[CoolandCalm]

Background: I recently got an atapi.sys rootkit when my antivirus software was down for a few days (before renewing license). Then if I tried to seek it out with the antivirus software, afterwards the computer would only say that any file I tried to use was not a valid win32 application. I tried replacing the atapi.sys with a file from another computer but the problem remained. I did a stupid thing and deleted the atapi.sys file.

Problem: XP Repair instructions from http://www.michaelst...pairinstall.htm were fine until I got to the cd-key menu. I tried using the cd-key I had originally used to install the OS on the comp and several other valid keys. All of them were found to be invalid. With nothing I could do and stuck at the cd-key screen, I tried rebooting the computer (Since the OS had been previously installed and now the missing files fixed, I thought all was well). Now whenever I start the computer I will see the blue screen of windows installation with the words "Setup is being restarted ..." and the computer will then proceed to a black screen where I can move my mouse, an error message appears and disappears in a split second (tried to videotape and slow down, but it was too fast), then the computer reboots and everything happens again.

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You can perform a number of important XP repair procedures and avoid the XP repair which quite often fails anyway. Go to here and run the specified commands, trying to reboot after each step.

[The Skeptic]

You can perform a number of important XP repair procedures and avoid the XP repair which quite often fails anyway. Go to here and run the specified commands, trying to reboot after each step.