you see the following message displayed on the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER:

To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.

At this point an option to press R to enter the Recovery Console is displayed. Do not select this option.

On the Windows XP Licensing Agreement screen, press F8 to agree to the license agreement.

Make sure that your current installation of Windows XP is selected in the box, and then press the R key to repair Windows XP.

Follow the instructions on the screen to complete Setup.
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#7
badPC-badPC

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The screen mentioned in the last step of your message had 3 options:
- To retry upgrading to Windows XP, press ENTER
- To continue installing a fresh copy of Windows XP without repairing, press ESC
- To quit Setup, press F3

I pressed ENTER.
It copied files, initialized configuration, then rebooted itself.
This time I did not boot from CD and let it start normally. It went into Windows XP setup, the fourth of the five steps: "Installing Windows". I predict this will fail... yes, same problem:
BAD_POOL_CALLER
0x000000C2 (0x0000007, 0x00000CD4, 0x00340045, 0xE1824FFC)

Should I have pressed ESC instead? (fresh copy without repair)
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#8
rshaffer61

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If you do esc it will probably format your system causing everything to be lost. If this is not what you want to do then we need to approach this in another way. Please let me know what you would like to do
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#9
badPC-badPC

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Right, I do not want to reformat and lose all my files.

Edited by badPC-badPC, 19 April 2009 - 12:08 PM.

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#10
rshaffer61

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Then we need to do what we can from Dos enviroment.

Click HD diagnostic in my signature below. Choose the manufacturer of your hd. Download the tool. Running this will tell us if there is a problem with HD itself. If not then we will pursue other hardware or software possibilities



Let's check your memory and make sure there is no issue with it.Donwload memtest86 from the link in my signature below.


Get the file that is named Download - The one you want is "Download - Pre-compiled Bootable ISO (.zip). When it downloads, it will be labeled "memtest86+2.11.iso.zip"
Unzip the file once you download it. You should have a .iso file in the unzipped directory.

if you don't have a burning program that will burn .ISO files get burncdcc in my signature below.

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 memtest86.iso
3. Select the ISO file
4. click on Start

Make sure the bios is set for the cd drive as the first boot device
Put the cd in the cd drive and then boot your computer.

Running the Diagnostic Program:

The basic diagnostic screen has five main sections of relevant information. Three at the top which are labeled, PASS %, TEST %, and TEST #. This will basically show you the total progress of the current test, the overall progress of the diagnostic test, and the test number is currently performing.

On the middle left hand side of the of the program interface there is a “Wall Time” section that will keep track of how long the diagnostic test has been running for. This just gives you an idea if you are not attending the testing process.

The main section to look for is the lower half of the screen which is usually blank. As long as the memory testing is going ok with no errors this section of the screen should remain blank. If the diagnostic program finds any serious faults in the memory you will see it display a memory dump of address’s in this section. This is similar to what is displayed on your screen when you encounter a blue screen of death.

You now have most everything you need to know about setting up and testing your memory with diagnostic programs. This guide should help you get to the source of any intermittent problems related to your memory.


Run memtest for at least 2 hours
If it starts showing any errors during that time then you will have to replace the memory
If there are no errors after 2 hours press Esc and that will end the tests
We will then try other options
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#11
badPC-badPC

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OK, thanks. Looks like this will take me some time.

I am not sure of the manufacturer of the hard disk. It is a Dell machine, but I think I saw Maxtor somewhere. Is there any easy way to tell without opening the box?

I will give BurnCDCC a try. I previously tried to make a memtest86 disk using Nero and it did not appear to be bootable.

Thanks
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#12
rshaffer61

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Not without being able to get into windows.
When you download the memtest file it will be a zip. Unzip it and the ISO file will look like a zip again. Don't open it. Just burn it using burncdcc

Edited by rshaffer61, 19 April 2009 - 12:36 PM.

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#13
badPC-badPC

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Got memtest up and running

Will work on the HD after that.
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#14
rshaffer61

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Ok keep me informed or if you have any questions
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#15
badPC-badPC

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HD is Maxtor 6Y080M0. Used Seagate SeaTools -- passed short, long, and acoustic tests.

Memtest86+: 6 passes with no errors.

Before going further, here's what I was considering: I have another similar-model Dell. I could pop the HD out of this dead one, put it in the other to recover some files, and then put it back. Any gotcha's with doing this?
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