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My laptop will not start up


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#1
goldenbda1

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System boots on and goes to safe mode screen. When opt for an option it restarts and returns to safe mode screen. Previously I was informed that the system was infected with a backdoor virus. I do not have the os disc the system came with. I know there is another way to reboot the system without it. I do not want to lose my data but I'm willing to do so to save my system.
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#2
rshaffer61

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Are you on that system now?
If not have you tried booting into Safe Mode With Networking?
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#3
goldenbda1

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No I am not on that computer and when I select safe mode with networking or anything else it just reboots.
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#4
rshaffer61

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Do you have your XP installation disk? If so the you need to do a Repair Installation and once that is completed you should hopefully be able to get back into your system, Once that is complete then I will send the malware topic setup instructions.



Repair Installation Instructions

· Insert your Windows XP CD in your CD-ROM 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 and then press Enter 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 and highlighted in the box, and then press the R key to repair Windows XP.
· Follow the instructions on the screen to complete Setup.

You can also go HERE
to read a step by step tutorial with screenshots.
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#5
goldenbda1

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No I do not have the XP installation disk. Can't I factory reset without it?
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#6
rshaffer61

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What is the make and model of your system?
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#7
goldenbda1

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It's a Dell laptop. It says windows vista on a sticker but windows xp pops up when it logs on.
Dell Latitude D531
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#8
rshaffer61

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Did you load XP on it at one time?
Since it has Vista on the sticker then that is what the original OS was.

You should have what is called a Recovery Partition on the hard drive accessing this will allow you to format and put the system back to where it was when brand new. Below is the instruction on how to access that partition.


To access it follow the instructions below:

Dell:

The key combination is CRTL + F11 pushing the keys at the same time at the the dell screen during post. Once you push them then you want to release them.
It should go into the recovery partition so you can do a system restore.
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#9
goldenbda1

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I've tried it numerous times and it will not work. The system just takes me to the safe mode selection screen. Then it continues to go down from 30 and restarts if I do not select and option, if I do select an option it restarts.
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#10
rshaffer61

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Well since Vista was the original OS and has the reg key to activate it then you will need to either Contact Dell and purchase a recovery cd or purchase Vista and start fresh that way.
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#11
goldenbda1

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thank you for your help.
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#12
rshaffer61

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it would be much cheaper to contact Dell. Recovery cd's usually run between 30 to 50 USD.
A new OS installation disk will be about 150 USD

Edited by rshaffer61, 01 February 2010 - 12:13 PM.

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#13
goldenbda1

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thank you. I will contact dell.
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#14
goldenbda1

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I found the installation disk. Is that the one that will recovery my system?
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#15
rshaffer61

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Is it a XP disk or the Recovery Disk from Dell?
It will make a difference on how we proceed from here. What exactly does it say on the disk?
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